Hyundai debuted the Venue for the 2020 model year as a compact urban runabout with good features and value and a wallet-friendly starting price. It’s offered in three trim levels: SE, SEL, and Limited.

What’s New for the 2023 Hyundai Venue

Hyundai treats the 2023 Venue as a carryover model, so it gets no major changes. That said, the vehicle does get an armrest for 2023 and standard rear-seat reminders.

Design

The Venue’s exterior look takes cues from the Hyundai Kona, in that its headlights are split into an upper unit and a lower unit, where the LED running lights are located. An upright shape and tidy length give some small SUVs an awkward look, but the Venue gracefully carries its size and shape. Hyundai offers 15- or 17-inch wheels, and the top Limited trim is available in two-tone paint that brings a denim body color with a white roof.

Powertrain

Hyundai equips the 2023 Venue with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 121 horsepower and 113 pound-feet of torque. It’s paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and front-wheel drive (FWD) only. Though all-wheel drive (AWD) is not offered, the Venue comes with clever drive mode settings that improve traction and performance in conditions like snow and rain.

Interior

Cloth upholstery is standard for every trim of the 2023 Hyundai Venue, which shouldn’t be surprising at this price point. The Venue offers five seats, a 60/40 folding rear seatback, and the Limited trim comes with heated seats. Though we’re talking about what is essentially an economy car, Hyundai did enough with the Venue’s interior to make it a reasonably nice place to spend time. There are plenty of hard plastics and the design isn’t all that exciting, but space is good and seating is comfortable.

Technology

Every Venue comes standard with an 8-inch touchscreen, but capability varies between trims. The SE and SEL come with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, HD radio, Bluetooth, USB ports, and four speakers. The Limited trim adds navigation but drops wireless smartphone integration. On the upside, it does offer wireless charging, though that may sound a little pointless without a wireless phone connection to go with it. Hyundai’s infotainment lacks the fancy colorful animations and displays of other systems, but it offers a simple, intuitive platform to change vehicle settings and cue up tracks in Apple CarPlay.

Safety

The 2023 Hyundai Venue earned a Top Safety Pick award under 2022’s standards, but the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently updated its testing criteria with a more rigorous side test. New vehicles must earn a “Good” or “Acceptable” score to be considered for an award under the new rules, and the Venue hasn’t yet been put to the test. Even so, it’s got generous safety equipment that includes forward collision warnings, automatic emergency braking, driver attention monitoring, lane-departure alerts, and lane-keep assist.

Pricing

Pricing for the 2023 Hyundai Venue starts at $20,795 after a $1,295 destination fee. The range-topping Limited trim starts at $24,045.