Hyundai Archives - Travelgirl

Hyundai Venue Denim is like a great pair of jeans

travelgirlinc — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 19:22:06 +0000

Who doesn’t love denim? And now, Hyundai gives you another reason to love denim with the Hyundai Venue Denim edition complete with the interior and exterior dressed in the brand’s denim blue color throughout the SUV. The seats are denim but with decorative geometric stitching worthy of jeans. It looks designer, which is rare, considering its price point of $23,380.
   This SUV ticks off a lot of boxes, again, at such a reasonable cost. It brings a lot to the table — sort of like a grandmother cooking all your favorite dishes. You get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an eight-inch color touchscreen with navigation touchscreen, keyless entry and starting, lane keeping assist, heated outside mirrors, power sunroof, heated front seats, LED headlights, automatic emergency braking and blind spot warnings.
   The interior was plenty roomy with a 60/40 split fold-down rear seatback and duo-stage cargo storage.
   The Denim is on the smaller size with a wheelbase of 99.2 inches and 159.1 inches in length. We loved the contrasting white roof and the power tilt-and-slide sunroof — again luxuries not usually found in the low $20,000s.
   The Venue Denim is a zippy type of car that, again, has the driving comfort feel worthy of a pair of well-worn jeans. It hugs the road, goes smoothly over potholes and is easy to maneuver in the parking lot. We also got a lot of messages from the control center telling us we were too near a car or the back door wasn’t shut tightly. We appreciated the input but the voice was a bit jarring. However, we can certainly attest to its performance capabilities as we drove more than 60 miles through highways that were under construction and called for quickly crossing over to different lanes as the DOT mandated. The car and its trusty navigation made what was going to be a bit of a scary drive into one that was pleasant, trustworthy and — dare we say — fun?
Another benefit is its fuel economy with a 31 miles per gallon combined and 33 on the highways. The 121-horsepower engine gets the job done with efficiency and, as we noted, plenty of power in its tank.
Hyundai calls the Venue an “urban compact SUV,” which not only fits the bill but also fills a great need for people who need a car that can easily move around the city while providing the space (passenger and cargo) that an SUV provides. Like its namesake, it can go anywhere, fit right in and look and feel right.
www.hyundaisua.com

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Hyundai’s Santa Cruz Limited AWD: A Sport Adventure Vehicle

Mary Welch — Thu, 30 Dec 2021 17:15:55 +0000

Is it a truck or a car? Like the mythical centaur, which was half man, half horse, a first glance at Hyundai’s Santa Cruz looks like it’s two separate vehicles joined in the middle. But don’t be fooled, the 2022 Santa Cruz Limited AWD is all truck. But it is decidedly smaller than its rivals, which gives it several advantages. Its one-size-fits-all crew cab and short-bed body are perfect for hauling things, towing things and driving around town while also easily maneuvering parking lots and suburban roads.
It’s a functional pick-up that is able to go from the city to the country with ease — and a sense of style. Yes, it’s a bit shorter than most midsize or full-size trucks but it brings enough towing, hauling and off-roading capabilities for most folks. It fits into a niche that Hyundai may have discovered. It’s a truck for those who want a truck but don’t need a truck. And, the ride, thanks to its car-like construction, is a lot more comfortable.
Hyundai dubs it a true “Sport Adventure Vehicle,” and we can go along with that. It has a sophisticated design, a powerful engine and open-bed flexibility. Let’s be honest. Sometimes we’re carrying gear and equipment that is better suited for an open bed than a typical SUV. We discovered that after a particularly successful shopping spree at the Container Store when our shelves wouldn’t have fit into the back of an SUV, especially with the seats up. No problem with the Santa Cruz.
The Santa Cruz has a standard 2.5-liter four-cylinder powertrain that brings about 191 horsepower, but there is also an upgraded turbocharged engine that produces 281 horsepower thanks to a 2.5-liter four cylinder engine. It was developed with a focus on enhance driving dynamics and responsiveness that works well in urban settings as well as needed agility in off-road terrain.
Luckily for those days when you just want a comfortable ride, the Santa Cruz delivers the best of Hyundai with a 10-inch infotainment screen, lots of in-cabin storage and ambient lighting. The Limited, the most expensive version, featured leather seats, a heated steering wheel, a moonroof and a front-seat experience that was a delightful (and comfortable) blend of a car and the gravitas of a truck. It was the first time we used Remote Engine Start where we cooled down the interior before entering. Perfect for hot or freezing days.
The Limited AWD gets a combined 22 miles per gallon on a 17.7 gallon fuel tank. While the SE trim starts at around $23,9000, the Santa Cruz goes all the way up to $39,720 for the Limited.
It’s interesting. The Sport Adventure Vehicle is a unique concept and similar to the Three Bears, it’s not too big, not too small. It is, in fact, just right.
www.hyundaiusa.com

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Hyundai’s Veloster N: A fun high-performance sports car

travelgirlinc — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 02:24:17 +0000

We’ll admit it. The Hyundai Veloster N initially scared us. After all it has a turbocharged 2.0L engine that pushes out 275 horsepower. For the first couple of days we were hesitant as the engine roared when we started it up. By Wednesday we stopped braking as we went into curves and by the end of the week we were loving this sports car We realized how fun the car was and that it was so perfectly engineered that we felt safe and delighted in the high performance.
   Whether it was on the highway (where it performed flawlessly) or on city streets, we felt the road (although sometimes too much), loved its hugging the curves and reveled in the new attitude we felt while driving it. Yes, we were young, a bit aggressive and in charge of the road. Yes, we had it all— and it’s fun to drive!
   The Veloster N is actually a hatchback — but with a twist. The back seat is accessible from a third door behind the front passenger side, so it’s technically a three-door hatchback. Our 5’11”-foot tester was able to get into the back seat and scoot over to let a fourth passenger in — but it was tight. The car is angular with sporty vents and red trim around most of the car, including partially around the grill. The front seats are wrapped in cloth and leatherette and have an illuminated N on the upper side of the backrest, adding a hip element to the interior.There are some who complained about the stiff plastic inside the car but, for our tastes, if it helps keep the price below $35,000, we’re fine.
   New to the Veloster N this year is that the performance package (an electronic limited-slip differential, larger-diameter brakes, variable exhaust-valve system, and 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped in model-specific Pirelli P Zero tires), is now standard as are many driver assist features such as Forward Collision-avoidance Assist, Lane Following Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, Driver Attention Warning, Blind Spot Collision-Avoidance Warning and Rear Cross-traffic Collision Warning.
   The car gets a combined 22 miles per gallon and has a highway range of 390 miles. And, as we said for under $35,000 (more precisely, $34,745) the Veloster N is loaded with standard equipment so you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck and a fun driving experience that will put a little extra zip in you every time your crank up the engine. Overall, quite a deal.
www.hyundaiusa.com

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Hyundai Venue SEL adds to road trip fun

Mary Welch — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 14:30:37 +0000

The year 2020 has been called a lot of names, but for travelgirls, it’s the “Year of the Road Trip”. And, just like any trip, comfort getting to your destination is part of the fun, so a good car is a must.
Now, we’re not saying that every road trip needs to be in a luxury vehicle; in fact, it doesn’t. That’s why we chose the Hyundai Venue SEL for a recent weekend trip to Amelia Island. The Venue is a perfect car for a road trip because it’s comfortable, has plenty of technology and is not a gas guzzler. In fact, it gets around 34 miles per gallon on the highway; 30 in the city for a combined 32 combined miles per hour. It has a highway range of around 360 miles per gallon so, theoretically, we could go from Atlanta to Amelia on one tank of gas with five miles to spare. Of course we didn’t, but still our entire gas bill was under $35!
The front wheel drive, five-passenger, four door hatchback has a 121-horsepower four cylinder engine which provided enough pep on the highway to easily go 70 miles an hour. We felt quite confident driving down I-95 and competing with super-sized trucks. Passing wasn’t a problem either. It’s compact size (159.1 inches in length, 69.7 in width) also makes it perfect for zipping around town and getting into cramped parking spaces.

Photo by Grady McGill

Comfort is a big part of a road trip and while, again, the Venue, doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of a luxury car (or it’s price), there is plenty of room in this midsize SUV. The total passenger volume is 91.9 cubic feet and there is 41.3 inches of legroom in the front. Backseat passengers have enough room to stretch their legs as well with 38.6 cubic inches of space. There was plenty of cargo space. With the back seats up, we were able to fit four overnight bags easily. For those who prefer statistics, there is 19 cubic feet of cargo room with the back seats up; 42 cubic feet with the 60.40 split-folding rear seats. Again, plenty of room.
The seat cushions are comfortable and our knees didn’t suffer too much from the trip. We appreciated the technology with rearview camera, lane keeping assist and the much-needed driver attention warning. Whenever a car in the left lane entered the dreaded blind side space a loud noise would warn us and keep us in our lane. It wasn’t an obnoxious sound, but it wasn’t gentle, either. It was, as the saying goes, just right. Like all Hyundais, it also comes with forward-collision warning and automated emergency braking, standard driver-attention monitor and rear cross-traffic alert.
We also appreciated the very user-friendly 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability. The SEL and the Denim models come with built-in navigation with real-time traffic updates that was easy to use and kept us on the right road.
The Hyundai Venue starts at $18,750; our model was the second trim level, the SEL, which starts at $19,800. We had a few added features, such as the convenience package and premium package, which brought the price up to a still-attractive $23,280.

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