2022 Hyundai Venue

Every 2022 Venue trim (SE, SEL, Limited) uses the same naturally aspirated 1.6-liter four rated at 121 hp. With no optional engine, it sits at the bottom of the subcompact SUV pool on output.

The 1.6L four makes 113 lb-ft at a high 4,500 rpm. That is below the SUV torque floor and well short of turbocharged rivals such as the Trailblazer and Seltos 1.6T.

The 2022 car carries over the 121-hp 1.6L and IVT used since 2020. Instrumented tests of this generation average about 8.8 s, which makes it one of the slowest crossovers on sale.

Throttle response is smooth and the engine is quiet at low speeds. There is little torque in reserve, though: the 1.6 gets buzzy when pushed, and highway merges take planning. It trails turbocharged rivals on refinement under load.

Hyundai's IVT (a CVT with simulated step ratios) is one of the better-behaved CVTs in the class. Tip-in is smooth and the simulated shifts limit drone, but it flares under full throttle. The six-speed manual was dropped after 2020, so the IVT is the only 2022 transmission.

Hyundai publishes no trailer tow rating for the US-market Venue, and the owner's manual advises against towing.

Every 2022 Venue trim is front-wheel drive only, while the Kona, Trailblazer, HR-V and Crosstrek offer AWD. Upper trims get a Snow drive mode, but that is a traction-control setting, not a driven rear axle.

The Venue is built for pavement. It has about 6.7 in of ground clearance, FWD, road tires and no underbody protection or off-road trim.

All three 2022 trims share one powertrain: a 121-hp 1.6L four with the IVT and FWD. No turbo, hybrid, PHEV or EV variant is offered.

The 2022 Venue has one configuration (1.6L, IVT, FWD), rated at 31 MPG combined on every trim. That is strong for a gas-only subcompact SUV.

29 MPG city with no electric assist is among the best of the gas-only subcompact crossovers.

33 MPG highway is solid, though the boxy shape and short gearing keep it below the class's best highway figures.

Good economy is offset by a very small 11.9-gallon tank, which gives only about 369 miles of combined range. Expect more frequent fill-ups than in rivals with larger tanks.

EPA estimates about $2,100 a year in regular gas. That is low for a gas crossover, but hybrids and EVs cost less to run.

Every trim runs on 87-octane regular with no premium recommendation. It stops just short of the top because the small tank means frequent stops and there is no flex-fuel option.

NHTSA rates the 2022 Venue 4 of 5 stars overall — five stars in side barrier and side pole, but four stars in frontal crash (driver and passenger) and rollover (14.3% risk).

The 2022 Venue earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick (not TSP+), but only with the Acceptable LED headlights; crash results are Good across small overlap (both sides), original moderate overlap, original side, roof strength and head restraints.

Every 2022 Venue gets Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning and Lane Keeping Assist, but blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warnings start at the SEL and no trim offers adaptive cruise.

IIHS rates both the standard and the new-for-2022 optional FCA (with cyclist detection) Superior vehicle-to-vehicle; daytime pedestrian is Advanced standard, Superior with the optional system; no nighttime pedestrian rating.

Blind-Spot Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning are alert-only and absent on the base SE; standard on SEL and Limited. No active intervention or safe-exit assist.

Lane-departure warning and Lane Keeping Assist are standard, but there is no lane-following/centering assist, so this is edge-of-lane correction only.

No adaptive cruise control on any 2022 Venue trim — conventional cruise only, no stop-and-go, no Highway Driving Assist.

No hands-free driving system is offered; the Venue lacks even adaptive cruise, the prerequisite for one.

The halogen projectors on the volume SE and SEL rate Marginal; the LED projectors on upper trims improve only to Acceptable. High-beam assist is standard, but no configuration earns Good.

Tall, boxy greenhouse gives good forward and side sightlines, but thick rear pillars limit the over-the-shoulder view, and camera help stops at a rearview camera.

IIHS rates LATCH Acceptable, with two complete LATCH positions plus a tether-only center seat; the subcompact rear bench makes multiple or rear-facing seats tight.

Every 2022 Venue trim (SE, SEL, Limited) is a two-row five-seater with a 60/40 split rear bench.

The boxy roofline gives mid-pack front headroom for the class despite the tiny footprint.

Front legroom sits near the bottom of the SUV band but is adequate for most adults thanks to the upright seating position.

The tall, square body pays off in the second row: 38.6 in of rear headroom is good for a subcompact.

34.3 in is tight — fine for kids or short adult trips, cramped behind a tall driver, and the bench does not slide.

The Venue has no third row on any trim; scored in the low band per the item's rule for two-row SUVs.

18.7 cu ft behind the second row is the smallest cargo hold in the subcompact SUV class, below the SUV band floor.

With the rear bench folded the Venue tops out at 31.9 cu ft, roughly half what most subcompact SUVs manage.

Storage is sensible rather than clever: a dual-level adjustable cargo floor, low load height, phone cubby and door bottle holders. The sliding armrest storage box comes from the SEL up — the base SE goes without until it became standard for 2023.

The front seats balance cushion and support reasonably well, but adjustment is manual-only with no power or lumbar on any trim, and the rear cushion is flat. Fine for commuting, mediocre for long hauls.

The 99.2-in wheelbase and torsion-beam rear make for a short, choppy ride over broken pavement; composed on smooth roads but busier than larger subcompacts.

Quiet around town but noisy at highway speed, with tire roar, wind rush and CVT drone from the 121-hp 1.6L under load. No acoustic glass or active noise cancellation.

The volume SEL adds automatic (single-zone) climate control and a power sunroof but no heated seats. Heated front seats are Limited-only, and no trim offers ventilated seats, a heated wheel or rear vents.

The 2022 Venue SE rose only $150 over 2021 and was one of the cheapest new SUVs sold in the US. With destination it sits below the band floor.

The SEL is the volume trim. It took the largest 2022 increase (+$850) but still lands under $22k delivered.

The powertrain is the same naturally aspirated 1.6L, IVT and FWD as later years, and Hyundai's 3 yr/36k complimentary maintenance applies. The new-car first-5-year projection for the mechanically identical later Venue is carried over.

KBB shows the 2022 Venue retaining about 77% after 3 years, in the top 10–25% of 2022 SUVs for depreciation. Projected forward, that gives about 61% at 5 years, consistent with model-level residual data.

Hyundai's 5-year/60,000-mile basic coverage tops the band and leads the mainstream market.

The 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain coverage tops the band. It applies to the original owner only; later owners get 5 yr/60k.

The 2022 Venue includes Hyundai Complimentary Maintenance (3 yr/36,000 mi of oil changes, tire rotations and inspections) plus 5-year/unlimited-mile roadside assistance, which beats most subcompact rivals. Connected-service perks are thin: Bluelink is not offered on the Venue.

$21,895 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (61% retained, or about $13,356) leaves about $8,539 in depreciation. Add the projected $4,350 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $12,889 in total.

J.D. Power rates the 2022 Venue 82/100 for predicted reliability, at the low end of its 81-90 'Great' band. Consumer Reports-derived buying guides treat 2022 as one of the weaker Venue years, largely on owner satisfaction. That leaves a mixed signal, a little below the 2023.

Around 2022 Hyundai was an upper-mid-pack brand in Consumer Reports' rankings, outside the top tier and behind sister brand Kia. It has generally beaten the J.D. Power VDS industry average without being a perennial top-5 finisher.

NHTSA lists one safety recall for the 2022 model year: front seat-belt pretensioners that can explode on deployment and throw metal fragments. It is a serious defect, but a single campaign with a simple cap remedy. A Hyundai IVT service campaign also covered certain 2020-2022 Venues, so the record is typical rather than clean.

The 1.6L Smartstream port-injected four (121 hp) is simple and low-stress, with no turbo and no direct-injection carbon buildup. The belt-type IVT is the weak point: owners report judder and hesitation, a service campaign covers early Venues, and a class action names 2020+ gas Hyundais.

Reviewers consistently note hard plastics on almost every surface, including unpadded armrests. That suits the Venue's entry price, but the cabin trails rivals such as the Kia Seltos and Mazda CX-30. The layout is sensible and assembly is tidy.

Assembly is solid, and owner complaints about rattles or misalignment are scarce. Later years of the same carryover build ranked well for J.D. Power initial quality. Weaker 2022 owner-satisfaction reports keep it a notch below the 2023.

About 860 US dealers make service easy to reach almost anywhere. Hyundai's dealer-service satisfaction, however, has historically sat near the bottom of J.D. Power's Customer Service Index.

Maintenance and repair costs are among the lowest in the segment. The Venue shares common Hyundai/Kia parts and has a simple mechanical package, and its 10-year cost projections beat the SUV average.

Every 2022 Venue uses an 8-inch center touchscreen; no larger screen is offered.

The screen is small but well executed: bright, responsive, simply laid out, with physical climate, volume and tuning controls retained.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard on the SE and the volume SEL, strong at this price; the Limited's navigation head unit reverts to wired-only projection.

Embedded navigation is offered only on the Limited; voice control is Hyundai's basic button-prompted system, and SE/SEL owners rely on phone projection for maps.

The base SE makes do with four speakers and the SEL/Limited get six; no branded or premium audio upgrade exists.

The 2022 cluster pairs analog gauges with a small 3.5-in monochrome info screen on every trim; the 4.2-in color TFT arrived only for 2023. No full-digital cluster is offered.

Hyundai's Bluelink map/multimedia OTA updates apply only to the Limited's navigation unit; there is no feature-adding whole-vehicle OTA on this model.

Bluelink remote start, lock/unlock and vehicle locate come only on the Limited, on a complimentary trial that becomes a paid subscription. SE/SEL owners get no connected app, and no phone-as-key is offered.

The SE has a single USB port and the SEL two, front only; rear USB charging is limited to the top trim. No wireless charging pad on any 2022 trim (it arrived on the Limited for 2023) and no AC outlet.

The SE and volume SEL start with a turned key; proximity entry with push-button start is Limited-only. No phone-as-key or power liftgate on any trim.

The parking suite is a rear-view camera with guidelines — no surround view, no parking distance sensors, no parking automation; blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warnings are SEL/Limited only.

No head-up display is offered on any 2022 Venue trim.

Two full LATCH sets, a tall body and wide rear doors make buckling a child easy for the size, but 34.3 in of rear legroom struggles with a large rear-facing seat and the 18.7 cu ft hold is tight for stroller-plus-groceries duty.

An IIHS Top Safety Pick (with the Limited's LED headlights) with standard forward collision-avoidance incl. pedestrian detection and lane-keeping on the SE. Held back by a 4-star NHTSA overall rating, Marginal halogen headlights on SE/SEL, blind-spot warning only from SEL, and no rear-occupant alert until 2023.

A four-person trip is where the Venue runs out of car: no rear vents, tight rear legroom, front-only USB on the volume SEL, and 18.7 cu ft of cargo that cannot take four people's luggage.

This is the Venue's core competence: light steering, excellent outward visibility, a small footprint and a CVT that is smooth in stop-and-go. It loses points for a buzzy engine under throttle and having no adaptive cruise.

Cheap to buy and to run: 31 MPG combined on regular fuel, an $18,900 starting MSRP and small, inexpensive tires. Misses 80+ because a hybrid or EV commuter beats it per mile.

Urban usability is best in class: 159.1 in long, a ~33-ft turning circle and an upright glasshouse with good sightlines. Thin parking hardware (rear camera only, no sensors or 360 view) keeps it below 90.

Not meaningfully work-capable: no tow rating, 121 hp through a CVT to the front wheels only, and the smallest cargo hold in the class.

The simple naturally aspirated 1.6L and wipe-clean plastics are low-stress, backed by a 10-yr/100k-mi powertrain warranty, but it is a light econobox with no fleet record or heavy-duty provisions.

Beyond a two-position adjustable cargo floor, SEL roof rails and basic tie-down hooks there is little for work: no factory hitch, no AC outlet, no upfit ecosystem.

Range is adequate at ~370 miles, but the engine works audibly hard on grades, wind and road noise intrude, and there is no adaptive cruise to cut interstate fatigue.

Pavement-bound: FWD only, about 6.7 in of ground clearance and no tow rating. Snow mode and roof rails on the SEL are the only nods to outdoor use.

Smart packaging for the size — 60/40 fold, dual-level load floor, wide low-lift hatch, SEL roof rails — but the raw volumes are the class floor and there is no factory hitch.

Nimble around town thanks to a 159-in length and short overhangs, with body motions better controlled than the class's soft norm; narrow eco tires and a torsion-beam rear limit grip.

Light and quick off-center, great for parking, but it builds little weight with speed and offers minimal feedback.

Pedal feel is linear and easy to modulate, but stopping distances are mid-pack to long for so light a car; the SE also keeps rear drum brakes (SEL/Limited get rear discs).

The 1.6L (121 hp / 113 lb-ft) with Hyundai's IVT is smooth and shudder-free at light throttle; response is the weak point, with slow kickdown and passing that takes planning.

With the CVT holding revs under load the engine drones and little insulation contains it; vibration through the controls is not an issue.

Class-leading maneuverability, tighter than the 34-ft floor of the SUV band; identical across trims and unchanged across the generation.

Upright seating, thin front pillars and a boxy greenhouse give good visibility, and climate/audio keep physical controls. Held back by a manual-only driver's seat with no lumbar and thick rear pillars.

Light, eager to change direction and likeable in the city, but 121 hp through a droning CVT caps the enjoyment. Pleasant rather than memorable.

The $18,900 SE includes an 8-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, forward collision avoidance with pedestrian detection, lane keeping and auto high beams. It lacks the center armrest, color cluster and rear-occupant alert added for 2023, and heated seats and LED lights still need the Limited.

At roughly $20,100–$23,400 delivered, with Hyundai's warranty and 3 years of free maintenance, the content per dollar is strong. U.S. News named it a finalist for Best Subcompact SUV for the Money. Capability caps the score: 121 hp, an IVT, FWD only and small cargo space.

Three trims (SE, SEL, Limited) span about $3,250. There is one engine and IVT and no AWD, so buyers can't configure up in capability.

US sales of 27,094 in 2022, down about 5% from the 2021 record of 28,653, make the Venue a steady entry-level seller. It ranks well behind segment leaders such as the HR-V, Kicks and Trailblazer.

Hyundai's image rose in 2022 on its warranty and the Ioniq 5's World Car of the Year win, which lends the entry model credibility. Budget models sit at the low end of that halo.

The 2022 model year sold into the chip-shortage market, with thin inventory and dealer markups common on cheap new cars. Incentives on the Venue were minimal and transactions sat at or above MSRP.

MY2022 is the third year of the first-generation US Venue (launched MY2020), a carry-over with minor packaging tweaks: current but mid-cycle.

Reviewers rated the 2022 Venue a solid budget pick: Edmunds 7.4/10, and U.S. News 7.7/10, #7 among 2022 affordable subcompact SUVs and a finalist for Best Subcompact SUV for the Money. It won no comparison tests or major awards.