The turbo petrol engined variants of the Hyundai Venue are among the most powerful, sub-4 meter compact SUVs on sale in India. Hyundai’s global research and development head Albert Biermann, in an interview to Overdrive remarked that the Venue Turbo Petrol would go mild hybrid at some point in time in the future.
Here’s exactly what he said when asked about what the future holds for small capacity turbo petrol engines,
Those engines are very competitive, not just here but in other markets too. Especially the 1.0-litre three cylinders. You have to drive that car, it has this special character when you accelerate. So I like it a lot. It sounds very sporty and powerful, in combination with the seven-speed DCT, it’s a wonderful powertrain. So I see a good future for such engines. Maybe at some point, we need to put the mild-hybrid on it, to make it even more.
Car makers around the world are opting to combine mild hybrids with turbo petrols in order to boost fuel efficiency and cut down on tail pipe emissions. The upcoming MG Hector employs a 48V mild hybrid unit along with the 1.4 liter turbo petrol engine. As and when Hyundai deploys a similar technology on the Venue, the car could get more fuel efficient, and cleaner.
For now, you get 118 Bhp-172 Nm from the 1 liter-3 cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, which is available with two gearbox options: a 6 speed manual and a segment leading 7 speed twin clutch automatic. Notably, the Venue is the first Hyundai car in India to receive a turbo petrol engine and a twin clutch gearbox, ahead of much more expensive cars such as the Elantra and Tucson.
Turbocharged petrol engines are now becoming commonplace even on budget cars sold in India. The Tiago JTP, with a Rs. 6.39 lakh price tag, is among the least priced turbocharged petrol cars sold in India. Hyundai will introduce the 1 liter turbo petrol engine into the likes of the Elite i20 and Verna, in the coming years. The tin clutch automatic gearbox is also expected to be carried over.
The Hyundai Venue, which made its debut a few days ago at a cracker of a price tag, has already set booking registers ringing, with over 20,000 Indians booking the SUV. The starting price of Rs. 6.5 lakhs for the 1.2 liter naturally aspirated petrol version of the SUV is a prime reason why Hyundai showrooms around India ar witnessing brisk footfalls. The SUV is also available with a 1.4 liter-4 cylinder turbo diesel engine that makes 89 Bhp-220 Nm. The diesel engined Venue gets a slew of luxury car features on the top-end trim including an electric sunroof. The Venue is also India’s first ‘connected car’ with an on-board sim card that allows the owner to remotely control many of the car’s features and even start it and immobilize it when required. The top-end variants of the Venue also get 6 airbags, ABS, ESP, traction control, hill hold, cruise control and slew of other safety features.
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