On May 21, 2019, the hotly contested sub-4 metre SUV segment will receive a new entrant – the Hyundai Venue. The Indian arm of the South Korean carmaker has already revealed the main set of specifications and features that the Venue will pack. Now, the company has officially started accepting bookings for the sub-compact SUV. With the minimum token amount set at Rs 21,000, Hyundai will accept advance bookings until May 20, 2019.

Bookings can be done either via Hyundai’s India website or by visiting any of the authorised dealerships. The Venue will be available in four main trims – E, S, SX and SX+. Further derivatives will include SX Dual Tone and SX (O). As far as colour options go, a total of seven single shades and three dual-tone finishes will be available. Three new colours – Denim Blue, Lava Orange and Deep Forest – will be part of the former category. The latter one will comprise of Denim Blue with Polar White roof, Polar White with Phantom Black roof and Lava Orange with Phantom Black roof.

As has become the norm for new mass-market products, the Hyundai Venue will come with some segment-first features. The list includes a wireless mobile charger, built-in air purifier, an 8.0-inch infotainment system with HD resolution, projector fog lamps and a 7-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission. The debuting gearbox will only be offered with the debuting 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder turbo-petrol engine. With 120PS/172Nm on tap, this engine is the most powerful amongst the three engine options and can also be had with a manual transmission. The other two, a 1.4-litre diesel with 90PS/220Nm and 1.2-litre petrol with 83PS/115Nm, are lifted from the Elite i20. While the diesel will only be offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox, the petrol will only come with a 5-speed manual unit.

The Venue is also set to become the first “connected car” in India. Thanks to Hyundai’s BlueLink technology, the sub-4 metre SUV will come with features like geofencing, time fencing, live traffic information, live car tracking, monthly vehicle health reports, maintenance alerts and push maps. The list of features on the Venue will also include an electric sunroof, cruise control, smartphone compatibility via Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, LED-powered DRLs and taillamps, automatic climate control with rear AC vents and a cooled glovebox.

Once launched, the Hyundai Venue will compete with the Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Mahindra XUV300 and the Honda WR-V. Prices for the Venue are expected to start around Rs 8 lakh and go up to Rs 12 lakh (ex-showroom).