HYUNDAI built its brand on being cheap and cheerful, but as the decades have gone by, it has slowly moved upstream and challenged preconceptions about itself.

Despite this ongoing shift, the South Korean marque has not lost sight of what brought it to the party: being budget-friendly.

The Accent light car has long flown the banner for this particular movement, but it is no more, with production of the current-generation model ceasing and its successor unlikely to head Down Under due to pricing issues.

So, where to from here? If you were thinking a sub-Kona small SUV that’s more affordable, you’d be on the money.

Indeed, the unusually named Venue is here and it’s looking to make a splash with buyers that covet SUV styling at near-light-car prices. How does it stack up? Read on to find out.