Vanderhall Venice Review: All Eyes on You for Less Than $30,000
Vanderhall Venice is locally-sourced, American-made exotica.
If at first the Vanderhall name doesn’t ring a bell, don’t be alarmed: it’s one of the newest kids on the block, after all. Vanderhall has only been selling vehicles for a few years, and the Venice is a brand-new model. Based out of Provo, Utah, Vanderhall models are hand-built by a staff of just 35 people. That’s right, this little land missile may give off European vibes, but it has all-American provenance. The company invited 6SpeedOnline to sample its latest creation, the Venice.
What makes the Vanderhall Venice tick?
Their first effort, the Laguna, was a carbon fiber-bodied three-wheeler focused on being a luxury cruiser. The Vanderhall Venice is a pared-down design, focused on being a true lightweight at an entry-level price point. In an effort to lower the cost of entry, the Venice foregoes the neat carbon fiber bodywork, instead using an in-house-designed aluminum-composite body and structure. It’s still very light, but much less costly to produce than carbon fiber. Additionally, some of the interior amenities are skipped. This means that the Venice is light … very light. With a curb weight of just 1,450 pounds the latest Vanderhall has the stats to make a Lotus Elise envious.
Motivating the mass (or lack thereof) is a 1.4L turbocharged inline-four cylinder engine. Producing 180 horsepower and 185 lb-ft of torque, the GM-derived LUV engine is paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission.
The front suspension is a double-wishbone setup with a pushrod-style, coil-over suspension setup. Being a three-wheeler, the rear wheel is mounted via a single-sided swingarm with a coil-over shock, like a motorcycle. The suspension is bespoke to Vanderhall, and rather ingenious in its operation and packaging. This car rode on the optional 20-inch wheels with Continental summertime rubber.
The interior is surprisingly lavish, though it should be said that this particular Venice had the optional leather seats. With a two-speaker, 600-watt Bluetooth stereo system as standard, the Venice is also quite the beach cruiser or boulevardier. Two speakers may not sound like much, but in such a compact package, it gets the job done nicely.
Those are some of the headline figures. Now it’s time to talk cash. The Laguna starts at $58,850, but the new Venice is an absolute bargain with a base price of $29,950. Yes, for a hair below thirty grand, you can get into one of the most exotic rides on the road.
So exotic that even jaded Angelenos gawked in awe.
OK, we’ve covered the basics. How’s the driving experience, you ask? Well, first we had to creep through the mass of gawking roadside bystanders. Citizens of Los Angeles are surrounded by hypercar and supercar royalty to the point of indifference. However, the Vanderhall brought about a wave of attention that was unexpected. Over the course of the afternoon, about ten people flagged me down to ask about the Venice. Most of them were flabbergasted about the latest and greatest new thing on the streets, and even more so after hearing about the sub-$30,000 price tag. Short of the Bugatti Chiron, I have never experienced so much attention driving a press car. If getting attention is your thing, look no further, the Vanderhall Venice is your inexpensive exotic ride of choice.
Driving the Vanderhall Venice
Through Malibu’s winding roads, the Venice is a charmer. The vintage motorcycle-inspired side pipes emit a nice, resonated, buzzy song from the turbocharged 1.4L engine. Though, I suppose 1.4 liters isn’t too small when your ride is Vanderhall-sized. The engine feels urgent, coming alive with a crack and a wallop around 2,000 revs. Keep it in the sweet spot (between 2,000 and 6,000 RPM) and the Venice can cover serious ground. It can do the 0-60 gamut in just 4.5 seconds. Vanderhall bestows a custom intake, exhaust and tune upon the GM engine. These upgrades really wake the package up. I was also surprised by the good-sized, front-mounted intercooler, which seems completely up to the task of keeping the Venice free of heat soak.
The 6-speed automatic transmission is seemingly a bit of a mismatch here. The engine is so urgent and playful, but the transmission can sometimes be a step behind. It is possible to catch it off guard when hustling along a winding road. Under these conditions, the transmission can select the wrong gear when entering or leaving a corner. The Vanderhall rep on hand told me that initially the brand offered a manual transmission, but the take rate was a paltry seven percent. With a company as boutique as Vanderhall, that simply isn’t sustainable, yet. A manual transmission-equipped Venice would be an absolute riot in my opinion.
Around town, however, the transmission is adept and makes sense. When you aren’t trying to rip your face off around the corners, the auto box is fine. This car had the optional “bump shifter,” which allows for a manual mode to be used with the automatic transmission. Working the transmission yourself is 100-percent necessary when extracting maximum fun from the Venice.
The suspension is excellent. As previously mentioned, the Venice uses a pushrod front suspension and a swingarm rear with a coil-over shock setup. A beefy front sway bar helps keep roll under control, though it’s not completely flat through the corners. That bit of roll helps keep the driver connected to what those three tires are experiencing. Despite having three wheels, the front-wheel-drive Vanderhall is nonplussed about being thrashed through the canyons. It handles mid-corner bumps and patchy pavement with aplomb. Credit this to the low curb weight and comparatively massive rubber: 225-section-width tires up front balance out the big 285 rear tire.
I was worried the large steering wheel would saw away at my legs until they fell off, but it actually complements a rather comfortable, commanding driving position.
Interestingly, the Venice has a full suite of technological aides in the background keeping things in check, including ABS and traction control. Neither is overly intrusive, though when going through the most demanding of twisties, you can only just feel the technology at play, reeling things in with subtlety. The Vanderhall will default to a mild understeer at the limits of adhesion, which is reassuring through the bumpy and unpredictable canyon roads.
Throw the shifter into full auto for a minute and let’s cruise.
As much fun as it is to hustle the Venice, much like any other vehicle, its primary use will be carting around town. At 6’1″ and 190 pounds, I fit … snugly … into the Venice as both a passenger and a driver. Initially, I was picked up by Vanderhall’s rep who is a bit larger than me. We both managed to fit in the Venice, but it was a squeeze in terms of width. The passenger seat is definitely functional, but best suited for smaller (read: less fat than me) occupants. It does have a small rear storage space behind the seats, but groceries will ride shotgun next to you. If riding solo, it seems the Vanderhall can accommodate larger drivers pretty well, though ingress and egress may be a bit … undignified. Once inside, though, it’s easy to enough to get comfortable.
Instrumentation is clear, and clearly visible, and the switch gear feels pretty nice. However, the GM turn signal stalk is noticeably out of place with everything else. It works fine, but a simple polished lever would likely better match the rest of the interior aesthetic. Ergonomically, it all works well — even the oversized steering wheel. I was worried it would saw away at my legs until they fell off, but it actually offers a rather comfortable, commanding driving position. By the end of the day, I was no more battered or beaten than had I driven any other car.
When you aren’t trying to rip your face off around the corners, the auto box is fine.
That’s actually the sweet thing about the little Vanderhall Venice: it lets you get frisky, but it won’t let you kill yourself. It’s just as happy cruising around town, doling out nice sounds from the stereo as it is doling out equally nice sounds from the buzzy little engine. For a tick under thirty grand this is the easiest way into the entry-level exotic car ownership experience. Vanderhall is hoping to increase annual sales to over 1,000 units and I hope they are successful. More people can and will experience the Venice, which is great for everyone. Owners get an inexpensive, fun-to-drive toy and we all get to watch, listen and appreciate the cars in motion.
