Road test review: Hyundai Veloster
Monday, 2 March 2020
**HYUNDAI VELOSTER 1.6T LIMITED
Base price:** $52,990
Powertrain and economy: 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol, 150kW/265Nm, 7-speed dual clutch transmission, FWD, combined economy 7.1 L/100km, CO2 163g/km (source: Hyundai).
Vital statistics: 4240mm long, 1800mm wide, 1409mm high, 2650mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 303 litres, 18-inch alloy wheels.
We like: Brilliant engine, sharp handling that doesn't compromise comfort, angrier new face looks better, great interior.
We don't like: Rear headroom seriously compromised, too much of a price premium over the equivalent i30.
Hyundai's quirky little three-and-a-half-door Veloster is back with a new look, more equipment, new tech and a more sporting attitude for 2020.
What do you mean 'three-and-a-half-door'?
Yep, the Veloster still has its weird one-and-a-bit doors on one side, one on the other (and a rear hatch) arrangement - Hyundai call it 'asymmetrical design' - that has always been its unique selling point.
**READ MORE:
* Road test review: Hyundai i30 N-Line
* Why the Hyundai i30 N is our Top Sports Car of 2018
* Hyundai turns up the Noise with i30 N**
Sure, its weird, but at least it's interesting, as well as actually being useful - the small auxiliary rear door is on the footpath side of RHD cars and does allow better access to the rear seats - but then isn't anyone craving easier access for a three-door sporty hatch is arguably buying the wrong car in the first place?
Still, only the Veloster actually gives you the option, giving it a tiny corner of a niche segment all to itself.
So what's new about it?
While the new second-generation Veloster retains a lot its looks from the previous car, it now sits on the same platform as the latest i30 hatch and scores a new face, as well as new multi-link rear suspension.
Hyundai's SmartSense suite is now standard on every Veloster model and incorporates driver attention warning, forward collision warning, forward collision-avoidance assist, blind-spot collision warning, rear cross-traffic collision warning, adaptive cruise control, high beam assist and lane keeping assist systems.
Inside the Veloster's nicely made new interior gets all the expected modern conveniences like a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated and ventilated front seats, wireless phone charging, a head-up display, a full-width glass sunroof and an 8-speaker Infinity premium audio system.
As well as the new lightweight independent multi-link suspension, the new Veloster also scores Michelin Pilot Sport tyres, a torque vectoring control system and a turbo over-boost function for extra grunt and grip.
Sounds properly sporty. Is it?
An entry level model with Hyundai's 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine is available, but we have the Turbo Limited model here, powered by a 1.6-litre turbo petrol four-cylinder that produces 150kW of power and 265Nm of torque, which is not enough to propel the Veloster Turbo into hot hatch territory, but is more than enough to propel it in a thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying fashion.
The turbo engine is hooked up to a slick 7-speed dual clutch transmission and has a delightful enthusiasm to the way it spools up, delivering strong, capable performance across the breadth of its rev range - there's no turbo-lag/DCT indecision-induced holes down low and it doesn't run out of breath up high.
Like all good DCTs, the transmission is wonderfully slick and fast at speed, but does suffer from the occasional dual clutch quirks and indecision at low speeds, particularly when parking.
But it is never terrible and that open road performance more than makes up for any occasional very low speed twitches.
The Veloster Turbo also nicely rides the line between satisfyingly engaging handling and pleasantly cosseting ride comfort, with sharp, responsive turn-in, impressively tenacious grip and a firm, yet decently supple ride, which lines up exactly with our experience with the i30 N-Line last year, which is essentially a Veloster Turbo with a five-door body.
And that is actually where the Veloster Turbo runs into a problem…
Ominous… what is that problem then?
That problem is the fact that at $52,990, the excellent Veloster Turbo is a troublesome $9,000 more than the equally excellent $43,990 i30 N-Line that shares all the same qualities, apart from the Veloster's sleeker shape and a quirky door-count.
More worryingly, it also puts it just $2,000 less than the feral 202kW i30 N hatch, which, while firmer and more uncompromising, is still a perfectly liveable daily driver. Just one with searing performance and razor-sharp handling. It is manual only, however.
This means you have to really want the Veloster's unique shape and the compromises that come with it (that are, admittedly, partially addressed by that little half door) when you can get all of its excellent qualities in i30 form for less money.
However, the Veloster Turbo does remain a remarkably good car with a unique presence in the new car market. Stradling that line between handling/performance and comfort in that laser-precisely perfect way that Hyundai have become so damn good at of late, it has a bold and striking look, with a vast array of talents that just make it utterly appealing.
Any other cars I should consider?
While there aren't exactly any other extra-door style coupes on the market, widening the scope a little bit brings in other sporty coupes with automatic transmissions like the $49,990 Toyota GT86 (Mazda's $53,745 MX-5 RF is manual-only) into the mix, which is more sportily focussed, but way less practical and easy to life with on a daily basis.
Widening it even further to include sporty hatches - the other area the Veloster dabbles in - it is the obvious in-house competition mentioned previously that is the main hiccup in the Veloster Turbo's argument for existence, as well as Kia's cheaper, but not as well-sorted $41,990 Cerato GT that shares the Veloster Turbo's powertrain.
Of course, more powerful hot hatches like the $56,990 Volkswagen Golf GTI, $54,990 Mini Cooper JCW, $57,990 Seat Leon Cupra and Hyundai's own $54,990 i30 N also sit tantalisingly close in price as well…