Sport, as it pertains to cars, comes in all sorts of flavours these days. You can have it mild, wild, shaken or just stirred in to enhance the formula to make any car that much more stimulating. Hyundais of late have been uniquely exciting cars, because they have finally hit the mark in terms of value, style, product differentiation, reliability and as such, resale value. We featured the launch activities for the Hyundai Veloster in the last issue and after months of waiting and being told that our test drive cars had already been sold we were finally able to dip a finger or two in the pudding as it was finally time to drive.

 

Our test car was a sunflower yellow that reminded us of Caterpillars. Not the garden variety but the heavy industrial equipment kind. As the Veloster was being taken out of the showroom, for a brief moment it stood next to a blue 370Z, allowing us to appreciate the similarities of both cars’ bodylines. This, however, would be a very different kind of car and meant for a different kind of buyer. There is a vast ocean that separates the price, capabilities and driving experience of a true sports car from a sporty car. What we were about to discover is how well the Veloster could bridge the gap or perhaps impress us in other ways. We clicked our seatbelts on, adjusted the seats and mirrors, found all the controls and away we went.

Off the line, we could feel the difference in the directness of the Veloster’s transmission that gives the car great initial response despite the modest output of the engine. As we gradually ran through the gears, the Veloster climbed to an indicated 190km/h before we slowed for traffic. Top speed is estimated at 200km/h, given enough road. Acceleration is modest but the 6-speed dual clutch transmission lends enough gearing to the 1.6-litre, 4-cylinder’s 138hp@6300rpm and 124ft-lb of torque at 4850rpm to ring up 10.3 seconds on the 0-60mph register. With the manual transmission, which is not a standard specification for our market, this figure drops to 9.3 seconds at best, which places the Veloster on the very fringe of sportiness in terms of acceleration. Thanks to direct fuel injection however, the Veloster is easy at the pumps, averaging a rated 28mpg in the city and 40mpg on the highway.

The good news is that internationally, a turbo version has been released and although it is not yet available to our market, it has posted stout 6.3s and 6.8s 0-60mph times with the manual and automatic versions, respectively. Hyundai has added a twin-scroll turbocharger, intercooler and lowered the engine’s compression ratio to 9.5:1 resulting in 201hp@6000rpm and a very immediate 195ft-lb of torque at just 1750rpm. Hyundai has also chosen to revert to the standard 6-speed automatic transmission for the automatic Veloster turbo instead of the DCT gearbox in the regular Veloster.

Handling is better at lower and midrange speeds while at high speeds we felt the weight of our rear seat passenger on the steering wheel. You can however have some fun using the inertia to get into a rhythm through a series of low-speed corners. That’s what happens when you have around 2,950lbs to hustle around. The ride quality is firm but more compliant than we expected.

Even in the turbocharged version Hyundai has chosen to leave the suspension setup alone rather than insisting that everyone endure a harsh, bone-jarring ride as is typically the case with racier versions of most cars. Given the power level of the standard Veloster, we think that the slightly smoother ride is a welcome change, especially since most buyers will probably use this car for their daily work commute, the occasional trip to the beach and nights out on the town as opposed to visits to the racetrack. At the 2011 SEMA show, there was a highly modified Veloster Turbo shown by ARK Performance. This is a must-see for those interested in researching the tuning and racing possibilities of the platform.

Inside, the Veloster has lots of kit to impress. The sport seats are emblazoned with the Veloster logo, the centre console is inspired by a motorcycle tank and the large seven-inch video-capable central multifunction display with integrated Bluetooth/USB connectivity will feel very natural for the tech generation– especially with controls also placed on the steering wheel. The speedometer and tachometer are placed in very sporty, deeply recessed housings and there’s an engine start/stop button– details that speak to classic racecar lovers

The eight-speaker (including subwoofer) factory audio system, in our humble opinion, absolutely rocked and took everything we threw at it. Every night in the Veloster can be a party if you want it to be. When you turn the system off it’s also very quiet for a car in this price range. The rear seats are also foldable allowing you to more than double the available cargo room from the trunk/hatch space giving this coupé-hatchback-crossover combination some utility.

Exterior styling, whether you love it or hate it, is one of this car’s strongest characteristics. The fluid lines and very likeable face reminds us of a windswept smiling puppy or perhaps a happy hippo in a modern, tech-oriented way. Cars that have this much built-in character are generally a hit on the market, which the Veloster is proving to be. We also love the rear styling with the faux diffuser and centrally placed jet-like dual pipes.

Then there’s the utter coolness and utility of the asymmetrical coupé-style door for the driver and two doors on the passenger side. The rearward B-pillar gives the driver the benefit of added visibility, while passengers have the advantage of opening smaller doors that are less likely to swing onto the curb. Its imaginative colour and vertical configuration also hides the rear door handle from plain view. There’s also the splendid panoramic sunroof and the headlights featuring integrated LEDs. The wheels also feature coloured inserts to match the exterior colour of the car. Now we know where Hyundai placed their emphasis– on the elements that most people see and interact with most of the time, i.e. the exterior and interior

Braking was good with ten-inch discs all around and stability control was particularly excellent, a trait shared with the new Hyundai Elantra, which we tested in Zorce Issue #15. Traction Control, ABS and EBD are standard and there are dual front, side and curtain airbags (six in total) to protect passengers in the event of a collision or impact. Parking sensors also make life easier when navigating tight quarters

The Veloster is a modern, exciting and dynamic retake on the sporty economy car concept that is, if anything, very well dressed for the job. This means that you can enjoy sports car style with hatchback practicality all in a package so bold and unique that you can’t be missed on the road. The new Veloster automatic starts at TT$229K. Visit Neal & Massy Automotive Ltd for a demo drive or visit www.hyundaitt.com and the Hyundai TT Facebook page for more information.

 

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View this photo set on Flickr