All that glitters is gold, just not the base trim Veloster
Sporty looks inside and out are only backed up if you get the turbo engine
The Hyundai Veloster is a cool looking, small and sporty hatchback that is based off the Accent platform. It was created to replace the now gone 2 door Tiburon small sport car. With Hyundai having mostly just "normal" cars in its lineup, they decided that they wanted to throw in a small "hot-hatch" for fun. In terms of looks alone this car is fantastic, but it doesn't really have much muscle to back it up. It came out in 2012 and hasn't changed much since then.
Take a look:
Different Styles:
The Hyundai Veloster comes only as a very unique 4-door hatchback ( 3 passenger doors and 1 cargo hatch). The driver side door is long like a normal coup style door. The front passenger door is shorter like a sedan and then there is a very small door for the rear passengers on that side as well (the sidewalk side for North America). The rear hatch itself is unique as it is not just the back of the car, it is also 1/2 of the top. It comes with 3 transmission choices, a 6 speed manual, a 6 speed automated manual (dual clutch), and a 6 speed auto. The engine choices are a very under-powered, 1.6L 4 cylinder or a turbo version of it.
Styling and Comfort Impressions:
This is a really cool looking car. Its low profile and wide wheel arches make it look very solid on the ground and ready to zip around corners and dart through traffic. Wheels and windows seem the right size and flow well with the car. The lights and all the little curves and creases are all to point toward a sporty look and hopefully the drive as well.
Going inside, the styling does not disappoint. With typical new Hyundai fashion, the inside of the Veloster has nice materials and flowing lines. Every piece fits together well and while it may not look as sporty as the outside it still looks well refined and not cheap in any way. The center media unit even has the shape of a V (nice touch Hyundai). The sound system is a bit of a let down; there are 6 standard speakers but they don't seem to have enough power or clarity for a car like this. The seats are comfy and very supportive, befitting of a sports car. The headroom and legroom up front are also pretty good for a car this short and low.
Take a look:
The back seat is another story. First, I will say adding another small door for the rear passengers was nice instead of it just being a normal 2 door coup. However, the door is so small and doesn't open wide enough that getting into the back seat is still a pretty undignified experience. What they should have done was to make the rear door open backwards (suicide doors) which would also add to the awesome look of the car. Getting back there, there are two seats with a plastic tray and cup holders in the middle. The seats themselves are well cushioned, albeit a bit short. The leg room isn't great but it's better than other 2 door coups in the class. Head room however, is just abysmal if not dangerously limited. Due to the extreme slope of the roof the head room is reduced but to make it worse, the top portion of the rear hatch actually extends into the space with a glass portion right above your head, meaning on really sunny days there could be a chance that rear passengers heads could get burnt. Also, with this design, if there are people in the back seat and the rear hatch is opened and then closed, there is a very good chance that you could slam the roof down on their head causing serious injury. Only people less than 5 foot 10" tall should even think of sitting in the back.
Finally: the trunk. It's not that bad. While you may not be able to put very tall things back there, it is pretty large and the seat backs do fold down. The opening is also very large.
Take a look:
Driving Impressions:
Lets get this out of the way quickly. This car is basically a person who went tanning and then said they went on vacation when people ask. If you like driving, or at least like to not be frustrated with how under-powered your car feels, do not even think about getting the Veloster with the normal engine. While idling the engine seems all quiet and smooth but, as soon as you try to move forward you get the feeling that the car isn't thinking the same thing. I have driven many different types of cars out there, many of them somewhat under-powered, but I have never had the car feel like it was actively trying to hold me back. The best way to describe how it felt is to say I at first thought the tires were all flat as it did not want to coast at all once up to speed. After a quick stop to check, all the tires were fine. To get it moving you literally need to push the pedal all the way down and then the engine just starts screaming at you. Its very loud and rough under acceleration. One would think that a dual clutch transmission should help get it going quicker ( like the VW Jetta and Golf) but the one in the Veloster seems to second guess itself as it lags and lurches instead of shifting quickly and smoothly. I really hope I just happened to get a lemon of a Veloster and they are all not like this because it looks so cool! I was not able to drive the turbo version. I should assume that the acceleration is better but it may be even louder. The visibility is also not the best as the rear quarters have huge blind spots and that back window is split with not a lot of useful sight on either the top or bottom parts. The overall ride of the car is pretty stiff and rough as they tried to make this a sporty car with good handling, meaning all small bumps are felt.
Two things that are a tiny bit of a saving grace are that the sound insulation seems to be pretty good because once at speed there is little tire or wind noise (on normal tires). It also has a nice tight steering feel that makes you want to throw it around corners.
Overall:
I was very disappointed with the Veloster. As a fan of small hatchbacks I had high hopes for this car. It looks really cool on the outside and the inside. It is comfortable for the front two people and can move four in reasonable comfort. However, the lack of power and the unwillingness of the car to even remotely live up to it's looks is too disappointing. If you want a cool looking small car that may be a bit more practical than a Mini or a Fiat, then the Veloster may be a good choice as long as it's the Turbo. Also, it's a weird name, its like they tried to make a combination of "velocity" and "raptor" but its just doesn't sound right.
Facts/ Figures:
Price (for mid trim level): was about $22,000+
FWD
Max HP: 138, 201 (Turbo)
Max Torque lb/ft: 123, 195
MPG (approx*): 27, 23 city; 36, 30 highway.
Cargo room (approx*): 16 / 35 CuFt
Length: 167"
Width: 71"
Tank Size (gal): 13.2
Miles on one tank (using combined MPG figures): 409, 356
Average used price with 60,000KM or less: $14,000+
* when I say "approx" I usually am using the numbers given by the actual manufacturer or Consumer Reports, minus 1 to be a bit more realistic.
**No pictures featured are my own, they have been taken either from Google images or the manufacturer's website and their rightful owners should get any credit for them. This review featured all pictures from the manufacturer's websites ( some through Edmunds.com).
Price (for mid trim level): was about $22,000+
FWD
Max HP: 138, 201 (Turbo)
Max Torque lb/ft: 123, 195
MPG (approx*): 27, 23 city; 36, 30 highway.
Cargo room (approx*): 16 / 35 CuFt
Length: 167"
Width: 71"
Tank Size (gal): 13.2
Miles on one tank (using combined MPG figures): 409, 356
Average used price with 60,000KM or less: $14,000+
* when I say "approx" I usually am using the numbers given by the actual manufacturer or Consumer Reports, minus 1 to be a bit more realistic.
**No pictures featured are my own, they have been taken either from Google images or the manufacturer's website and their rightful owners should get any credit for them. This review featured all pictures from the manufacturer's websites ( some through Edmunds.com).
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