Price: $17,300
Engine: 1.6-liter 4-cylinder
Mileage: 28 City, 40 Hwy
This car is called the Veloster -- as in "velocity." With its coupe-like look and blacked-out window pillars, it's designed to resemble a motorcycle helmet.You might notice that it also resembles a doorstop. Actually, that's appropriate because, while this car has its good points, speed is not among them.
The Veloster, ironically, feels like one of the most underpowered cars I've driven in years. Not as in "Gee, it would be nice if this car had a little more guts," but as in, "Is something wrong?"
There is more to a car, of course, than raw performance so click through for an overview of everything the Veloster does have to offer. Just keep in mind that, despite its looks and its name, adrenaline surges are missing from the menu.
Price: $17,300
Engine: 1.6-liter 4-cylinder
Mileage: 28 City, 40 Hwy
Besides speed, one of my biggest questions about the Veloster was "What happened to fourth door?The Veloster has only three doors, although all of them open the regular way, with the hinge in the front. (Some cars have one tiny rear-hinged door in the back.) So, if Hyundai can fit two regular doors on the right side of the car, it seemed strange, to me, to have only one on the left.
The only reason, I was told by a Hyundai executive, was to maintain that cool two-door look for the driver as he approached the car to get in. Seems like a big inconvenience for a visual trick, but there you go.
Inside, the backseats themselves are adequately comfortable. I whacked my head getting in there but I assume regular occupants would only need to learn that lesson once.
Price: $17,300
Engine: 1.6-liter 4-cylinder
Mileage: 28 City, 40 Hwy
Gas mileage is excellent. At 40 miles per gallon in highway driving, it's almost as good as the less funky-looking Hyundai Elantra compact car. (Which, by the way, offers two doors on both sides.)Fuel economy, Hyundai says, was a key factor for the Veloster's target market.
So... People willing to sacrifice practicality to buy a sporty-looking little car are interested in saving gas even it means they have to downshift to comfortably climb a slight rise in the highway?
OK, Hyundai's lost me on that one... but the fuel economy is good.
Price: $17,300
Engine: 1.6-liter 4-cylinder
Mileage: 28 City, 40 Hwy
The Veloster's steering and suspension, likewise, feel very good. There's plenty of feedback and steering is quick and responsive. Get up some speed, throw it into a curve and the Veloster feels like a proper, road-hugging sports car.You can get your Veloster with one of two available transmissions, a "dual clutch" six-speed automatic and six-speed manual.
Get the manual. It shifts nicely and feels good to use, which is important because you'll be moving that lever around like a kid working at a loose tooth.
Using the manual shifter to wring the power out of the Veloster's 1.6-liter engine -- the same one used in the subcompact Accent -- you can even work up a bit of fun in around-town driving.
Price: $17,300
Engine: 1.6-liter 4-cylinder
Mileage: 28 City, 40 Hwy
I usually don't make such a big deal out of engine power. For instance, I feel like the meager 101 horsepower in the Fiat 500 is just fine. But that car is small and very light. Plus, it looks kind of like a high-end clothes dryer. The fact that it can power along in any rush at all is an unexpected pleasure.Yes, there are slower motor vehicles out there but, come on, it's called the Veloster, not the Keep-up-ster. For the record, Motor Trend magazine published a zero-to-60 time of 8.8 seconds for this car.
Hyundai says it was designed to "look fast even standing still," but it shouldn't feel like it's standing still when you want to go fast.
Yes, it's true -- as Hyundai says -- that the youth market values fuel economy. But young people also value authenticity. And that's the Veloster's biggest failing. With, perhaps, a little sacrifice to fuel economy, Hyundai could have delivered a car that looked like fun while actually being honest about it.
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