The look of a winner
The latest Hyundai model, the Veloster, is a car in disarray. The coupé-styled carosserie has apart from the tail-gate three further doors to give access to the interior… three, not two or four. There are two doors on the passenger side but only one on the left, a bit like the Mini Clubman. When the Veloster goes on sale in September with a price tag of 21,600 Euros Hyundai will be looking back on twenty years of presence in the German automobile market. “At the beginning we were laughed at,” admits the Hyundai managing director Werner H. Frey. But the marque now boasts a stable two percent market share. Hyundai benefitted from the German car-scrappage incentive scheme, having just the right compact models to satisfy the demand.
The Veloster has not only its unconventional door configuration but also an aggressive and dynamic look, particularly in a front view with its elongated headlamp arrays. The roof line slopes downwards quite acutely which is a styling conceit which may not be welcomed by adults riding in the rear seats. While headroom is limited, passengers can compensate by leaning far back almost under the rear window.
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- The grained surfaces inside the car are set off by shiny metal trim, making for a confident and stylish look.
High quality image
The grained surfaces inside the car are set off by shiny metal trim, making for a confident and stylish look. The components are well integrated and the overall impression is of dignity and high quality. Hyundai have successfully freed themselves from the ‘low-cost automaker’ label and can now compete with other marques in terms of both exterior and interior styling. A special mention must be made of the very comfortable and stable seating which give the new model a definite sporting note. The standard equipment level is very high although the next step up the ladder will cost the buyer another 4,600 Euros.
For the time being there is only a single motorization on offer. The four-cylinder petrol-fuelled motor drives the front wheels with 140 horsepower (103 kW) from 1.6 litres engine capacity. This looks pretty good on paper especially when the weight of hardly more than 1,200 kilos is taken into account. But in actual fact the sporty look of the Veloster is not matched by sporty performance. The engine deliver beyond six thousand RPMs but this is no ideal solution. The torque at 167 Nm remains modest and makes its deficiency obvious with every gear change, especially when the driver is economy-conscious and wishes to change as soon as feasible.
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- The boot can take up to 1,050 litres of load.
Sluggish starting
The significant absence of push reduces the pleasure of driving in this unusually original automobile. The motor does run smoothly and calmly, the six-speed stick-shift has good gearing ratios and executes changes crisply. But anyone seeking a bit of temperament will be disappointed. Just as well, then, that rumours speak of a power upgrade in the near future. This will involve a turbo-boosted engine with 200 horsepower able to resolve the torque problem. It is not known, however, when this motorization will reach the German market. Currently the top speed of the Veloster will remain 200 kilometres per hour, a tempo which can certainly be reached, if not with rapidity or élan. When the overall performance is eventually enhanced the buyer will tend to overlook some of the other weaknesses which are due to the car’s construction. For one, the view diagonally to the rear when parking is far from ideal (a rear-view camera is included with the navigation system which is an extra costing 1,300 Euros). For another, the boot ledge is at a height of 85 centimetres, which means that loading the 1,050 litres of cargo involves a measure of exertion. And finally there is no way of folding the driver’s sear forward to allow access to the rear from that side of the car.
A typically contemporary feature is the display of the gear-change point in the central monitor and the start-stop automatic system. This latter feature is only available in the ‘Blue’ version, an extra costing 390 Euros. Anyone can calculate for themselves the fuel-efficiency benefit given that the difference between ‘standard’ and ‘Blue’ is just 0.6 litres per hundred kilometres driven. Applying the EU norm averaged consumption with the manual transmission is 5.9 litres.
