Hyundai Veloster 2019 Review

It’s commendable that when some of its mainstream rivals don’t bother developing all their vehicles as global models, Hyundai continues to design, engineer and manufacture a relatively low-volume car like the Veloster in both left- and right-hand drive, the latter exclusively for Australia and New Zealand.

That’s even more surprising when you consider that because it has more warm hatch rivals than ever, Hyundai Australia expects to sell fewer examples of the new Veloster than the one it replaces, which found just over 19,000 homes here between 2012 and 2018, and the re-engineering required to flip its asymmetric body design.

Then again, we won’t get access to the hot N version of the latest JS-series Hyundai Veloster, which will be produced only in left-hand drive, so we should be grateful Australia is the only major market in the world to get the Veloster and both the i30 hatch and Fastback, even if the latter only comes here in N form.

Veloster fans – more than 60 per cent of which are again expected to be female -- should also rejoice that the new model takes a big step forward in the areas that matter: performance, refinement, value, technology and packaging.

We covered the MkII Veloster’s price, equipment and specifications here, but let’s quickly recap what’s new with the latest crossover coupe-hatch, which continues to offer the unique, practical combination of a single door on the driver’s side and two on the passenger side (kerb-side Down Under).

Key dimensions remains similar at 4240mm long, 1800mm wide and 1399mm high on a 2650mm wheelbase, but the new Veloster has a sleeker profile, lower roof, longer bonnet and more aggressive front-end design with big air intakes and Hyundai’s latest cascading grille.

Twin central exhaust outlets also remain, but the left rear door opening is 58mm wider, the driver’s seat is 5mm lower, the instrument cluster 10mm higher, the A-pillars 30mm narrower at the base and both the A- and C-pillars angles obscure less vision.

So the Veloster is a bit easier to see out of, its driving position feels a little sportier, its back door is less of a chore to enter and exit and its slightly lower-slung stance is punctuated by seven bright paint colours, including a cool two-tone black combo with a black roof.

Sadly the latter is a $1000 option only available with certain colours on top-spec Veloster Turbo Premium models, and apart from red and yellow all paint choices are metallic or mica and cost $595 extra.

Once inside, rear headroom is up 15mm, front shoulder room is up 11mm, rear shoulder room is up 9mm and the tailgate hinges are moved 450mm rearwards, so it’s very slightly roomier both front and back and the rear window is no longer directly above back-seat passengers.

But this is no limo and while there’s plenty of front-seat stretching room, the rear bench is virtually a kids-only zone with limited leg and head room. Oh and cargo space has shrunk to just over 300 litres – about 25 per cent less than an i30 hatch.

Still, the cabin takes a big step up in terms of quietness, design and equipment, although the dashboard and door trim materials are all hard plastic.

Breaking it up somewhat is a floating tablet-style central touch-screen infotainment system with all the connectivity you’ll need, including Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Bluetooth phone and music streaming, plus a USB port.

For $29,490 plus on-road costs, the base model gets a small 7.0-inch display rather than the 8.0-inch in other models but still offers six speakers, climate control, cruise control with speed-limiter, sports bucket seats and a leather-appointed multifunction steering wheel.

Other standard equipment across the range includes multi-spoke 18-inch alloy wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport 3 tyres, LED daytime running lights, reversing camera and sensors and tyre pressure monitoring.

Speaking of safety, Hyundai’s SmartSense suite is standard range-wide and brings six airbags and Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Lane Keeping Assist (LKA) and Driver Attention Warning (DAW) systems.

However, like the Hyundai Venue, because the autonomous emergency braking system fitted to all models except the Veloster Turbo auto is camera and not radar based it does not include cyclist detection or adaptive cruise control and therefore would not achieve a maximum five-star safety rating if crash tested by ANCAP.

For $6000 more at $35,490, the Turbo also gains satellite-navigation and premium eight-speaker Infinity audio with digital radio, the camera/radar-based AEB system with pedestrian detection and adaptive cruise control system (auto only), plus blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, high-beam assist, push-button start and a 4.2-inch colour driver’s display.

There are also gloss-black wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres, LED low-beam headlights and tail-lights, and a sports body kit comprising grille, lower air intake (with red highlight), diffuser, spoiler and side skirts.

Other nice Turbo touches inside include black cloth/leather seat trim with red piping, large speedo and tacho dials with red and white lighting, metal pedal covers, shift paddles (auto only) and a real-time performance display showing turbo boost, g-force and torque output.

Finally, for another $3500 ($38,990), the top-spec Hyundai Veloster Turbo Premium adds five-spoke dark metallic/machined alloys, black leather seat trim, heated and air-ventilated front seats, eight-way driver’s power seat adjustment, Qi wireless phone charging, head-up display, heated steering wheel, auto wipers, electro-chromatic mirror and a full-width glass sunroof.

Despite the $100-lower base price, the entry-level Veloster comes with a bigger and more powerful Atkinson-cycle 2.0-litre four-cylinder ‘Nu’ petrol engine outputting 110kW/180Nm (up from 103kW/166Nm for the old 1.6).

Once again it’s matched to a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, or a six-speed torque converter auto for an extra $2300. Average fuel consumption is listed at 7.0L/100km for the manual and 7.1 for the auto.

Meantime, the 2019 Hyundai Veloster Turbo retains its 150kW/265Nm (275Nm on overboost) 1.6-litre T-GDi turbo-petrol four and six-speed manual and seven-speed dual-clutch auto transmissions, the latter costing $3000 more.

But the bonus is that while manual consumes 7.3L/100km, the auto that tops the range at $41,990 plus ORCs is the most efficient in the range at a claimed 6.9L/100km, at least according to official figures.

Both six-speed manual gearboxes are a little long-throw and both engines do their best work up top, with the entry-level 2.0-litre making maximum power at 6500rpm and peak torque at 4500rpm. Still, it’s a lot stronger off idle and more flexible in the midrange than the 1.6 replaces and the six-speed auto keeps it on the boil well.

The Turbo’s smaller but force-fed four feels more muscular everywhere because torque peaks between 1500 and 4500rpm, and the full 275Nm available during full-throttle acceleration is enough to get the Michelins chirping.

Hyundai offers a lifetime capped-price service plan for both 2.0 and 1.6T models, the latter costing $299 every 10,000km or 12 months ($375 at 40,000km/48 months) and the former costing $279 every 15,000km or 12 months ($365 at 45,000km/36 months and $459 at 60,000km or 48 months).

Like all Hyundais, the Veloster is backed by a five-year, unlimited-km factory warranty, complimentary 1500km service and (when serviced at a Hyundai dealer) 10 years of free roadside assist and sat-nav map updates).

The biggest change to the front-wheel drive chassis, which like all Australian Hyundai models except the iLoad and iMax was locally tuned, is the adoption of independent multi-link rear suspension, torque vectoring control and even quicker electric steering.

These join a body structure that’s claimed to deliver almost 28 per cent more torsional rigidity, thanks to a hot-stamped A-pillar and single side sill member, stronger front subframe energy absorber, dual-rail reinforcement of the roof structure, cabin and rear opening sub-structure strengthening and 121 metres of structural adhesive in each car – 30 times more than the old Veloster.

Hyundai Australia says it evaluated 15 front and 28 rear dampers before it arrived at the best mix of comfort and capability, and it’s clear the stiffer body allows the locally tweaked suspension to do a better job of both riding and handling.

While the old Veloster was noisy and felt tinny, the new one seems more substantial on the road and no longer crashes through rough surfaces, without losing any of its steering sharpness and feedback.

Don’t be fooled: while it might look like one from the driver’s side, this is not a sports coupe but a warm hatch and the new Veloster fits that bill even better than before.

Throw in the practicality of two road-side doors and the ability to carry a couple of (small) people in the back and the fifth Hyundai small car priced from under $30K has plenty of appeal.

The new Hyundai Veloster might have grown up a bit, but it’s still as fun to drive as it is cheeky looking.

How much does the 2019 Hyundai Veloster and Veloster Turbo cost?
Price: From $29,490 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol; 1.6-litre turbo-petrol
Output: 110kW/180Nm; 150kW/275Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual/auto; six-speed manual and seven-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel: 7.0/7.1L/100km; 7.3/6/9L/100km
Safety rating: N/A