Hyundai Veloster Turbo 2012 Review - International

Hyundai Veloster Turbo

We're still a few years away from getting our hands on Hyundai's powerful V8 Genesis Coupe, but after a spin through the mountains in the new Veloster Turbo, we've found a good alternative to playing the 'waiting game'.

Arriving in Oz during the third quarter of 2012, the Hyundai Veloster Turbo may be four cylinders short of greatness, but it is a lot of fun to drive. And if current pricing is anything to go by, starting at $24k for the non-turbo car, it should offer good bang for your buck.

The vehicle's exhaust note is a little deeper than the regular Veloster, with its 155kW/265Nm 1.6-litre turbocharged engine providing a juicy mid-range hit. And it's this amplification of power -- up by a whopping 53kW/99Nm -- that makes the car more involving to drive.

Acceleration is impressive for a small capacity four-cylinder engine, with a claimed 0-100km/h dash of 7.5 seconds for the six-speed manual perhaps a little conservative. It isn’t slow. We didn't get to drive the auto, but 7.8 seconds is the word.

The Hyundai doesn't really hit its stride until about 2500rpm when the turbo begins huffing, and by 3500rpm the engine is delivering full boost, providing the car with the sort of propulsion that won't push you into your seat back, but comes tantalisingly close.

It's a flexible engine, able to trundle along at 1500rpm without bogging down, and equally happy revving to almost 7000rpm. That said peak torque drops off after about 5500rpm so wringing the engine's neck doesn't always result in efficient forward motion.

Entertaining but easy to drive, this is the kind of car that could make the MINI Cooper S nervous.

One area where the standard Veloster failed to impress was overtaking, but the juiced-up turbo absolutely eats up other cars on the freeway, its elastic engine delivering decent overtaking acceleration from 90km/h in sixth gear.

There's no denying the Veloster Turbo is a lot of fun to play with, and it steers well to boot. The original Veloster is arguably the best steering Hyundai to be sold in Australia to date and the Turbo edition feels just a solid, and with a well-sorted chassis it's an effective point-and-shoot machine.

The steering is not perfect, with a distinct lack of feedback. But it’s predictable through corners, both on and off the throttle.

The suspension has firm damping rates but the springs aren't overly stiff, which sees the Veloster Turbo riding relatively smoothly on the freeway and around town. At the same token the shock absorbers have been calibrated to ensure the car can hack around corners under full throttle while maintaining decent levels of control and grip. Even on wet roads, the Veloster Turbo felt planted and predictable.

Like all Veloster models, this one gets LED daytime running lights, a bold coupe-like body shape and a unique asymmetrical three-door arrangement that is unique selling point in this category. What the Turbo adds to the Veloster is larger 18-inch alloy wheels, a tougher front fascia, more aggressive body kit and jumbo exhaust pipes to finish off the eye candy.

It feels like a regular hatch to sit in, rather than a low-slung exotic, but its low roof line does create an intimate atmosphere in the cabin. Leather sports seats were part of the left-hand drive Korean models we drove for around 230km through the hills surrounding Seoul.

The interior is well presented and modern, with most of the convenience features you could ask for, yet cruise control and automatic wipers were strangely absent.

Interior room is good but not great. My head came close to the ceiling when sitting in the driver's seat, even when the captain's chair was set to its lowest position. Getting into the rear seat via the single rear door required a low bow but once inside leg room was a pleasant surprise. However head room for rear seat passengers, particularly those measuring six feet or taller, was cramped.

Hyundai Australia says it is aiming to launch the hotted-up Veloster in the third quarter of 2012, but has not finalised pricing or specification.

"We're aiming for below $35,000," says Hyundai Australia's Public Relations Assistant Manager, Stephen Howard.

He also confirmed that, like most Korean-built Hyundai models, Australian versions will have a unique suspension and steering tune to suit local tastes, but this may not be beneficial to the Veloster Turbo.

The thing is, the asymmetrical Hyundai sports car had an almost perfect ride/handling balance in its regular Korean configuration, so much so that we wonder if messing with this delicate equilibrium can improve it for Australian conditions.

Whatever the case, the core of the Hyundai Veloster Turbo is sound and it has the potential to become a sleeper hit, particularly if the pricing is not too far north of $30k.

Since the less aggressive Veloster’s Australian arrival in February 2012, it has outsold all other comers in the 'sports' segment, for three consecutive months, which bodes well for the new halo model. What the turbo model brings to the mix is more zing, more excitement, serving up not just more power and stronger acceleration, but a more engaging personality to boot.

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