Hyundai Veloster 2012 First Drive

According to Hyundai VP of corporate and product planning Mike O'Brien, the Hyundai Veloster functions as a sort of "reverse halo" for the lineup—is emphasizing accessibility and 'non-traditional' factors.

Hyundai has thankfully given it more goodness for driving enthusiasts; the Korean automaker green-lighted a U.S. engineering team to shelve the Elantra suspension and instead design and test a new, performance-oriented rear-suspension setup for the Hyundai Veloster; they went with a V-torsion beam configuration, which includes an integrated (and large) 23-mm stabilizer bar, plus monotone shocks—in all, a huge improvement over the Elantra twist-beam-axle rear.

Drive
Once we get our butts in the driver seat, the 2012 Hyundai Veloster initially feels sporty and lithe: ready to pounce and thoroughly modern.

Shake Your Tail Feathers
We've been driven in the "Hyundai Veloster" before and even drove an early prototype in Europe. Carving through hairpin switchbacks scrawled on either side of the Columbia River, we find the "2012 Hyundai Veloster" suspension more willing than its benign engine. Big weight shifts will move the rear end, but there's ample control.

As we skirted the Hyundai Veloster performance envelope, stability control never once intervened. We can thank Dave Dutko, senior chassis engineer, for the Hyundai Veloster balance of comfort and athleticism — something distinctly lacking in the European prototype we previously drove.

Hyundai allows different markets to customize chassis tuning. Honestly, we think most casual observers won't even realize there's a third door on the Veloster.

The rear door's handle is neatly hidden in the window trim and the seams are well integrated into the body's character lines. And this all contributes to the Hyundai Veloster overall impact. The sloping roof line and flared rear wheel arches hint at greater aggression, while the blacked-out glass roof and A-pillar bless it with a sleekness that is uncommon in this class. The Hyundai Veloster cabin further benefits from well-textured (though hard) plastic surfaces and a generous list of standard features.

More than You Bargained for
The 2012 Hyundai Veloster is, quite simply, the most well-appointed vehicle in its price range. A 7-inch touch screen, voice recognition, cutting-edge telematics, power controls and plenty more extras are all standard. Options are limited to two packages that notably include bigger wheels, a sunroof, upgraded entertainment systems, leather, navigation, a rearview camera and keyless ignition/entry.

There's also a dual-clutch automatic transmission available (a first for Hyundai). We found it capable, smooth and well-matched to the Hyundai Veloster weight and power.

If it sounds as if we drank the Hyundai Kool-Aid and went back for seconds, rest assured, the Veloster is not perfect. Though wind and engine noise are well muffled, road noise is pronounced, especially on Oregon's coarse highway surfaces. The angled upper hatch glass further obscures the view.

There's also no heated seat option.
The rear seats have enough legroom, but the low seat cushions and limited headroom mean 6-footers will want to avoid multi-hour road trips in the back. In the End...

These faults are easily outbalanced by the Hyundai Veloster strengths. Hyundai starts with evocative styling, continues with ample features and winds up with a small-car driving experience that fights above its weight class.

The 2012 Hyundai Veloster doesn't pretend to be anything other than a youthful and modern interpretation of the hatchback. More power will come later in the turbo version but, for now, the Hyundai Veloster $18,060 base price and 40 mpg highway rating are a potent combination.

Rise of Korean style
There’s been some scuttlebutt that Hyundai is fishing around for a big-name design chief. The Veloster should provide the Hyundai team some job security. The secret to the Hyundai Veloster roominess is that it isn't all that small of a car. The cabin itself borrows heavily from both those cars, with familiar, ergonomically friendly controls and a long list of standard features including Bluetooth and Blue Link, Hyundai's answer to GM's On Star service (and like On Star, there's a subscription fee after a complimentary introductory period). Like the just-released Kia Rio, the Hyundai Veloster also includes a standard seven-inch touch screen. Hyundai's fresh small-car parts bin also provides a strong mechanical starting point for the Hyundai Veloster. As we'd expect of such a rigid and relatively light car (curb weight ranges from about 2600 to 2800 pounds), the Hyundai Veloster responds crisply to our steering inputs. The biggest surprise dynamically was how resolutely the Hyundai Veloster - some eighty pounds lighter than the svelte Elantra - sticks to the road.

The brand's new Ecoshift transmission, which debuts on the Hyundai Veloster, provides neither the speed nor the immediacy we've come to expect from this technology. Hyundai does include an eco mode, which, to be fair, works unobtrusively. It also serves as a message that Hyundai's main focus remains fuel economy, and the combination indeed achieves an impressive 29/38 mpg city/highway EPA rating.

Hyundai got things right with the six-speed manual - smooth, precise shifts; light, easy to modulate clutch; and a bottom-hinged gas pedal positioned for fancy footwork. Hyundai North America CEO John Krafcik shrugs off the estimated 9.8-second 0-to-60-mph time by noting that not all sports cars need to be straight-line achievers. Conclusion: So good it's a bit disappointing
Hyundai's gamble on the Hyundai Veloster will likely pays off big.