By all rights, we wouldn’t have faulted Hyundai for giving up on the Veloster. Even after the manufacturer added an optional turbocharged engine partway through the model run, the original Veloster failed to make much of an impact on the enthusiast world. Have you seen many at autocrosses, track days and club races? Exactly.
Another nail that should have sealed the Veloster’s asymmetrical coffin: The market has largely shifted from sporty driver’s cars to trucklike things. Even Ford announced plans to all but abandon the segment.
But for the 2019 model year, Hyundai is giving us an all-new Veloster, the brand’s budget-friendly, fun-to-drive hot hatch. It’s like the Reagan years all over again.
That original 1983 Rabbit GTI wasn’t the first hot hatch, but most of us can now agree that it made the biggest impact. It also wasn’t the fastest car available that year, but its engine and chassis both punched above their weight class. The GTI’s hatchback offered some utility, while the $7995 price was attractive.
In today’s dollars, that’s about $20,111. What does a new GTI retail for these days? At least $26,415. The Golf R, Volkswagen’s super-duper hot hatch, starts a few bucks south of $40,000.
How much for the Veloster Turbo R-Spec, one that gets the turbocharged engine, six-speed manual transmission and Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires? MSRP is $22,900, and there are no options available—not even a sunroof. That’s $1400 less than the summer tire-equipped Honda Civic Si, which has always come with a glass sunroof.
The Fiesta ST starts out at just $21,285, but there’s one small problem: Ford recently said that the Fiesta and Focus will soon be leaving U.S. dealerships. Boo.
The standard Veloster receives the company’s non-turbo, 2.0-liter engine. It’s expected to make 147 horsepower, which is fine for 1992. The upmarket choice is Hyundai’s 1.6-liter Gamma engine: 201 horsepower, 195 lb.-ft. of torque, and an over-boost function ups that second figure to 202 lb.-ft. under max acceleration. Those numbers place the Veloster squarely in competition with the Civic Si and Fiesta ST.
That turbo engine comes in three Veloster flavors: R-Spec, Turbo and Turbo Ultimate models. Where the R-Spec is the down-and-dirty, enthusiast-focused model, the other two add niceties like power sunroof, head-up display, leather seating surfaces, navigation system and wireless charging pad.
More big news: The torsion beam suspension found in the original Veloster is no more, replaced by a multi-link setup.
Limited-slip differential? We knew you’d ask, and so did we. Like the Fiesta ST, the Veloster Turbo R-Spec doesn’t get one. The Civic Si does, but again, that car costs a few bucks more.
Instead of a limit-slip, the Veloster gets something called Torque Vectoring Control–call it an e-diff if you’d like. “TVC uses wheel-speed sensors coupled with ESC algorithms to apply precise braking force to the inside front wheel during spirited cornering,” the Hyundai release explains. “This active braking redirects power to the outside-front wheel in the turn, reducing wheelspin for enhanced cornering grip and corner-exit acceleration.”
What else? Like the original Veloster, the new one still features one door on the driver side and two on the other. Business up front and party in the back? Sure, that kinda works for us. Like the Mazda RX-8 and the old Saturn SC2, this one injects some practicality into what is usually a slightly cramped package. You can also say that adds some personality. The rear hatch, of course, returns.
Okay, driving impressions. During the press intro, we got in about 40 miles with the Turbo R-Spec through the hill country in and around Austin, Texas. Sorry, no track or autocross time.
Still, our findings: really, really good seats. They weren’t flat, nor did they feature a ludicrous amount of bolstering. (We’re looking at you, Nismo Juke.) In fact, everything we touched—including the steering wheel, pedals and factory-installed B&M shifter—had a nice heft to it. Heel-toe downshifts are easy, while the steering wheel isn’t too thin or too fat.
Know what you’ll find just aft of that B&M shifter? A real handbrake–like one that operates a cable, not a robot.
The interior itself looks attractive, and it feels good. Despite the price, it’s not a cheap-o economy car interior. It’s nicely trimmed, too. Hyundai could have left everything in raw plastic, and most people probably wouldn’t have noticed. Up by the rear-view mirror there’s a little fold-out pod for your glasses. Even the glovebox is roomy.
In fact, the Veloster recalls another past favorite of the hot-hatch wars: the Honda CRX. Like the CRX, the Veloster’s interior feels larger than its exterior dimensions let on. Put two big people up front, for example, and they’re not knocking shoulders.
Forward visibility is good, but it’s less than good toward the rear. That rear window is small, and the rear headrests do encroach. If we’re not carrying around any passengers, we’d stow those headrests, in fact.
Even with three people in the car–yeah, welcome to the world of media ride-and-drives–performance is what we’d call well within the norms for this class. It’s not a Type R-killer, but it’s a worthy member of today’s 200-horsepower club. The chassis feels capable and stable, two things we like in a car. It didn’t push like a pig, and it didn’t do anything weird. The ride feels firm but not punishing. We see some real potential here.
How much potential? We’re going to assume that, like the original turbocharged Veloster, this one winds up in the SCCA’s H Street autocross class. At 2833 pounds, the Veloster carries around about a hundred pounds more than the Fiesta ST yet sits more than 2 inches shorter.
Could be a close fight. How close? We’re looking at tires for the Veloster right now. While the stock size is 225/45R18, the BFGoodrich G-Force Rival S 1.5 in a 245/40R18 may be the hot tip. It adds seven-tenths to the overall diameter, along with nearly an inch and a half of tread width.
We may have to order a set. Color us very intrigued—just as we were after our first drive with the Subaru BRZ, Mazda MX-5 and Focus RS.
Soon, hopefully, we’ll get some more time with this one.
Comments
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Even though you only got 40 street miles in, what was your overall impression of chassis tuning? I'm a huge Hyundai/Kia fan...maybe not as big as Bob, but I've owned several and have been very happy with all of them. I thought my '13 Elantra was a wonderful commuter car...except...it had some pretty poor chassis tuning. It crashed harder over bumps than my NC Miata did (or my current G37 does), yet had significant body roll and the rear would step out in a mid-corner bump.
I love Hyundai/Kia because they represent a hell of a bargain, dead nuts reliability, loaded with options at a great price. This is even more true when you buy one that's 2-3 years old since they depreciate like wild. But the chassis tuning kept me from seriously considering the Genesis sedan when I was shopping for a RWD sports sedan a few months ago. I could live with the wonky tune for an econobox like the Elantra, but wanted something better for a fun-to-drive car. I did get to run the little autox course Kia set up for the Stinger at SEMA last fall and was impressed, so I'm optimistic for the future.
wspohn
Dork
5/21/18 11:27 a.m.
Nice package but why do they make them look like a basking shark?
After our (disastrous) experience with the Sonata, I'd sooner take my chances with a VW!
Wally
MegaDork
5/21/18 11:34 a.m.
It still has too many/few doors.
I swore off Hyundais after the last one we had (it was an epic turd), and I've heard a lot of bad things about the last Veloster, but for some reason this one has my interest piqued. The switch to a multi-link out back is a big improvement, and I'm even liking the styling. I'll definitely toss this in the ring when it comes time to replace my current daily driver.
aw614
New Reader
5/21/18 11:42 a.m.
I really wish we got the i30 n over the veloster...
Suprf1y
PowerDork
5/21/18 11:45 a.m.
It's too bad because it really is an ugly car.
Could be a close fight. How close? We’re looking at tires for the Veloster right now. While the stock size is 225/45R18, the BFGoodrich G-Force Rival S 1.5 in a 245/40R18 may be the hot tip
Did they finally switch to an 18x8 rim, or are you just gonna smush the Rival onto it's 18x7.5? otherwise I've got the hot tip on low offset 18x8's with the correct centerbore 
The turbo cars get an 18x7.5-inch wheel. Pete from BFG is our secret guest for this week's live show, so I'm sure we'll chat.
"Hyundai’s 1.4-liter Gamma engine"
I thought that was a 1.6 liter?
specs
jstein77 said:
"Hyundai’s 1.4-liter Gamma engine"
I thought that was a 1.6 liter?
specs
Doh, that is a typo. I fix.
Thanks, Jerry.
Is the smaller engine with 201hp a 1.4L? Those specs match the 1.6 turbo Gamma engine, although there is also a less powerful 1.4 turbo engine.
Edit: Oh I see it's fixed now.
Wally said:
It still has too many/few doors.
Maybe?
I'd argue that these compete with the Civic Sport and not the Si.
Guess it's just me, but I don't find it ugly at all. The grill isn't my favorite, but go take a peak at a Lexus and this thing will look tastefully restrained.
Yeah it's not really an ugly car, it looks OK. The 2019 model's krill grille isn't as bad as the previous model either. The non-US models have this weird beaver tooth grille:
I thought that it looked cool in person.
Our Hyundai experience was terrific. The Veloster certainly has unique styling but I would go as far as to call it ugly. If I was shopping for a new hot hatch as a daily I would certainly drive one to see if I liked it.
The current issue of CAR has a comparison test of the Civic Type R, Focus RS, and an i30N. The Civic got quite good marks and the Hyundai was singled out as being pretty good as a day to day driver.
Even though the (old) Veloster is/was no i30N, I would guess that the new one will acquit itself quite well.
Much of that is available in the Elantra GT Sport. (In theory) Trouble is Zero availability - at least on the West Coast, with the stick. And the Elantra GT isn't as ugly as the Veloster, either. Oh well.
In reply to sethracer :
I just did a search - none here in central Florida either.
The Hyundai is ok for what it is. I assume you were teasing for readers with the GTI is back statement, as this thing is not a GTI. Not even close. No comparison. There is a lot more performance value in the GTI at its price, which is still incredibly cheap for what you get. Add in maybe 10,000 inexpensive and readily available aftermarket upgrades for every system of the GTI vs essentially zero for the Hyundai, then start looking at resale value, and it just cannot compare. Different cars, for different things, not even remotely the same.
pheller
PowerDork
5/21/18 1:56 p.m.
My feelings on why this market segment is drying up has to do with utility vs sportiness. If I was looking for a daily driver for a family I'd want something larger, with better ground clearance and good gas mileage and add springs/shocks/wheel for added fun to drive.
If I wanted a car to fill the niche of being sporty and a "weekend car", I'd want something RWD.
I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see more CUVs that add elements of hot hatches. Mazda CX3/CX5 are good examples of that already. They can be lowered and compete with a Mazda 3, or lifted to compete with the Subaru Crosstrek.
In reply to pheller :
The CX3 has the same ride height as the Mazda 3. Yeah, blew my mind too and the 3 is cheaper.
0001 said:
The Hyundai is ok for what it is. I assume you were teasing for readers with the GTI is back statement, as this thing is not a GTI. Not even close. No comparison. There is a lot more performance value in the GTI at its price, which is still incredibly cheap for what you get. Add in maybe 10,000 inexpensive and readily available aftermarket upgrades for every system of the GTI vs essentially zero for the Hyundai, then start looking at resale value, and it just cannot compare. Different cars, for different things, not even remotely the same.
Youre right. Hyundai's don't throw the CEL nearly as often as repairs are much cheaper.
EDIT: I believe a BAZINGA is appropriate here.
pheller said:
or lifted to compete with the Subaru Crosstrek.
P Heller
Lol. Not likely. Mazda’s awd system is a nuisance compared to the crosstreks system.
Did the rear window get fixed? Thing was making me seasick the 2,000 miles I drove one; ooo an NSX! Nope, it’s an odyssey. Look a mazda6; Nope it’s a cx7. Etc...
FWD and no LSD?
We had someone who autocrossed a first gen Veloster locally and I liked it. I thought it looked cool and the three door thing is perfect for me as a dropping off the kids thing now that they do all of their own buckling.
Snrub
Reader
5/21/18 11:38 p.m.
I don't think the GTI comparison is inappropriate, it's been the class leader for a long time. The Veloster is a little bit smaller than the GTI and 300lbs lighter too. (wait a minute, isn't a base Malibu in the 3100lbs range? :) ) If I was looking for something in this class, I'd definitely take a look. I think its looks alone help to differentiate it in a positive way and it sounds competitive in most of the other ways that count.
Why are we talking about CUVs in this thread? :)
I like the new Veloster a hell of a lot more than I thought I would, but I'm surprised the Elantra GT Sport is being overlooked as much as it is. Same platform and drivetrain but with more space. I am curiously watching Hyundai's incentives on them as they may soon be trading hands for less than a Veloster despite having a higher MSRP new.
It's a shame that the Civic Sport is so decontented relative to the competition, it is definitely the drivers' car of the bunch but is also sorely missing features I appreciate in a DD. I'm curious to see where the new Corolla XSE hatch comes in on the value spectrum.
We recently drove the Elantra GT but, sadly, our test car didn't have the big brakes, big wheels or the "good" rear suspension. Plus it was an automatic.
I asked (nicely) that Hyundai consider adding one to the Florida fleet that's so equipped. I'm with you: Color me intrigued.
You mention that you want to try a 245, any ideas on how much tire might ultimately fit given wheel creativity? 255? 275?
0001
New Reader
5/22/18 2:29 p.m.
In reply to Bob the REAL oil guy. :
Hyundai does win the warranty battle for sure. They are relatively inexpensive to repair. However, so are Volkswagens; just did a quick look and every ranking I can find places Hyundai as more expensive to repair than VW on average, and less reliable than VW as a brand. No comparison, not the same.
mazdeuce - Seth said:
You mention that you want to try a 245, any ideas on how much tire might ultimately fit given wheel creativity? 255? 275?
Honestly, that just seemed like a good first step. I was trying to keep the OD close to stock.
0001 said:
In reply to Bob the REAL oil guy. :
Hyundai does win the warranty battle for sure. They are relatively inexpensive to repair. However, so are Volkswagens; just did a quick look and every ranking I can find places Hyundai as more expensive to repair than VW on average, and less reliable than VW as a brand. No comparison, not the same.
I spent 13 years slinging parts, finding the cheapest parts for used cars. I couldn't disagree with this more. Only thing worse than the VAG group were Merc's. Wait, Jaguars. They were always more expensive.
David S. Wallens said:
mazdeuce - Seth said:
You mention that you want to try a 245, any ideas on how much tire might ultimately fit given wheel creativity? 255? 275?
Honestly, that just seemed like a good first step. I was trying to keep the OD close to stock.
255/40/17 is only a 25" tire......
Mark_42
New Reader
5/22/18 6:06 p.m.
If only it came in RWD or AWD.
I'll take a BRZ instead.
It looks better than the previous version but I'd go with the Elantra Sport to get 4 normal size doors..
nocones
UltraDork
5/23/18 1:36 a.m.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
If you find yourselves in central Illinois you can borrow mine for an afternoon and test it (Manual Elantra GT sport).
0001 said:
In reply to Bob the REAL oil guy. :
Hyundai does win the warranty battle for sure. They are relatively inexpensive to repair. However, so are Volkswagens; just did a quick look and every ranking I can find places Hyundai as more expensive to repair than VW on average, and less reliable than VW as a brand. No comparison, not the same.
Please tell me you're just trying to punk us? Do you really believe that VW reliability is on par with Hyundai?
In reply to Klayfish :
Every time I find myself attracted to a VW I remind myself that they have been dogged by four class-action lawsuits in the past 25 years over catastrophic timing component failure before VW's recommended replacement:
- Early 90's: VR6 timing chain guides
- Late 90's: 1.8T timing belt tensioner
- Early 00's: 4.2 timing chain guides
- Early 10's: 2.0 TSI timing chain tensioner
While all manufacturers have their issues, the fact that VW has been sued four times by owners experiencing catastrophic engine failure due to poorly-engineered timing components, and the fact that they seem to keep making the same damn mistakes...I would love a GTI but I just can't bring myself to roll the dice.
In reply to pointofdeparture :
This is all I have to say about VAG products.
In reply to Mark_42 :
If only they made something red and called it a genesis coupe for nearly the past decade.
In reply to Bob the REAL oil guy. :
I don't even know what I'm looking at. Is that some sort of pinball machine?
In reply to pointofdeparture :
toyota has been sued more.
nocones
UltraDork
5/23/18 10:14 a.m.
Bob the REAL oil guy. said:
In reply to pointofdeparture :
This is all I have to say about VAG products.
The most unbelievable thing about this is that a large committee of people collectively agreed that they had a problem where this was the simplest and best possible solution most likely to meet the project goals and result in the lowest customer dissatisfaction with the least probability of failure. Meaning they had worse options, imagine what their second choice looked like!
Tom Suddard
Digital Experience Director
5/23/18 10:18 a.m.
"Hey Günter, did you see they figured out how to let timing chains slide along plastic reliably enough for production?"
"Hans, that's very interesting! Use four chains and make sure that every single inch of every single one is rubbing against plastic. Throw in some sharp curves with no pulleys, too!
"That's, uhhh, are you sure?"
"Do EEEEEET!"
That's one of the most horribly amazing pieces of automotive engineering I've ever seen. I can't look away. I kind of want to buy one.
Fueled by Caffeine said:
In reply to pointofdeparture :
toyota has been sued more.
Not over their timing components!
Lots of carmakers get sued over lots of things, but getting sued for the same goddamn catastrophic failure-causing issue four times over a span of 25 years is just plain ridiculous.
In reply to pointofdeparture :
Ford does have a history with fire over the last 40 years. Just saying.
In reply to nocones :
what amazes me more is this isn't the FRONT side of the engine. No.... this is crank side. Means that the engine HAS to come out with the transmission to fix. Un-friggin-believable.
0001
New Reader
5/23/18 11:26 a.m.
Nope, I do not have faith in the good intentions of any automaker, merely reporting what the majority of consumer oriented research reports have to say about better reliability and lower cost of repairs over the life of the car, which is that VW is better than Hyundai. The lawsuit thing is largely irrelevant; the top sued car companies are Toyota, Ford, and GM, in that order, and as VW Group is recognized as the largest car manufacturer in the world, and they are not in the the top ten for lawsuits against companies in the USA, as the three above are, they must be doing something right. I don't have a dog in this hunt, nothing horribly wrong with a Hyundai, I just like VW's, always have.
Lawsuit or no lawsuit, the only other company that comes to mind with a serious multi-generational technical flaw on a similar scale to VW's timing gear is Subaru with the EJ-series head gaskets. I just don't understand how a company can be dogged by a single serious technical flaw for over 20 years when almost nobody else seems to have the same issues.
There are too many examples of VW corporate telling TSI owners whose timing gear disintegrated just outside of warranty to screw off...just like when the 1.8T timing belts were breaking at 65-70k when VW's spec was to change them every 100k.
I don't trust the intentions of any corporate automaker myself, but between their mechanical maladies and Dieselgate I have even less trust in Volkswagen than anyone else. So to me, despite loving how GTIs drive, I'd take the Hyundai.
Bob the REAL oil guy. said:
David S. Wallens said:
mazdeuce - Seth said:
You mention that you want to try a 245, any ideas on how much tire might ultimately fit given wheel creativity? 255? 275?
Honestly, that just seemed like a good first step. I was trying to keep the OD close to stock.
255/40/17 is only a 25" tire......
But how happy will it be on a 7.5-inch wheel? Peter from BFG seemed to think that the 245/18 would be stretching it. If going to a wider wheel, then I'm not sure how big you could go. Guess we'd need to do some test fitting. :)
In reply to David S. Wallens :
There's a decent tire/wheel store in South Bend. PM me and I can send you their number, nice guys, racks of tires.
mazdeuce - Seth said:
In reply to David S. Wallens :
There's a decent tire/wheel store in South Bend. PM me and I can send you their number, nice guys, racks of tires.
Sure. Please. Thank you.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
Considering the first generation platform (fist gen Forte) could stuff a 9" wheel with 245 tires.... I'd find it hard to believe the new ones are much different. C'mon..... you know you want to!
David S. Wallens said:
mazdeuce - Seth said:
In reply to David S. Wallens :
There's a decent tire/wheel store in South Bend. PM me and I can send you their number, nice guys, racks of tires.
Sure. Please. Thank you.
Bob the REAL oil guy. said:
In reply to David S. Wallens :
Considering the first generation platform (fist gen Forte) could stuff a 9" wheel with 245 tires.... I'd find it hard to believe the new ones are much different. C'mon..... you know you want to!
That's if going to a 9-inch wheel. I was talking about H Street. Now, if there are no class limits....
Bob the REAL oil guy. said:
David S. Wallens said:
mazdeuce - Seth said:
In reply to David S. Wallens :
There's a decent tire/wheel store in South Bend. PM me and I can send you their number, nice guys, racks of tires.
Sure. Please. Thank you.
Okay, I pretty much have Woody on speed dial.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
Oh, I knew that. But that's a cute dog and a chance to post a meme. I gave up on classes... that's why I went CAM. Besides, the way the SCCA classes cars it'll get stuck in DS to start with. Kind of like how they wouldn't allow the last gen Accent into STF because it was too competitive for the class, but allowed the RSX. Or the Forte was classed as GS, but went to STF.... which gave you suspension, wheels and tires AND a better PAX.
If I still had the Forte, It's be on some 8's and 235/40/18's
Just remember the street in front of your house has no sanctioning body. 
In all seriousness, the Civic we ran this year on One Lap was 3000ish lbs, 200ish hp, struts with multulink rear. Moving from a 225 to a 275 was a massive change to the tune of 8 seconds a lap at NOLA. The number of people that would be affected by knowing that the car fits a big tire is probably just a handful, but it's still good info. Andy Hollis said that they laser scanned the wheel wells of his McClaren, and GRM and Hyundai combined are at least as cool as Andy Hollis in a McClaren, right?
Glad to see the interest in this. Of course, for track stuff, yeah, no limit on wheel size. Might have to make some phone calls and see where this all goes.
keep in mind that a lot of the Hyundai's / Kia's from the last ~8 years have been running 18x7.5's as an option, usually around et46. There's a rear Genesis wheel that's 18x8 and et35, which should get you up to a 255, iirc. But it'd almost certainly require some fender surgery.
maybe SCCA classing isn't the right place for this? Maybe a tie-in with the new GridLife track-cross thing? It'd probably take a good driver to make it mid-pack in SSGT2SB at OneLap, but that's because that's a pretty "hot" class... what with all the modded VW's, Focus RS, BMW m240's, and various possibilities of modified miatas. Although, some Veloster TCR-like goodness would probably be a good tie-in to their PWC campaign?
So, yeah, offbeat hot-hatch doing sporty things? Count me in as interested.
In reply to sleepyhead :
The I30N in Europe runs a 18x8 and 235/40, os so I've heard. If only we could get that goodness here....
edit:
this is what I want.
David S. Wallens said:
Wally said:
It still has too many/few doors.
Maybe?
This 4-door is too big.
This 2-door is too small.
This one is juuuuuust right.
jstein77 said:
David S. Wallens said:
Wally said:
It still has too many/few doors.
Maybe?
This 4-door is too big.
This 2-door is too small.
This one is juuuuuust right.
Yeah, pretty much. For us--me, my wife and our dogs--this would work pretty darn swell.
In reply to Bob the REAL oil guy. :
have only managed to watch 3mins. bit of a shame that they're not covering what tires each of the cars is on 
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By David S. Wallens
