Just Announced: Mid-Engine Hyundai Veloster

So it looks like this is a 2 door, with both sides the same as the 2020 Driver's side :(

  The rear hatch is tiny, which makes me wonder how bad engine access would be.

Better than a Boxter :) Or a classic Mini. Maybe you’d primarily access from underneath?

Keith Tanner said:

Better than a Boxter :) Or a classic Mini. Maybe you’d primarily access from underneath?

I was thinking you'd probably become pretty adept at dropping the rear subframe. 

Don't old VW guys hold competitions with swapping motors on old bugs?

Just posting in this thread to bump this bit of potential awesomeness back above the 3 or 4 Tesla truck threads. Had to look at the pics on page 1 to restore my faith in automotive designers.

AnthonyGS said:

With Ford, GM, and BMyota losing their edge and desire in the car nut market.....  I find myself all of the sudden interested in Hyundai.  Wow, how the world changes.

I'll see your Mustang GT350, GT500, Camaro ZL-1, Z28 and Corvette C8, and raise you a Hellcat anything.

The "locals" haven't lost their edge or desire. Things in the factory hipo world are way better than they ever were in the muscle-car days. They have just consolidated a bit on total models, which is a better thing in my experience.

I was just telling some friends that I would sell my Porsche Boxster S for this if it actually comes out as a street car with a stick. 

I did not say that about the C8.

Randy Pobst's driving impressions sound really positive. It sounds like the real deal. If they're really going to do this, part of me wonders if you're going to make a mid-engined car, why have it look like your front engined car? If the answer is cost, it might be acceptable. There's have been very few sort of large-small mid-engined cars. Many of course have the footprint of a mid-size, with the interior space and storage of a very small car.

350hp. $45k. Manual gearbox. 2-door mid-engined coupe/hatch. If it's all that and attractive I'm in. Hopefully that arrives just as I'm paying off my R-Spec. :-)

In reply to T.J. :

It does appear to have at least some lockable storage under what used to be the hood, but I don't know how much. It really depends on how deep they make that box behind the radiator ducting.

looks like driving impressions are starting to come out...

Gingerbeardman said:

AnthonyGS said:

With Ford, GM, and BMyota losing their edge and desire in the car nut market.....  I find myself all of the sudden interested in Hyundai.  Wow, how the world changes.

I'll see your Mustang GT350, GT500, Camaro ZL-1, Z28 and Corvette C8, and raise you a Hellcat anything.

The "locals" haven't lost their edge or desire. Things in the factory hipo world are way better than they ever were in the muscle-car days. They have just consolidated a bit on total models, which is a better thing in my experience.

Every single one of those cars is over 3,600 lbs (some WAY over) and MSRP at greater than $50K. The locals absolutely have lost their edge in the realm of affordable, lightweight performance cars. Now all the sudden, Hyundai announces they are going to start making an affordable performance car line for car people, that are all track capable (warrantied for such use too) and put fun as a higher priority then lap times. That's why we should be really excited about the N group now, and in the future. 

goingnowherefast said:

Now all the sudden, Hyundai announces they are going to start making an affordable performance car line for car people, that are all track capable (warrantied for such use too) and put fun as a higher priority then lap times. That's why we should be really excited about the N group now, and in the future. 

This, right here. Every single youtube comparo with that car against it's competition comes down to the same final comment: It's not the fastest but it's the most fun/One I would buy.

Who the guy working for Hyundai now that used to work for bmw? $20 says he has a hand in this. You want brand excitement? Make a race car the blue collars can own. 
 

ive been saying this for years... "if you build a car the enthusiasts want, they will talk your brand up when all the no-nothings go to the family "car guy" for advice. I've done it for Honda and Toyota for years."

Anyone know the actual rules for TCR cars? If they sold a production mid engined Veloster, could they run this as a TCR car? Or do they have to be FWD? [EDIT: https://www.tcr-series.com/homologated-cars looks like all the TCR cars are FWD, even the Subaru STI, so I'm guessing FWD is a requirement.]

That video just made me like this car more than I already did.

goingnowherefast said:   Now all the sudden, Hyundai announces they are going to start making an affordable performance car line for car people, that are all track capable (warrantied for such use too) and put fun as a higher priority then lap times. That's why we should be really excited about the N group now, and in the future. 

I didn't see anywhere that said the N model cars have a track warranty?

goingnowherefast said:

Gingerbeardman said:

AnthonyGS said:

With Ford, GM, and BMyota losing their edge and desire in the car nut market.....  I find myself all of the sudden interested in Hyundai.  Wow, how the world changes.

I'll see your Mustang GT350, GT500, Camaro ZL-1, Z28 and Corvette C8, and raise you a Hellcat anything.

The "locals" haven't lost their edge or desire. Things in the factory hipo world are way better than they ever were in the muscle-car days. They have just consolidated a bit on total models, which is a better thing in my experience.

Every single one of those cars is over 3,600 lbs (some WAY over) and MSRP at greater than $50K. The locals absolutely have lost their edge in the realm of affordable, lightweight performance cars. Now all the sudden, Hyundai announces they are going to start making an affordable performance car line for car people, that are all track capable (warrantied for such use too) and put fun as a higher priority then lap times. That's why we should be really excited about the N group now, and in the future. 

They haven't abandoned affordable performance at all. 

The Camaro 4cyl 1LE starts @ $31k. It's 3400 lbs and does 0-60 in 5.1sec and 13.8 in the 1/4.

The Ecoboost Mustang Performance Pack starts @ $33k. It's 3500 lbs and does 0-60 in 4.7sec and 13.4 in the 1/4.

Both have the brakes and coolers to lap comfortably for long periods of time. They have far cleaner emissions, and far safer designs, and far more comfort/features than their lighter predecessors.

I know that we all complain about the weight gain of these models over the years, but it's not slowing them down at all. They're heavier because they're full of all the stuff that makes them better. And they're still just as fast or faster around a track and down a drag strip.

This Hyundai sounds like it has potential, and more options are always welcome, but there's some stiff competition in the $30-40k performance car bracket (assuming the Hyundai gets the price that low).

In reply to STM317 :

Counterpoint: the 400HP/400TQ 3700 lb GTO was $31k in 2005 and did 13.0/108 stock, and had IRS and GM's best interior.

Javelin said:

In reply to STM317 :

Counterpoint: the 400HP/400TQ 3700 lb GTO was $31k in 2005 and did 13.0/108 stock, and had IRS and GM's best interior.

You're making my point for me. We're less than a month from 2005 being 15 years ago (?!). $31k back then is equivalent to over $41k now, which comfortably gets you into a current Camaro SS or Mustang GT. Both of them have over 450hp, while being cleaner and safer than the GTO. They're both low 12 second cars in the 1/4,, and pretty well annihilate it on a road course stock for stock.

z31maniac said:

I didn't see anywhere that said the N model cars have a track warranty?

In reply to goingnowherefast :

That is actually pretty awesome. Good job, Hyundai.

goingnowherefast said:

z31maniac said:

I didn't see anywhere that said the N model cars have a track warranty?

WHOA! Thank's for sharing that. 

That makes the Veloster N w/performance package MUCH more appealing. Although, I've never driven a FWD car on track.

z31maniac said:

WHOA! Thank's for sharing that. 

That makes the Veloster N w/performance package MUCH more appealing. Although, I've never driven a FWD car on track.

slowbird said:

In reply to goingnowherefast :

That is actually pretty awesome. Good job, Hyundai.

It's funny too that they say specifically that they don't care about popular bolt-ons as long as they don't cause a direct issue. That is pretty damn rare (maybe never) where a company explicitly states they are good with a few bolt on parts. 

In reply to goingnowherefast :

True. But without a tune, none of those things are really going to add power. 

In reply to STM317 :

Concurrentpoint? Sorry, I was trying to help and used the wrong word lol. You got my drift though.

Any more word on the MR Veloster N?!?

That's huge, Hyundai has explicitly stipulated the kinds of modifications which are allowed under warranty and those that aren't. The explicitly permitted track warranty is even bigger. It's a 10 year, 100k mile warranty for the core powertrain components. These cars might be running in Champcar/Lemons/Lucky Dog by that point! Even for the non-core engine components it's 5-years 60k miles. In some places more stuff is covered under 7 year, 70k mile.

Regarding the weight comments: As much as I absolutely cannot endorse the car, the I4 Camaros start in the 3300lbs range. In this day and age, that's reasonably light.