{"id":2002,"date":"2019-12-03T23:36:07","date_gmt":"2019-12-04T04:36:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/?p=2002"},"modified":"2025-03-06T16:27:02","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T21:27:02","slug":"2019-hyundai-veloster-turbo-tech-road-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/2019-hyundai-veloster-turbo-tech-road-test\/","title":{"rendered":"2019 Hyundai Veloster Turbo Tech Road Test"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"2019
The sharp looking second-generation Veloster, seen here in Turbo Tech trim, looks like a sporty two-door coupe from the driver’s side. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hyundai\u2019s Veloster could easily be seen as an automotive anomaly, a sports coupe cum four-door hatchback that doesn\u2019t quite fit in to either category, but I see it as a best-of-both-worlds alternative, a sporty two-door coupe when seen from the driver\u2019s side and a low-slung four-door liftback from the passenger\u2019s side. <\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s good reason that such a small number of volume-branded compact sport coupes remain in today\u2019s car market after all. Owners eventually tired of stuffing family and friends into their abbreviated back seats, so they purchased sporty four- and five-door alternatives instead. These days, even the legendary VW Golf GTI is only available with four doors and a hatch, but instead of ultimately conforming to such wagon-like levels of pragmatism, Hyundai adapted General Motors\u2019 1999 Saturn SC\u2019s terribly executed yet brilliantly idea, which included a single door on the passenger\u2019s side and a second rear-hinged half-door on the driver\u2019s side for easier rear seat access, by adding a conventionally-hinged rear door to the more appropriate passenger\u2019s side for easier entry from the curb. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"2019
The Veloster provides a rear door for easy access to the seats in back on the passenger’s side. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During its first full calendar year of 2012, Canadian Veloster sales were fairly strong at 5,741 units, but they\u2019ve steadily tapered off since resulting in a low of 1,077 units in 2018, but thanks to a total redesign for this 2019 model year the second-generation Veloster has found 36.6 percent more buyers than it did during the first 10 months of 2018, resulting in 1,295 deliveries as of October 2019. Still, that\u2019s nothing to get excited about in a market that saw Hyundai sell 25,894 Tucson compact SUVs during the same time period, let alone 33,670 Elantras, while a recent downturn of just 279 Velosters sold during Q3 of 2019, representing a plunge of 55.1 percent compared to the same three months of 2018, isn\u2019t the kind of response the brand wants to see for a completely redesigned model, so we\u2019ll need to watch closely to find out how it fares during Q4. <\/span><\/p>\n

Before Hyundai decides to transform the Veloster into a mainstream version of Mercedes\u2019 new GLC Coupe in order to keep its sporty dreams alive while the entire globe realigns its interests away from cars towards crossovers and SUVs (kind of like how Mitsubishi did with its Eclipse Cross), those who still appreciate the lower centres of gravity and inherently better cornering prowess allowed by cars should be made aware of the new Veloster\u2019s transformation from a torsion beam rear suspension to an independent multi-link design, the revision completely improving its at-the-limit handling and ride quality. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"2019
The redesigned Veloster’s grille and front fascia looks much more menacing than the previous generation. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The updated Veloster\u2019s undercarriage is much more compliant, resulting in a more comfortable city cruiser with less commotion over rough, uneven tarmac, yet the compact coupe still feels firm enough to come off like a sports car. Nevertheless, despite its more comforting suspension tuning the new Veloster Turbo is a lot more capable through fast-paced corners, particularly noticeable over mid-apex bumps and potholes that would\u2019ve unsettled the previous car. Now you slice through the turn with less worry about the shape of the pavement below, its rear suspension now capable of absorbing such irregularities without losing grip. <\/span><\/p>\n

Base Velosters come standard with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine making 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque, driving the front wheels through a standard six-speed manual or optional six-speed automatic transmission, while the Veloster Turbo tested here utilizes a 1.6-litre turbo-four capable of 201 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed manual gearbox remains standard, as witnessed here in the photos, but buyers wanting less daily hassle can opt for a new seven-speed dual-clutch EcoShift DCT automatic with steering wheel paddles. I\u2019ve driven the previous six-speed DCT (in\u00a02014<\/a>, 2015<\/a> and 2016<\/a>) and found it shifted quickly enough while offering smooth operation during day-to-day commutes, so it make sense the new seven-speed version provides the same level of drivability with the addition of a taller final gear to improve fuel economy, but I\u2019d personally save $1,500 by opting for the manual and enjoy the benefits of rowing through the gears myself. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"2019
No shortage of sporty styling cues on the new Veloster Turbo. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It really is a nicely sorted six-speed manual, with an easy, progressive clutch that\u2019s well matched to the torquey turbo-four. Max twist arrives at just 1,500 rpm and maintains boost all the way to 4,500, while maximum thrust arrives at 6,000 rpm before the engine spins to its 7,000 rpm redline (or just above). Activating the optional \u201cSPORT\u201d button just next to the shift lever immediately transforms the Veloster Turbo from an enjoyably tame economy coupe to a seriously fun performance machine, so a move up to the Tech package is well worth it. <\/span><\/p>\n

Before itemizing standard and optional features, we should talk fuel economy. I know the Veloster is a performance model, but even those looking to save at the pump might want to consider this sporty little car, especially the Turbo. Yes, despite its stronger performance the Turbo is better on fuel (as long as you don\u2019t lay into the throttle too often), with a manual transmission comparo showing 9.4 L\/100km in the city, 7.0 on the highway and 8.3 combined for the Turbo, next to 9.4 city, 7.1 highway and 8.4 combined for the base model. The Turbo looks even better when comparing automatic transmissions, at 8.5 city, 6.9 highway and 7.8 combined for the quicker car against a respective 9.1, 7.1 and 8.2. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"2019
Hyundai makes big improvements inside, but touchy, feely perceived quality is still this car’s weak point. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now that we\u2019re being so practical, the rear tailgate opens up nice and high, plus it\u2019s wide enough to fit in large items. The cargo area isn\u2019t as sizeable as most of its compact hatchback rivals, but compared to challenging sport coupes it\u2019s very accommodating. In fact, it measures 565 litres (20 cubic feet) behind the rear seatbacks, or approximately the size of a large sedan\u2019s trunk, while it\u2019s also 125 litres (4.4 cu ft) larger than its 440-litre (15.5 cu-ft) cargo compartment. If you need more storage you can drop the back seats down, their uniquely configured 66\/33-split design making more sense for a car only capable of seating two rear passengers. With both seats lowered the Veloster can manage up to 1,260 litres (44.5 cu ft) of what-have-you, which once again is a major improvement when compared to the 982 litres (34.7 cubic feet) offered by the outgoing generation. <\/span><\/p>\n

The lengthy driver\u2019s door and proximity keyless access make entering to the driver\u2019s seat easy, while the two passenger-side doors means that no one coming along for the ride needs to compromise. Certainly, the first rear passenger to sit down must slide along the seat to find the other side, making me wish Hyundai hadn\u2019t added a fixed centre console with cupholders in the middle, and while a folding centre armrest would\u2019ve worked better, it wasn\u2019t all that difficult to get over and does provide some helpful convenience when seated. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"2019
This analogue\/digital gauge cluster is easy to read under any lighting conditions, plus it can be upgraded to include a head-up display. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After positioning the driver\u2019s seat for my five-foot-eight, long-legged, short-torso body, I was left with approximately four to five inches in front of my knees, as well as plenty of space for my feet, but it was a bit tight for my toes below the driver\u2019s seat. Still, I had ample room to move around from side to side, plus about three inches over my head, making me confident that those under six feet should find it spacious enough in back. <\/span><\/p>\n

The rear seats are carved out like buckets too, providing decent lateral support and good lower back comfort. Other than rear window switches there aren\u2019t any rear amenities, while the side armrests will be the only padded surfaces you\u2019ll be able to find (seats and carpets aside). <\/span><\/p>\n

Such is true for those up front as well, this shortcoming my only serious complaint with the new Veloster. I understand that we should expect too much in this category, but Hyundai normally punches above its weight in the compact class, so I expected them to do more with this redesigned model. As it is, the new Veloster offers no soft-touch composite surfaces, but the mostly attractive matte textured plastics provided a nice upgrade over the otherwise glossy hard plastic cabin. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"2019
A well-sorted centre stack gets an available 8-inch touchscreen up top and good quality switchgear throughout. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most peoples\u2019 eyes will naturally gravitate to the red on black front sport seats anyway, and I must say the one for the driver was as comfortable and supportive as it looks. While not included full powered actuation, its optional two-way powered lumbar support was a useful addition that nearly met the small of my back perfectly. Ergonomics are also good, with the long reaching tilt and telescopic steering column a good match to the six-way adjustable driver\u2019s seat, plus the seat heaters and warming steering wheel came on fast and stayed hot. <\/span><\/p>\n

Quickly pressing the start\/stop button on the instrument panel ignites the engine while prompting a head-up display to power upwards from within the cowl covering the primary gauges. I initially found it slightly distracting, because it\u2019s right in the line of sight, but when choosing sport mode it placed a cool tachometer graphic on the screen that was useful when pushing the engine to redline, while I eventually learned to look past it the rest of the time. The mostly analogue gauge cluster noted a moment ago is easy to see in any light and features a colour multi-information display at centre, while the switchgear on the steering wheel, plus all the buttons and knobs to the left and right of the steering column were good quality, nicely damped, and within easy reach. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"2019
The larger screen makes for an excellent backup camera with dynamic guidelines, while rear parking sensors help while reversing. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ditto for the infotainment display, but the only button next to the screen turned on the hazard lights. Instead, the touchscreen\u2019s analogue controls are lower down the centre stack, in between the audio system\u2019s power\/volume and tuning\/scrolling dials, although I found myself using the steering wheel switches and touchscreen for the majority of features. <\/span><\/p>\n

Due to Hyundai adding the $3,000 Turbo Tech package, which includes the aforementioned head-up display unit, the leather upholstery, the driver\u2019s seat lumbar support, and the Sport mode, plus rain-sensing windshield wipers, rear parking sonar, and the automatic HVAC system, which incidentally comes with automatic defog, my tester had a larger 8.0-inch display featuring embedded navigation plus excellent (for the class) sounding eight-speaker Infinity audio with an external amplifier. <\/span><\/p>\n

Before getting ahead of myself, you can get into the 2019 Veloster for just $20,999 plus freight and fees before discount, with the Turbo starting at $25,899. The Turbo Tech package ups the price to $28,899, while a $500 Performance package was added to my tester, including sportier 18-inch rims encircled by 225\/40 Michelin Pilot summer-performance rubber. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"2019
My tester’s comfortable leather-upholstered seats also included two-way powered lumbar. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This said, even base Velosters get 18-inch alloy wheels, as well as auto on\/off headlamps, LED daytime running lights, power-adjustable and heated side mirrors, remote access, a heated and leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel, tilt and telescopic steering, cruise control, powered windows, illuminated vanity mirrors, a sunglasses holder, filtered air conditioning, a one-inch smaller 7.0-inch infotainment touchscreen with standard Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a backup camera with active guidelines, six-speaker audio, Bluetooth hands-free phone and audio streaming, a leather-clad shift knob, heatable front seats, a manual six-way driver\u2019s seat, a four-way front passenger seat, blind spot detection with rear cross-traffic alert, all the usual active and passive safety features, etcetera. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Veloster Turbo upgrade adds LED headlamps, LED side mirror turn signals, LED tail lamps, a special grille plus extended side sills, proximity entry with pushbutton star\/stop, a 4.2-inch TFT multi-information display instead of a more conventional 3.5-inch trip computer, a big power moonroof, silver vent bezels, checkered dash trim, partial cloth\/leather upholstery with red stitching instead of blue, leatherette door trim, red interior accents, plus more. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"2019
Rear seating is very good for a compact sport coupe, and access is best-in-class. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I could go into colour options and more, but considering this 2019 model<\/a> is being replaced by the 2020<\/a> version while this review is being published, you\u2019ll have to get what you can if wanting to avail model year-end discounts as well as 0-percent financing (the 2020 model<\/a> was available with 0.99-percent financing at the time of writing). By the way, you can learn about these deals and more right here at CarCostCanada<\/a>, where all trim, package and individual option prices are itemized, as well as manufacturer rebate info and otherwise hard to get dealer invoice pricing that could save you thousands. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you like the idea of the new Veloster but were hoping for more performance, you may also want to consider new N trim. It includes a new 2.0-litre turbo-four with 275 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque, and comes exclusively with a six-speed manual featuring downshift rev matching. An electronically controlled limited slip differential helps put the power down to the pavement, while an electronically controlled suspension support a big set of 19-inch alloys on 235\/35 Pirelli summer-performance tires. Also included are Normal, Sport, N and Custom drive mode selections, while a driver-adjustable active exhaust system makes this ultimate Veloster even more exciting to drive. Even its fuel economy is decent at 10.6 L\/100km city, 8.3 highway and 9.5 combined, while it starts at just $34,999. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"2019
The Veloster’s cargo compartment is significantly larger for 2019. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Notable when comparing 2019 to 2020 Velosters, the new base model won\u2019t be available with a manual transmission anymore, which will only cause performance purists and custom tuners to feel a bit miffed. This change causes the 2020 Veloster\u2019s base price to go up by $1,400 to $22,399, with the cheapest manual now the $27,499 Turbo. <\/span><\/p>\n

Also important to note, Hyundai has modified its trim naming scheme for 2020, eliminating the GL and Tech designations from the 2019 model<\/a> while adding Preferred and Luxury to the 2020<\/a>. The 2020 Veloster N<\/a> remains a single-trim car for the same price, although those searching for it on CarCostCanada<\/a> will need to choose it as a separate model from the regular Veloster line. <\/span><\/p>\n

Whether opting for a 2019<\/a> or 2020<\/a> model, an old GL, Tech or N<\/a>, or the new Preferred, Luxury<\/a> or N<\/a> trim, the new second-generation Veloster is a much more advanced car than its predecessor. It still combines an extremely sporty look with a very practical layout, but now mixes in stronger performance, newer electronics, and new features, resulting in one of the smartest urban runabouts currently available. <\/span><\/p>\n

Story and photo credits: Trevor Hofmann<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hyundai\u2019s Veloster could easily be seen as an automotive anomaly, a sports coupe cum four-door hatchback that doesn\u2019t quite fit in to either category, but I see it as a best-of-both-worlds alternative, a sporty two-door coupe when seen from the driver\u2019s side and a low-slung four-door liftback from the passenger\u2019s side. There\u2019s good reason that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2030,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-container-style":"default","site-container-layout":"default","site-sidebar-layout":"default","disable-article-header":"default","disable-site-header":"default","disable-site-footer":"default","disable-content-area-spacing":"default","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[31,59,122,102,265,291,118,79,62,154,71,64,362],"class_list":["post-2002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-carcostcanada","tag-31","tag-compact","tag-coupe","tag-hatchback","tag-hyundai","tag-liftback","tag-performance","tag-review","tag-sport","tag-sports","tag-tech","tag-turbo","tag-veloster"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2002"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2002\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2024,"href":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2002\/revisions\/2024"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}