Hyundai turns up the style with the new Veloster

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Introduction, styling

In its early days, the styling of Hyundai cars can hardly be described as revolutionary, groundbreaking or imaginative. Cars like the Pony, Stellar, Excel and so on hardly excelled on the styling front. Even the styling of latter Hyundai models like the Sonata, Avante and Getz can be described as unimaginative.

Things changed dramatically with the introduction of the i45 a few years back though. The i45 was one of the first Hyundai models to embody the brand’s then new ‘fluidic sculpture’ design language. Fluidic sculpture styling has also been adopted for subsequent models like the recent Elantra and i40 wagon.

While fluidic sculpture designs are no doubt bold and revolutionary, its somewhat fussy lines have been criticized by some of Hyundai’s competitors and critics. Despite these doubts though, Hyundai is pushing ahead to embody its entire line-up with fluidic sculpture design ethos.



After the i45, Elantra and i40 wagon, the latest Hyundai model sold here that carries fluidic sculpture design language is the somewhat unusual looking Veloster. Well, it is unusual not because of its fluidic sculpture lines and creases but it is thanks to its one-of-a-kind 1+2 coupe body style. The next question is: How is the Veloster a 1+2?

Based on a concept car from the 2007 Seoul Motor show, the Veloster actually has one door on the driver’s side just like a coupe but on the passenger side, the Veloster actually has two doors, which makes it a five-door hatchback – split personalities then.

At this point, you might point out that we’ve previously seen this 1+2 door layout on the Mini Clubman, but the Veloster’s is pretty different from the Clubman’s additional rear-hinged door on the driver’s side – its additional door is actually conventionally hinged like a normal five-door hatchback’s and Hyundai actually bothered to keep the door on the kerb side for both left and ride-hand drive models, a detail that BMW hadn’t done for the Clubman due to cost reasons.

To give the Veloster a more symmetrical coupelook on both sides, Hyundai’s designers have incorporated hidden a door handle on the rear door, Alfa 147 style.




The Veloster’s links to its Elantra stable mate are pretty obvious up front. There’s the familiar hexagonal grille and sweptback headlamps. The large chrome bits on the grille and headlamps might look at home on a saloon model like the Elantra but a sporty coupe like the Veloster can make do with less chrome on its front end.

There are also creases on the front bumper that seem to be inspired by Citroen’s DS models. The bonnet features non-functional bonnet vents, which can be a tad too racy and boy racer to some. Along the flanks, the Veloster features the unique character lines that are a signature of fluidic sculpture designs.

The 18-inch alloy wheels feature body coloured inserts and fill up the swollen wheel arches very well indeed. The black A-pillars give the glasshouse a striking appearance while the roof gently slopes down towards the rear to meet the two-piece glass hatch. The Veloster’s tail lamps and centrally mounted rectangular exhaust tips mimic that of the Renault Megane coupe while the rear window obviously harks back to the Honda CR-X and CR-Z.



According to Hyundai, the Veloster’s unique door layout is conceived to solve the inherent compromise of traditional coupe design that sacrifices convenience for style. Hmm, if the designers managed to hide the rear door handle so well then the Veloster’s style will hardly be compromised if it had two doors on both sides, wouldn’t it? Then again, giving the Veloster four conventional doors makes it just another five-door hatchback with a sleek coupe-like profile rather than a unique 1+2 coupe body style.

Regardless of its door layout, the Veloster is undoubtedly a bold and inspired design for an affordable coupe model that wouldn’t look out of place next to the likes of the Volkswagen Scirocco and Mini Coupe on the coupe catwalk. The Veloster should also bring added emotional appeal to the Hyundai brand and attract new buyers to it.

Performance, ride and handling

The Veloster we drove came with the Elantra’s 130bhp 1591cc ‘Gamma’ 1.6 Dual-CVVT lump mated to a six-speed automatic box but cars delivered to customers from May will feature Hyundai’s more modern GDI version of the ‘Gamma’ motor making 140bhp mated to the brand’s first DCT gearbox while a turbocharged version will be offered at a later date.

Just like in the Elantra, the Veloster’s MPI lump offers just about adequate performance, if not fire breathing or particularly sporty, for our road and traffic conditions. Hyundai quotes a 0-100km/h of an unremarkable 11.5 seconds and a top speed of 190km/h, numbers that are pretty similar to the Elantra’s. The Veloster lump’s peak torque of 157Nm at a peaky 4850rpm is definitely not convincing a number when compared to the amounts produced by forced aspirated lumps favoured by the European manufacturers.



Thankfully, the GDI engine will offer more performance thanks to its additional 10bhp and 10Nm as well as the more efficient DCT gearbox, which equates to a more convincing 10.3 seconds 0-100km/h time. The GDI direct injection model will also be more fuel economical than the MPI variant tested here – it will return 6.2 litres for every 100km on average, 0.8 litres per 100km less than the latter.



Like the other four pots from Hyundai-Kia, the Elantra’s motor suffers from a major set back – it lacks refinement at high revs – dial in anything higher than 4500rpm and the motor will sound strained and gruff. Worse still, the engine requires revs to deliver the goods due to its peaky torque curve.

Despite Hyundai’s best efforts to lower NVH levels, the Veloster can certainly do with an engine that makes less of an audible din when worked hard upon. Thankfully, the motor is quiet enough if you’re just wafting along at low revs or when cruising. Hopefully, the new GDI engine will fare much better on the refinement front.



The Veloster MPI’s six-speed automatic gearbox is similar to the one in the Elantra and Forte among other models and just like in the abovementioned models, it delivers crisp and smooth gear changes that are tailored to the engine’s power band and torque characteristics. It also responds well to throttle inputs.

There’s a good spread of ratios with shorter low gears and tall high gears to maximize performance and fuel economy. The GDI model’s DCT gearbox should improve things further on the transmission front. Disappointingly though, ‘+/-‘ gear shift paddles on the steering wheel aren’t offered as standard.



Road dynamics of Hyundai models have come a long way since the Pony. The Veloster features competent and tidy handling despite its humble Elantra-based underpinnings. The Helm feels meatier than the Elantra’s but can do with better feel and feedback.

Body control is also tighter than the Elantra’s – there’s hardly any unwanted body movements and roll in the corners that makes for a reassuring feel overall.

The downside of the firmer suspension settings and 18-inch low profile tyres is a slightly firm ride, especially at low speeds where the Veloster can crash over pot holes or sharp humps.

Interior and conclusion

Inside, the Veloster’s dashboard shares its basic flowing architecture with the Elantra’s and i45’s, and together with the door trims, once again shows off Hyundai’s ‘fluidic sculpture’ design themes and lines.

The triangular door handles mimic the Scirocco’s while the grab handle like sides of the gear lever console reminds me of the first generation TT’s. The neat looking main instruments are set deep in separate binnacles. The sizable engine start button sits on the lower part of the centre console while a 7-inch LCD colour touchscreen infotainment system takes centre stage higher up. The screen displays settings and menus for various functions including a Blue MAX mode to encourage more fuel economical driving habits.





The driver’s seat is both comfortable and supportive while a thoughtful feature is the extended seat belt arm on the driver’s side – very convenient indeed as you’d have to stretch over your right shoulder to grab the belt in most two-door cars.




Obviously, the rear can be accessed from either sides of the car but it’s a no-brainer to enter via the driver’s side if there’s an extra door for easier access on the passenger side.

Despite the convenience of the rear door, ingress and egress requires some gymnastics as the drooping roof line and hence the shape of the doors mean you’d have to bend your neck quite a bit to get into the rear compartment.

Once inside, headroom is once again limited by the sloping roof while legroom is just about average for a compact coupe. The panoramic sunroof adds a sense of airiness in the cabin, which in turn helps rear passengers from feeling too claustrophobic.

The boot is reasonably deep and well-sized – it isn’t any less spacious when compared to say, a Scirocco and split/fold seatbacks are standard as well.

The Veloster is a fresh addition to the affordable coupe market. Its distinctive looks and style will make a bold statement in the market. A more powerful power train will be the icing on the cake – hopefully the upcoming GDI or the turbo can fulfill the Veloster’s potential.