2012 Hyundai Veloster
by Jim Prueter

With U.S. sales of the Korean auto brand up nearly 25 percent for 2011, Hyundai is a car company truly on a roll. Sales of Hyundai’s recently restyled new Elantra compact are up over 46 percent and have nearly caught the two dominant Japanese brands, the Toyota Corolla (down 10.5 percent) and Honda Civic (down 14.8 percent).

Sales of Hyundai’s all-star Sonata are up 15.6 percent while competitors Honda Accord and Toyota Camry are down 15.5 percent and 8.7 percent, respectively. Dealerships are reporting they can scarcely keep inventory on the lot.

Adding to the company’s success is the freshly redesigned subcompact Accent hatchback, which was recently introduced, and the newly redesigned Azera full-sized sedan that is due to arrive in early 2012. Both are expected to be in short supply due to anticipated consumer demand.

If that isn’t enough to give the Japanese giants heartburn, there’s the all-new 2012 Veloster. This bold new model fills a niche the people at Hyundai feel they were missing, directly targeting the Gen Y consumers — those born between the early 1980s and the early 1990s.

With a long, single coupe-like door on the driver side and two smaller sedan-like doors on the passenger side, the Veloster is a quirky-looking, front-wheel-drive, four-passenger, three-door hatchback. The passenger side rear door allows for safer entry and exit for children or other passengers with its curbside position, and the third door comes in handy when loading a baby into a car seat. The Veloster’s large hatchback opens for access to the cargo area and has a sticker warning users to be “cautious when closing” so that they don’t whack the heads of taller passengers in the rear seat.

The Veloster isn’t the first manufacturer to use a three-door concept. General Motors used it on the Saturn coupe, and the current Mini Clubman has a rear-hinged door-opening extender on its passenger side. But unlike other models, the Veloster’s rear door can be opened independently of the front door.

As for its styling, the Veloster looks like nothing else on the road, which, depending on your tastes, can either be a good or bad thing. Hatchback vehicles have never been a popular choice of the American car-buying consumer, and the Veloster certainly wins the award for a gutsy interpretation of one.

On the surface, the Veloster looks like a sports car, though it really isn’t. The front end mimics other recent Hyundai models, most noticeably the Elantra and Sonata, while the low, long glass roof (part of the optional Style Package) gives the body a unique profile. The styling is aggressive with its sloping roofline and deeply sculptured side panels and fenders, making the Veloster appear faster than it is.

Available in just one well-appointed trim level, standard features include 17-inch alloy wheels, LED accent lights, heated side view mirrors, a rear spoiler, air-conditioning, tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, cruise control, full power accessories (steering/brakes/seats/windows/mirrors), a cargo cover, excellent cloth upholstery with height-adjustable driver seat, and split-folding rear seats.

A large standard 7-inch touch screen operates the car’s infotainment system, equipped with Bluetooth and XM Satellite Radio and an option to play Pandora Internet radio from your iPhone through the vehicle’s sound system. Also, there are two fuel economy coaching games and photo/video playback capability.

Options are divided into two packages, both priced at an additional $2,000. The Style Package adds 18-inch wheels, a chrome grille surround with black highlights, fog lights, a panoramic sunroof, a premium eight-speaker sound system, leatherette upholstery, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob. The Tech Package can be added to the Style Package and offers automatic headlights, rear parking sensors, a navigation system, a rearview camera, keyless ignition/entry, and a 115-volt outlet in the center armrest bin.

Adding to Veloster’s youthful appeal, Hyundai also offers optional side graphic stickers and a palette of marathon-inspired colors such as Ironman Silver, Triathlon Gray, 26.2 Yellow, Electrolyte Green, Boston Red, Marathon Blue, and Vitamin C.

Powered by a 1.6-liter, inline, four-cylinder engine that produces 138 horsepower and 123 pound-feet of torque, the Veloster comes standard with a six-speed manual transmission. Also available is an optional automated dual-clutch manual transmission (DCT) with steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles.

A base model with a silky smooth and easy shifting six-speed manual transmission, our test car had a price tag of $18,060, including the destination charge. It’s also available with a six-speed EcoShift dual-clutch transmission, the first use of this transmission type, for an additional $1,250.

Ford uses a similar transmission on its Fiesta model, as does Volkswagen on its smaller cars. The DCT works as a “manumatic” or “dry-clutch” gearbox. The transmissions work like a manual shifter internally but are automatically shifted by the car’s computer, so no clutch pedal is needed by the driver to move the gear lever to shift.

Overall, we thought the Veloster was fun to drive. We think the Veloster’s weakest attribute is the lack of engine power, which we’d render acceptable at best. While the manual shifter allowed the vehicle to move quickly through first and second gear, the higher fifth and sixth gears provide practically no acceleration with the gas pedal pressed to the floor. Consequently, there’s a lot of shifting when trying to zip through traffic or when passing on the highway. But what it gives up in performance, it delivers with impressive fuel economy.

We were also impressed with the handling, the ride, and the electric rack-and-pinion steering that felt just right. The suspension, while sporty, isn’t overly firm, as there is some noticeable body lean in corners, and the brakes have a good pedal feel. It isn’t up to par with the Mini Cooper as far as handling and performance is concerned, but it is exceptionally easy to drive.

Airbags in the Veloster include two frontal, two front-seat-mounted side-impact, and front and rear side curtain airbags. As required of all 2012 models sold in the U.S., antilock brakes and an electronic stability system are standard. As of this writing, the Veloster has not been crash tested by either the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or the U.S. Department of Transportation.

In the end, we think the youth-oriented Veloster will deliver another winner to the already impressive sales results of the Hyundai brand. It seems to deliver a lot more car than the price suggests.