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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
To be fair with these prognosticators, the UK gave up on the car after 2013 and sales have been steadily falling here and in the US, our market’s 2012 high of 5,741 units having fallen to 4,704 in 2013, 3,444 in 2014 and so far during the first 11 months of the 2015 calendar year Hyundai Canada has only sold 2,875, while south of the 49th the sporty four-door model enjoyed a high of 34,862 deliveries in 2012, slightly less at 30,711 in 2013, a still smaller 27,598 last year and only 21,999 up until the end of last month, so kudos to Hyundai for putting yet
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Even though the Veloster sells in small numbers most people should find it familiar due to its unusual shape. If you see one driving by from the driver’s side it’ll look like a sporty two-door coupe, or three-door as Hyundai normally refers this body style, with an elongated roof and abruptly vertical hatch pinched together via unique almond-shaped tail lamps. Seen from the passenger’s side, however, it looks like a four-door hatch, or rather a
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
It’s not the first of its kind by a long shot, Saturn’s SC2 Coupe offering a rear-hinged clamshell back door design from the mid-’90s through to the early ’00s, although stupidly its rear door was fitted to the driver’s side making rear access from curbside less convenient, whereas Mini’s outgoing Clubman rectified this oversight, although the rear door was offered in the same less functional suicide-style. The Veloster’s abbreviated rear door is a regular front-hinged designed with its handle cleverly hidden within the C-pillar, so access to the back doesn’t
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
The Veloster’s exterior design is the same this year as last, and almost identical inside. Up front it delivers a unique take on Hyundai’s usual sporty compact interior design, with a similar two-dial primary gauge setup to the Elantra, albeit framed by a unique three-spoke multifunction sport steering wheel and, to the right, a completely exclusive V-shaped centre stack that houses a very impressive
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Other than the infotainment system just noted the Veloster cabin is status quo, meaning it’s filled with mostly hard plastics, albeit these are textured with a nice feeling soft touch paint, while the door inserts and armrests are covered with a padded synthetic. Loads of satin-silver accents and chrome details help to enhance the décor, while the sport seats are well bolstered and covered in a nice woven fabric with contrast stitching for a sporty look.
That
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Ok, maybe I set my expectations too high for a car kitted out with just 132 horsepower and 123 lb-ft of torque, this 1.6-litre four-cylinder not one of Hyundai’s most intoxicating mills despite direct-injection and dual continuously variable
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Keep the revs between 6,750 rpm and 8,000 and you’ll get the performance you’re
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
The best part of all this go-fast goodness is a window sticker of $21,599 as tested, plus
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
You can still upgrade your Veloster with a Tech package that adds slightly more than $4k to the price while increasing content to include larger 18-inch rims, auto on/off projector beam halogen headlights with LED accents, LEDs set into the side mirror housings and LED taillights, plus high-gloss black interior trim, alloy pedals, a heatable leather-wrapped steering wheel, a leather shift knob, leatherette door inserts, a Dimension audio upgrade with eight speakers, an external amplifier and a sub, while additional Tech features include upgraded fabric upholstery with leather side bolsters, rear parking assist, a 110-volt household-style power outlet, and a panoramic sunroof, but that’s another story for another time.
Speaking
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Back to reality, neither that nicely massaged version or the regular Turbo will return fuel economy as good as my Veloster DCT’s 8.3 L/100km city, 6.5 highway and 7.5 combined or the manual car’s 8.8, 6.7 and 7.8 rating, although to be fair the Turbo’s 8.1 combined mileage is pretty impressive for providing such a solid dose of power, making either Veloster as good a daily commuter as weekend warrior, a great combination sports coupe for getting where you want to go in style without leaving your friends behind.
It would be a shame if Hyundai chose to discontinue the Veloster, as it’s such a multitalented sports coupe with a practical element no rivals can match. That it can be had for such a great price makes it all that much better.
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