My schedule and available dealer stock finally coincided and I got my first turn behind the wheel of a 2012 Hyundai Veloster this afternoon. It was the fully loaded manual version that stickers somewhere around $22.5k. Here are a few thoughts.
ExteriorA car that few will call beautiful, but like the much more "out there" Juke, it is growing on me. It certainly looks sporty and aggressive, but a design this bold is bound to be a bit polarizing. The execution of the 3rd door is deserving of at least a small round of applause, as it ups the functionality of this little coupe substantially. Easy to get in and out through that discreet doorlet, and no need to open the front passenger door to do so. And the optional 18" rims on 40-series rubber look huhyooooge - and to my eye, look pretty darned nice.
InteriorVery well laid out - all controls are easy to see and intuitive to use. Two items made a real strong - and real positive - impression: the nav display (large, bright with terrific resolution) and the seats (firm, supportive, grippy and supremely comfortable). I'd be willing to trade both for the units in my Sonata right now. Some cars you fiddle with quite a bit to get to where you are feeling right. For whatever reason, this car just fit me exceptionally well right away. Back seat room is quite liveable for kids, and while I fit okay back there, I wouldn't want to ride in back for a long highway journey. Hp and legroom were better than expected, but there is only just enough headroom for me to sit upright (I'm 5'10" on a tall day).
Exterior visibility is good out the front and sides, but there's not much to see out of the little gun slit of a rear window. That said, I didn't have any issue moving the car in and out of traffic both in town and on the highway. Some might find it a little off-putting at first glance, though.
EngineNot a lot of ooomph off the line - seat-of-the-pants felt like a bit less power than the numbers might suggest. It does rev pretty quickly, and really comes to life above 3500 rpm. It makes a nice throaty growl when getting to the upper reaches of the tach - I almost wish it were a bit louder. But for those who equate a quiet cabin with quality, this car will impress. It is damn near silent at idle and exterior noises of all kinds barely intrude at all. Overall, there's quite enough power here to have fun without placing your license in serious jeopardy around town. If I were buying, though, I'd be waiting for the turbo.
TransmissionVery nicely executed. Clutch travel is short and the effort is light. It engages at the midpoint of travel and is entirely quirk-free. The short, stubby shifter has medium-short throws with a good mechanical feel. Not sloppy, lifeless overcooked pasta and not a clunky baseball bat in a barrell of coconuts - just a nice, precise feel moving out of gear, into neutral and into the next gear. Never stalled, never missed a shift - never came close to doing either.
Ride, Handling, SteeringGreat, very good and just kind of okay. I give the ride a "great" because there is just no freakin' way a car with that short a wheelbase, riding on 40-series rubber over 18" rims, that otherwise handles quite decently, should offer anywhere NEAR this kind of ride comfort. I went over some pretty bouncy service road segments, and my eyes saw much more in the way of warped, broken, bumpy pavement than my butt ever felt. Handling was very solid and sure - with body roll kept very well in check. It didn't have the light, lively (some would say darty) feel of my wife's Fit, though it had a bunch more grip and overall feels like a more substantial (not to mention upscale) vehicle. Steering is an area Hyundai needs to work on in their FWD vehicles. This one has that charcteristic on-center dead zone, though less so than in my Sonata. Tracked staright as an arrow on the highway and felt real solid in cruise mode. 120kph translated into about 3,000 rpm, but it is WAY more quiet than my wife's Fit at those revs.
ValueJust a ridiculously nice car for the money.
Here's a clip of a highway merge - the noise you are hearing most is the camera strap bouncing off the steering wheel (particularly when I almost drop it). Tire noise, wind noise, engine noise, exhaust noise - not so much.
Jaeger