Looking
like a cross between an Imperial Storm Trooper’s
helmet and a Dustbuster, the innovative 2012 Hyundai
Veloster exudes offbeat charm, but needs refinement. A
noisy interior, poor iPod and phone compatibility, and
troublingly large blind spots reduce the appeal of its
great looks, good handling and appealing price.
The
Veloster’s striking styling will win it plenty of
fans. The aggressive front end features slots, scoops
and LED running lights. A tapering roofline and
scalloped flanks create an equally attractive profile.
The
1.6-liter engine struggles to motivate the little
hatchback, though. Hyundai’s high-profile new
infotainment system also has some surprising glitches.
In
a very good year for enjoyable little cars, the Veloster
can’t match the peppy Chevrolet Sonic turbo’s
performance or the Fiat 500’s Italian exuberance.
Like
the departed Saturn SC coupe, the Veloster has three
doors — two on the passenger side — to improve
rear-seat access. A hatch opens in the rear for cargo.
Veloster
prices start at $17,300 for a base model with a
138-horsepower direct-injection 1.6-liter four-cylinder
engine and six-speed manual transmission.
A
six-speed dual-clutch transmission — the same type of
automatic gearbox used by the Ford Focus, Fiesta and
Audi A3 — adds a surprisingly stiff $1,250 for a base
price of $18,550. I tested a nicely equipped Veloster
with the manual transmission, Bluetooth phone
connectivity, a good sound system and power sunroof. It
cost $19,300.
There
aren’t any other three-door subcompacts on the market,
but a slew of new small, sporty cars compete with the
Veloster. They include the Chevrolet Sonic, Fiat 500,
Ford Fiesta, Honda CR-Z, Mini Cooper and Scion tC. The
Veloster’s price is competitive.
The
Veloster’s exterior styling stands out. The nose
features a big, deep grille, LED accent lights and more
scoops than Baskin Robbins. The roof slopes downward to
the hatch for a racy profile.
The
design creates large blind spots that add needless
stress to lane changes and backing out of parking spots.
The
liftover into the rear cargo compartment is high, and
the opening is rather narrow for large objects, but
there’s a useful 15.5 cubic feet of space behind the
rear seat — 34.7 with the seats folded flat.
The
rear seat offers little legroom. Headroom is so limited
that a sticker warns of potential injuries from slamming
the hatch.
The
front seat provides ample leg and shoulder room. The
controls are large and easy to use. The gauges are clear
and legible. A touch screen in the center stack allows
you to select audio sources, use your smartphone’s
Pandora Internet radio, telephone and other features.
The
car’s voice-recognition was inconsistent. It
understood many commands and names well, but responded
to "Call Michelle," with an almost random
selection of names from my contacts. The system also
failed to connect automatically to my iPhone when I
restarted the car. I had to go through several manual
steps on the touch screen for hands-free calls. The
audio quality of calls is good, but road and wind noise
are very obtrusive at highway speeds.
The
iPod player dropped out of shuffle mode every time I
shut the car off. It started over from the first song in
alphabetical order each time. After this happens about
10 times, you get sick of any song, even Lucinda
Williams’ "Abandoned."
The
Veloster’s steering is direct and responsive. It
handles well, tracking smoothly through fast curves.
It
needs more power, though. The direct-injection engine
produces only 123 pound-feet of torque, and that’s not
available until you rev it to a noisy 4,850 rpm. By
comparison, the Chevrolet Sonic’s turbocharged
1.4-liter four-cylinder generates 148 pound-feet from
just 2,500 rpm for more satisfying acceleration.
The
EPA rates the Veloster at 28 mpg in the city, 40 on the
highway and 32 in combined driving.
That’s
not quite as good as the Sonic turbo, Fiesta and CR-Z.
It trails the 500, but the Fiat’s taste for premium
fuel will make it $70 a year more expensive to operate,
according to the EPA. The Veloster has better fuel
economy than the tC. The Veloster’s 32 mpg combined
matches the Mini. Like the Fiat, however, the Cooper
uses more expensive premium fuel.
The
Veloster’s outre looks and three-door layout set it
apart, but its weaknesses reel it back to the middle of
the pack.
———
2012
HYUNDAI VELOSTER:
—Base
price: $17,300 (excluding destination charge)
—Price
as tested: $19,300