Hyundai won't come out and just tell us what Veloster means. "There's lots of speculation on this," a Hyundai spokesman told us, "but really, it's just a name we created that we felt fit the car.
"Similar to the third door," he continued. "We leave the interpretation up to the consumer."
Fine, then. We'll interpret.
The 2012 Hyundai Veloster (pronounced vuh-los-ter) is an extremely stylish and playful-looking hatchback, so Veloster must come from the word "velocity," which, according to The Great Dictionary of Mike means: "not slow."
But with a 0-60-mph time of 10.2 seconds (9.8 seconds with a 1-foot rollout like at a drag strip) and a quarter-mile time of 17.4 seconds at 81.2 mph, the Veloster is emphatically slow.
Pulling a Not-So-Fast One
It's not as if Hyundai ever said the Veloster would be the world's hottest hatch. Instead, the Korean manufacturer brags about its EPA-rated 28 city/40 highway/32 mpg when fitted with the standard six-speed manual, which points to the Veloster's intentions as an economical runabout, not an all-out sports car. Still, the Veloster's brash styling makes it look fast, the dual-outlet central exhaust adding to those pretensions.
But the reality is that a 2,819-pound front-wheel-drive car powered by a naturally aspirated 1.6-liter inline-4 isn't exactly a recipe for performance, even with direct injection, double-overhead cams and variable valve timing. Especially with only 138 horsepower at 6,300 rpm and 123 pound-feet of torque at 4,850.
Adding to our test car's tepidity of forward motion was the optional ($1,250) six-speed paddle-shift dual-clutch transmission (DCT), Hyundai's first ever. Lacking the ability to raise revs at launch, and with weak power down low, the DCT-equipped Veloster ambles nonchalantly off the line. The 2012 Hyundai Accent (the first Hyundai to use the 1.6-liter GDI Gamma engine) is actually slightly quicker than its sportier brother, hitting 60 mph in 9.8 seconds.
For comparison, the Honda CR-Z manual takes just 8.8 seconds to reach 60 mph, the CVT-equipped version doing the same in 9.2. Mini says the 121-hp Cooper Clubman six-speed manual hits 60 in 8.9 seconds, with the six-speed auto taking 10.2 — identical to the Veloster. The Scion tC is the road burner of the group, its 180-hp 2.5-liter four-cylinder helping it scoot to 60 in 7.3 seconds using the six-speed manual.
A clapped-out 28-year-old Honda CRX would give it a run for its money from a stoplight.
The 2012 Hyundai Veloster's four-banger is smooth and quiet, exceptionally so on the highway when it's spinning 2,500 rpm at 70 mph. Of course the little engine has no power at those revs, making the Veloster a double-downshift car if there ever was one. Need to pass an 18-wheeler? Better flick the small left steering wheel paddle twice. Shifts are reasonably quick and always smooth, with nice throttle blips on manual downshifts. Unfortunately the DCT won't hold gears to the rev limiter.
Now We're Talking
There's nothing special about the Veloster's suspension. It uses MacPherson struts and twin-tube shock absorbers up front and a twist-beam axle at the rear with monotube shocks.
But Hyundai tuned the suspension on the stiff side and endowed the car with a rigid body. This helped the Veloster zip through the slalom at a more-than-respectable 66.7 mph. And that was in spite of (not because of) its less-than-grippy Kumho Solus KH25 all-season tires, sized 215/40R18 at all four corners, which generated just 0.81g around the skid pad. The electric-assist rack-and-pinion power steering is fairly direct but a bit too light in effort for our tastes.
The 2012 Hyundai Veloster's well-tuned suspension worked even better out on the road, keeping body roll to a minimum. Sure, there's some understeer, but it's highly controllable via modulations with your right foot. Back off the throttle and the front almost instantly finds grip. The rear remains firmly planted, only showing axlelike behavior when negotiating large bumps midcorner. The downside to the stiffly sprung suspension is a highway ride that's harsher than most folks will expect in an economy car.
All this got us to thinking: a thrifty, inexpensive hatchback that's dog-slow but handles like a champ. Reminds us of the Honda CRX from the mid-1980s. In Road & Track magazine's December 1983 road test, the five-speed manual-equipped Civic CRX 1.5 posted an excellent-for-the-time 64.0-mph slalom and 0.81g around the skid pad. The 1,920-pound CRX took 10.1 seconds to reach 60 mph and covered the quarter-mile in 17.6 seconds at 78.5 mph. Eerily similar. R&T estimated the CRX averaged 35 mpg in normal driving. We averaged 26.6 mpg in the Veloster, including 22.9 mpg during a run up and down a local mountain road.
The Veloster's 11-inch ventilated front brake rotors (clamped by single-piston sliding calipers) and 10.3-inch solid rear discs handled panic braking duties at our test track well, stopping from 60 mph in 121 feet with a firm pedal and stable behavior. Not surprisingly, these brakes (which look positively miniscule within the Veloster's optional 18-inch alloy wheels) overheated a bit on a downhill section of back road, the pedal becoming slightly mushy and hurting corner-entry confidence. The rest of the time the pedal exhibited a firm, linear feel.
High on Style
The 2012 Hyundai Veloster looks like nothing else on the road. But to truly appreciate Hyundai's efforts here, delve deeper than the blacked-out roof, bulbous fender flares and central-outlet exhaust. Walk up close and you'll enjoy the scalloped taillight sections and the truly intricate detailing of the head- and taillights. There's only one real design faux-pas — the fake, capped-off hood scoops.
Further separating the Veloster from other sporty runabouts is its unique third door. It's not so much that it has one. But rather that it's front-hinged, which lets it be opened independent of the front door, unlike the Mazda RX-8 and the Mini Cooper Clubman.
The Veloster's third door greatly eases entry to the two rear seats. Still, its sloping roof line and small opening require a Cirque du Soleil-type of contortion to squeeze an adult body into the cramped rear quarters.
The Veloster's starting price of $18,060 (including $760 destination) for the six-speed manual might imply "cheap hatch," but the interior design says otherwise. The shieldlike center stack (which incorporates the central push-button starter and 7-inch multifunction touchscreen display) and huge, industrial-grade door pulls dominate. The fancy-pants styling comes at some expense, though, in terms of functionality. Those large door pulls partially block the driver-side window/lock controls and are the reason why the door pockets are so far forward and difficult to access.
The front sport seats provide plenty of lateral support as well as all-day comfort, but drivers long in the torso will wish the seats were situated lower to increase headroom, especially if the car is equipped with the panoramic sunroof (part of the $2,000 Style package).
Even though the interior is composed largely of hard-touch trim pieces, it still looks terrific due to Hyundai's excellent graining, which makes everything look high grade.
In the End...an Economy Car
OK, so it's true there's not a whole lot of straight-line velocity to the 2012 Hyundai Veloster. In that respect it doesn't live up to the hype of its flashy, look-at-me styling. And yes, a clapped-out 28-year-old Honda CRX would give it a run for its money from a stoplight.
Those with a need for more speed should wait for the Veloster Turbo set to make its debut at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show in January and arrive at dealers next summer with 208 hp under the hood.
But like that 1980s-era CRX, the naturally aspirated Veloster offers sports-car handling and economy-car fuel mileage. And, also like the CRX, it's fun to wring every last bit of snot out of it.
Ultimately we can see the Veloster's unique third door and useful hatchback configuration, four almost-real seats, low base price and thoroughly distinctive bodywork appealing to buyers on a budget who couldn't give a rat's behind about 0-60 times.
Apparently, life is not a drag race to everyone.
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
Add A Comment »
edz3 says:
01:40 PM, 02/18/2012
I love my Veloster. I have no trouble passing cars on the road. Gas mileage is better than advertised. Nav, push button start, rear cam, panoramic glass roof, 18" wheels, sport seats, sporty interior, leather wrapped steering with audio/CC controls... paid under $22K. Did I mention 40mpg+ on the hwy?
janetdammit says:
09:12 AM, 02/16/2012
I see Hyundai pays Mobius to defend Hyundais here at Edmunds also.
mobis21 says:
07:55 AM, 01/06/2012
@duck87 your quote verbatim, "I think the anger spewed towards this car comes from the fact that people have been talking about this car like it's the second coming-"
Says who? Much of your argument falls flat off a cliff. Certainly, no one at Hyundai ever claimed that the current Veloster was more than its sum. In fact, quite the opposite. It has always been touted as a fun, economical, sport styled car. It is some in the automotive media that ran with the "sport style" aspect and hyped their own intentions and aspirations unto the Veloster.
Hyundai's marketing of the Veloster is not presented as the "second coming" as you put it. In fact, if you bothered to pay attention, since its launch, the Veloster was presented as a fun, affordable, sporty looking (styled) 3 door hatch commuter car.
All the laughable auto media reviews harping on the slow go of the car and underwhelming performance are all media-driven pablum created by auto media types like C&D, MT and IL. Anyone (including delusional auto journalist hacks) expecting the car to outperform this or that when that was never the primary mission of the car, are either totally clueless or are purposely misleading!
The much talked about upcoming turbo will feed the aspirations of those who crave the go-fast performance from the Veloster. But you know what's funny? Prior to Hyundai's sales success, much of the automotive press never had much to say about the automaker.
But now that Hyundai has been making waves, challenging the conventional wisdom of the tried and true Japanese "Big Three", the expected push back as predictable as a summer breeze, has surfaced. After all, how can Hyundai be so successful when we still believe the Japanese make the best cars? Sounds more like sour grapes. On the other hand, consumers have already figured out Hyundai makes darn good cars.
But make no mistake, it is misguided and ill-informed comments such as yours that feed into this frenzied pool of ignorance.
with says:
07:51 AM, 01/04/2012
duck87, well said.
duck87 says:
08:59 AM, 01/03/2012
@church123: As if it needs to be confirmed, the Veloster is simply slow. Your predicted ¼ mile corrections are just about in-line with what C&D got.
It's funny, because now that the car is proving to not only be an uninspiring drive but also slow despite the much vaunted powertrain combination, apologists are going "wait, hold on, the turbo is coming out!". At which point the base price of the car will creep up to $23K+ and cost more than any of the much more desirable competitors out there (forget about insurance for a second). Mustang V6, Civic Si, perhaps the upcoming FR-S? So what is the point of this car?
I think the anger spewed towards this car comes from the fact that people have been talking about this car like it's the second coming- for me (and normally I'm pretty neutral on the going ons in the automotive industry), it's because the journalism surrounding Hyundai has been suspiciously overhyped. Talk of Hyundai toppling the big 3, Toyota, and becoming the "next Honda" is kind of sickening. It's no wonder that after all that, with sad results like this laid bare that the public backlash would be enormous.
hpizzano says:
06:14 AM, 01/02/2012
sucks when the girl driving a Prius beats you in a drap race. So why is this Velosturd getting so much attention? Next Aztek? Yugo? Edsel?
church123 says:
03:33 PM, 12/30/2011
Just noticed that C&D tested the DCT Veloster. I predicted here that simple corrections for atmospheric conditions to IL's data, like C&D does, would net a 9.4 0-60 (with rollout) and a 17.2@82.7 mph. Note that this correction does not include a factor for the headwind that Edmunds reported.
So what were C&D's times?
0-60 - 9.1
1/4 - 17.1@83
Certainly close enough given vehicle to vehicle variation, driver weight differences, etc. Even moreso when you consider a headwind.
So people who are bitching about IL's test procedure, driving skill, etc. can enjoy some crow with a little humble pie for dessert.
wizard_ says:
02:42 PM, 12/30/2011
More reviews coming in, and the news is NOT good.
The Hyundai's fourth-place finish is due entirely to its failure to deliver. The bulging fenders, fast roof, and rubber band tires promise a sporty ride, but it isn't there. Instead, the Veloster rides harder than you'd expect with no discernible payback in handling. It's not eager to turn in, and when it does, it feels like the front end is all rubber. The car pitches and bounces and can't hold an arc through a turn.
Add to that a lethargic engine and you've got the recipe for basic transportation, not a sports car. Despite having the third-highest horsepower rating, the Veloster was achingly slow in nearly all circumstances. The engine is slow to rev and then you're disappointed because there's not much more power up there.
Top-gear acceleration is nonexistent, so you'll be working the shifter quite a bit, and the square knob will give you bad visions of 1980s Mustangs. The real letdown, though, was the fuel economy, as the Veloster was the only car in the test whose observed fuel economy was lower than its EPA city rating....Motortrend comparison.
k5forever says:
08:00 AM, 12/29/2011
I am a proud owner of the Veloster and all I get are compliments. I do get at or above EPA estimate MPG with an average of about 34MPG and have hit 41MPG highway and that is with the 6Sp manual transmission, which I have to say is one of the best I have ever used, and all I do is drive manual transmission vehicles. But here is the thing, I care nothing about how fast it can go from 0-60mph, all I care is if I can hit that speed on Interstate on-ramps so I can be up to snuff with the rest of the traffic, which it can just fine and go all the way to 70mph on the ramps without issue. It is quite at cruise doing 70mph, rides very well, goes where I tell it to go when I turn the wheel, holds a great amount of cargo as we learned this Christmas, and its features work very well. The only complaint I have is that this vehicle is designed too much for iWhatevers so that when I plug an Android or Windows phone device into the USB it does not allow me to access their music, so I have to stream it through Bluetooth or connect in with an aux line. But since I can charge up the phone on that USB oh well.
meest00gt says:
09:37 PM, 12/28/2011
I'd say wait a few generations on the Veloster. I'm certain that refinement will be on the way. Hyundai has been ever improving and I'd be very surprised to see that change any time soon.