Hyundai’s quirky Veloster 2+1-door hatch has never been short of ‘show’ but rather lacking in terms of ‘go’ – something that the company’s South African arm hopes to resolve with the addition of the Hyundai Veloster Turbo to its range.
But does that extra power really make for a significantly different driving experience?
What’s changed design-wise?
Externally, not a great deal. Hyundai already had a pretty radical-looking car to begin with, so it comes as little surprise that the Turbo wasn’t likely to tread too far from the path.
Externally you’re looking at revisions to the front air dam, foglamp housings and a rear apron that nixes the standard car’s centrally sited trapezoidal exhaust port in favour of an aggressive-looking twin-pipe array. 18-inch alloy wheels, a hint of a rear spoiler, LED lighting elements both front and rear, and a smattering of Turbo badges roughly round off the exterior treatment.
The changes to the cabin are similarly subtle; the highlights of which are form-hugging leather sports seats and a new TFT driver information display.
More goods under the hood
The biggest change has to be a serious upgrade to the standard car’s 1,6-litre, four-cylinder direct injection petrol engine. This model sees the addition of a twin-scroll turbocharger, revisions to the engine’s variable valve timing and lift setup and a host of other tweaks that up the power from the standard car’s 103 kW/167 N.m to a heartier 150 kW/265 N.m. This power hike is good for a claimed 0-100 km/h dash of 7,8 seconds and a 224 km/h top whack; almost 2 seconds and 23 km/h up on the naturally aspirated model.
In addition to modifications in the engine bay, the Turbo also ushers in a lowered and stiffened sports suspension that comprises a MacPherson strut front and (surprisingly for a car at this price) torsion beam rear set-up.
Does the boost make it better?
The answer is a suitably obtuse yes and no. The extra shove is most definitely welcome – the engine exhibits little in the way of lag and feels strong enough in the mid-upper rev range to make most overtaking manoeuvres a doddle. Although it’s powerful, there’s not that punch you’d normally associate with those sorts of outputs in a hatchback.
It’s coupled with a slick six-speed manual gearbox with a delightfully short, snappy throw and, as with the standard model, a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission is also offered. The latter is a mixed bag, proving too indecisive in its shift programming and slow to swap cogs when flooring it. At least its steering wheel-paddle-actuated shifts are crisp and responsive.
The previous car was capable enough dynamically, and it seems that the Turbo has gone only a little way to building upon those foundations.
A quick run up Cape Town’s sinuous Franshhoek Pass and the undulating roads between Theewaterskloof dam and Grabouw revealed a car with plenty of front-end grip and body control that was well composed when pressing on through tight bends. The latter, although welcome, comes at the expense of the ride, which is a bit too rigid on less than perfect roads.
Hyundai claims to have worked on the standard car’s rather numb electrically assisted steering setup to eke out a bit more responsiveness and feel. It’s certainly a bit more awake to inputs than it was before, but there’s still a rather artificial feeling to its weighting and feedback.
But something’s up
It’s hard to pin down the exact cause, but something about the Turbo seems to have missed the mark.
While the engine feels appreciably stronger than its non-blown sibling, it doesn’t feel scintillating; something that’s a little odd given that its outputs are pretty respectable and in the same ballpark as my Mini JCW Coupé long-termer.
It could be the engine’s lack of character; the tinny, thrashy engine note permeating the otherwise quiet cabin soundtrack isn’t very performance hatch-like, nor is the briefly lived spit and snarl from those formidable-looking tailpipes when gunning it off the line.
Perhaps it’s also a result of the Turbo’s unenviable task of trying to aesthetically better a standard car that was already so dramatic and sporty to look at in the first place. For many just the ‘Turbo’ moniker on a car will subliminally elicit mental images of overblown body kits and other OTT go-faster addenda and the Turbo’s subtle approach may not gel with such preconceptions.
Verdict
In the broad sense there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with the Turbo – it’s quick, solidly built and quirky.
Those expecting the character and punch of a genuine hot hatch may walk away from the Turbo feeling a mite underwhelmed. There is the argument that, owing to its mild demeanour, the Turbo should be viewed as more of a GT than a hot hatch, but the ride is a bit on the hard side for that.
Such criticism is a bit unfair given that Hyundai has pitched it against such similarly distinctive and fast-looking, but less powerful and spec-endowed, rivals as Volkswagen’s Scirocco 1,4 TFSI and Mini Cooper S Paceman, but there’s just the lingering feeling that with a bit more of a voice and more blatant bodywork, the Turbo could’ve been something to really savour.
Hyundai Veloster, 1,6 Turbo GDI Elite Manual*
Prices: R379 900 – MT, R399 900 – AT
Engine: 1,6-litre, 4-cyl, turbopetrol
Power: 150 kW
Torque: 265 N.m
0-100 km/h: 7,8 secs – 7,3 secs**
Top speed: 224 km/h – 225 km/h**
Fuel cons: 7,9 L/100 km – 7,4 L/100 km**
CO2: 171 g/km – 165 g/km**
*Claimed figures
**Automatic model
