Great drive; handy price; good looks; nice interior
Rear seat headroom rules out tall passengers
With only 500 Hyundai Veloster models available each month from the factory in Korea, Hyundai Australia must now decide on the split between naturally-aspirated versions and the new ‘SR Turbo’ model. “Go the turbo,” would be the advice from Car Showroom after putting the newcomer through its paces.
Critics will say that’s an easy call with around 50 per-cent more power and 60 per-cent more torque making the Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo faster from zero to 100km/h than its non-turbocharged siblings. But it’s much more than grunt in the total package which adds-up to a significantly sportier proposition in the new forced-induction Veloster.
Remarkable times really. Just a few years back Hyundai didn’t have a sports car and now we’re debating which of its sports cars is better.
Further, the Hyundai Veloster SR turbo re-affirms – just in case there’s any ‘Dinosaur Thinkers’ left out there - that by any measure the two major Korean brands are now on the same page as rivals from Japan, North America and Europe…in fact compared to some, they’re in front.
Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo Overview
We don’t know how they do it, but once again Hyundai has delivered super-sharp pricing for the Veloster SR Turbo – both versions tagged just $3,000 above equivalent Veloster+ models. . Starting price for the six-speed manual Veloster SR Turbo is $31,990 while the paddle-shift six-speed manual SR Turbo is stickered at $33,990.
For that, you get a lot more car. Quite apart from the technical changes (turbocharged engine, sportier suspension, sharper steering and bigger brakes) there’s a much more athletic look and more equipment inside, including leather seats, metallic-look trim and a two-piece panorama glass roof.
Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo Engine
Hyundai’s installation of a twin-scroll turbocharger set-up to its new Gamma 1.6-litre direct-injection petrol engine wasn’t just a ‘stroll in the park’. Nope, this is technical job featuring a freshly-patented one-piece design for the exhaust manifold and turbine housing, plus a motor-driven electrical controller for the waste-gate.
Of course a twin-scroll turbocharger makes more efficient use of the exhaust energy for lag-busting better low-range response.
Hyundai Veloster delivers 150kW at 6000rpm and peak torque of 265Nm from 1750-4500rpm).
And here’s another smart consequence of twin-scroll turbochargers. That more efficient use of the exhaust gas combines with improved combustion efficiency and cooler cylinder temperatures for minimum impact on fuel consumption, despite the substantial performance gains.
So Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo returns combined-cycle fuel consumption of 6.5l/100kms (6.4l/100kms for the naturally-aspirated models).
Drive is to the front wheels via either a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic.
The turbocharged Veloster model dispenses with the ‘atmo’ version’s dual-clutch automatic transmission, adopting a conventional six-speeder with “sport’ manual mode and steering wheel paddle-shifters. Scott Williams, Hyundai Australia’s product planning chief, says the SR Turbo’s extra power and torque dictated the switch.
Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo The Interior
Inside, the Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo is immediately distinguished by its two-tone black/grey leather seat trim and sports front seat with bold embroidered ‘Turbo’ logo. The driver enjoys electronic for/aft adjustment and extra lumbar support.
The stylishly sporty leather-wrapped steering wheel adjusts for rake/reach and, in automatic versions, the paddle-shifters for manual changes are perfectly positioned d and nicely shaped.
Trim highlights adopt a metallic look and the seven-inch LCD touchscreen also features the full-colour satellite navigation display and reversing camera image. Audio is four-speaker system with an external amplifier and the usual compatibility features.
How does the Hyundai Veloster’s three-door layout work in the real world? Very well actually. We climbed straight from the front passenger seat to the rear via the third door and found Veloster’s legroom to be quite good (massively better than Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ, just plucking two names at random – not!) but headroom not so generous (our ‘bonce’ was scraping).
Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo also aces the Toyota/Subaru twins in boot capacity
Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo Exterior & Styling
Major changes outside provide clues that this is the turbocharged Veloster. Most noticeable is the rear with circular deflectors and a massive rear diffuser holding twin central-mounted exhaust tailpipes.
Side view is punctuated by chrome inserts for the stylish 18-inch alloy wheels and prominently sculptured side skirts.
At the front, you’ll notice a larger hexagonal grille which required a revised front bumper and new-design fog-lights.
Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo is offered in five unique colours, including two matt paint colours which only cost an extra $1,000 (makes the similar offerings from BMW look seriously over-priced).
Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo On the Road
We could bash-out another 1,000+ words on Hyundai’s ‘Australianization’ of the suspension and steering calibration for the Veloster SR Turbo. We don’t have that space, but enthusiasts will be pleased to hear the company has its own shock absorber dyno at its Sydney head office and local engineers worked closely with their counterparts from Korea and engineers from suspension specialist ZF-Sachs.
After comprehensive local testing and development, the rear roll-centre was lowered slightly and ZF-Sachs supplied unique shims for the dampers to deliver mostly stiffer rebound. As a result, in back-to-back tests the Hyundai Veloster SR turbo attained a higher peak ‘G’ force and held it longer than either the ‘atmo’ Veloster or an un-named direct competitor.
Armed with this information, Car Showroom headed to the Gold Coast hinterland roads which are familiar to us expecting a competent showing and, to be honest, the Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo delivered more.
Sure the turbocharged 1.6-litre was impressive – delivery of its 150kW/265Nm largely lag-free but definitely superior with more than 4000rpms on-board. But it was the chassis which proved the standout performer.
Turn-in was crisp and flat, mid-corner balance impressive and throttle response was instantaneous. And unlike some European rivals, Hyundai has achieved this without skateboard-like harshness over bumps.
In fact we’d go as far as to say the Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo was one of the best-handling high-performance front-wheel-drive cars we’ve driven.
Part of this story was the tyres – low-profile 215/40 R18s from Hankook provided plenty of grip and minimal road noise.
Not to be overlooked are the brakes. The Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo scores larger front discs (20mm wider at 300mm and also 5mm thicker) and tossing out the anchors brought a very solid performance time-after-time.
All things considered we actually preferred the six-speed automatic Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo. That slick self-shifter delivered such lightning-fast cog swaps and the operation of the paddle shifters was so intuitive as we hammered over the twists and curves of the back roads from Surfers Paradise to Kingscliff…well we were thinking about German supercars costing three times as much.
Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo Challenges
As per the ‘atmo’ Hyundai Veloster, our only complaint is the miniscule rear seat headroom.
Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo The Competition
Hold on there! Hyundai reckons Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ prospects might not necessarily have the Veloster SR Turbo in their sights. The Korean giant acknowledges the three-door, hatchback Veloster might have broader appeal than the raw two-seat sports cars which star at Club Motorsport Track Days (same for the Mazda MX-5).
But if you’re shopping Alfa Romeo’s Mito, it might pay to check-out the Veloster SR Turbo. Mito QV is priced at $34,990 but its 125kW/250Nm 1.4-litre turbo doesn’t match Hyundai’s 150kW/265Nm…what price Italian style.
Or French style for that matter. Hyundai reckons the Citroen DS3 is a rival for the Veloster SR Turbo. We’re not sure – Citroen must have lost our number because they’ve never bothered to offer a single car for Car Showroom to test.
And Mini Cooper is also on the radar for Hyundai Veloster SR turbo buyers. But you’ll need the Cooper S model ($43,800) with its 135kW/240Nm turbocharged 1.6-litre engine to get close to Hyundai’s 150kW/265Nm.
Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo Verdict
One of the best cars we’ve driven this year, the Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo teaches some big-name European front-wheel-drive performance cars a thing or two about driving dynamics.
Inside and out, the $31,990 Hyundai Veloster challenges the value proposition of some high profile new entrants into the sports car league.
And here’s the kicker – family buyers will appreciate the three-door layout which provides easy access for back-seat passengers.
