Hyundai Veloster: a car at the forefront of quirky automotive appeal.

For today, I thought we’d look at something all shiny and new… and also matte and new.  Besides, it's time to show some love for Hyundai.... after all, they did give me my iPad, which I use pretty much everyday, besides which, they deserve it, the way they've transformed their line to have real appeal.  ..And because I’ve skipped some days of blogging with my extended weekend, I’ll pull up three specimens to look at.  Say hello to the quirky Hyundai Veloster.

This first one is a run of the mill Veloster I spotted at the grocery store parking lot.  Before we delve into the differences in Veloster models, let’s talk a bit about the car as a whole.  I’m afraid that I am a bit on the older end of the buyer demographic that Hyundai was shooting for with the Veloster.  This car is the first product to roll out of Hyundai’s “Premium Youth Lab” program.  It’s a kind of sub-brand that sets its sights on the young generation of drivers/buyers.  Hyundai figures that young buyers will find the 3 door plus hatchback configuration charming and interesting, and they may be right.  I find it so, but I’m nearly five years past the end of my twenties, so who knows what the young whippersnappers think of it.

Gone now is the Hyundai Tiburon, which used to compete with the Toyota Celica (gone too, since 2006 or so).  The Tiburon was removed from the lineup in 2008, with the Genesis Coupe replacing it.  The Genesis coupe was meant to fill the Tiburon void and stretch also to compete with baby 6 cylinder Mustangs, though I really don’t see a lot of cross over between those buyers.  So, where they replaced one car with another, they managed to leave a void that needed to be filled with a second vehicle to get the young buyers that Hyundai wanted flocking to its showrooms.  Enter the Veloster with its asymmetrically configured doors (2 on the passenger side and one on the driver’s side with a hatch in back to round things out nice and even).

True to its target market’s preferences, a Veloster can be ordered absolutely dripping with technology.  Hyundai has their own version of OnStar, the in vehicle telematics system that offers crash notification, diagnostics, and remote control of the vehicle, called BlueLink.  A base Veloster carries a starting price of $17,600, with the next trim step up to the Veloster “Re:Mix” starting at $20,050.  That upgrade gets you a body kit, fog lights, “Re:Mix” badges, 18” alloy wheels, proximity key entry, driver’s side auto-up power window, a 450 watt sound system, leather wrapped steering wheel, and Re:Mix floor mats that the base Veloster doesn‘t offer standard.   For an extra $2,500, Hyundai will give buyers the “ultimate” package, which features all the goodies you can get for the interior of the car plus a panoramic roof, backup sensors, automatic headlights, a 115V outlet, and nav system with reverse camera.  I’d recommend this package if for no other reason than to get those reverse sensors.  Look at how high the belt line is on this car and how small the rear glass is.  You’ll need those sensors and that reverse camera to keep from backing over kids or small creatures.  They really ought to just be standard for at least as long as aesthetics dictate stylistic inclusion of high belt lines and chopped down glass in automobiles.  Of course, there are also options for Bluetooth and Navigation along with Sirius satellite enabled stereo arrays… But check out this gleaming little beast.

This Veloster was at the auto show this year, and while it’s exterior styling may be the most noticeable thing about it (that’s a vinyl cling wrap, not paint, by the way), what it’s got going on inside is pretty cool too.  This one had a custom in-dash mounted iPad, custom speakers and sound system, and a DJ station along with Macbook pro operating software that pops up out of the back.  All accented with white  and orange illumination effects to go with the orange stitching and orange brake calipers.  Well, it’s a show car, clearly, but it’s not such a stretch from the ever evolving technologies that are more and more becoming integrated with automobiles.

You may notice a difference in the front fascia of the yellow Veloster as opposed to the shiny chrome one.  That’s because the yellow Veloster is the Re:Mix model.  It, like the base model, comes with a 1.6L 4 cylinder engine that’s good for 138 HP and should net high 20’s MPG in the city and high 30’s on the highway.  The shiny chrome vinyl wrapped Veloster is a turbo variant that uses that same 1.6L 4 cylinder along with a twin scroll turbocharger to give you 201 HP and mid 20s MPG for city driving along with mid to low 30’s for highway at a starting price of $22,100.  I prefer both the looks and performance of the Turbo, so if I was shopping Velosters, that’s what I’d choose…though I don’t know if you can get the Chrome vinyl wrap from the factory. I’d still like it.  Besides, look how shiny!!!

Oooooh!

Aaaaah!

Of course, what you’ve probably seen every now and then out on the roads is one of these little Velosters with a Matte paint job.  I think these are fantastic, and can be ordered with this paint from the factory.  My Hypothetical Veloster would definitely have the Matte paint, even though upkeep of matte paint jobs is more difficult than gloss, and even at the $1,000 premium over regular paint.  Then again, Hyundai’s website does indicate that it charges an extra $200 for a color called “Elite White” that, near as I can tell, is just plain old white.  Since when is it cool to pay extra so your car can look like a fleet vehicle?  To each their own, I guess.

Hyundai’s website is fun to play around with, and I used it to build my own hypothetical Veloster turbo with Matte paint at a cost of $24,145 when I finished picking options I wanted.  Not too bad for a brand new little car that’s just brimming with quirkiness and personality.  It may be a bit compromised on practicality, but it makes up for it with charisma.  I give the Veloster turbo an enthusiastic thumbs up.