Hyundai Veloster Turbo: UK drive impressions

When the Hyundai Veloster first arrived, the conversation was almost entirely about its doors. That quirky, inventive set-up - two on the kerb side and one on the road side - did wonders for the profile of both the Veloster and Hyundai more generally. Handily, it also drew attention away from what was, in truth, a fairly ordinary mechanical specification.

Looking past the doors

Now, though, the Veloster is available with a turbocharger. So, useful as that odd door arrangement may be for the school run, it makes sense to park the novelty and judge the car as an affordable sports coupé instead.

Hyundai Veloster Turbo performance upgrades

A fast-reacting twin-scroll turbo bolted to the direct-injection engine lifts output to 186bhp, while torque rises to 195lb ft (about 264Nm). Supporting changes are exactly what you would expect: the wheels grow to 18-inch items (around 457mm), the suspension is tightened up, the steering is re-geared and re-weighted, and the brakes are made more robust.

Styling and details

Visually, it comes across as more purposeful as well - particularly because our test car was finished in matt black. Normally I’d say this kind of paint is a gimmick aimed at attention-seekers who wear sunglasses in the dark. Here, however, I’ll allow it, because it absorbs light and calms the bodywork’s slightly too-enthusiastic dips and bulges.

The Turbo’s body kit adds a larger single-grille intake, a spoiler, and skirts along the lower edges. At the rear there’s a pair of centre-mounted exhaust outlets, each about the size of a storm drain, set into a diffuser-style panel. The whole backside is about as subtle as a baboon’s. In other words, it very much looks like it means business.

The engine delivers much as the figures imply. This Veloster Turbo isn’t quite the same as the version sold in America: theirs makes more power at high revs (201bhp) but trades away some torque. Even so, I’d wager our tune is the one to choose, because at big rpm the engine note turns a little coarse and joyless - it’s better used by leaning on the boost through the mid-range.

Driving impressions in heavy rain

My drive was brief and took place in a biblically wet Germany, so don’t treat any judgement of the chassis as final. Even so, the steering immediately felt more progressive than in the standard car - which was necessary. I’m less convinced the ride needed to be made quite so firm, though.

Hyundai also says it has added sound-deadening to reduce road noise, which is a genuine problem with the regular UK car, but we’ll need more time with it to be sure that claim stands up.

UK appeal and competition

Hyundai has shifted roughly 1,000 standard Velosters in the UK, so buyers are clearly receptive to the styling and that three-door layout. Equipment levels are strong, too. Step up to the Turbo, however, and you’d assume customers are placing more value on how it drives. If that’s the case, the alternatives in this space offer some seriously tempting, red-hot competition.