| Published
on 22
Oct
2011 |
All rights reserved.
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Three years ago Volkswagen
pioneered a crossover between hatchback and coupe – Scirocco. Its
market success proves that plenty of motorists enjoy more aggressive
styling than conventional hot hatches without losing much of the
latter's practicality. We expect rivals will follow suit soon. What
catches our surprise is that the first follower comes neither from
Europe
nor Japan but Korea. Hyundai Veloster is the fast-rising,
fast-learning Asian car maker's take on VW Scirocco. No, it's not
exactly a direct rival to the German car. It is actually simpler and a
lot cheaper, targeting at younger and lower income audiences that until
now can afford only Toyota's Scion tC or Honda CR-Z. Potentially it
could attract more sales than Scirocco, which sold 45,000 units
worldwide last year.
Despite
of its lower market positioning, the Veloster is the same size
as Volkswagen – once again proving the advantage of its lower
production cost basis. At 4.2 meters long, 1.8 meters wide and 1.4
meters
tall, it is almost exactly the same dimensions as Scirocco. However,
its 2650 mm wheelbase – shared with Hyundai i30 and KIA Forte – is
considerably longer than the VW's. This should guarantee a true
4-seater package.
Like Scirocco, exterior styling is the focus of its development. The
Veloster looks very expressive, even to the extent of weird. To me, its
bulldog fascia is still hard to swallow, but the heavily sculpted sheet
metal, the glass hatch and centrally located exhaust pipes (within a
pseudo-diffuser) are as eye-opening as concept cars. Most important,
the relatively low greenhouse, slim windows and unusually large alloy
wheels (18-inch) combined to deliver a built-to-performance image. You
are not necessarily the fans of its exterior design, but you can't deny
its visual impact and road presence.
Unfortunately, the mechanical package is hardly performance-oriented.
On the contrary, it is chosen with cost and fuel economy concerns at
top priority. Power does not come from Hyundai's 2-liter turbo engine,
but the naturally aspirated 1.6 GDI Gamma engine that you can find
under the bonnet of Hyundai Accent or KIA Rio – and those are B-segment
bread-and-butter cars ! Its power rating of 140 hp doesn't look bad
(actually very good for a 1.6),
but its peak torque is only 123 lbft, and it arrives at a heady 4850
rpm. The household-grade motor also lacks the top-end willingness and
throttle response
that a hot hatch demands, let alone one dressed to be so aggressive. As
a result, performance is disappointing. It takes 9 long seconds to go
from zero to 60 mph. The engine is definitely the biggest weakness of
the car.
The Veloster offers two transmissions. The standard 6-speed manual is
pretty good, as we have mentioned in the KIA Rio report. Its gearshift
is short and crisp. Clutch engagement is light and smooth. It is more
enjoyable to use than the new 6-speed dual-clutch transmission offered
at extra cost. The DCT is built by Hyundai group itself. It has proper
specifications, such as dry clutches and paddle-shift, but its
gearshift response is nowhere as quick as Volkswagen's DSG. You had
better to see it as a replacement to conventional automatic rather than
a fun-enhancing option.
The
chassis is better. By employing high-strength steel for 65 percent of
its monocoque structure, Hyundai achieves higher chassis rigidity than
the VW Scirocco that it benchmarked. This also keeps the car at a
relatively light 1185 kg. To keep cost low, all major mechanical
components are shared with Elantra, including electrical power steering
and suspensions consisting of MacPherson struts and semi-independent
torsion beam. However, they get specific tuning to deliver sportier
flavor. Hyundai has an R&D center at the home town of Opel, no
wonder the Veloster's ride and handling feels like German cars. The
ride is firm without crashy. Body control and balance are pretty good.
Understeer comes progressively and predictably. On the downside, the
steering has more weight than feel. The cheap 215/40VR18 Kumho tires
offer limited grip but plenty of noise. Overall, the chassis dynamics
is decent, but the fact that a cheaper Ford Fiesta can thrill its
driver much more is something Hyundai should study.
One
special feature we haven't mentioned yet is the Veloster's asymmetric
door layout. On the driver's side, there is only one large door like
conventional coupes. On the other side, there are front and rear doors
like any 5-door hatchbacks, although the rear door is slightly smaller
than usual. The single rear door has its handle hidden at the trailing
edge of window (like various Alfa Romeo) in order to make itself less
obvious to eyes, although I would still easily spot it. The asymmetric
arrangement means the B-pillars on both sides locate at different
positions. This should make right-hand-drive version more costly to
build on the same production line. It might be a strange thing for a
car with cost control so much in mind. However, Hyundai believes it is
a
strong selling point of the car (though I don't agree with), thus it
keeps this feature intact from concept stage to production.
Anyway,
the rear door gives much easier access to the rear seats. Due to the
lack of rear door at the other side, Hyundai did not fit individual
bucket seats at the back, but a bench seat with the center piece
converted to cup holders. The rear floor is also made flat, so
passenger can slip
easily
from the door side to the inner seat. The space at the back is
remarkable for a coupe (assuming you define it as a coupe). People up
to 5ft 10in will have no problem to travel all day. 6-footers will
appreciate the generous legroom afforded by the long wheelbase, but
their heads are likely to rub against the slopping roof liner. The boot
holds a fair 320 liters. As in other hatchbacks, the 40/60-split rear
seat may fold down to expand luggage bay.
Up
front, the design of dashboard is quite striking, with plenty of bright
decors and lacquer to lift the ambience, but all plastics are hard and
cheap to touch. Contrasting to the latter is a classy 7-inch touch
screen which is standard on all cars. As expected, the Korean car is
very well equipped. Standard features include Bluetooth, USB, voice
recognition and iPhone compatibility, such things that attract youth
buyers. Rearward visibility is hampered by the blocky C-pillars, the
shallow glass hatch and the rear spoiler. The optional panoramic glass
roof is highly recommended in order to restore a light and airy
ambience.
Despite of its good value for money, we cannot recommend the Veloster,
not least because of its lack of power (which will be resolved once a
200hp 1.6 turbo joins the range next year), but its overall lack of
dynamic sparkles. Its sportiness can only be found on its looks, which
is deceiving. It is by no means a coupe. Not a hot hatch-plus either.
It is only a weird hatchback lacking a rear door, proper rear seats and
outward visibility. It doesn't take a Scirocco to beat it, but any
bread-and-butter Ford Focus or Fiesta would be a better drive.
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Verdict:  |
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