2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo First Drive

[AutoGuide.com]

Veloster Turbo adds performance, lacks passion
By Colum Wood

If there is a single complaint to be made about the Hyundai Veloster, it’s that it simply doesn’t have enough power. The solution, it seems, would be to strap a turbocharger to the small 4-cylinder and increase engine output by roughly 50 percent. With Hyundai having done just that in the all-new 2013 Veloster Turbo, it’s now apparent that that’s not all it needs.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with the Veloster Turbo. In fact, it’s quite impressive – or at least it is with a stick shift. The issue is that it’s a calculated take on building an enthusiasts car.

So what’s missing? Lots actually. There’s no limited slip differential, no upgraded suspension components, no high performance summer tires and no exhaust note. In short, there’s no passion.

There’s an absence of those finishing touches, the bits you know wound up on a car because someone at the company desperately wanted it to be the fastest, the coolest or the most fun.

TURBO ENGINE DELIVERS THE GOODS

And yet the Veloster Turbo is still fast, fun and good looking. Powering the car is a twin-scroll turbocharger that’s been mated to the brand’s 1.6-liter direct-injection 4-cylinder making 201 hp at 6000 rpm and 195 lb-ft of torque at 1750 rpm. Combined with a curb weight of 2,800 lbs, it hustles – although again that depends upon the transmission. Unlike the standard Veloster there is no dual-clutch automatic, and in its place is a conventional torque converter auto-box. That unit just seems to zap power from the engine making it feel like the power rating is closer to 160 hp.

That’s hardly the worst feature of the automatic, however. No, its biggest transgression towards performance is how the typical delay in power delivery associated with an automatic seems to upset the car’s balance when cornering. As mentioned, no changes have been made to the Veloster’s suspension components and it is perhaps that, as well as the added 88 lbs of weight the automatic adds over the front axle, that results in a tipping point when the power engages mid-corner, inducing understeer and resulting in an unnerving sensation.

STICK-SHIFT HELPS BRING THE CAR TO LIFE

Swapping for the stick-shift and it’s hard to believe this is even the same car. Along with being lighter up front, with a manual you’re always in the right gear and the car sets nicely in corners and tracks true.

Read the complete Hyundai Veloster First Drive at AutoGuide.com