2017 Hyundai Veloster

2017 Hyundai Veloster
 Three Doors…And Good To Go!

By Charles Donaldson

Two-doors, three-doors, four-doors, five-doors; who’s counting? Hyundai is and their magic number is three when it comes to the 2017 Veloster and three is the perfect number! If the Veloster came in two-doors you would probably end up paying more for car insurance as two-door vehicles are considered sport cars. If it was equipped with four-doors, well, you would be driving a sedan. Let’s face it, with a name like Veloster it better lean more towards the sporty side than the practical direction.

The Veloster entered the market in 2011 to replace the aging Hyundai Tiburon. With its quirkiness of having three-doors adding to its unique appeal, the Veloster has created a category with no direct competitors. The underpinnings are provided by the last-generation Elantra. The styling is part hatchback and part coupe. The only changes for 2017 are the addition of HD Radio and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration.

The 2017 Hyundai Veloster comes in the following configurations: Base ($18,100), Value Edition ($21,350), Turbo R-Spec ($21,600), and Turbo ($22,600). The three-door styling is distinctive with a door on the driver’s side and two “full-size” doors on the passenger side. Saturn used to offer a third-door but it was very small. The Veloster’s rear passenger door allows for easy entries and exits.

The styling of the 2017 Veloster screams “let’s have fun.” It’s lower stance and height, sharply angled roof line, hard and soft body strokes, and rear wheels pushed as far back as possible create the image of a bottle rocket lit and ready to fly. Add in the panoramic sunroof (part of the Tech package for Turbo – a $2700 package) and the Veloster looks pronounced from the outside and inside.

The interior of the Veloster has received mixed reviews. The front seats are comfortable yet, for me, personally, the lumbar support was a little too-inflated and I couldn’t find a way to tone it down. The back seats have nice legroom, but the sloping roof steals away some desired headroom. Yes, we pay for a sporty design!

The rear seats hold two people separated by cup holders and a minor pocket for unsecured storage.  The front dash has two 12v plugs but only one USB port. The Tech package for Turbo includes a 110 outlet.  The center of the dash lays out the vents and controls in a “V” shape accentuating the Veloster name.

The Veloster engines are shared with the Hyundai Accent and range in horsepower from 138 HP to 201 HP on the turbo version. Now the zippy look has the horses to back up the sporty flare. All models come standard with a six-speed manual Transmission or a 6-speed EcoShift® Dual Clutch transmission, except the Turbo R-Spec which is manual only. The Turbo is also available with a 7-speed EcoShift® Dual Clutch transmission for an extra $1,200.

Cool Features:

·         Three-door design

·         Panoramic sunroof

·         110-volt power inverter plug (requires the Tech package for Turbo)

The 2017 Hyundai Veloster comes well-equipped with safety features including the following: Vehicle Stability Management System, Electronic Stability Control, 4-wheel Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution, driver and front passenger side-impact airbags, side-curtain airbags, rearview camera, driver’s blind spot mirror.

In Summary – The 2017 Hyundai Veloster is a fun-to-drive little sports car, especially when equipped with the turbo engine. The styling is amusing and clever as well as sporty. The rear seats fit adults, but might be considered more child-appropriate. The turbo 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine delivers the power while the unique sport-tuned steering and suspension completes the aggressive package. If you are looking for a vehicle that doesn’t conform with norm, then jump into the 2017 Veloster and experience an entertaining ride!

Specifications

2017 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

Base price:                  $22,600 as driven: $26,260 (including destination & optional
                                    features)

Engine:                         1.6-liter 4-Cylinder Turbo

Horsepower:                 201 hp @ 6000 rpm

Torque:                         195 lb.-ft. @ 1750 ~ 4500 rpm

Transmission:               6-speed manual

Drive:                             Front-Wheel Drive

Seating:                         4-passenger
Turning radius:             34.12 feet

Cargo space:                15.5 cubic feet

Curb weight:                2,877 pounds  

Fuel capacity:               13.2 gallons

EPA mileage:                City 25/Hwy 33/Comb 28 MPG

Wheel Base:                104.3 inches

Warranty:                     10 years/100,000-miles powertrain limited

Also consider:              Fiat 500 Abarth, Mini Hardtop, Nissan Juke, Volkswagen Golf