2020 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

2020 Hyundai Veloster Turbo – Long live the hot hatch

It’s not hard to get nostalgic for the hot hatchback, they deliver a great mix of performance and practicality. Many of your favorite automotive TV presenter-types have pined for an original Mk1 GTI over the latest supercar while on camera. I like to try and tell a running story during these reviews, and my history with the hot hatch is certainly relevant. In fact my first car was a hatchback. Even though the 125 horsepower DOHC 4-cylinder in my Nissan Pulsar NX wasn’t quite enough (and yet too much at times), the hatchback coupe was a fantastic first car. Since then, I have had a mix of hatchbacks, the latest being a 2014 Focus ST. In the end, I only got rid of it because it was a rather boring shade of silver…and because I have a car problem.

Do you know how many new 2020 hot hatchbacks are left on the market? I’m sure you’ll tell me in the comments, but it’s pretty sure its not many. When I say “hot hatch”, I’m talking non-lifted (sorry CUVs) with near, or over, 200 horsepower and a liftgate in the back. The Hyundai Veloster Turbo is one of the few left, and I’ve been driving it for the past week!

2020 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

Overview

The 3-door (4-door?) Veloster lineup is legit. While the base 2.0 isn’t really in the hot hatch territory with an unimpressive 147 horsepower, the 201 hp Turbo models and the Veloster N very much hit the mark. The base 2.0 Veloster starts under $19,000 and the 2.0 Premium adds luxuries, plus a few grand to the sticker price (2021 prices listed, Hyundai removed the 2020 Veloster from their website already).

The Turbo models start with the sporty, and 6-speed equipped, Turbo R-Spec at $23,450, and the regular Turbo and Turbo Ultimate build the list of luxuries, but you lose the manual tranny.

Our Racing Red Veloster Turbo Ultimate test car rang in at $28,150 (showing $28,450 for 2021) before options and freight/handling.

2020 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

The Turbo Ultimate comes in a choice of red, orange, two different greys, and white. And that’s about it when it comes to choices you’ll be asked to make. You get a choice of interior, a grey (according to Hyundai, looks white to me) leather and then you can always tack on some of those “other” accessories like cargo nets. The Turbo Ultimate pretty much has all of the options you can get in the Veloster lineup.

It is powered by a 201 horsepower 1.6-liter turbo GDI 4-cylinder engine with 7-speed Dual-Clutch Transmission. True enthusiasts will opt for the manual R-Spec, or perhaps another option that I’ll meNtion later, but the Turbo Ultimate provides a lot of car under $30,000.

2020 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

Interior

The Turbo Ultimate is awash in faux carbon fiber and red accents. It’s a look that I sometimes like and sometimes hate. Many of you weren’t a fan of the look in the Camry TRD, but it generally works well in a small hatchback like the Veloster.

The seats are supportive and well-bolstered, but I found that the light color picked up stains very quickly.

2020 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

Unfortunately, Hyundai has followed Mercedes, Audi, and others into the “tacked-on screen” realm.  Honestly, I like their iteration better, since it doesn’t look like it’s glued to the top of the dashboard. The overall fit and finish of the interior is solid, especially for a car whose price tag starts with a “2”. The Hyundai infotainment system and Infinity audio is quite good, as was the Apple CarPlay integration. Hyundai fitted the Veloster with just the right number of buttons, I always felt as if the control I needed was at hand.

2020 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

Styling & Practicality

The Veloster’s looks are an acquired taste. Not like “Nissan Cube” or “Nissan Rogue” acquired, but acquired nevertheless. I initially found the first generation to look a bit eggy, its roundedness didn’t seem particularly sporty or attractive. But the latest gen Veloster (2019 to present) is much more attractive, pulling in nice details from other Hyundai vehicles.

2020 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

Hyundai calls it a three door, but in classic hatchback terminology, wouldn’t that make it a four door!?! It’s a little strange at first, they could have made it a 4-door, but they didn’t. The rear door is only on one side, like OG minivan sliding doors or the Saturn SC1. In practice, it actually works. Unless you are trying to cram a family of five into the Veloster, accessing the rear space only via one rear door isn’t a bad thing. Whether or not it saves a meaningful amount on the actual sticker price is undetermined. It does add to the quirkiness though, that is for sure.

2020 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

The size works pretty well overall, the squat proportions make it unclear if it’s compact or subcompact sized. However, it is indeed a subcompact but retains a decent amount of room for passengers, at least in the front. Rear passengers will need to also have squat proportions, like my youngest, to make the most of the rear seating.

2020 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

Rally Stage

I had a chance to not only drive the Veloster Turbo Ultimate in day-to-day driving around D.C. but also on a series of connected farm roads. The Veloster Turbo has a pretty robust bottom end, the 201 horsepower is accompanied by 197 ft.-lbs. of torque, providing more low-end oomph than the 200 hp Honda Prelude I had back in the day. That made for a pretty spirited drive in the dirt and Hyundai’s Torque Vectoring Control (TVC) front axles do an admirable job of keeping front-wheel drive fun. They deliver power in a controllable manner without a lot of torque steer.

2020 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

Oh, and it has a real emergency brake. In case you need it.

2020 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

On the highway, the Veloster can be a little darty at speed. It was never anything that made me feel unsafe, but it was an interesting feeling that I can’t say I experienced more than once or twice. It was likely related to road conditions, but it’s hard to be sure. Otherwise, road-going manners were easy going and would not be hard to live with on a daily commute.

Assuming we do that again one day.

2020 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

Summary

My colleague, Mr. Trytko, drove a 2019 Veloster Turbo Ultimate, and found that it lacked the “fizzy factor that the Fiesta ST provides”. I think that is pretty spot on. So it seems that in a world without the Ford ST hatchbacks, the Veloster Turbo Ultimate might feel pretty great.

Wait…we actually live in that world thanks for Ford’s jihad against the passenger car! Regardless, I think the R-Spec is more focused on performance ala the STs. Kamil drove the 2019 R-Spec and found that it reclaimed some of that magic. The Turbo Ultimate seems geared more towards buyers who want a quick hatchback that is also comfortable and they seem to have done just that.

In the end, the biggest issue with the Veloster Turbo Ultimate for the average enthusiast is….the Veloster N. It’s quite good and starts at just $27,600. Plus, it is still only ringing in at $29,700 with the 275 horsepower Performance Pack. However, for the average consumer, the Turbo Ultimate delivers a best-of-both-worlds mix of spirited performance and day-to-day comfort.

In the end, I’m just happy it exists. Thanks Hyundai.

Bonus Pics

2020 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

2020 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

2020 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

2020 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

2020 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

2020 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

2020 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

2020 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

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22 responses to “2020 Hyundai Veloster Turbo – Long live the hot hatch”

  1. Sjalabais Avatar
    Sjalabais

    Great review and some of the photos are awesome…especially this one, brochure-level achieved:

    https://hooniverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_1117-21-1024×768.jpg

    Did the stains in the light fabric come off again easily? In our Leaf, that’s the case, and the light fabric has several advantages over darker offerings (especially in the sun, but I also prefer the looks).

    Due to my recent attachment to Hyundai, I came across a German video on why the brand’s cars are seen as a benchmark by some folks at Volkswagen. The quality is good, the prices low, and it’s the first time I’ve seen an established German auto journalist hint that for all intents and purposes, a Hyundai might trump the sacred, almighty Golf for rational customers.

    1. William Byrd Avatar

      Thanks! My wife gets credit for the shot, I’ll take the editing kudos. haha

  2. salguod Avatar

    You had a Pulsar NX? My first “nice” car after college was a used 1988 Pulsar NX SE. It was good looking, fun to drive and had T-tops but it was an absolute lemon. Cost me a fortune to keep on the road.

    1. William Byrd Avatar

      Yep, I had that exact same car, year, make, and model. Mine as champagne gold.

      We (my parents and I) found it on a used car lot for $6,000 and I fell in love. No issues mechanically, but the driver (moi) binned it 3-months in and it took another 3-months to get fixed!

      1. salguod Avatar

        Funny, mine was gold too. I think I paid $5K for it in 1992 with 75K miles.

        In the 3-4 years that I owned it it needed a clutch, spark control computer, crank angle sensor, timing belt, tires, two exhaust systems, a couple of engine coils and a set of tires, maybe two. I spent $5K in maintenance and repairs and when I traded it in it needed another set of tires, another exhaust, a steering rack and the speedometer didn’t work due to a broken gear inside the transmission. But I still loved that car.

        Here’s a couple pictures I found and scanned a while ago.

        https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/422ca337b306dc0b8b530b7919c1abf5b047b39add348e262613dd03278c2840.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/278be4028d46aa6b8b7b9bf55b07d0736f85a3b127aaeed1dacdb7a5621506ff.jpg

        1. William Byrd Avatar

          Aside from the wheels, that’s literally the same car! I went around a 90-degree turn and lost the rear end. I then quickly realized panic braking and no opposite lock was a bad plan. The car hit a ditch and rolled a couple of times, stopping perched on the driver’s side. I wasn’t hurt, and the car took about 3 months to get back from the body shop. It was never quite the same again.

          Where do you stand on the wagon attachment? I was never a fan, but then again I was 16 and it wasn’t quite as cool back then.

          1. Fuhrman16 Avatar
            Fuhrman16

            Wait, what sixteen year old doesn’t think wagons are cool? Or was I just that weird?

          2. William Byrd Avatar

            Well, I was sixteen in 1990, they definitely weren’t cool at the time. At least where I lived.

          3. salguod Avatar

            I like the Sportbak now. I did then too, but not as much. But I can’t imagine it’s terribly practical. Heavy, compromises the opening and hard to tell how high to load.

            As a recent industrial design graduate, though, I loved the idea of a “modular car”. It’s a coupe, a convertible, a pickup or a wagon!

            The SE came with a set of tools to “easily” remove the hatch and I did. Once. It wasn’t really any more convertible like than just having the T-tops off and it wasn’t really that easy. It wasn’t hard, and the tools helped, but you still needed somewhere to put it and someone to help you carry it there. I lived in a basement apartment and I enlisted my roommate to help me carry it down there.

    1. Maymar Avatar
      Maymar

      If you’re the sort of hooligan that prefers to chirp the tires with every time you pull away, the Bolt is *perfect*.

      1. Vairship Avatar
        Vairship

        I haven’t chirped the tires yet. But zooming away from a stop light up a steep hill to get ahead of a Camaro? Yep. Torque is good.

        1. Zentropy Avatar
          Zentropy

          You are so right about torque. Yeah, it’s fun to wring-out a high-revving horsepower-biased engine, but torque is king.

    2. Zentropy Avatar
      Zentropy

      If it were rear-motored (is that even a term?) and a 6-speed manual (I know, completely stupid given the car’s primary mission), I would totally be into that car. I really want to be on-board with the whole EV thing, but I hate FWD and I like manuals. With no combustion noises and no gear changes and the dull prospect of being pulled down the road, I think I’d just fall asleep at the wheel.

      1. Sjalabais Avatar
        Sjalabais

        You need to try a small EV with a bit of oomph. The whole idea of shifting yourself just doesn’t apply here, and driving one is different enough to not miss it. Especially if you bring some childish joy to instant torque.

        1. Zentropy Avatar
          Zentropy

          I readily admit that rowing your own doesn’t make sense in this case, but full torque at zero rpm doesn’t make up for the lack of… everything else. I mean seriously, that’s a recipe for a pretty sterile driving experience. This isn’t obstinance talking– I just don’t see where there’s any fun to be had.

          1. Sjalabais Avatar
            Sjalabais

            Try it and you’ll see. ??

    3. William Byrd Avatar

      Damn you, I thought of this when I wrote it. Didn’t think anyone was crazy enough to post it. haha

  3. Zentropy Avatar
    Zentropy

    I always enjoy your write-ups, and this one is no different (and I agree fully with Sjalabais regarding the excellent photos).

    This particular car doesn’t interest me in the slightest, but it does seem like a good value. The Turbo R-Spec sounds like an excellent value. The design is much more appealing than that of the first generation, though I wish it didn’t have the overplayed “angry-eyes/gaping-mouth” look. The original GTI is a bright-eyed little emoji of a car that just makes you smile. This thing looks like it might eat your dog.

    1. William Byrd Avatar

      I always count on you to read my crap! haha

      It didn’t do it for me either before I drove it. With my vehicle history, I can’t see NOT getting an “N” but the R-Spec is intriguing.

  4. crank_case Avatar
    crank_case

    Mazda ought to capitalize on the stateside demise of the Fiesta ST by making a Mazdaspeed 2. Classic recipe for a hot hatch, if you want to make a good hot hatch, start with a regular one that’s already fun to drive.

    1. Fuhrman16 Avatar
      Fuhrman16

      The problem with that is that Mazda stopped 2 sales in the U.S. back in 2014, right before the new generation came out (though you could still buy one badged as a Scion/Toyota up until a couple months ago).