Hyundai’s Veloster is a stylish, sleek coupe and it certainly turns a few heads. The three-door layout, two doors on the passenger side and one on the driver’s side a bit of quirkiness.
On a reasonably pleasant day I swung by Daly’s Hyundai in Belfast for a cuppa and a drive in this pretty bravely design model.
At a glance, the metallic green paint will make it hard not to find your pride and joy in the car park of the local supermarket, its an awesome colour in my view and with some green detailing in the wheels also it works well. The Hyundai Veloster falls into the coupe category and is in fact one of the cheapest in its class. At the time of driving there were two models available from Hyundai, the Veloster and Veloster Sport.
This one pictured is the Sport model which comes with 18” alloy wheels, leather interior, heated seats, cruise control and a pano roof combined with the standard kit including rear spoiler, daytime lights, touch screen media centre, parking sensors and six airbags. The leather seats provided huge comfort, however rear comfort would be granted only for children with little leg room for an adult on a long journey.
A deep boot would quite easily hold a weekend’s luggage for a family of four. Back in the cabin and whilst starting via the sporty push button I realise the Veloster has a fully touch screen media centre in dash with Bluetooth as standard. The extra side door on the passenger side gives the Veloster something that many coupes don’t have; some practicality and a major talking point. Euro NCAP awarded the Veloster five stars making it one of the safest coupes on the road. It’s ABS, ESP, locking wheel nuts, ISOFIX child seat anchorage points in the rear and an alarm and immobiliser make it a safe bet.
Off we set towards the Ulster Grand Prix circuit for some varied driving and its 138bhp 1.6 litre petrol engine pulls through the gears without much fuss or drama. I wouldn’t say it is the fastest car in its class however it ticks all the boxes and will progress you from 0-62mph in 9.7 seconds. Handling wise I was very impressed despite what other reviews may state, indeed I found it sharp on the handling and braking department and on a spirited drive across some of our fine B class roads it just asked to be driven to get the full enjoyment.
This model could return a combined economy cycle of 43.5mpg and with low insurance at group 16 and road tax of £130 per annum it’s never going to break the bank. Even £17.995 isn’t a bad price for one at Daly’s Hyundai especially with Hyundai’s five year unlimited mileage warranty.
Tech Spec:
Engine: 1.6 GDi Petrol
Power: 138bhp
CO2 Rating: 148g/km
Economy: 43.5mpg combined cycle
Trim Level: Sport
Price: from £17,995
Road Tax: £130/yr Insurance: Grp 16E
Words and Photos: Graham Curry
