The Hot Hatch To Have

The Hyundai Veloster N is without doubt one of the greatest scorching hatchbacks we have ever pushed, interval. It is punchy, fashionable, agile, and an absolute discount for the phase. And this yr Hyundai has upped the ante by including extra commonplace options, which makes the already nice Veloster N even higher.

Becoming a member of the usual six-speed handbook transmission is an optionally available eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox that shifts with the most effective of them. The up to date Veloster N additionally will get greater brakes, higher seats, and the Efficiency bundle is now commonplace, which implies extra energy. Even with a value hike that pushes the recent Hyundai simply north of $30,000, our conclusion stays the identical: The Veloster N is the most effective it’s ever been.

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Hyundai completely nailed the styling of the Veloster line as an entire, however the angular hatchback appears to be like even higher in N guise. A set of 19-inch wheels comes commonplace, sportier vents and creases adorn the entrance finish, and a pointy spoiler sits on the rear, mixing seamlessly into the tapered roof. And when you go for Extremely Black, Efficiency Blue, or Chalk White paint (pictured right here), there are purple exterior accents on the physique, whereas Racing Pink paint options black accents.

The Veloster N’s inside format appears to be like easy and clear, however when you begin laying fingers on the person components, there’s means an excessive amount of exhausting black plastic all through. The sprint and door panels are plagued by the robust stuff. In comparison with the Honda Civic Sort R and Mini John Cooper Works GP, the Veloster’s inside appears to be like and feels low cost – it’s close to the underside of the category by way of general high quality. A tacked-on touchscreen sits atop the sprint with a easy array of buttons simply beneath that, and the steering wheel has easy controls with two massive child blue buttons: one for traditional drive modes and the opposite for a particular Race mode.

The one main inside improve that the 2021 Veloster N will get over the earlier model is the seats. The brand new buckets put on a combo of fabric and pretend leather-based, with a sporty blue stripe down the middle and a glowing “N” badge just under the headrests. These are a few of the greatest buckets accessible wherever.

Not solely do the Veloster N’s new buckets look superior, however they’re additionally extraordinarily form-fitting. The seats are supportive and smooth, with nice bolstering for each the street and if you want it on the observe. And though the Veloster does trip a bit harsh – blame these giant 19-inch wheels – it’s not all that offensive because of the nice assist from these bucket seats. Our solely knock towards the seats is that they’re not within the US. The Korean Veloster N, although, does get heated seats for some motive.

The entrance of the Veloster is absolutely the one place to be. The N mannequin – like all Velosters – has a three-door format, with one giant door on the motive force’s aspect, a conventional door on the entrance passenger, and a smaller third door on the rear passenger aspect that creates a good entryway into the second row. Ingress and egress are tough, and as soon as inside, the again seat isn’t all that spacious.

The Veloster N’s 35.9 inches of rear headroom and 34.1 inches of rear legroom aren’t nice figures for the category. The Honda Civic Sort R has 37.4 inches of rear headroom and 35.9 of rear legroom, by comparability, the outgoing Volkswagen Golf R has 38.1 inches of headroom and 35.6 inches of legroom, and the Mini John Cooper Works Hardtop has 36.9 inches of rear headroom. Solely the JCW is worse than the Veloster in legroom, providing a measly 30.8 inches.

The Veloster N has a comparatively fundamental 8.0-inch touchscreen, which is ok, with a easy dwelling format and crisp graphics. It’s usually straightforward to make use of – though contact responsiveness could be a bit iffy. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come commonplace, as does navigation and satellite tv for pc radio. The gauges are analog, which is ok, and so they home a modest 4.2-inch display screen between them that provides readouts for issues like gas economic system, common miles per hour, driving time, distance to empty, and extra.

However the one factor that the Veloster N does have going for it within the tech division is the N-specific pages for efficiency readouts. Embedded inside the infotainment system, the spider-web–like setup permits you to customise particular person efficiency components like steering, suspension, stability management, and extra, to create a customized drive expertise.

Driving the Hyundai Veloster N is the definition of enjoyable. Powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, Hyundai now affords final yr’s optionally available Efficiency Pack as commonplace, which provides the recent hatch an output of 275 horsepower – an enchancment of 25 hp over the earlier mannequin yr. Torque stays at 260 lb-ft, however there may be an “N Grin Shift” (or NGS) button on the steering wheel that provides a 20-second torque enhance, bumping that quantity to 278 lb-ft for fast passes.

Regardless that it takes a second for these turbos to spool up, the Veloster’s four-cylinder engine remains to be punchy as hell. Even higher is the addition of launch management for 2021 with selectable RPMs, which helps rocket the Veloster N to hit 60 miles per hour in a brisk 5.6 seconds. Additionally new is an optionally available eight-speed dual-clutch transmission – a $1,500 further geared up on our tester that Hyundai’s N division developed in-house. It joins the usual six-speed handbook for 2021, and this may increasingly sound blasphemous however the DCT is definitely our most popular transmission of the 2.

Though the Veloster N’s stick is simply high quality, the dual-clutch transmission rips off lightning-quick, extremely crisp gear modifications, paired with a enjoyable bark from the exhaust. In Sport and Race modes particularly, the DCT seems like a wound-up rubber band able to snap at a second’s discover. And even in Regular and Eco modes, the DCT’s response is fast however dulled appropriately to match the temper. Merely put, it’s an outstanding gearbox.

On prime of that, the Veloster N corners with the most effective of them. This scorching hatch is flat and clean, and it rotates flawlessly round turns. Even a easy activity, like making a proper at a stoplight, feels extremely enjoyable on this automotive. The Veloster N is the proper car to flog round city at average speeds.

Though efficiency is the Veloster N’s calling card, this little hatch really has a stable assortment of security tools. Computerized emergency braking and blind-spot monitoring come commonplace, as do the lane-centering and lane-keep help options that really feel very superior – almost pretty much as good as some hands-off choices. The Veloster N stays completely centered with out ping-ponging, and the steering mechanically adjusts as wanted, and may even negotiate mild turns within the street.

The one main ding towards the Veloster N is that there isn’t a adaptive cruise management – that means it gained’t alter velocity primarily based on the car in entrance of you. However there’s a lane following help characteristic that warns you when the automotive in entrance has began shifting. That possibility is very useful at stoplights if you is perhaps trying down on the infotainment display screen.

Attaining 20 miles per gallon metropolis, 27 freeway, and 22 mixed, the Veloster N is much from probably the most environment friendly scorching hatchback within the class. The Honda Civic Sort R will get a mixed 25 mpg, the Volkswagen Golf R will get 26 mixed, and the Mini Cooper JCW is probably the most environment friendly, returning 29 mixed. And like the opposite three choices on this phase, the Hyundai Veloster N requires premium gas for the most effective efficiency.

The Hyundai Veloster N begins at $32,500 for 2021 for the bottom mannequin with a six-speed handbook and no choices. The twin-clutch gearbox is a $1,500 possibility on prime of that, bringing the price of our tester to $34,745. Outdoors of that, there aren’t any different accessible choices. All 4 paint colours are no-cost and a black material inside is the lone colour selection. The one technique to make a Veloster N costlier is so as to add dealer-installed equipment, which we don’t issue into pricing..

That $32,500 beginning value is a noticeable hike in comparison with final yr’s $27,600 base MRSP, however the Veloster N remains to be an absolute efficiency discount – and probably the most reasonably priced automotive within the phase. The brand new 2022 Mini Cooper JCW prices $32,900 to start out, the Honda Civic Sort R prices $37,895 out of the field, and the Volkswagen Golf R prices $38,595.