Motoring | Test Drives

Boosted fun from Hyundai Veloster Turbo SE

The new turbocharged Hyundai Veloster SE effortlessly blends strikingly bold looks with everyday usability. Hot hatch segment just got a little hotter

By Matt Kimberley, wheels
Published: 14:47 November 1, 2012

Image Credit: Supplied picture
Hyundai has firmed up the suspension to give a more controlled ride and the Turbo SE does enjoy corners much more convincingly than the standard Veloster.

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In recent years there’s been a bit of a lack of affordable cars that would make the average person look twice, but the wait is at an end. Please welcome the Hyundai Veloster Turbo SE. It takes the somewhat unusual door layout of the known Veloster, but adds a more prominent and aggressive set of bumpers, two fabulously huge central exhausts and side skirts to make teenagers weep with longing.

It looks absolutely stunning. Where the common-or-garden Veloster is a bit awkward to look at, the Turbo SE strikes a blow at the heart of just about every other hot hatch on the market. Where else can you get this much visual wow factor for this much money? Large, two-finish alloy wheels and a larger, mouthier grille give it real attitude, which is then backed up by a new turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine under the bonnet.

Pushing out a claimed 201bhp, the Veloster Turbo isn’t as powerful as some other hot hatches on the market, but outright performance isn’t what the car is about. It’s designed as a usable everyday hot hatch and therefore has to tick a number of boxes. SE means Special Equipment, and there’s plenty of it. Leather seats with an embossed Turbo logo come as standard, along with an exceptionally clear sat-nav system operated through a seven-inch touchscreen interface.

You also get a reversing camera, which is a boon because rear visibility isn’t the best. The navigation system brings an upgraded stereo system as well, with a more powerful amplifier and a subwoofer for deeper bass. The touchscreen makes the systems a joy to use and combined with the way the Turbo SE drives, the ‘everyday usability’ box is well and truly ticked. The four-cylinder engine is smooth from low revs, quiet and tractable thanks to a very broad spread of torque.

It encourages a perfectly normal driving style, almost as if it’s pretending to be an i30 compact hatch. With only a few hundred kilometres on the odometer the engine feels a little tight, but it’s also clear that with a few more long trips under its wheels it will be good for every bit of its claimed performance. It’s fair to say it’s not the most aurally exciting thing, but when the revs rise towards 6,000rpm there is a bit of a snarl.

Hyundai has firmed up the suspension to give a more controlled ride and the Turbo SE does enjoy corners much more convincingly than the standard Veloster. The steering could do with a little more feel, but it’s accurate and well weighted. It corners impressively flatly though, adding a real sense of dynamism that’s boosted by the well-bolstered seats that keep front seat occupants from sliding around.

Specs and ratings

Model: Veloster Turbo SE

Engine: 1.6-litre four-cyl

Transmission: Six-speed auto, FWD

Max power: 201bhp @ 6,000rpm

Max torque: 265Nm @ 1,750rpm

Top speed: NA

0-100kph: NA

Price: NA