Hyundai Veloster: the three-door with one door on the driver’s side

The Hyundai Veloster is the compact car Hyundai produced from 2011 to 2022, and it differs from most hatchbacks in its asymmetrical doors: one large door on the driver’s side and two smaller ones on the passenger side, a layout usually found on minivans. It replaced the Tiburon in Hyundai’s range and was developed from the HND-3 concept shown at the 2007 Seoul motor show.

Hyundai Veloster at a glance

History of the Hyundai Veloster

The Veloster grew out of the HND-3 concept, a sport compact styled at Hyundai’s Design and Technical Center with a 2.0-litre Theta engine and a five-speed automatic, shown at the 2007 Seoul motor show. The production car, developed under the codename FS on a modified version of the Cee’d’s front-wheel-drive platform, was unveiled at the Detroit auto show on 10 January 2011; Korean sales began on 10 March 2011, and those in Canada and the United States at the end of the year. It filled the space left when the Tiburon went out of production after 2008.

The engine is a direct-injected 1.6-litre four of 138 hp and 167 N·m at 4,850 rpm, offered with a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission with paddle shifters, Hyundai’s first dual-clutch. Economy is quoted at 27 mpg in the city, 37 on the highway and 31 combined for the manual. Markets such as the Middle East, Chile and Brazil got the car without direct injection, and therefore 128 hp. North American cars came with Blue Link, Hyundai’s telematics system with crash notification, diagnostics and remote control of vehicle functions.

The door arrangement is the car’s signature. The larger single door is always on the driver’s side and the two smaller ones always on the passenger side, so rear passengers get out on the kerb in both left and right-hand-drive form – unlike the Mini Clubman, whose doors are always on the right. In Europe the car came in Coupe and Coupe Sport trims, the sport model adding a panoramic sunroof, 18-inch wheels and a leather interior, with a BlueDrive option of low-rolling-resistance tyres and stop-start on the entry car.

The Veloster Turbo, shown at the 2012 North American International Auto Show, uses a 1.6-litre T-GDi Gamma engine with 201 hp in North America and 183 hp in Europe, both with 265 N·m. It gained new body panels, LED lights, twin exhausts, side skirts, a larger grille for the intercooler and standard push-button start. North American cars went on sale in summer 2012 as 2013 models with a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic, while Europe took only the manual. Special editions included the RE:MIX of 2012, with a body kit and gunmetal wheels, and the RE:FLEX of 2014, limited to 3,000 cars. Production paused for 2017 before the car returned for 2019.

Design and features

• Asymmetric doors: one door on the driver’s side, two on the passenger side.
• First dual-clutch: Hyundai’s first dual-clutch transmission, with paddle shifters.
• Turbo option: a 1.6 T-GDi with up to 201 hp.
• Connected car: Blue Link telematics in North America from launch.

Hyundai Veloster versions

• Veloster (2011): the standard car with the 1.6 GDI engine.
• Veloster Turbo (2012): 201 hp in North America, 183 hp in Europe.
• Coupe Sport: the higher European trim with a panoramic roof and 18-inch wheels.
• RE:MIX (2012): body kit and premium audio special edition.
• RE:FLEX (2014): limited edition of 3,000 cars with a dual-clutch gearbox.

The Veloster replaced the Tiburon in Hyundai’s coupé line-up, and its smaller relatives were the i30 and i20. More Hyundai models are in the Hyundai collection.

Video: Hyundai Veloster im Test Fahrbericht

Video by dieAutobahnraser on YouTube.

Sources

• Hyundai Veloster, English Wikipedia: concept, launch, engines, doors, turbo, editions