The Veloster is touted as a stylish alternative to the common compact car, being a dynamic mix of hatchback and 2+2 coupe. While it may look strange in pictures, it’s actually incredibly striking in person. The sweptback profile, glass roof, asymmetrical doors, and split-level hatch aren’t just attention-catching; they suck your eyeballs out of their sockets. My favorite detail is the three-dimensional wave pattern in the tail-lights. While other manufacturers may be using LEDs, few are exploiting their freeform potential as well as this.
The interior is even more dramatic, with futuristic touches everywhere, like the radical interior grab handles and the deeply cowled gauges. With a chassis based on the Elantra, the cabin is actually very spacious, and leg-room and head-room in the back seat are actually better than in the much larger Genesis Coupe. The deeply bolstered leather-clad bucket seats are as easy on the backside as they are on the eyes.
Underneath the hood is a direct-injection variant of the Elantra’s 1.6 liter engine mated to a dual-clutch transmission. This engine produces 138 hp, much more than the standard 1.6 in the Elantra. Whether it’ll be better to drive is a question that will have to be answered at a later date.
In an extravagant display crawling with flashy aftermarket wheels from Concept One, the Veloster’s factory alloys still stood out... sporty 18-inch split-spoke pieces with body-colored inserts. This is one car that doesn’t need any dressing up. Perhaps all that’s missing is a little more oomph (see Veloster Turbo), but for the meantime, we’re just happy that it’s coming at all.
