Hyundai

by

Wednesday – Power Play

cropped-608197_velosterturbo_049.jpg

The big front grille on the Veloster Turbo suggests this is a happy coupe – it’s certainly a cut above the normally aspirated versions further down the range, which only have 138bhp to play with. The Turbo’s 184bhp gives it a decent turn of speed, although in the US the same engine has been tweaked to 204bhp!

What a shame that American model isn’t available here. The Hyundai feels like it could handle a lot more performance. It would help give the Veloster the edge over key rivals like the VW Scirocco and Astra GTC.

Our Turbo pulls well from low revs and is pretty smooth too. You have to work the six-speed gearbox on twisty A-roads but it will reward you with decent handling – if only the flat sounding exhaust pipes added a more exciting soundtrack!

And despite the Star wars looks, the Veloster lacks features many of us are becoming used to, like stop-start technology and an electronic handbrake. Although, that might tempt some people to consider it more seriously…

by

Tuesday – Almost A Good Car

cropped-608229_velosterturbo_057.jpg

I can’t help feeling that with a little more refinement the Veloster would be a very good car indeed. It’s one of those vehicles that does everything ‘almost’ extremely well.

Having clocked up 400 miles this week, my latest gripe is the driver’s seat. While the interior is deceptively roomy and looks refreshingly different, my back has been complaining since yesterday.

The seat feels hard and combined with the Turbo’s rather harsh suspension, it’s a relief to get out and staighten up.

The four-cycliner petrol engine also needs plenty of coaxing to get it off the mark. There is consequently a tendancy to over rev and cause embarrassing wheelspin.

The Hyundai does feel well balanced on a fast corner, even though the steering lacks some feel for the driver. And that rear, mid screen spoiler means visibility is a disaster when you are reversing, or changing lanes on the motorway.

Almost very good but not quite there yet…

by

Monday – Living Up To The Promise?

cropped-607758_velosterturbo_072.jpg

The Veloster doesn’t quite live up to it’s promising looks. While the interior is refreshingly different, there’s enough space to carry four adults and it really does turn heads, the 186bhp 1.6 turbo lacks the punch a funky coupe like this needs.

It’s zippy enough around town (0-60mph in 8.4 seconds) but get it on a motorway and the Hyundai feels like it is straining. Not only that but the fuel consumption drops away dramatically to around 33mpg. Not quite what I expected, if I’m honest.

There’s also an issue with the suspension in this Turbo model. It’s been beefed up compared to the standard car, which is great for cornering but firm otherwise – especially if you are carrying a full complement of passengers.

And unlike an Audi TT or an Astra GTC, the Veloster somehow doesn’t sit comfortably on the road at high speed. It’s more susceptible to cross winds and fidgets.

Still, at this price, the Hyundai does represent great value for money. And unlike an Audi TT or Astra GTC, you are driving something just that little bit different…

by

Sunday – Weather Warning

cropped-608109_velosterturbo_026.jpg

‘Big storm coming…’ The woman in the newsagents wasn’t wrong. The coast of Cornwall has been battered by winds all day. It’s gusting so badly down here that the alarm on the Veloster went off twice this morning.

The drive down last night was a rain-lashed affair. Four up in a coupe is never a pleasant prospect but the Hyundai behaves more like a saloon than a 2+2. And that single rear side door comes in really hand for adults getting into the back. No fighting with front seat mechanisms.

Plenty of head room in the back too – although like the Audi TT, you have to be careful shutting the boot lid with the potential for heads getting in the way. Unlike the TT, the Veloster has plenty of rear leg room, mainly due to the deep seat base.

At night time, the large display screen on the dashboard is exceptionally bright and can be a distraction. It can be turned off easily enough but every time you adjust the heating, it comes back on again!

Fuel consumption was also a disappointment. At motorway speeds, the Hyundai is only averaging 33mpg. Shame because it was returning 42mpg in slow moving traffic on A-roads the day before.

by

Saturday – The Right Handbag

cropped-608061_velosterturbo_014.jpgYou might think that testing a different vehicle every week means we always have the right car for every occasion. You might think that but you would be very wrong!

Today we are taking the Veloster down to Cornwall. Four adults in a coupe – one passenger in the back is 6ft 3ins tall. There’s also a whopping storm coming and the last 800 yards are down a heavily rutted, often washed away track.

I like an adventure and still feel the Hyundai will be man enough for the job. It may look like a designer handbag on wheels but so far, it has proved immensely capable.

That single rear door is obviously going to be an asset too. I completely forgot about it when I tried out the back seats yesterday – you just don’t expect an extra door in a coupe.

And our two backseat passengers are both in their early twenties – just the sort of youthful audience Hyundai is hoping to capture with the Veloster. They will be trapped in the back for four hours, so plenty on their views of the car tomorrow…

 

 

by

Friday – A New Star?

608101_velosterturbo_024

I’ll admit it. I’m probably too old  buy a Veloster. But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate what Hyundai is trying to do here. Remember the Hyundai Coupe? It was legendary for being a cut-price 2+2 that looked just that little bit different to everything else that was on the market.

The Veloster is cut from the same cloth – although this top spec Turbo version is a little pricey at £22,000. It therefore comes up against other great coupes, like the VW Scirocco and Renault Megane.

That said, it out poses both for looks. You will see other drivers scratching their heads trying to work out exactly what has just overtaken them. And overtake them you will because the Turbo’s strong engine is surprisingly quick too.

It has a little trick up its sleeve too, two-doors up front and one at the rear, just like the Mini Clubman. The only difference is that Hyundai got it right – they put the rear door on the pavement side.

The Veloster is one of those cars that is going to take some getting used too. There’s lots to discover, especially around the space age dashboard. Cool, funky and rather in your face. The Veloster promises to be a fun drive for the next seven days.

by

Friday – Man vs Machine

gfgfgf

Jeremy Regular readers will know that I have an issue with cars that overcomplicate functions on the dashboard. If I can sit in a Hyundai or Peugeot and operate the DAB radio and Bluetooth without opening a manual, then why can’t I do it in other vehicles?

Citroen have made a pre-emptive strike with the DS3 test car – they have added a comprehensive, three page A4 guide in the press pack that explains all. In a spirit of fair play to other the motors Car Couture has tested, I opted to ignore the sheets and try to work it out for myself.

Forty minutes later in Waitrose car park and I’m really struggling – not only with DAB but forcing the Bluetooth function to match up with my iPhone. Back home, I can see why. The DS3 comes with a seperate, remote control unit about the size of a keyfob that is the fast-track to everything DAB. Now I just have to work out the Bluetooth issue.

So, round one to the DS3. I admit defeat but I imagine a lot of other DS3 drivers might have similar frustrating issues. While the Citroen has a dashboard that looks dynamic and stylish, wonderful seats and ‘big car’ comforts, form over function rather blots the copybook in this instance.

by

Monday – From Unlikely Beginnings

Jeremy – About the same time my father acquired his second Datsun 120Y (not easy to own up to), Hyundai launched the Pony hatchback on an unsuspecting British public. It was Korea’s first mass-produced car and, thankfully, you won’t see many around today because the Pony never achieved classic status.

It was developed by George Turnbull – the former MD of Austin Morris – and a team of five other Brits hired by Hyundai. Styled in Italy by Giugiaro, it was instantly forgettable, apart from the headlights, which did a good impression of a Ford Capri.

That was 1982 and how times have changed. Hyundai Motor Group (which incorporates Kia) is now the world’s fourth largest car manufacturer. It operates the world’s largest car plant too. The Ulsan site can produce a staggering 1.6 million cars every year and employs 35,000 people.

Our third generation Santa Fe must be one of the best Hyundai models ever produced. In long wheelbase, seven-seat form it really is a masterclass of an SUV – a fact confirmed by huge sales in the USA, where they know their SUVs. You’re not getting German design standards on the inside but in terms of looks, value-for-money and equipment levels, I think you would be hard pushed to find a better option.

Fortunately, CarCouture has escaped the worst of the weekend snow so we can’t report on its 4×4 abilities. We have the Santa Fe for another couple of days, so you never know…

by

Friday – Fashion Wagon Or Get Away Car?

Jessica Imagine shopping on a budget and finding a piece of furniture that looks well designed, has good lines and appeals to the expensive side of your nature, for a modest price.609648_santafe_050

That’s what this car feels like…………from the outside!

Once you get inside you realise you have been shopping in IKEA, everything is basic, utilitarian and clunky although the drivers seat feels like a guilty pleasure as it is like siting in a battered old arm chair.

This week the car and I have sat in London traffic visiting a London, back to its fashion roots ( it is used by models for London Fashion Week) where it was easy to handle, a good height for keeping an eye on cyclists, ignoring irate taxi drivers and avoiding buses.  We have covered the motorways, from the South West to Newmarket the home of British horse racing.

The car goes well enough, however you would not use it as a get away car and I don’t feel confident overtaking on a main roads as we are not talking throughbred under the bonnet here.  Once you are up to speed it is relatively responsive and there is some power there.

I wonder if, being basic inside it would be a good country car, mud no problem, space for dogs, lambs, children (their friends) and the paraphernalia of pony clubbers.

How it would manage pulling a trailer I don’t  know but it would be worth finding out.With the coming snow I am looking forward to seeing how it manages en route back to the South West!