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We've been driven in the Veloster before and even drove an early prototype in Europe. But this is the real thing, and what we experience here is what will be on dealer lots.



Carving through hairpin switchbacks scrawled on either side of the Columbia River, we find the 2012 Hyundai Veloster's suspension more willing than its benign engine. In the curves, it's settled and balanced, with plenty of warning leading up to the limit (consisting mostly of manageable understeer). The Achilles' heel in this package is the torsion-beam rear suspension; a carryover from the economical Elantra on which it is based. And really, those shortcomings are only apparent when setting up a turn under hard braking. Big weight shifts will move the rear end, but there's ample control.



The electronic nannies are also well tuned. As we skirted the Veloster's performance envelope, stability control never once intervened. In reality, we doubt most owners will push to these limits. It's more likely that they'll tie curves together without going wide open and threshold braking between. In this regard, the sporty hatchback delivers. We can thank Dave Dutko, senior chassis engineer, for the Veloster's balance of comfort and athleticism — something distinctly lacking in the European prototype we previously drove.



Dutko admitted that suspension tuning continued right up to a month before launch, and one of the biggest challenges was to get his Korean counterparts to agree to a stiffer setup. Hyundai allows different markets to customize chassis tuning. Korea gets a softer and floaty ride, while Stateside, we enjoy a moderately stiff setting. Europe, apparently, will have an even firmer version, which probably explains the stiff-riding prototype we drove there.



http://www.insideline.com/hyundai/ve...t-drive-1.html

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The heart of the interior is the seven-inch LG touchscreen, which comes standard whether you pony up for navigation or not. The display governs everything from the base six-speaker audio system (which itself includes standard satellite radio, iPod input and Gracenote music identification) to vehicle settings and Bluetooth telephony. What's more, Hyundai has included an RCA cable so you can play videos from your smartphone or hook up a video game console when parked (a 115-volt outlet is optional). You can diddle with personalization settings like wallpaper, color schemes and varying welcome chimes, or opt-in to play fuel economy games that let you see how your performance stacks up against other Veloster drivers. No, we're not kidding.



That last bit is made possible by Blue Link, Hyundai's new embedded telematics system that doesn't require a tethered mobile phone. Like General Motors' OnStar, it's a subscription-based setup with tiered services. The most basic level, Blue Link Assurance ($79/year), bundles features like monthly vehicle reports with an SOS assistance button and automatic crash notification. The next Blue Link package up, Essentials ($179/year), keeps the aforementioned functions but adds services like remote door unlocking, advanced vehicle diagnostics, voice text messaging and location sharing through Facebook(!), along with a brace of safeguards like stolen vehicle slowdown, location and immobilization. There are even parental-minded items like speed alert, curfew alert and "geo-fencing," which will automatically text, email, or call when your little snowflake takes the car to a friend's house that they're not allowed to visit. If you pony up for the full-house Blue Link Guidance package ($279/year), it adds on services like traffic and weather, voice activated point-of-interest searches, restaurant ratings, and so on.



http://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/19/2...ad-test-video/

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Hyundai doesn't expect to sell the Veloster in big numbers, at all - probably around 5,500 a year in the UK and around 20,000 in Europe. It sees the primary target market as 25-30 year olds, and the secondary market 40-50 year old women, specifically.

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