Out on the road, the Veloster is surprisingly good. The new 1.6-litre direct-injection four-cylinder petrol engine is great. With 138bhp and a mere 166Nm of torque, it doesn’t provide the pace of a MINI Cooper S, but has an energetic note and is peppy.



While Hyundai isn’t quoting any performance figures yet, we’d estimate 0-60mph in about nine seconds. The Veloster will be frugal, too. Again, there are no official figures, but 40mpg combined and sub-140g/km of CO2 seem very likely. A dual-clutch paddleshift gearbox will be available as an option.



Meanwhile, the chassis shows real promise. The dampers on our car were not to final spec and the model thumps a little over bumps, but the steering is beautifully balanced and weighted (if slightly short on feedback). The newcomer feels light on its feet, impressively agile, grippy and fun. A lot of fun!



There’s no doubt that the Veloster is shaping up to be one of this year’s most interesting cars. We can’t wait to drive the final showroom-ready model – on the basis of this prototype, Hyundai is on to a winner.