KDM Veloster First Drive
06-23-2011, 11:57 AM
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KDM Veloster First Drive
http://www.caradvice.com.au/124151/h...w-first-drive/
The inside the Hyundai Veloster is a pleasant evolution of the Korean company’s current innovative interior designs. With bucket-like side-bolstering seats and an upright driving position, the front seats are a nice place to be. There is sufficient headroom with or without a sunroof if the seat is down far enough. The steering wheel is meaty and feels nice to hold.
Under the bonnet sits a 1.6-litre Gamma engine designed and developed completely in-house by the Koreans. Hyundai also designs both the DCT and manual transmissions. The four-cylinder engine has an estimated power output of 103kW and 167Nm of torque. Not all that much on paper, but given its weight, it’s by no means slow.
For our first road test we drove the Veloster automatic down a straight high-speed test track. It felt agile but not all that powerful, the six-speed automatic (which we won’t be getting in Aus at launch) is smooth and refined but feels like it can use a little more power.
The DCT on the other hand, despite being linked to the exact same engine, feels more aggressive and quicker in acceleration. Whether or not it actually is quicker than the standard automatic remains unconfirmed, as there are currently no 0-100km/h figures. The DCT behaves rather well, showing little to no jerkiness and brisk and instantaneous gear-changes.
Around the second part of the test track, a ride and handling course full of long and short corners plus tight apexes and sudden bumps before turns, the Veloster performed well. As far as handling goes, it turned in with ease but the traction control seemed a little too trigger-happy when we wanted to accelerate out of corners at speed, limiting engine power rather frequently. Ride is smooth and easy on the back, yet the suspension setup allowed the Veloster to sit flat around corners with little sign of body roll.
It’s fair to point out that all cars tested were Korean or American spec and not tuned for Australian roads or taste. Even the DCT calibration was not yet complete. Despite being designed for the domestic and North American market (hence why it has an actual name and not one starting with “i”), the Veloster’s overall handling characteristics were much better than anticipated.
Under the bonnet sits a 1.6-litre Gamma engine designed and developed completely in-house by the Koreans. Hyundai also designs both the DCT and manual transmissions. The four-cylinder engine has an estimated power output of 103kW and 167Nm of torque. Not all that much on paper, but given its weight, it’s by no means slow.
For our first road test we drove the Veloster automatic down a straight high-speed test track. It felt agile but not all that powerful, the six-speed automatic (which we won’t be getting in Aus at launch) is smooth and refined but feels like it can use a little more power.
The DCT on the other hand, despite being linked to the exact same engine, feels more aggressive and quicker in acceleration. Whether or not it actually is quicker than the standard automatic remains unconfirmed, as there are currently no 0-100km/h figures. The DCT behaves rather well, showing little to no jerkiness and brisk and instantaneous gear-changes.
Around the second part of the test track, a ride and handling course full of long and short corners plus tight apexes and sudden bumps before turns, the Veloster performed well. As far as handling goes, it turned in with ease but the traction control seemed a little too trigger-happy when we wanted to accelerate out of corners at speed, limiting engine power rather frequently. Ride is smooth and easy on the back, yet the suspension setup allowed the Veloster to sit flat around corners with little sign of body roll.
It’s fair to point out that all cars tested were Korean or American spec and not tuned for Australian roads or taste. Even the DCT calibration was not yet complete. Despite being designed for the domestic and North American market (hence why it has an actual name and not one starting with “i”), the Veloster’s overall handling characteristics were much better than anticipated.
