Hyundai

Veloster

With its unique door configuration of two one side and just one the other, the Veloster takes design to a whole new dimension. Fun, funky and fast, the Veloster is packed with techno treats and handles beautifully.

The good

Quite unique in its styling

The bad

Split rear screen distorts things

Tech Specs

Price from

£18,005

Combined Fuel up to

47.9mpg

0-62 from

8.4 seconds

max speed up to

133mph

co2 from

137g/km

Test Drive

Hyundai Veloster Turbo SE 1.6 T-GDi

When I heard Hyundai were designing a car with two doors one side and just one the other, I have to admit I thought it sounded a tad on the strange side.

But credit to the South Korean company because the theory works and it makes getting in and out the car lots easier for rear seat passengers.

And it doesn’t look weird at all.

In fact, I asked a couple of friends who are not exactly car fanatics if they could spot anything unusual about the Veloster and after several minutes all they could come up with was the positioning of the twin exhaust pipes in the centre rather than offset to one side.

Neither noticed the unusual door design in the slightest.

But make no mistake, there is nothing gimmicky about the 1+2 coupe Veloster model and the test car – a Turbo SE – looked amazing from all angles and it certainly delivered the goods on the performance front too.

With its low-slung, sporty stance the car has a really distinctive look and eye-catching features include 18-inch alloys, large sweeping front light clusters, a turbo rear spoiler with integrated LED tail light, tinted windows, LED daytime running lights, body-coloured door handles and mirrors, plus those centrally-placed twin exhausts.

Inside, the car has a very upmarket and elegant feel to it with a whole host of creature comforts at your disposal. The front leather seats have the word “Turbo” embroidered into them and there are sporty design features at every turn such as alloy pedals, a multi-function sports steering wheel, turbo leather upholstery and plenty more besides.

Techno treats include heated seats, cruise control, an Eco drive indicator, a seven-inch touchscreen media centre with sat-nav, radio/CD player and connectivity with all modern devices, a rear-view parking camera with sensors and keyless entry with a stop/start button.

So the Veloster is certainly a stand-out model for all the right reasons, but how does it shape up on the performance front?

The answer is exceptionally well. The 1.6-litre petrol-powered engine delivers plenty of get-up-and-go and acceleration through the six-speed manual transmission is rapid and very smooth.

To be honest, the Veloster copes equally well with busy city centre driving as it does with faster moving motorway traffic where it easily holds its own.

Road-holding is flawless and there is a reassuringly grounded feeling to the car as it takes tight bends at pace. Admittedly, there is a little cabin noise, but it’s fairly minimal.

My only slight gripe after a week-long test drive was the split rear windscreen which distorts following vehicles giving them a squashed appearance. This makes a full-blooded Range Rover looks like an Evoque, a sports car looks like a flying saucer and a motorbike resembles some sort of Space Invader character.

But that aside, the Veloster was a great car to drive and when you take into account the Hyundai five-year/unlimited mileage warranty the appeal keeps on growing.