2020 Hyundai Veloster: Reshuffled Ingredients, Similar Dough

A year into its second generation, the Hyundai Veloster has similar pricing and a few reshuffled features for 2020 but less availability for the manual transmission. Stick-shift purists can rest assured the turbocharged R-Spec and N variants still offer three-pedal driving, but if you wanted premium features like leather seats or a head-up display, you’ll have to get an automatic transmission now.

Related: Is the 2019 Hyundai Veloster the Most Fun You Can Have for $24,000?

Previously, Hyundai offered the Veloster in a stick-shift Turbo Ultimate trim with the aforementioned features, but given that it accounts for just 1 percent of remaining model-year 2019 Veloster inventory as of this writing, it’s doubtful many shoppers fancied it. Other changes for 2020 include gloss-black exterior accents in place of flat-black accents, and wireless smartphone charging on more variants. More trim levels now have a blind spot warning system, while automatic emergency braking remains standard on all but the high-performance Veloster N. Finally, all trims add tie-down hooks in the cargo area.

The 2020 Veloster is on sale now. The three-door hatchback offers a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine (147 horsepower), turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder (201 hp) or, in the N, a turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder (250 hp or 275 hp with a Performance Package). A six-speed manual is available across the board, with a six-speed automatic available on the 2.0-liter and a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic available on the turbo 1.6-liter. The Veloster N remains stick-shift only — something the purists can celebrate each July 16.

Price changes for 2020 range from a $10 drop to a $490 increase, including the destination charge. Believe it or not, the latter fee ($920) is down, if only by $10, versus that of the 2019 Veloster. It’s a stark contrast to the inexorable upswing in destination fees industrywide in recent years. Here’s how it all shakes out for the 2020 Veloster versus the equivalent 2019 model-year trim:

• 2.0-liter manual: $19,520 (up $90)
• 2.0-liter automatic: $20,520 (up $90)
• 2.0-liter Premium automatic: $23,720 (up $40)
• Turbo 1.6-liter R-Spec manual: $24,070 (up $240)
• Turbo 1.6-liter automatic: $26,370 (up $40)
• Turbo 1.6-liter Ultimate automatic: $29,070 (down $10)
• Turbo 2.0-liter Veloster N manual: $28,320 (up $490)

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