From the 2011 North American International Auto Show, Cars.com's Joe Wiesenfelder takes a look at the 2012 Hyundai Veloster.
Transcript
(rock music) <v Announcer>Cars.com Auto Review Hi, I'm Joe Wiesenfelder, with cars.com. We're taking our first look at the Hyundai Veloster. It's a coupe, that will retail for about $17,000. Hyundai says it'll get about 40 miles per gallon.
It's front wheel drive. And it looks pretty bold. Now, because the styling is so bold, people will probably compare this thing to the Nissan Juke. But, this is more of a car than a crossover. It's longer. It's lower, a little bit wider. And, instead of four doors it has three, on this side only, for ease of entry into the two seat backseat. Fortunately, the camera wasn't running, 'cause I really clobbered myself getting in here. This is obviously very tight, I'm six feet tall. Oddly enough, I can kind of fit my head under the rear window here. But, leg room is obviously compromised. The seat is all the way back. If the guy in the front wants to give you a little room, it's actually kind of workable, but this is clearly not for grownups. Just reinforcing my point there, there's plenty of leg room in here. I can hardly reach the pedals with the driver's seat all the way back. The design here is interesting, kind of quirky. If you're someone who has to touch the surfaces, you're going to find them a little bit harder than you might want, but they actually look okay. One of the things I'm not crazy about, which is actually pretty common with racy styles like this is, it does affect the cargo area. Now with folding back seat and a hatch, it's actually pretty accommodating space-wise. But, the bumper is extremely high. This opening is pretty narrow. So it's more like filling a tall narrow trunk, than it is a hatchback. So how has the Veloster equipped? It has a 1.6 liter, 138 horsepower, four cylinder engine, front wheel drive, and a choice of a six speed manual, or a dual-clutch automatic. Now 138 horsepower doesn't seem like a lot, but it's a very light car. It's less than 2,600 pounds, which these days is extremely light. There are some rumors about a turbo engine possibly coming later. Now, when it goes on sale this summer, I predict it's going to be extremely popular. It may be bold styling, but I think it might be a little bit less polarizing than the Nissan Juke. <v Announcer>For more car related news, go to cars.com or our blog, KickingTires.net.
