Hyundai's new funky and functional hatch

ROADTEST HYUNDAI VELOSTER:IN ITS heyday the old Hyundai Coupé was the nearest thing most Irish motorists came to owning a sports car. We might have dreamt of Ferraris, but we drove Hyundais.

In the carparks of the nation’s nightclubs there was always at least one red Hyundai Coupé, its proud owner strutting about nearby with a pair of fake RayBans mounted on his forehead to cloak the receding hairline.

It bore little relationship with the rest of the firm’s model range, or the brand’s image. This, after all, was the same firm that gave us the Accent and Sonata.

In the interim Hyundai has undergone a revolution and the addition of a sports-orientated model now seems to makes perfect sense.

Much has been made of Hyundai’s surge – a lot of it by the firm itself. It’s now the seventh biggest selling brand on the Irish new car market and a serious contender for a top five placing in the next few years.

Yet its unlikely the Veloster will play a major part in that challenge, given the focus on functionality by motorists these days.

In looks, the car reflects certain hatchback cues, similar to rivals like the VW Scirocco.

The format is funky and functional, with its single rear door on the passenger side. It’s a very smart move, giving the car some real-life rear-seat functionality.

Unlike the last car to attempt such a trick – the Mini Clubman – Hyundai are considerate enough to ensure the rear door is on the left of the car in Ireland. That means you enter and exit onto the pavement. With the Mini’s rear door only being on the right, it meant that in Ireland and the UK, rear passengers were off-loaded in front of oncoming traffic if you pulled up in the street.

You still have to duck your head to get in, but you can at least get in. That’s more than most of these cars offer. Taller passengers are still going to have to crouch as the roofline sweeps down quite quickly to give it some coupé shape, but it’s comfortable back there.

Up front there’s a very smart cabin and controlsl. The Koreans have really improved in terms of cabin quality in all their cars and the Veloster underlines this success.

In terms of external styling, the rear is perhaps the least inspiring, being rather fussy in its styling and with a split rear window on the back. It’s the high rear end that most reflects the car’s hatchback DNA.

The Veloster is like the previous coupé, however, in that it’s more about appearance than performance.

Just one engine is on offer, a 1.6-litre 138bhp petrol engine that never feels quite powerful enough to live up to the car’s looks. Then again, at this price should we really expect it to light up the world? Its price-comparable rivals don’t exactly leave trails of smoking rubber on the tarmac either.

This engine is mated to a six-speed manual transmission, while other markets also get Hyundai’s new dual-clutch automatic. It’s a nice chunky gearbox, and in the BlueDrive version offered in Ireland qualifies for the second-lowest tax band.

When the “very close to production” concept was unveiled at the Detroit auto show two years ago, I was taken by the look and features of the car. However, in the cold light of a grey Dublin skyline rather than the shimmering spotlights of a car show, it seems more hatchback than coupé.

That’s also reflected in the fact the Veloster is based on a platform used by the manufacturer for hatchbacks in other markets.

The suspension underpinnings are also regular fare, with MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the back. Strangely the ride quality is firm enough to suggest that you are actually getting a hot – or even warm – hatch.

So you end up with a firm ride but not much in the way of performance. It’s hardly the ideal trade-off.

At the Geneva motor show last month Hyundai unveiled a turbo version of the Veloster.

Since then senior executives have been quoted as stating that a performance version of the i30, and even the i40, is being considered.

While such a move might not worry the M-Division at BMW, it should raise an eyebrow or two at the likes of Opel and Volkswagen.

The Veloster in its current guise may lack some real racing performance but in fairness none of its rivals in this price range manage that either. The Honda CRZ, for example. delivers nothing like the performance you might expect from the styling. Up against it the Veloster is a full-blooded race car.

The Hyundai is smart, seemingly well-built, and boasts a very attractive customer car package that’s part of Hyundai’s triple-car programme.

This includes a five-year unlimited mileage warranty and five year roadside assistance. Combined with the very competitive price, its relatively sporty looks and its low emissions, it’s likely to be another success for the brand, albeit in a rather limited niche.

The warranty will look all the more attractive when the car is sold and the used buyers get a few years of cover from the package.

The Veloster outscores rivals when common sense is the dominant driving force in the purchasing decision, but when it comes to the heart and emotion, the Scirocco is still a more attractive looking buy and in a segment where desirability is the dominant basis for a purchase.

That X Factor will also influence its resale value. The Veloster is smart and financially attractive, but it lacks a little of the X Factor that was the reason its previous coupé was such a success.

Factfile

ENGINE1,591cc four-cylinder DOHC petrol engine putting out 138bhp @ 6,300rpm and 167Nm of torque @ 4,850rpm.

PERFORMANCE0-100km/h in 9.7 seconds (top speed 201km/h)

ECONOMY5.9 L/100km (47.9mpg).

EMISSIONS137g/km (Band B – €225 motor tax).

FEATURESOnly one version on offer in Ireland featuring dual front, side and curtain airbags; ABS; electronic stability control (ESC) with vehicle stability management (VSM); remote central locking and alarm; automatic air-con; cruise control; multifunctional steering wheel; 17' alloys; radio/CD with aux/iPod connections; Bluetooth.

PRICE€25,495

RIVALS

Volkswagen Scirocco 1.4 TSi €25,995 (€225 motor tax); Honda CRZ hybrid coupé €27,125 (€160 motor tax); Renault Megane coupé 1.5 dCi 110 GT €25,790 (€160 motor tax)

OUR RATING 6/10

Smart styling and value proposition but lacks the X Factor that coupé’s need