Cool hatch

What we like:

Still one of the best ways to travel in style while being frugal

What we dislike:

The asymmetric door layout is going to take getting used to; engine could do with a bit more grunt

As mentioned, the Veloster retains its powertrain. While there’s nothing to scream about under the hood, it’s worthwhile to note that Hyundai has been making incremental steps in catching up to its Japanese and German rivals in every aspect of its car making.

The drive remains largely unchanged, with the engine still not being particularly inspiring nor exactly what we’d call fun to drive. It’s adequate don’t get me wrong, but for a car that’s designed to be sporty and a little bit of fun, it doesn’t really get your heart racing.

There is a turbo GDi version which will deliver about 50 more horses and over 100 more torques than the MPi variant here, which only gives you 130 bhp and 158 Nm. It also gains a new 7 speed double clutch gearbox over this car’s standard 6 speed auto. Bear in mind though, adding that blower to the engine means you have to write an additional $16,000 in your cheque so you might want to consider that carefully.

Sure it’s going to drive better, but if you’re going to use as a daily drive that will actually fit your kids in the back, then maybe the performance gap is not something that’s an immediate priority. After all, you don’t want to clean sick out of a car that only has two doors on one side of it do you?

Other than that the ride is on the firm side without ever being uncomfortable; body roll is well controlled and it does weave around traffic with a good amount of body control. What the Veloster lacks in power it certainly makes up for in handling and ride quality, which means all’s not lost.

Perhaps the best way to think about the Veloster MPi is this: you get good looks that won’t break the bank at $106,999 (as at 22 Oct 2015), and nobody’s going to say the one thing supercar owners hate – what can you do with it in Singapore?

Credits: Story and Photos by Alvan Sio