A Quicker Kind of Quirky: The 2017 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

The 2017 Hyundai Veloster Turbo.

I'll confess.  I have no idea who's buying the Hyundai Veloster.  What is the market for a three-door coupe of unusual proportions?   Doesn't matter.  Enough of them sold in 2016 to edge out the Corvette, not that they are in any way direct competitors.

2017 Hyundai Veloster Turbo.

The Veloster Turbo does pump up the performance quotient---boosting horsepower to 201.  Mated to a six-speed manual transmission, the EPA says 25 miles per gallon in the city and 33 on the highway is achievable.  A weekend run from suburban Sacramento to Mendocino County netted us 28.6.

Standard equipment includes 18-inch alloy wheels, projection headlights, heated side mirrors, ground effects and a body color rear spoiler, a rear windshield wiper, a Dimension premium audio system, a rear-view camera, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, as well as leather seating surfaces, heated front seats and pushbutton start.

2017 Hyundai Veloster Turbo interior.

Our tester also had the Tech Package (panoramic sunroof, automatic temperature control, navigation, backup warning sensors and a 115-volt AC outlet in the center console.

I'd love to tell you how much it cost, but the window sticker that came with the car was blank when it came to pricing, and Hyundai's website hasn't updated the Veloster page to include 2017 models.  Based on 2016 pricing, the Veloster Turbo starts at $22,600.  Add $2,700 for the Tech Package and maybe $900 for inland freight and handling and you're at $26,200....so assume a price increase for the new year and figure somewhere around $27,000.

It is quick...it rides reasonably well, all things considered....but the seats, well, your mileage may vary and it may have to do with age and things like that, but after 90 minutes, my back was talking to me, and our weekend drive was three and a half hours each way.  If I was between 16 and 25 years old, I' have probably loved it.  But would I have 27 large to spend on a new car?

Somehow, Hyundai's moving enough of them to land about midway on the sales charts.  More power (turbo joke) to them.