2012 Hyundai Veloster Video

2012 Hyundai Veloster Video Transcript

-Here's an odd little bird, Hyundai. It's called the Veloster. And first all, you could see, it's kinda of a short coupled, little, econo, coupe-type thing, but it gets weird over here. This would be a door. This would also be a door, but there's not one like it over there; and there isn't one like this over there because the one over there is longer 'coz there's not one of these over there. You follow all this? It's a weird configuration, kinda like a Mazda RX-8, but really quite different. They say the reason for this weird door arrangement here is to make it easy for folks to get in the backseat, but you just need 1 door to get in the backseat because this is the curbed side. When you're drunk friends pile out of the bar, they're gonna pile in here. I kinda follow. Now, this is interesting. They're envisioning a pretty modest engine on this guy. It's a 1.6-liter gasoline direct injection, hence the abbreviation on the cover there. That's a pretty small motor to have DI and there was some thinking even a year or two ago that you couldn't fit direct-injection technology in such small cylinders, but apparently, they've done it. 130 of some odd horsepower. This is not a speed demon. In fact, they say it is a car you can drive at nine-tenths of its performance and still not lose your license, but they also point out it's very efficient, about a 40 mile per gallon car, better than a Honda CR-Z. It's got all kinds of complicated hybrid stuff built in. Inside, a very stylized interior at least certainly for a low-cost car. You've got this whole stylized kind of monster from space deal going on here, which is kind of Hyundai these days. We know the head unit in the interface. We generally like it. This will also have the new Blue Link technology, which is Hyundai's new telematic service just announced at the Consumer Electronic Show, and this guy will support Pandora streaming through an app installed on your smartphone and then bounced over to the head unit for interface and of course audio playback. Two gear boxes available, 6-speed manual like here or a 6-speed dual clutch. Now, the Veloster has either frumpy, cute, or corky lines depending how regard it, but for $17,000, you can't bitch too much. And it'll be on the market a few months in to 2011.