D10 THE BULLETIN • SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2021
Hyundai Veloster N: An ‘N-pressive’ bang for the buck
BY HENRY PAYNE
The Detroit News
2021 Hyundai
Veloster N
T
he brash $35,000 Hyun-
dai Veloster N hot hatch
thinks it’s a premium
performance car. Slip inside
and it hands you your seat belt
like a Mercedes S560 Coupe.
The seats are bolstered for
hard cornering, yet easy on the
backside like an Audi RS. The
steering wheel bristles with
twin drive-mode buttons like a
BMW M.
But my favorite luxe imita-
tion is the “push-to-pass” but-
ton. You know, like a Porsche.
Porsche called this button
“Sports Response.” Veloster,
playful pocket rocket that it is,
calls it “N Grin Shift.” Luffing
along behind slower traffic on
a rural, two-lane road south of
Hell, Mich igan, a dotted-line
passing zone presented itself. I
pressed NGS.
Instantly, the dual-clutch
transmission skipped from 5th
to 2nd gear. Revs pegged on
the tachometer. The engine let
out a blood-curdling scream.
I stomped the accelerator and
the Hyundai exploded past two
cars in front of me.
N-pressive.
Credit this sporty DNA to
the South Korea brand’s Ger-
man infatuation. Its N per-
formance badge, after all, is
short for Nürburgring, the
world’s most famous, 73-turn
race track where the Veloster
spent its teething years. Its tu-
tors were Albert Biermann and
Thomas Schemera, ex-BMW
M-brand engineers who know
a thing or two about speed.
It all adds up to a terrific
drivetrain package stuffed in-
side one of the quirkiest cars
on the market. The Veloster
is the buttoned-up Hyundai
brand’s mutant, bulldog-faced,
bandy-legged three-door com-
pact hatchback. A rare breed,
indeed.
Where the standard Veloster
comes with a 132-horsepower
hamster wheel under the hood,
gearheads can upgrade for a
Vehicle type: Front engine,
front-wheel-drive, five-pas-
senger hatchback
Price: $34,745, including
$995 destination fee
Powerplant: 2.0-liter turbo-
charged, inline 4-cylinder
Power: 275 horsepower, 260
pound-feet torque (278 in N
Grin Shift mode)
Transmission: 6-speed
manual, 8-speed dual-clutch
automatic (as tested)
Performance: 0-60 mph,
4.8 seconds (Car and Driver);
top speed, 155 mph
Weight: 3,186 pounds est.
Fuel economy: EPA 20
city/27 highway/22 com-
bined (DCT as tested)
Report card
Highs: Taut handling; bun-
dle of electronic goodies like
N Grin Shift
Lows: Three-door access,
lacks some basics like adap-
tive cruise control, heated
seats
Hyundai/TNS
mere five grand to the Turbo
R-Spec pumping out a ram-
bunctious 201 horsepower. But
the turbo-jacked 275-horse N
takes on bigger prey.
How big? It’s aimed squarely
at King Hot Hatch, the Volk-
swagen Golf R. As well as other
30-grand pocket rockets like
the Subaru WRX, Mazda 3
Turbo and Honda Civic Type
R.
The Veloster N is most akin
to the latter in racy perfor-
mance and style.
The racy performance is
backed up by Veloster N’s en-
try in the IMSA Michelin Pi-
lot Sport Challenge TCR class
alongside Type R (and Audi’s
RS3 mini-monster). The Ve-
loster won the class last year,
showing superb pace.
That pace translates on
road. As I flung the Veloster
N around Livingston Coun-
ty’s twisted roads, the front-
wheel-drive-driver felt surpris-
ingly neutral. Hard left into a
90-degree left-hander and I
could actually get the rear end
to slide out, then hard on the
throttle (contrary to a rear-
wheel-driver) to pull the car
straight.
No push. No torque steer.
N-believable.
Credit sophisticated suspen-
sion dynamics and a standard
electronic limited slip in this
little hellion. The dynamics
are similar to the superb Civic
Type R but for three grand less,
including the optional dual-
clutch tranny.
I know, I know. Purists will
protest that hot hatches are
best with manuals (the Type
R’s only offering), and I get it.
Manual is standard on Veloster
N, but for another $1,500,
DCT offers undeniable ben-
efits. Not just the aforemen-
tioned N Grin Shift, but also
launch control that will rocket
this hatchback to 60 mph in
just 4.8 seconds, nearly half a
second quicker than the stick.
That’ll come in handy at the
autocross track, which is where
N owners should spend their
weekends.
Autocrossers will also ap-
preciate N’s macho looks —
hungry maw, high rear spoiler.
While not as outrageous as
Type R (which, rumor has it,
was penned by a 17-year-old
comic book artist) and its Sop-
with Camel tail, N stands out
like a tattooed gym rat.
That swagger — along with
the quirky three-door setup —
will make the N less appealing
to many buyers who’ll warm
to Golf GTI/R’s ageless good
looks or the sexy Mazda3 Tur-
bo’s curves. Indeed, for the
same price as Veloster N, the
Mazda offers all-wheel drive,
four doors, electronics galore
and a premium cabin.
The Veloster lags in inte-
rior amenities. The rear seats
were pleasantly roomy for your
giant, 6’5” reviewer, but can
only be easily accessed via the
right-side rear door. The cabin
is heavy in plastics and forgets
adaptive cruise control (com-
mon in the compact class). On
my long interstate drive to Hell,
the Hyundai oddly offered ex-
cellent lane-keep/drive-assist
ability without corresponding
adaptive cruise. Quirky, yes?
But for those looking for
something different — and
who crave constant driving
stimulation (guilty as charged),
the N is a treat. The premi-
um-grade drivetrain offers
multiple modes, screens and
combinations to play with.
Notably, the Veloster can’t
perform its tricks for long.
Porsche’s $90,000 Cayman S,
for example, will do launch
control and Sports Response
sprints all day long. Veloster N
not so much.
After blowing by the line of
traffic, I pushed the NSG but-
ton again for the next gaggle of
cars. Veloster was N-ot inter-
ested. “N Grin Shift conditions
not met” protested the instru-
ment display. Launch control
was even more problematic.
But the dual-clutch auto-
matic’s snap, crackle ’n’ pop
exhaust, quick upshifts and
rev-matching downshifts never
get old. And whether you’re on
a long drive or pushing hard
through the twisties, Hyund-
ai’s cloth and leather bolstered
seats are outstanding.
N-gaging stuff from a
$35,000 hot hatch.
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