Hyundai Veloster

[kermit116]

Does anyone here have a Hyundai Veloster? I saw one at a recent car show and thought it was pretty impressive. I've never been a fan of Hyundai, but from what I've read the brand has improved a lot in recent years, and most of my research indicates it's a good, relatively inexpensive car. Now, I haven't been able to actually drive one, so I'm not 100% sold on the Veloster yet. I'm really only interested in the Veloster model - we already have a more practical truck to use for weekend errands and long trips. I'd like to have something more sporty looking to try to make my loooong daily commute a little better.

The one bad thing I've read about the Veloster is that it's "sluggish." Now, I've read this in a few car magazine reviews, so I'm a little skeptical because I'm sure if you're a car magazine reviewer who is used to driving more expensive cars, any Hyundai is going to feel "sluggish."

I'm wondering if anyone on here has a Veloster and if you could give me your thoughts on it. Do you think it's a good value? Do you feel safe in it? Is it a good commuter car? How does it drive? Is it "sluggish"?

I'm interested in the Hyundai Veloster because:
-good gas mileage
-(relatively) low price for a new one - I did the "build your own" online and found that even if I add on everything I want the car will be at most $23,000
-add-ons like rear view camera, iPod doc
-nice interior
-eye catching exterior
-100,000 mile power train warranty

Here's my scenario:
-Daily commute is long - Traffic is terrible, so I'm usually in the car 3-4 hours each day (round trip)
-I want something fun to drive, but I don't need a speed racer
-I don't need a lot of trunk space for this car (we have a larger truck as a back up vehicle)
-I don't usually have more than one passenger, so back seat space is not a huge issue for me
-Since the commute is long, I need good gas mileage (preferably using regular gas as opposed to premium)
-I have to park in a small parking garage, so I'd like a smallish car that's easy to maneuver into the small spots, but I don't want to get a tiny little car that I won't feel safe in
-I'd like to have some options to make the commute a little more bearable, like iPod plug-in so I can listen to the Podcast :
-Since my commute is long, I expect to put about 100,000 miles on the car relatively quickly (probably within 4 yrs)
-I don't really car about the (rumored) lower resale value of Hyundai - since I plan to keep the car until it has 100,000+ miles on it, I don't expect to get much out of the resale/trade-in at that point anyway

I was looking into getting a Mini Cooper, but I tried out the original Mini and didn't feel safe in it - it felt too narrow. The only Mini Cooper I'd consider getting is the Countryman, but by the time I get all the add-ons I want, the Countryman is about $35,000. Plus, Minis need premium gas, which will at least marginally increase my commuting costs.

So, if you have a Hyundai Veloster, or know someone who does, or tried one and decided to get something else, I'm interested in hearing from you! Thanks!

 

[benniecooper]

My husband works for Hyundai and I work for Acura. We are thinking about getting a Veloster. The car is fun to drive. It is not a hot rod by any means but it is fun. It is no less peppy than other high gas mileage cars but it looks alot better than a Toyota Corolla. If you want more power, the Turbo car is coming soon. It is supposed to be pretty quick and still have good mileage.

Coming from someone that has been in the car business for almost 20 years now, I think a Veloster sounds great for your driving needs. Hyundai has come along way with quality and comfort. The interior of the car is fantastic, it looks better than any Civic, more options and extremely comfortable for long drives. As for resale, Hyundai holds value alot better now, due to the quality and reputation they have now.

The Veloster is hot where we live. They can't keep them, every one coming in is sold. I personally don't think you can beat the car. It looks great, is relatively cheap, gets great mileage, is easy and affordable to maintain.

I also love the Mini Countryman, but I am not a fan of the Mini quality issues and repair cost. I shopped the Countryman last year, but ended up with a Subaru Tribeca.

 

[kermit116]

Thanks for the great info! I probably won't be buying until the fall, so maybe the Turbo will be out by then. Glad to hear it's a respectable drive, though. As I said, I'm not really looking for a speed racer, just a car that drives reasonably well considering the 28/40 mpg.

My husband works for Hyundai and I work for Acura. We are thinking about getting a Veloster. The car is fun to drive. It is not a hot rod by any means but it is fun. It is no less peppy than other high gas mileage cars but it looks alot better than a Toyota Corolla. If you want more power, the Turbo car is coming soon. It is supposed to be pretty quick and still have good mileage.

Coming from someone that has been in the car business for almost 20 years now, I think a Veloster sounds great for your driving needs. Hyundai has come along way with quality and comfort. The interior of the car is fantastic, it looks better than any Civic, more options and extremely comfortable for long drives. As for resale, Hyundai holds value alot better now, due to the quality and reputation they have now.

The Veloster is hot where we live. They can't keep them, every one coming in is sold. I personally don't think you can beat the car. It looks great, is relatively cheap, gets great mileage, is easy and affordable to maintain.

I also love the Mini Countryman, but I am not a fan of the Mini quality issues and repair cost. I shopped the Countryman last year, but ended up with a Subaru Tribeca.

 

[sherreis]

I can't comment on the Veloster, but, I can comment on Hyundai. We've had our Santa Fe for 4+ years now and we've never had a problem with it. We liked it so much we bought an Elantra as our 2nd car.

 

[DVC-Don]

Have not seen a Veloster in person yet, but we have become a Hyundai family over the past two years. We used to buy only Ford or GM but past repair histories for us were awful. The wife and I both drive Hyundai's now (2011 Sonata & Tuscon) and both have been problem free since we got them.

 

[ToddyLu]

Saw a Veloster the other day in town. It was black and very cute. I love the Genesis Coupe and was very close to pulling that trigger last year. We do not have children, so didn't need a lot of room but my parents are much older now and they do better with the full doors and backseat. So when it was time to trade in the Hummer H3, I got a Cadillac SRX Crossover. So far I really like it.

But I keep wathcing Hyundai out of the corner of my eye. Test driving the Sonata was also very nice.

 

[auralia]

Hyundai left us high and dry a couple of times. They refuse to do recall mantinance on my 2003 Hyundai because it was purchase in Maryland... In states where there is alot of salt on the roads like Minnesota the cars we having issues of certain parts rusting. I here been told by a reliable person those parts are very rusted on my car but because it was purchased in Maryland they won't fix it even though it is now and has been for several years licensed in Minnesota. There is currently a class action lawsuit about this issue.

 

[MomToOne]

I have had my Sonata for 4+ years. I have about 55K miles on the car. It's been a good car for the price. The front brakes had to be replaced at just 30,000 miles which is way too early for the type of driving I do (mostly highway) but other than that I haven't had any repair issues.

I drive in Northern CA, so I only deal with rain, I don't have snow and salt so I can't speak to the rust issues.

The acceleration can be a bit sluggish - but it feels to me to be more of a delay issue (I hit the gas and it doesn't seem to get the message for a half a second) instead of a lack of power. Let's just say I quickly learned not to take huge risks driving that require immediate accelleration - which is probably a good thing in my case My brother had a loaner Hyundai of some sort recently where he complained of the same thing - I think it's just Hyundai engines in general that do that. You get used to it.

Hyundai does have a reputation for trying to deny your warranty based on any reason they can dig (or make) up. So you have to make sure you follow the recommended maintenance schedule and keep all paperwork to prove you did. Read up on any maintenance you are having done to decide if you can have it done elsewhere, or you should have it done at the dealership. Pretty much I have anything involving the engine/drive train other than oil changes done at the dealership, even maintenance - while it's more expensive, it'll be easier to battle Hyundai on the warranty later if needed.

All in all, I would definitely buy a Hyundai again. Overall it's been a good car for me.

 

[Belle2667]

Drove one.....love it! Hopefully buying one today. Love the neon green! The gas mileage caught my eye first, then the cool styling. We keep our cars a long time so I have to love it a long time and I think the Veloster will do it!

We never owned Hyundai (and I'm getting heat from buy-American family members) but we've been hearing good things about Hyundai.

The rusting issue is a bit concerning since we are in PA and they definitely use salt over normal winters (no snow this year....yipee!). Has anyone else in snowy/icy regions seen this?

OP - Good luck if you decide to go the veloster route!

 

[Soarin_04]

In fact, I'm about 25 minutes from you in the Poconos.

Can't comment on the Veloster but in terms of Hyundai and PA winters -- My Elantra is now eight years old with 174K miles on it and is totally rust free. In fact those darned cinder trucks on Rt. 33 have done more damage to my windshield the past few years than any salt has done.

I was never 'brand loyal' when it came to cars until I started buying Hyundai. This is my second one. I commute 30 minutes each way and I'm on the road a lot for work, so both have hit over 150K miles but I've had to do only basic upkeep and very few repairs. When this one dies -- and I'm hoping to eek 250K out of her -- I'm going back for another.

Good luck and happy driving, my fellow Keystone Stater!

 

[kermit116]

Drove one.....love it! Hopefully buying one today. Love the neon green! The gas mileage caught my eye first, then the cool styling. We keep our cars a long time so I have to love it a long time and I think the Veloster will do it!

We never owned Hyundai (and I'm getting heat from buy-American family members) but we've been hearing good things about Hyundai.

The rusting issue is a bit concerning since we are in PA and they definitely use salt over normal winters (no snow this year....yipee!). Has anyone else in snowy/icy regions seen this?

OP - Good luck if you decide to go the veloster route!

Glad to hear you enjoyed it. I'd love to hear more after you've owned it for a couple of weeks!

 

[MyDizneyBoyz]

We have an '08 Entourage which we bought new in MD (we live in NJ) as local dealers couldn't match the price we wanted and for service we take it to a local dealer.

We've had a few items repaired under warranty (door actuator and wiring harness) and haven't had a single issue with that aspect of things - no haggles, no hassles. But our dealer is really nice and very easy to work with.

The wiring harness problem happened while we were on vacation in PA - the car wouldn't start in the hotel parking lot when we were ready to leave. We had AAA tow the car to a local Hyundai dealer, the dealer gave us a loaner car and we spent an extra night in the hotel. Overall, it cost us nothing aside from the inconvenience. The AAA tow was free, the wiring harness was covered under warranty, and part of Hyundai's warranty covers expenses incurred as a result of car problems (up to $100) so I filed a claim for the extra night at the hotel and they sent me a reimbursement check (took a few weeks, but that's okay).

I love the warranty and I love the safety features (esp. as I have 3 young children in the car) so I wouldn't hesitate to get another Hyundai. No issues with acceleration, but then again we're talking minivan so it's not like I'm burning rubber off the starting line...

 

[Belle2667]

I got the Veloster and I am in love.....

I got the tech & style packages and I got it in the neon green! They had it in yellow, too and boy was it a hard decision but green has always been my favorite color!

We drove 75 miles from home to find a dealer that had one with both packages on the same car and in a color other than red or black. We were not expecting them to come off the price much, but they did come down $500.00.

DS16 won't have his license until this summer so we had time to wait to buy this, but I am a bit concerned that with the price of gas expecting to go up like crazy, that cars that get good mileage will also go up in price, so we bought it now.

So far, according to the onboard computer, I'm averaging 38mpg. I don't necessarily trust that and will check it with my next several fill-ups at the pump.

It definitely drives more like a sports car than a luxury car, but I love the feel. I like the responsive steering and the feeling of hugging the road. DH is worried I'll drive like a demon, but I never would because I'm more concerned with mileage than having fun!

I will update in a few weeks if I'm still loving it, but I think we're in for a long time love affair!!!

 

[scrapquitler]

I've never heard of this car before, but last night we went to the mall and there was a lime green one on display in the mall. DH and I both stopped to look at it, and we thought it was cute.

 

[DVC-Don]

.............
So far, according to the onboard computer, I'm averaging 38mpg. I don't necessarily trust that and will check it with my next several fill-ups at the pump.
..................!!!

The onboard computer in my 2011 Tuscon comes in about 1 mpg higher than when I figure it myself with gals/mileage and a caculator. Recent trip: Tuscon computer = 25 mpg, manual calculation = 24 mpg.

 

[PrincessV]

Another happy Hyundai owner here! I'm on my 5th Hyundai, actually: started with the original Excel, then went through a Santa Fe, Elantra, Sonata and now have a '11 Tuscon. Every single car's been a winner - nothing wrong beyond the usual wear and tear stuff.

I haven't driven a Velostar yet, but I've seen quite a few around town lately... gorgeous car. Between great styling and a terrific brand, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend giving it a try!