Updated…

The Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo adds muscle to the quirky three-door hatchback, a lot more power, but keeps the price down.

When Hyundai released its three-door hatchback Veloster in 2012 men, women, boys and girls stopped dead in their tracks and gawped. See, not since the Hyundai Tiburon of the mid-noughties had Hyundai produced such a good-looking car.

And while the Hyundai Veloster wasn’t the first three-door onto the Aussie market, it was first to actually work Down Under. MINI was first to market with a three-door, on the Clubman, but the brand didn’t re-work the vehicle for right-hand drive markets and so the third door opened into traffic. Doh.

The Hyundai Veloster’s third door doesn’t. But let’s forget about doors for a moment, because once we got over the shock and delight of seeing the Veloster on the road, those of us who drove couldn’t help but wonder if Hyundai would ever give it more grunt.

Enter the Hyundai Veloster Turbo SR. The dial has been turned all the way up to 11 with the Veloster SR Turbo.

Priced from $31,990+ORC the Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo gets plenty of stuff you normally have to pay a lot more for on other vehicles in this price bracket. For instance, standard is a panoramic glass sunroof, seven-inch touch screen with sat-nav (and a three-year NAVTEQ MapCare plan), rear view camera, Bluetooth and iPod connectivity with audio streaming, 18-inch alloys, electric driver’s seat slide and tilt, and much more.

Such was the local tuning done on the Veloster’s chassis that we always knew it could handle more power, but we didn’t think it’d be able to take almost twice the grunt without falling apart at the seams. The Veloster’s standard-fit 1.6-litre four-cylinder has had a turbo added to it, increasing power to 150kW at 6000rpm (an increase of 46 per cent) and 265Nm (up 60 per cent) from 1750 – 4500rpm.

Private Fleet’s test car ran the standard-fit six-speed manual transmission (a six-speed automatic with paddle shifts is a cost option – the garden-variety Hyundai Veloster is available with a dual-clutch transmission, the Turbo model isn’t). The manual version returns an official 6.8L/100km (7.6L/100km for the auto), but in our week with the car we averaged 7.0L/100km.

In addition to the Hyundai Veloster’s good looks, the SR Turbo adds visual appeal/muscle via a bodykit, 18-inch alloys, matte paint, and twin exhaust pipes mounted in the centre of the rear bumper. It looks fantastic, and in our week with the car it turned a lot of heads.

On the inside, it looks good but isn’t as visually aggressive as the outside. The plastics are of a high quality, the dash layout is easy to use, syncing your phone is a cinch, and the fit and finish is on-par with anything from the Volkswagen Group.

The Veloster SR Turbo gets a five-star ANCAP crash safety rating, six airbags, and Hyundai’s Vehicle Stability Management, which combines the Motor Driven Power Steering with stability and traction controls. It also features ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist. An alarm is also standard on the Veloster SR Turbo.

As mentioned, the suspension has been tuned for our roads offers a sporting ride, but there’s just enough give over sharp-edged ruts that it doesn’t upset the ride – you can’t say that about a lot of these hatchback hotties. And the Motor Driven Power Steering offers decent weight and precision.

In the end, the Veloster SR Turbo is more than just a muscular evolution of the Veloster it marks a real and exciting step forward for Hyundai. Loaded down with standard features and priced to undercut its rivals, it’s also a whole lot of fun in the bends.

Turbo technology has given the Hyundai Veloster something I’ve been anticipating for some time now. Exciting new levels of power and performance have provided the Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo sensational muscle to go with the hot Veloster looks. Now the Veloster has a model that can take on the best hot hatches have to offer.

Let’s start with the Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo’s appearance. Fluid lines capture just how a hot hatch should look. A prominent nose boasts a bold, hexagonal grille. Headlights sweep around the corners of the SR Turbo’s rounded face, while sculpted side skirts run the length of the car’s wheelbase. Air-guiding ducts and a low front spoiler know how to help slice the air open as the Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo gains speed. Large, twin circular exhaust pipes finish the back end off nicely, as does the roof spoiler and squat rear haunches with bold wheel arches that wrap around to the body moulded bumper. The Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo matches the Volvo C30 and Renault Megane Sport for sheer hot hatch looks and drooling power.

Inside the Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo is a modern interior that carries a high level of new artistic flavour. A V-shaped centre console, blue hue lighting, black fascia, sculpture leather sports seats with Turbo accents capture a dynamic design that is fresh and invigorating. Time spent in the rear seats is comfortable enough, and fun. The swooping low roof-line tapers at the rear and doesn’t infringe too much on head room space as the rear seats feel low down.

New technological features are all about the Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo cabin, and things like Bluetooth connectivity, an eight-speaker sound system and auto climate control have lots of appeal. Bang for your buck is hard to better. Eighteen-inch alloys with chrome inserts, a 7-inch LCD touch screen with satellite navigation, a panorama glass roof, automatic dusk sensing headlamps, LED side indicators integrated into side mirrors, a rear view camera that displays on the 7-inch LCD screen in the centre dash, rear park assist, daytime running lamps, leather/leatherette seats, anti-pinch electric windows, cruise control with steering wheel mounted controls, ABS, EBD, BAS, Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) with Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and a Traction Control System (TCS), six airbags and a tyre pressure monitoring system are all standard features that come with your purchase of a new Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo.

When you’re talking about a hot hatch, you have to mention the drive. Hyundai has done a tremendous job of providing us with what is a great two-door sports hatch to drive. The SR Veloster has involving steering, grippy handling and a commanding power both for acceleration and braking. This makes the Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo a true driving enthusiast’s car. With its new Gamma 1.6 litre twin-scroll turbocharged GDi engine, the Veloster SR Turbo offers 150 kW of power at 6000 rpm and a healthy 265 Nm of torque from 1750 to 4500 rpm. A quick-shifting six-speed manual gearbox uses the power to its fullest potential, and ripping across winding back roads is a hoot! Hyundai have also made the car delightfully docile for travelling about town. Part of the reason why the Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo is so easy to drive is, in part, because of Hyundai employing the precise performance of a twin-scrolling turbocharger. Featuring two exhaust gas inlets, it enables more efficient power usage and quicker energy recovery than a single-scroll turbo can manage. The result is a reduction in turbo lag at low revs during every day driving. However, when you really want to snot it, the power is applied instantaneously. You can expect 0-100 km/h sprint times to fall below seven seconds.

An automatic version is available, also.

For style, value and entertainment, the new Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo is second to none.

The current Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo models includes the:

• Veloster SR Turbo six-speed manual
• Veloster SR Turbo six-speed automatic

For any more information on the Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo or, for that matter, any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Hyundai dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!

Back to Hyundai Car Reviews