The Veloster N first arrived on the scene in 2019 and was hailed as a definitive example of the hot-hatch sector. In 2021, there are still so many fantastic things to say about the Veloster N, as it remains among the most fun cars to drive, with a great-value price point, new transmission options and other incredible drive features. It’s by no means perfect, but you’d really struggle to find anything meaningful to say against this masterful hatch creation from the Korean auto giant.
Driving the Veloster N: Impossible Amounts of Fun
The Veloster N is buckets of fun to drive, there’s no better way of saying it. When you start up the car, press on the gas pedal and hear the satisfyingly deep and throaty noise coming from those enlarged rear tailpipes, you know immediately that this is no ordinary hatch.
Set off and you’ll experience the power of the impressive 2.0L inline-4 turbo engine delivering an impressive 275-hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. That’s matched with your choice of transmission, either a 6-speed manual transmission with rev-matching as standard, or a new N 8-speed wet dual clutch transmission (DCT) as an option. You’ll roll out and hit the open road on stunning 19-inch alloys wrapped in top-quality Pirelli tires.
Athletic and powerful as it is, the Veloster N still gets 28 mpg on the highway. The rev-matching on the manual car means you always get the most out of the manual with smoother shifting and better resulting acceleration and handling.
Switch between Normal, Sport and Sport+ to match your road conditions, and you’ll quickly come to realize why the Veloster N feels just as at home on the track as it does on the road. The eLSD gives you optimized traction and control for virtually unstoppable cornering and sharp handling abilities. There are no bends, no chicanes, no twist in any road that this Veloster N can’t conquer with ease.
Great-Value Price Point and Strong Guarantees
All this performance is delivered to you, and it sounds like it will come with a beyond-premium price tag. In fact, not so. The starting MSRP for the Veloster N is just $32,250. What’s more, Hyundai backs it up with their impressive standard warranty of 5 years or 60,000 miles bumper to bumper, and 10 years/100,00 miles on the powertrain.
What we find the most amazing is that you typically find this kind of high-performance build only on the likes of a BMW M2, but we assure you that this Veloster N delivers fun on the road in equal measure for but a fraction of the cost of other models.
New Transmission and Drive Features
The standard rev-matching 6-speed manual transmission is actually great fun to drive, but it feels almost impossible not to mention the 7-speed DCT option and some of the new drive features that make this not just a hot-hatch but, frankly, the hottest-hatch out there in 2021.
First, there’s launch control. The tab for launch control is in the N Performance display, and all you have to do is activate it and then use the 5-minute time limit to set launch rpm, push the gas and the brake right down to the floor, and then release the brake, launching you forward like a rocket while the awesome computers work on maintaining the clutches and traction. It works like a charm.
Another great addition is the N Grin Shift overboost feature (NGS). It will deliver you an extra 18 lb-ft of torque (raising from 260 to 278 lb-ft) for a full 20 seconds, and all at the touch of a very humble-looking NGS button on the steering wheel. Just one of the many hidden treasures on the Veloster N.
Verdict: “Performance Enthusiast Hatch” is the Right Word
Hyundai refers to the Veloster N as the “performance enthusiast hatch,” and that’s definitely the right professional-sounding term for it. “Hot hatch” still seems more fitting, however.
The only thing we found to complain about a little was the use of some cheap plastics in the interior, and it could stand to have a larger, better-quality infotainment touchscreen, but these things are already balanced out by extremely comfortable and supportive sports seats, and the unreal set of performance specs that are truly the heart and soul of this hatch.
