The 2019 Veloster came in a variety of flavors and trims such as the 2.0, 2.0 Premium, R-Spec, Turbo and Turbo Ultimate. Interiors were drastically improved and gone was the old naturally aspirated 1.6-liter engine and in its place sat a new 2.0 liter 4 cylinder engine that made 147 horsepower borrowed from the Hyundai Elantra and Kia Soul. Hyundai kept its turbocharged 1.6-liter engine as the powertrain for the Turbo models while also giving drivers the choices of either a 6 speed manual or the 7 speed dual clutch automatic (except for the R-Spec as it only came in a manual). Car and Driver tested the JS Veloster and surmised that the Veloster was a “hatchback worthy of your attention.”
And attention it got. More and more aftermarket vendors began running R&D for the new platform and owners were churning out more power from upgrades and tunes compared to the previous generation. The Veloster also started garnering street cred for its surprising driving dynamics and engaging personality. The best was yet to come though….
At the launch of the 2019 Veloster, Hyundai’s new performance champion and previous head of BMW’s M Division, Albert Biermann, gave us a surprise unveil of the new Veloster N from Hyundai’s new N Performance Division. Packing a 250 horsepower (275 with the performance package) 2.0 liter turbo 4 cylinder engine mated solely to a 6 speed manual and an electronically controlled LSD the new Veloster N seemed primed and ready to take on the likes of the new Civic Si/Type R and Golf GTI/R. Undercutting those cars by thousands or offering more horsepower for similar money, the new Veloster N seemed like it was going to crush the competition. Sure enough after the Veloster N went on sale, people started pitting it against Japan and Germany’s best performance hatches to see if the new Veloster N was worthy to be mentioned in the same breath as “Type R” or “GTI.” Sure enough, the new Veloster N shattered people’s expectations of what it could do.
The Veloster N would only get better and cater to a wider audience by offering a new 8-speed wet dual clutch automatic for the 2021 model year. Gone was the base 250 horsepower version and instead the Veloster N only was sold in the performance pack (or PP) trim line leaving the 8-speed automatic as the only option. The extra 2 gears and speedy shifting made the 2021 Veloster N the fastest production front wheel drive car in the world! Car and Driver set a record, recording a 4.8 0-60 MPH time, quicker than the Type R and half a second quicker than the manual equipped Veloster N. However, that record would eventually broken a few weeks later when C&D testing the Mini Cooper JCW and it managed a 0-60 of 4.7 seconds. However, it cost over $40 grand to obtain and honestly, 0.1 seconds faster is not worth paying an extra ten thousand dollars for.
Even with the low price point and hype of the Veloster N, the dwindling sales of the Veloster caused Hyundai to announce the cancellation of the beloved funky hatchback leaving only the N trim as the sole surviving Veloster for the 2022 model year. What does this mean for the Veloster N in the future? With introduction of the larger Kona N and the sedan sibling Elantra N, the Veloster N will probably be put out to pasture after 2023 or 2024. SUV sales are dominating the market and there seems to be very little, if any room, for fast and fun hot hatches with an impractical design.
Will Hyundai bring the Veloster back? It could but if it did, I truly believe it would lose the 3-door layout and be a more practical 4 door much like the now defunct Elantra GT. Can they just bring over the I30 N fastback and call it a Veloster for us Americans please? Regardless of what happens to the Veloster N, it will always continue to be the one that started it all. How an underdog became a true superhero in the hot hatch segment of the automotive industry. The aftermarket will continue to support the platform for years to come and people will still enjoy those crackles and pops every time they lift off the throttle.
Stungbykia.com is honored to have Drew Cox as our first columnist. Drew is owner and founder at KDM Elite which showcases the best of the best from KDM owners around the globe! KDM Elite also organizes and sponsors local and national events for all Hyundai, Kia and Genesis owners. Find them on Instagram @kdm_elite