First Ride: 2012 Hyundai Veloster

Filed under: Budget, Videos, Hatchback, Hyundai, Design/Style

CEO Takes Us For A Spin In This Innovative One, Two, Three-Door

2012 Hyundai Veloster - Click above for high-res image gallery

"How about a ride in the Veloster?"

While the experience falls seriously short of taking a few orbits in the Space Shuttle, those seven words were enticing enough to motivate us to cross the dreaded Los Angeles basin during rainy rush-hour traffic last week. The Veloster is Hyundai's latest addition to a rapidly expanding lineup that now encompasses everything from the modest $12,000 Accent to the Lexus-fighting $58,000 Equus. The new hatchback - uniquely configured with one driver door and two passenger doors - is parked on the low end of the model range, promoted as a compact coupe offering fun-to-drive chassis dynamics, a long list of standard innovative technology and hybrid-beating fuel economy in one cool-looking package.

Hyundai isn't letting anyone drive the Veloster yet, but like proud parents, they are more than willing to show us around the car, from top to bottom, and take us for an extensive drive around the block - as passengers.

However, this isn't just a simple low-level meet-and-greet, as our host will be John Krafcik, CEO of Hyundai Motor America. Understandably, we had a slew of questions swirling around our minds before our ride: How comfortable is the cabin? Do tall adults fit in the second row? What does the engine sound like? How does it handle? Lastly, why does everyone keep comparing the new Veloster to the old Honda CRX?

Continue reading First Ride: 2012 Hyundai Veloster

First Ride: 2012 Hyundai Veloster originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 May 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Scott Russell Riggs Hiroshi Fushida Beppe Gabbiani Bertrand Gachot Patrick Gaillard