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Hyundai Veloster N DCT: Keep Your Automatic Out of My Hot Hatch

(Disclosure: I have once again borrowed a car from my local CarMax, specifically the eight-speed DCT Veloster N. When I told my best friend, Randall Peralta, he drove his tuned six-speed manual N from Salt Lake City to Boise so I could compare the two. I ran out of time to get good photographs of the DCT car, so most exterior shots will be of the modified manual N)

With Hyundai moving towards an electrified future with the eighties-inspired Delta Inte-, I mean, Ioniq 5 and fish-inspired Ioniq 6, it’s looking more like we won’t get a true successor to the Veloster N. Sure, we have the Elantra and Kona Ns, but the Kona is an automatic crossover in hot hatch garb, and the Elantra is, uh, interesting looking and not a hatch at all.

The Veloster N had a short life of four model years. However, its impact on the hot hatch market (and myself) should be better appreciated. But first – deep breath, everyone – let’s get this out of the way.

Hurr durr. Hyundai bad. Recalls, bro! Engine fires, bro! Bad paint quality, bro! Cheap garbage, bro!”

There, done, are you all happy? Good.

Specs

  • MSRP: $34,745
  • Price As-Tested: $31,998
  • Powertrain: 2.0L turbocharged DOHC I-4 // 8-speed wet dual-clutch automatic
  • Horsepower: 275 horsepower
  • Torque: 260 pound-feet
  • Seating Capacity: 5
  • Cargo Volume: 20 cubic feet
  • Curb Weight: approx. 3,200 lbs
  • Fuel Economy: 20 MPG city // 27 MPG highway // 22 MPG combined
(Photo credit: Randall Peralta)

Numbers Aren’t Everything

Nearly every publication that’s reviewed the dual-clutch Veloster N raves about the zero-to-60 times. For example: “The Veloster N is now the quickest front-driver we’ve ever tested and one of the cheapest ways to gain access to the sub-five-second-to-60-mph club,” Mike Stutton states in an instrumented Car And Driver test from December of 2020.

Ok, and?

Why are people so obsessed with zero-to-60 numbers? It’s one of the least useful metrics in modern automotive testing, alongside quarter-mile times. All it does is pit keyboard warriors in virtual cage fights in comments sections and encourage automakers to deliver less involving experiences to shave half a second.

By the way, just a half-second separates a paddle-shift Veloster N from a stick-shift Veloster N – 4.8 seconds versus 5.3 seconds, respectively. It doesn’t sound like a big difference, right? Without a stopwatch, the two cars feel almost identical in their pursuit of speed. All that remains is the shifting experience and everything that happens after the straight line. So here’s a controversial statement.

The DCT is fine.

That’s it. It has a function, and it does it quite well and unobtrusively. It doesn’t trouble you in regular traffic and is fairly intelligent in a canyon. It’s fine, just fine. But I have three nitpicks about the DCT.

First, it’s surprisingly lackadaisical about kicking down in Drive. Several attempts to kick down from second or third greets drivers with a near-half-second delay (the same half-second you supposedly save against a manual N).

Second, it’s occasionally yet still frustratingly unresponsive to downshifting in a higher-performance scenario, even when the engine is well within the rev range for the desired gear. It took two or three tugs of the downshift paddle before it would begrudgingly kick down.

Third and most importantly, it’s not the manual.

The Veloster N is, first and foremost, a hot hatch. And that has lost some meaning in recent years, between dealer markups on Type Rs and GR Corollas and the ever-furious internet fandom surrounding the genre.

Core Values Are Important

Hot hatches, at their respective cores, are nothing more than economy cars with hot motors. They’re practical performance bargains for people who either can’t afford a sports car or who can but cannot compromise for one. In essence, the whole point of a hot hatch is to delight the masses or those robbed of owning a Miata because they wound up having a family. That said, a crucial, integral, mandatory prerequisite in bolstering its efforts to deliver a joyous experience is a manual transmission, or at least it should be.

The DCT Velo makes a case for itself in a canyon by allowing you to focus on placing the car exactly where it needs to be to corner most effectively while it takes care of shifts. And to the wannabe Sennas out there, automatics can shift faster than most of us can think about making the shift in the first place. My admitted elitism aside, the dual-clutch is genuinely great in this regard.

However, I cannot stress enough that I did not miss its existence once I got the manual N on a twisty road. Being the same chassis, I knew what to expect dynamically, but I could finally enjoy the experience as it was truly intended. The gears are longer, so I got to fully use the powerband and that wonderfully broad spread of torque. Holding gears is thankfully possible in the auto’s Manual mode, but it felt too frantic. Instead, the manual aligns the Veloster N with what it was always meant to be, a lovable and enjoyable hot hatch with serious driver’s car credibility.

Put it this way. The eight-speed is great for motorsports when it’s time to chase tenths, such as HPDEs or autocross. But if I’m competing in anything, it sure as hell won’t be in a front-wheel-drive Hyundai with an odd number of doors.

Being a three-door, the B-pillars on the Veloster don’t line up. You cannot unsee this.

(PC: Randall Peralta)

Why This Hyundai Drive So Good?

Dynamically, it’s phenomenal; up there with the very best sport compact heroes of recent years. The electric power steering is shockingly well done, second only in feel and response to the first-gen Toyobaru BRZ/86. The chassis is sharper than a Subaru WRX STI or a Ford Focus RS, and the adaptive dampers are second to none in this segment, offering STI-beating ride quality in Normal mode and race car stiffness in N-Mode.

The front limited-slip diff is the real MVP in this package. Turn in, apply throttle, expect understeer, receive only grip and even more turn-in. Phenomenal. Grippier tires would probably help it utilize the full potential of the lockup, but the N-specific Pirelli PZeros were definitely adequate.  

But the real surprise was the brakes. They’re only single-piston front calipers (“single-freaking-piston!?” – Ed.), yet they offered the bite and stopping power of the STI’s six-piston stoppers with minimal fade. Damn impressive.

This Hyundai Is Still Made Of Hyundai

The interior? Well, it’s a $30,000 Hyundai. It’s fine; better in ways than some rivals, worse in others. Amongst many updates introduced in 2021, Hyundai snuck in a new pair of bucket seats, which are better at holding you in corners but have lost the lumbar adjustment and general plushness of the pre-revision seats. The main benefit comes in the form of illuminated N logos on the backrests.

Genuinely the only reason to get the revised 2021-2023 car in my opinion 

Another 2021 update that’s a swing and a miss is the infotainment. It’s Android-based and much more responsive. In addition, there’s a new interface for N-Mode and all its related settings, including a spider graph to set up the N-Custom mode. It even features Hyundai’s semi-famous “Sounds of Nature” media setting, so you can listen to an open-air cafe while attacking a canyon.

N-Mode performance options menu

Look past the infotainment’s “quirks and features,” and you’ll find operating it infuriating.

To borrow a borrowed phrase from my BMW M4 review, it’s logical but not intuitive in the slightest. The old system has a better physical button layout and a dedicated Home button, which Hyundai ditches for a Home button in the actual screen that’s seldom where you expect it to be. Additionally, the available Home menu tiles aren’t arranged in any order that makes sense. It was a good try, but the old unit was much easier to get along with.

As for the rest of the interior, it seems to have gotten worse over time. However, it’s possible these issues were contained to this specific car and aren’t representative, but the manual N had three times the mileage of the DCT example and had none of the squeaks or rattles. The paddle shifters did feel quite cheap, however, with a large amount of deflection before engaging, depending on where you pulled on them. It also had a much chintzier headliner and a cover over the forward collision sensors actively trying to break formation.

Fortunately, it’s not all bad, as the N Performance Blue seatbelts and accents are a welcome addition to an otherwise dark interior. The gauges are bright and legible, with Hyundai/Kia’s useful feature showing your headlight switch and wiper stalk positions as you adjust them. Generally speaking, all the main touchpoints were of good quality as well.

Since practicality is one of the pillars of the hot hatch formula, the Veloster needs to make a good case for itself here, but it doesn’t. The back seat is useless for any adult with a head or legs, but probably fine for children. Cargo space is decent but has a fairly small opening with a high load level. Then there’s the elephant in the room: the number of doors.

Is it a coupe or a sedan? No. Straight to jail for even asking.

Why Are You The Way That You Are?

Whether the Velo is missing a door or has an extra is sort of a “glass half full, glass half empty” situation. It’s an odd and undoubtedly controversial way to build a car. My solution is to fold down the back seats and treat it like a two-seater with copious cargo space. However, the owner of the manual N embarked on a week-long coastal road trip with it and could car camp with his wife in relative comfort.

Overall, the Veloster N is undoubtedly an interesting car. It’s a compromise in many ways, yet it’s admirably focused on its mission to deliver the maximum amount of fun for the least amount of money. Yes, there are build quality issues and possible reliability concerns, but I implore you to find any new car this side of $50,000 that could keep up with the N on a tight canyon road.

“What, you think I’m gonna let you roll in a Hyundai?” asked Han Seoul-Oh.

Yes, Han. Yes, you should let him roll in a Hyundai. But only if it’s this one.

(PC: Randall Peralta)

Published in Reviews

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David Olsen-Fabian
11 months ago

Excellent review!
So … my conclusion is the same that I have been coming over and over throughout the years. When in doubt, just spend the few extra coins and buy a VW. They have had the formula down for a long LONG time. Some good ones and some bad ones over the years. Find a good one and have a blast on your favorite roads.

Marcus Milligan
10 months ago

Great review. I’ve always thought the Veloster looks kinda cool but the closest thing we get in the UK is the i30 N

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