I am unable to cease serious about this automotive.
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The Hyundai Veloster N is considered one of my favourite automobiles on sale right this moment. It’s precisely the form of sporty automotive I really like — not probably the most well-rounded in its class, however simply probably the most enjoyable and memorable. For 2021 the Veloster N will get a brand new transmission choice within the type of an eight-speed dual-clutch computerized. The Veloster’s quirky three-door physique fashion and beforehand manual-only setup made it an excellent area of interest product. But mates, I’m pleased to report that not solely does the brand new DCT not destroy the Veloster N’s enjoyable, I really assume it is the transmission to get.

LikeSupremely enjoyable to drive with the brand new automaticMore customary options and techSome of one of the best exhaust noise in the marketplace

Don’t LikeNot fairly the cut price it used to beDisappointing lack of heated seatsStill no adaptive cruise management

For 2021 the N’s beforehand non-obligatory $2,100 Performance Package is now customary, which means each Veloster N will get 275 horsepower (up from 250 on the outdated base automotive), an digital limited-slip differential, bigger brake discs, 19-inch wheels with Pirelli P-Zero summer time tires, and an extremely loud, crackly exhaust. This is all nice information.
2021 Hyundai Veloster N continues to be probably the most enjoyable sizzling hatch
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The Veloster N’s turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four additionally makes 260 pound-feet of torque, with peak twist arriving between 1,450 and 4,700 rpm. With the DCT Hyundai says the Veloster N will zip to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds, a pair tenths faster than with the guide, and it feels even faster than that. There’s noticeable turbo lag at low speeds in some conditions, however that simply means you get to listen to the turbo spool up and make enjoyable wooshing noises.

Those P-Zeroes and the e-LSD give the Veloster N an insane quantity of grip, and it is an absolute hoot on a superb canyon highway. The steering is fast and has a ton of really feel for a contemporary electrical system, and the entire chassis setup instills confidence. After even simply 15 minutes within the automotive I begin pushing it more durable and more durable, and I’m simply in a position to get near the boundaries of the automotive with out it being scary. On the flip facet, there’s not a ton of traction should you aren’t light with the throttle off the road, leading to some hilarious wheel spin akin to just a little terrier attempting to take off on a hardwood flooring. The N’s experience can be very harsh even with the suspension in Comfort mode, but it surely mellows out on the freeway. The DCT is the transmission you wantLet’s be sincere, the Veloster N’s customary six-speed guide transmission is simply OK at finest. It’s definitely not the worst guide on the market, however I want the clutch pedal felt higher, that the shifter’s throw was shorter and that it simply felt tighter general. Up towards the close to perfection of the Honda Civic Type R’s guide (or a Mazda Miata’s), the Veloster N simply cannot compete. Thankfully, the $1,500 DCT is completely suited to this sizzling hatch.

The Veloster N’s new eight-speed DCT is improbable.
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Hyundai says the eight-speed DCT is a model new unit developed in-house by the N efficiency workforce, however I’ve a feeing it possible shares elements with the transmission in the up to date Santa Fe. It’s a moist dual-clutch, which means the transmission makes use of oil for higher lubrication and cooling, and it is bought an electrical oil pump and digital actuators.

Metal shift paddles are mounted on wheel, although Roadshow workers with appropriate opinions favor them on the column, however they really feel good and have fairly good motion nonetheless. You can even shift with the shifter itself, pulling for upshifts and pushing for downshifts — the best way it needs to be.Downshifts may very well be a tad sharper, however in any other case the brand new DCT is fast to react to driver inputs. It’s not almost as jerky at low speeds as Hyundai/Kia’s earlier DCTs, even within the sportier drive modes. The tuning in computerized mode is near-perfect, too. On the freeway or round city shifts are imperceptible, however if you begin driving aggressively it is wanting to up- or downshift because the state of affairs requires, at all times placing itself in the precise gear. The transmission is so good, in reality, that even on canyon roads I discover myself simply leaving it in computerized mode more often than not, solely shifting myself after I need to make some additional noise.Adding the DCT brings just a few additional options to the Veloster N, too. An easy-to-use launch-control system lets you choose the engine velocity to launch at, and there is a nice set of shift-indicator lights within the gauge cluster (the guide has these, too). N Power Shift prompts when greater than 90% throttle is utilized, enable for max torque supply to the wheels throughout upshifts. There’s additionally N Track Sense Shift, which is a elaborate option to say that the transmission can inform when it is time for sporty driving and optimizes gear choice and shift timing — in all probability the rationale the automatic-mode tuning is so correct.Those large exhaust ideas make all the great noises.
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Activated by a button on the steering wheel is the surprisingly named N Grin Shift operate, one other DCT-exclusive function. It’s form of like Porsche’s Sport Response button: Push it, and for 20 seconds peak torque will increase from 260 lb-ft to 278 lb-ft, the engine revs enhance and the transmission will get extra responsive. It’s excellent for passing on the freeway or getting an additional increase of velocity on a straightaway between corners.The DCT additionally maximizes the depth of the extraordinarily good noise supplied by the N’s twin exhaust. Put the exhaust in Sport Plus mode (it’s best to at all times do that) and downshifts end in a cacophony of loud pops, bangs, crackles and sputters, whereas upshifts produce wonderful barks. It’s not possible to not make your self snort when driving the Veloster N, and the automated transmission makes it even simpler to make a ton of noise.The Veloster N with the DCT will get worse gasoline mileage than its guide counterpart by 2 miles per gallon within the metropolis, 1 mpg on the freeway and 3 mpg within the mixed cycle, in keeping with the EPA. (Usually guide automobiles are much less environment friendly.) On a few freeway cruises within the Normal drive mode I noticed averages of round 32 mpg, 5 mpg higher than the EPA’s freeway score. But general, because of the mixture of largely metropolis driving in Los Angeles and my need to make as a lot noise as attainable, I averaged just a few mpg beneath the Veloster N’s 20-mpg metropolis score. Like, I used to be getting about 14 mpg. Oops. Better seats, with a significant caveatThe Veloster N’s exterior design stays unchanged — apart from a brand new white paint shade changing the outdated white — and that is fantastic by me. I really like how this bizarre little hatch seems. It’s not as in-your-face loopy because the Civic Type R, but it surely’s much more attention-grabbing and thrilling than a Volkswagen Golf GTI or a Subaru WRX. Sure, the three-door physique fashion is not for everybody, but it surely bridges the practicality hole between a coupe and a frumpier four-door. (I want the motive force’s facet rear window rolled down, although, as solely the passenger-side one on the third door does.)The new bucket seats are nice, however they nonetheless aren’t heated.
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The largest change contained in the Veloster N is a brand new pair of entrance seats. They’re thinner and 4.4 kilos lighter than the outdated seats, they usually each appear and feel higher, too. I notably just like the blue light-up N logos within the backrests, although they’re solely illuminated when the automotive is parked. And don’t fret, there are nonetheless blue seatbelts and accents all through.As earlier than, an 8-inch touchscreen is customary, however the Veloster N now additionally will get navigation and HD radio. The infotainment system is redesigned to raised align with different new Hyundai fashions; it seems slicker than earlier than and works properly, however I want there was a devoted bodily dwelling button to get again to the primary screens simply when utilizing Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. The customary 8-speaker Infinity sound system is fairly nice, too.Hyundai in-built a lot of N-specific pages to the Veloster’s infotainment, chief amongst them the setup for the N’s customized drive mode. Using a spider chart that may look acquainted to anybody who has learn a Car and Driver journal up to now three many years, you possibly can modify the engine, transmission, suspension, steering, stability management, limited-slip diff and, most significantly, the exhaust sound. I sometimes hold the automotive in what we prefer to name auto journalist mode: Put all the things within the sportiest setting apart from the suspension, which you retain as delicate as attainable. Different screens additionally present a g-force meter, a lap timer, turbo increase and torque output, oil temperature and extra.No matter the transmission the Veloster N additionally will get a bunch of latest energetic security options as customary for 2021. You now get automated emergency braking, computerized excessive beams, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping help, rear cross-traffic alert and a driver consideration monitor. Adaptive cruise management is unfortunately nonetheless absent.A brand new infotainment system spruces up the inside.
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I do must take a paragraph or two to yell at Hyundai for one thing, although. When the up to date Veloster N was unveiled in Korean spec earlier this 12 months I bought extraordinarily excited by these new bucket seats. They regarded nice and had been coated in suede, however most significantly they had been heated. The lack of heated seats was my one main gripe with the Veloster N, and the 2021 mannequin fastened the issue. Even higher, the up to date N additionally bought a heated steering wheel.So you possibly can think about my excessive disappointment after I bought into this US-spec automotive and observed that not solely are the seats upholstered in (admittedly good) fabric and leatherette, they are not heated. There’s no heated steering wheel. And it is not like these options are non-obligatory, within the US they only aren’t accessible. It’s actually devastating. What the hell, Hyundai?Less of a discount, nonetheless probably the most enjoyableThe draw back to the 2021 Veloster N coming with far more goodies as customary is the next value. It’s nonetheless a efficiency discount, simply not as main as earlier than. The 2021 mannequin begins at $33,245 together with a $995 vacation spot cost, up from $28,575 final 12 months. With the Performance Package, although, the 2020 mannequin was $30,675, which means the value enhance for ’21 is de facto solely $2,570. Adding the brand new DCT pushes the value to $34,745.While the brand new updates and DCT put the Veloster N previous the bottom value of a Volkswagen GTI — $30,315 for the bottom S mannequin with the DSG computerized — it is nonetheless cheaper than the manual-only Honda Civic Type R, which begins at $38,450.This three-door physique is not for everybody.
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If It had been my cash, I’d choose the Veloster N daily of the week. It’s not as comfy or sensible as a GTI, and the Type R is sharper and extra targeted on the subject of monitor driving. But the Veloster N is probably the most enjoyable. It’s the new hatch I take into consideration probably the most typically and bear in mind driving probably the most fondly. It makes me smile whether or not I’m driving to the grocery retailer or chasing a supercar by means of the canyons. I am unable to cease speaking to mates about how a lot I miss this automotive.On a much less private be aware, the DCT will definitely assist broaden the Veloster N’s attraction to a complete new set of shoppers along with making it extra livable day-to-day. The three-door physique is a tough promote towards extra conventional and sensible opponents, and being manual-only makes it even more durable nonetheless. Being supplied with an computerized signifies that far more folks will get to expertise and benefit from the N, and that is an excellent factor.There’s much more good N-related information. An Elantra N is on the very close to horizon and may pack the very same powertrain because the Veloster N, wrapped in a way more palatable sedan bundle. Expect the Elantra to supply each the guide and the DCT, and it may very well be priced just a little cheaper than the Veloster. My colleague Steven Ewing simply bought to drive a prototype of the Elantra N, and it appears to be simply as enjoyable because the Veloster. Good.