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Health & Fitness

Blog | Fireball drives the 2013 HYUNDAI VELOSTER Turbo

Veloster wins in the Design realm...

Welcome to the future. Kind of…

A car like the 2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo M/T acts a roadmap for many other cars. It’s a vision car. A Concept that just happened to make it to the road… kind of.  It breaks ground where others are too shy and envisions a future for us all wrapped in a slick and curvaceous package… kind of.

Car companies use concept cars simply to tell the public where they’re headed with their design trends. They may, or may not go there. But it’s a language that is constantly being redefined… unless they actually do go for it. And some car companies see the value in letting the cat somewhat outta the bag by building cars like the Veloster.

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Now, this car isn’t 30 years ahead of its time. It isn’t anti-gravity or mag-lev, but what it is, is enticing. At 24/35mph, it’s right in there with other cars and not all that impressive.  Its starting price at around $18K is comparable and well placed for a new and fun car. It’s 201hp 1.6L Twin-Scroll Turbo is quick and will get you up and running into the curves with anticipation… But, all these things are fairly straight forward…

What the Veloster really has going for it is DESIGN. It’s one of the most uniquely designed cars out there on the street because it took chances. Chances like having one door on the driver’s side and two on the passenger’s side. Crazy unique sculpture, front and rear, comparable to other manufacturer’s concept cars that you only see at car shows. It’s pretty exciting, although less in the matte grey version as the sculpture isn’t as powerful as the gloss reflection. But it comes in some snappy colors so that you’ll be seen coming…

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Inside the Veloster, it’s world is a bit less exciting. Less aggressive in its styling and certainly not concept car level, the interior treatment however is clean and clear yet limited to grey and some blue accents.

The Blue-Link Telematics System is cool and easy to use, seats are comfortable and ergonomics all around are fairly simple, although I think the interior design team had less coffee when they went to work than the exterior guys. Someone needs a pep talk and encouraged to come to work in their PJs.

Envisioning the future is a challenge, as the moment you do it, it becomes dated. So it’s a combination of styling and technology. The 2013 Veloster is a shining example of fearless design, pushing the realm of automotive vision ever forward and getting us to think about what’s possible. As a brand, Hyundai isn’t afraid to explore these options with cars that actually do hit the road. That being said, any car company that spends a bagillion dollars on a concept car is taking a chance, but one that actually drives for the masses is a whole ‘nuther thing.

Now, …if they can just make it in an anti-gravity version…

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