Los Angeles 2013: Hyundai's Veloster Turbo R-Spec "Reverses" Halo For Automaker
Bowing at the LA Auto Show is the Veloster Turbo R-Spec, aimed at pulling in tuner-oriented shoppers through a halo inversion designed to, someday, have them drive away in a Genesis sedan.
The R-Spec is driven by a 1.6-liter turbo-4 pumping out 201 horses and 195 lb-ft of torque through the front wheels, and weighs just 2,800 lbs thanks to a severe dieting regimen that actually removed luxury amemities from the base Veloster Turbo. Not only does this diet keep the price down, but it also allows the R-Spec to do 24 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway.
In return, the R-Spec was given a B&M short shifter, higher spring rates all around, torque vectoring control to keep the turbo hamster from going off the road in a hard corner, and a healthy dose of red, from the front splitter to the leatherette seats.
The price of admission? Just $22,110, making the R-Spec the most affordable turbo Veloster around.
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I've heard bad things about Hyundai M/T shifters, so the B&M might fix this. I didn't like the 2nd gen Gencoupe shifter I tried out...
This is how you attract younger buyers. Established buyers are often hesitant to purchase two-door or three-door vehicles. They are less tolerant of road noise and lack of creature comforts. Young people don't care. As long as they have a screen, USB/MP3, and Bluetooth, they are usually happy. In general, two door vehicles with two-functional seats, should be a mainstay of younger buyers. However, I do wonder if it's cheap enough. MSRP around $20K is still beyond the means of a hard-working high school students and debt-saddled college grads. Furthermore, the 201hp turbocharged engine will raise insurance premiums. It would have been smarter to do something like this with the base model, imo. Bolt on a few appearance upgrades. Drop the price.