Fresh Off the Boat, Hyundai's Veloster N Makes for a Dicey Lease Deal

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems
fresh off the boat hyundais veloster n makes for a dicey lease deal

Hyundai’s hottest hatch isn’t breeding any smoking lease deals. The pinnacle of the revamped, second-generation Veloster three(?)-door definitely puts the power down, providing a Korean entry in a class dominated by Germany, Japan, and, until recently, America (via Germany), but the first lease seen for the Veloster N might leave potential owners shopping elsewhere.

There’s cheaper alternatives for those wanting 250-plus horsepower in a small package.

The financial sleuths at CarsDirect came across an early, unadvertised lease for the model that’s just now arriving at dealers. To get into a lease of the 250 hp, 260 lb-ft Veloster N, shoppers would be on the hook for 36 $429 monthly payments, with $2,299 due at signing. That’s on a $27,785 base N with six-speed manual.

Hyundai offers a Performance Package that ups the turbo 2.0-liter’s output to 275 hp, with the same amount of torque. That’s a $2,100 climb from the stock N.

CarsDirect was quick to point out alternatives that could prove more appealing to those turned off by a car with an effective cost of $493 a month. They include, based on existing L.A. leases: the 2019 Subaru WRX manual, with an effective cost of $390 a month, and the 2019 Volkswagen GTI S, which, when outfitted with a DSG transmission, rounds out at $408 a month. The interesting, rear-drive Genesis G70 2.0T, also a newcomer, can be had for $462 a month, all in, while the Kia Stinger with the same engine (when did Korea become so interesting?) is yours for $422 a month.

The pricey Veloster N lease is the product of several factors, among them, a money factor that equates to a 5.4 percent interest rate, a 52-percent residual value that’s lower than that of the lesser Veloster Turbo and base model, plus the fact that there’s not a cent of cash on the hood of any N.

As the latter element will surely not last, expect better lease deals on Hyundai’s pavement scorcher in the months ahead.

[Images: Hyundai]

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  • SnarkyRichard SnarkyRichard on Dec 12, 2018

    Still looks like a stinkbug .

  • NG5 NG5 on Dec 12, 2018

    I will consider buying one of these next time I am looking for a car. Not a fan of leasing for my own circumstances. Hyundai reliability has been good and this uses many common parts from their line in an uncommonly sporting way. If it's fun to drive, I may part with my Fiesta ST before the wheels fall off, as this looks like a nicer long-term ownership proposition in some respects and is much more recently redesigned as a platform (2009 vs 2017ish). Unfortunate that the lease deals haven't come out well for Hyundai, as this niche (which I love) needs all the help it can get.

  • Cprescott Lucid has the right idea about building cars - I agree that these have a presence to them and certainly make all Teslas look like cheap golf carts with doors in comparison. I hope Lucid survives because they actually build luxurious products and not pretenders like Tesla.
  • Cprescott Well, the shift in 1977 to the down-sized T-Bird was a great move - it did not diminish the T-Bird as clearly there was more in kind with the 1958 than the 1976. Sales were golden for that clever shift. What really did damage was that "thing" that was the Fairmont based one - that was hideous. I was surprised that the Futura wasn't really a T-Bird - a bit of work on the front and rear made it a clear kinship to the prior generation one and the Futura sold very well. I loved the Lincoln Mark V and all of its air craft carrier bulk - the next generation was okay and I owned a 1985 Town Car and loved that car (30 mpgs on the highway and able to drive one's livingroom with you!). Wish I still had it.The Mark VII was an incredible effort IMHO.
  • Arthur Dailey Ford by messing around with its market positioning and adding different models destroyed any prestige/panache associated with the Cougar which was originally regarded as 'a gentleman's muscle car/coupe'. As for the T-Bird, I had considerable driving time with a 'big Bird', and subsequently had a 'Torino Bird' which was a very good looking car for the time but mine was plagued with mechanical issues. The following generation known as the 'box Bird' was a disaster, both in looks and style and moved the 'Bird downmarket. I never drove the next generation 'aero Bird' but did later have a very rare FILA edition of the 'super Bird' generation. For the time it was a very competitive vehicle. Just wish that I had more driving/riding time in an LSC. For my money the last 'great' Lincoln coupe.
  • Ehaase Chinese Ford Escort because I wish entry level cars under $20,000 were still available.
  • Ajla Yaris hybrid
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