Beneath its head-turning exterior, Hyundai's Veloster is a treat for keen drivers. Photo / Jacqui Madelin
Talk about the girl next door who's a hottie on Saturday night; Hyundai's Veloster has proved a bit of a revelation as an everyday runabout - but nearly got me arrested.
It certainly looks sharp. City suits gaze in frank admiration, teenage boys crane necks and even boy racers ogle
- yet it's not so OTT that it'll frighten their mothers and grannies.
Or their wallets, as the car uses a normally aspirated 1.6-litre petrol engine matched to a six-speed double-clutch auto that'll slur economically through cogs when cruising, averaging around 7.4l/100km during my commute, despite the hills I traverse. Try to sprint from lights or indulge in a bit of hoonery and the modesty of those 103kW/167Nm power figures is obvious, and as disappointing as the underwhelming soundtrack, given the promises made by Veloster's design.
But keen drivers will find there's much to like on bendy roads, for the MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension feels gloriously supple, the car taking corners with a joi de vivre that eggs you on, firing it into corners with increasing confidence, balancing it on the throttle as much as the wheel, flicking the gear paddles if you must but otherwise rarely needing to scrub off speed.
Even a pair of intrepid back-seat passengers modified their criticism of the car's firm ride, experienced from two shapely pews sitting almost over the rear axle. The control it imparted through tight bends delivered a lesson in handling dynamics and an understanding of the comfort-handling compromise cars like this must make.
