HYUNDAI TURBO VELOSTER

2013 HYUNDAI TURBO VELOSTER

Thank goodness Hyundai decided to offer a Turbo for the 2013 Veloster for our recent test drive of the base model proved that it is a wonderful vehicle but lacking the power the turbo offers.

Hyundai Motor America  introduced the all-new 2013 Veloster Turbo that has 201 horsepower in a world debut at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS).

            “The Turbo further broadens Veloster’s  role in the Hyundai line-up to attract our next generation of buyers,” said Mike O’Brien, vice president, product and corporate planning, Hyundai Motor America. “It’s powerful, high-tech and fuel-efficient, attributes which we think make Veloster Turbo the ultimate innovation in the sport coupe segment.”

            The 2013 Veloster Turbo arrives in the Summer of 2012, facing off against worthy competitors such as the Volkswagen GTI, Honda Civic Si and Mini Cooper/Clubman S with a better  power-to-weight ratio than all of them, and a unique sport-tuned steering and suspension hardware set.  

           Powered by a new 1.6-liter Turbocharged-Gasoline Direct Injection (T-GDI)

engine and in-house six-speed automatic or manual transmission.The201horesepower

is delivered  at 6000 RPM with 195 foot pounds of torque coming in at 1750 to 4500

rpm.  It has best-in-class highway fuel economy estimated at 38 mpg (M/T); best-in-

class specific output at 125.6 horsepower per liter plus best-in-class weight to power

ratio of 14 lbs/hp.

            The 1.6-liter turbocharged GDI four-cylinder engine in the 2013 Veloster Turbo produces 201 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 195 lb-ft of torque from 1750 – 4500 rpm with regular fuel. The Veloster Turbo is estimated to deliver 27 mpg city and best-in-class 38 mpg highway for manual transmission models. Hyundai’s 1.6-liter Gamma turbocharged engine features a twin-scroll turbocharger that when combined with the GDI system, results in instantaneous power delivery. Twin-scroll turbochargers have traditionally been used on more expensive high performance engines, but Hyundai has brought this technology down its line-up from the Sonata 2.0T.

            Twin-scroll turbocharger designs have two exhaust gas inlets divided by split walls inside the turbine housing, with both gas passages controlled by a waste-gate. A twin-scroll turbo recovers even more energy from the exhaust than a single-scroll turbocharger, thanks to a divided manifold. The twin-scroll design separates the cylinders whose exhaust gas pulses interfere with each other, resulting in improved pressure distribution in the exhaust ports and a more efficient delivery of exhaust gas energy to the turbocharger’s turbine.

            The twin-scroll turbocharger design has several advantages over traditional,

single-scroll turbocharging systems, including. It has low engine speed efficiency with

cooler cylinder temperatures.  It also gets better pressure distribution in the exhaust ports

and more efficient delivery of exhaust gas energy to the turbocharger's turbine.

Thanks to the integrated stainless-steel turbine housing with the exhaust manifold, not only is the weight and cost of the casting dramatically reduced, the durability of the turbine housing is also improved. In addition, heat energy recovery and thus turbo efficiency is significantly improved based on the fact that a traditional two-piece design effectively insulates some of the heat energy at the joint/gasket area.

            A GDI fuel delivery system contributes to improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions. The fuel is injected by a camshaft-driven, high pressure pump that operates at pressures up to 2175 psi. Direct injection also utilizes a higher-than-normal 9.5 compression ratio, while achieving a best-in-class 125.6 horsepower-per-liter. The piston heads are “dished” to increase combustion efficiency in the cylinder.
            One of the most popular sport bike upgrades is to modify the exhaust. Hyundai designers stated they have removed the Veloster’s trapezoidal center exhaust and replaced it with two larger free flowing circular pipes.

            The Turbo model has a  bolder hexagonal front grille, through the sculpted side skirts and new dynamic rear bumper with prominent diffuser vents in the lower fascia setting it aside from the base Veloster model.. A set of 18-inch gray wheels with chrome inserts completes the Veloster Turbo’s recognized style.

            Veloster Turbo features a quicker ratio steering rack and a revised steering calibration to match, which both give drivers precise cornering, feedback and control. All Veloster Turbo’s ride on Kumho Solus KH25 215/40R18 85V tires designed to extract the best performance out of the car without compromising the ride.    

            All Velosters are fitted with a McPherson strut front suspension, coil springs, gas shock absorbers and a 24 mm diameter front stabilizer. The rear suspension is a light-weight V-torsion beam, a Hyundai-first with an integrated 23 mm stabilizer bar to allow bracing of the arms for greater stiffness and to further control body roll. The rear suspension also uses monotube shock absorbers for ride comfort.

            All Velosters feature electric power steering that adjusts assistance instantly to changing driving conditions while improving fuel economy over a conventional steering system.

            The seats provide exceptional support and comfort. An exclusive Supervision Cluster offers the driver information in a larger, clearer and more interactive format. This is due to the Supervision Cluster’s two TFT screens located between the tachometer and the speedometer. Heated front seats are also standard on the Turbo version. The center stack and controls also resemble a sport bike fuel tank and incorporate a push-button starter and alloy pedals.

            The Veloster Turbo is paired with a standard six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic transmission. Both transmissions were developed in house at Hyundai. The manual features a wider gear ratio spread (5.71 vs. 5.25) to handle the additional torque output. The high-revving turbo helps during acceleration, especially at highway speeds.

            The Veloster Turbo like the base model can be mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with steering wheel-mounted paddle-shifter and and Shiftronic^® controls rather than the base Vesloster’s EcoShift DCT

At just 2,800 pounds, Veloster is 77 pounds lighter than the Honda Civic Si Coupe and 234 pounds lighter than the Volkswagen GTI. This priority on weight efficiency allows the Veloster Turbo to deliver a great combination of agility, performance, and fuel efficiency.
            The Veloster Turbo has the same a 104.3-inch wheelbase as the base model. However Hyundai stated that the Turbo is 1.2 inches longer (167.3 inches) and .6 inches wider (71.1 inches).

            Torque steer is minimal thanks to Hyundai’s electronic VSM system. It detects any  condition of the front wheel driving breaking traction and sends a signal to the MDPS to apply steering assist. VSM counters the pull and automatically provides up to eight Newton meters of counter steering. VSM reacts the same way during sudden lane changes or fast cornering.

            All Velosters feature six airbags—including dual front, front seat-mounted side-impact, and front and rear side curtain airbags.

            Velosters have four-wheel disc brakes and an Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) including Brake Assist, which provides maximum braking force when a panic stop is detected, and Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), to automatically adjust the braking force to front and rear axles based on vehicle loading conditions.
            Velosters come standard with a multifunction seven-inch touch-screen display. At engine start-up, the screen comes to life with a Veloster image and a unique sound. There are three interface layouts the user can choose from.

            Pandora internet radio is integrated into all Velosters. The display screen has a Pandora icon to stream internet radio from an iPhone or Android. Pandora can also be viewed on the display screen and songs can be given the familiar Pandora thumbs up or thumbs down. (By selecting the thumbs down icon, that particular song will never be played again.)

Pandora, the leading internet radio service, gives people music they love anytime, anywhere, through personalized radio stations available on a wide variety of connected devices.

            Gracenote improves how Veloster drivers access and manage their music, using enhanced voice recognition commands in concert with your iPod®. Gracenote MediaVOCS^® technology improves the accuracy of the system’s voice recognition capabilities for music search, letting drivers pinpoint artists, album and genre.

            With video games being an important element of entertainment, Hyundai integrated an RCA cable and an available 115-volt power outlet in Veloster to support gaming consoles for ultimate gaming sessions when parked or watch videos on the seven-inch multimedia touchscreen.

            Veloster Turbo features a standard 450-watt Dimension Premium Audio system with eight speakers including an eight-inch subwoofer, external amplifier and iPod®/USB/auxiliary input jacks. An XM Satellite Radio interface is also integrated into the head unit and features channel logos and XM Data services, such as XM NavWeather^®, XM Stock Ticker and XM Sports Ticker.

            A Bluetooth hands-free phone system with voice recognition, address book download and audio streaming is standard. Onboard navigation is optional. The system also integrates a rear-view camera and backup warning sensors.
            “Blue Link combines safety, service and infotainment into a complete package that works to both help simplify Hyundai owners’ lives and reduce distracted driving,” said Barry Ratzlaff, director of customer satisfaction and service business development, Hyundai Motor America. “We’ve carefully studied how drivers rely on smart phones and navigation systems as an innovative link to the outside world. Blue Link brings that seamless connectivity directly into the car with technology like voice to text messaging, POI web search download, turn-by-turn navigation, and monthly vehicle reporting. Our agent-assisted advanced voice recognition system offers a 21st century solution to performing POI searches in the vehicle. This unique and innovative approach enables Hyundai to deliver fast, accurate searches and downloads of POIs to vehicles without traditional operator-only type systems of our competitors.”

             All 2013 Velosters will be available in three new colors, including Elite White, Hydrate Blue and Kona Orange.

             At many of the Daytona tuner events we have attended the tuners have taken the base models from Honda, VW, Audi, Mazda, Toyota and developed amazing vehicles. The three door Veloster will be welcome at any of the events and upgrading will certainly be minimal.

            I await our first test drive in the TURBO VELOSTER.

Bruce Hubbard

Bradley Hubbard

Bonnie Lynch

Auto Advisor Group

Bh.autoadvisorgroup@gmail.com

Brucehubbardphotography.IFP3.com

Photos by Bruce Hubbard