Hyundai takes Veloster to the Street

HYUNDAI has announced the release of a special-edition Veloster Street Turbo, which will sit at the top of the Veloster range for its limited run of 200 units.

Priced from $34,990 before on-road costs for the seven-speed manual variant, the sporty hatchback adds $3000 worth of extra features but costing just $1000 more than the range-topping SR Turbo+ on which it is based.

The changes are most apparent on the outside, with the Street Turbo adding 18-inch RAYS Gram Lights alloy wheels with a semi-gloss black finish, a unique Dazzling Blue paint colour, Xenon headlights and Phantom Black bodykit inserts.

Black bodykit highlights include a front spoiler insert and grille surround, mirror housings, side skirt inserts, rear roof spoiler, rear diffuser insert and front guard Street badges.

Inside the Street Turbo gets the Turbo Sports Blue interior package which includes heated and ventilated leather front bucket seats with blue bolsters, blue front seatbelts, blue front door handles and centre console side garnishes, and floor mats with embroidered Street logos.

Blue contrast stitching is also seen throughout the cabin, on the seats, door armrests, centre console armrest, steering wheel and manual transmission gear lever boot.

It also comes with a 7.0-inch touchscreen with MP3, USB and auxiliary compatibility, satellite navigation, panoramic glass sunroof and climate control air-conditioning.

Performance under the bonnet remains unchanged, with Hyundai's 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder still developing 150kW/265Nm paired with Hyundai's six-speed manual gearbox or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission which adds $2500 to the cost.

The Veloster Street Turbo also gets the same Australia-specific ride, steering and handling refinements in the Veloster SR Turbo+, while benefiting from experience gained testing and developing the VelosterRaptor concept.

Hyundai Motor Company Australia general manager product engineering Hee Loong Wong said the handling and suspension enhancements have gone a long way to improve the feel of the car.

“At Veloster Series II’s launch last year we incorporated reduced-diameter front stabiliser bars across the range to allow for more independent front-wheel movement,” he said.

“In Veloster Series II SR Turbo, the front stabiliser bar diameter was reduced from 24mm to 22mm, and that bar – together with the bespoke dampers and firmer spring rates we specified for the car – also works extremely well with the RAYS Gram Lights alloy wheels on the new Special Edition.

“Like the Series II Turbo, the Special Edition has impressively sharp turn-in and more aggressive drive out of corners, giving it a ‘playful’ character which allows the rear to be more actively involved during high-speed cornering.

“That ‘playfulness’ also is enhanced by the Street Special Edition’s driver-adjustable three-mode Flex Steer system.”

Like the Veloster SR Turbo+, the Street Turbo has a number of other key features including six airbags, electronic stability control, traction control, ABS brakes, vehicle stability managements, tyre pressure monitoring system, LED daytime running lights and rear parking assist.

Meanwhile, Hyundai has also rolled out Apple CarPlay compatibility across the range of its Accent small car, iMax people-mover and iLoad van, joining the Elantra range, and certain i30, Tucson and Santa Fe variants as CarPlay-compatible Hyundai vehicles.

2016 Hyundai Veloster Street Turbo pricing*

Six-speed manual	$34,990
Seven-speed dual-clutch auto	$37,490

*Excludes on-road costs