Hyundai Veloster Turbo arrives at Detroit

Hyundai Veloster Turbo - US spec arrives at Detroit

The Hyundai Veloster Turbo has debuted at the Detroit Auto Show with more aggressive looks and 201hp from its 1.6 litre Turbo.

The Hyundai Veloster Turbo that’s now arrived at the Detroit Auto Show – after a small leak of Veloster Turbo pictures this morning – may not be exactly the same as the Veloster Turbo we’ll get in the UK (more on that in a moment), but it’s close enough to give us a good idea of what the Turbo will add to the Veloster equation.

We already like that the Veloster has character, and we very much like that the Veloster Turbo gets enough power to match its looks. The 1.6 litre turbo four-pot offers 201hp and 191lb/ft of torque at 1750rpm. That means the Veloster Turbo will be at least the match of the Golf GTI and the MINI Cooper S, and be more parsimonious too. Hyundai aren’t saying how quick the Veloster Turbo will be, but we’re hoping it may just nudge under 7 seconds to 60mph.

Visually the changes Hyundai have wrought to the Veloster Turbo give it purpose, but without looking like a teenage credit card has exploded in Halfords. There’s a big, gaping grill with a new set of fogs, some new 18″ alloys, LED tail lights, a pair of centre exhaust pipes, new rear diffuser and, Hyundai promise, a better noise.

On the suspension front Hyundai say they haven’t done anything to the US spec Veloster Turbo, although there’s a quicker rack with more feel. Inside there’s new trim and headliner graphics and a new info centre with a pair of TFT screens, and ‘Turbo’ gets stitched in to the seats.

Visually, we don’t expect the UK spec to differ that much, although there will be detail differences. The suspension for the UK Veloster Turbo will also be fettled for our roads and we may see a different torque/power balance to better suit both our roads and driving styles. But we’re not likely to get details until Geneva in the Spring when the European/UK versions of the Veloster Turbo has its official debut.

We’re expecting the Hyundai Veloster Turbo to arrive in the UK by the Summer. And it looks rather promising.