Hyundai Veloster Turbo R-Spec revealed: Los Angeles Auto Show

The Hyundai Veloster Turbo R-Spec ash been revealed at the Los Angeles Auto Show as a more overtly sport take on the Veloster Turbo.

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We like the Hyundai Veloster – really, we do – even if its looks make promises it really can’t deliver.

There’s nothing wrong with the way the Veloster goes or handles, but there’s nothing exciting either; it’s a sporty-looking coupe for buyers who don’t really like driving but want something that looks sporty. And that’s a big market.

But we thought that lack of real driver appeal would be addressed by the Velsoter Turbo; not only does it look sporty and dynamic – in a quirky, Korean idea of sporty way – but it has ‘Turbo’ in its name.

But with dynamics and handling not a lot different from a regular Veloster, and with only 200bhp on offer – and performance that feels like there’s actually less – we still didn’t get a Veloster to excite the senses.

But now we get the Hyundai Veloster Turbo R-Spec revealed at the Los Angeles Auto Show which should finally offer enough get up and go to make the Veloster an appealing driver’s car. But it doesn’t.

Instead of giving the R-Spec a decent amount of extra oomph, Hyundai has removed some of the goodies from the regular Turbo – like the heated seats – and replaced them with some butch bodywork, a ‘tuned’ chassis, a new six-speed manual, sporty trim and R-Spec badges.

So what you get is a Veloster that promises even more than the normal Velsoter Turbo but actually delivers less, certainly in the way of comforts.

What’s the point of tuning a chassis that only has 200bhp to play with and adding sporty bits and pieces to make it look like it goes faster when it doesn’t?

Hyundai do so much right, it’s a shame the new Veloster Turbo R-Spec can’t cash the cheque its looks are writing.