2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo
When Hyundai introduced the excitingly style Veloster last year, its unique four-door coupe design made other compact hatchbacks look suddenly boring. But sadly, the Veloster’s performance didn’t back up its sporty appearance. Well, Hyundai quickly made it their mission to find a proper solution; enter the Veloster Turbo. So, let’s see adding a turbo can boost our reactions to Hyundai’s hot looking, little hatch!
The 2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo does indeed get some much needed extra power pumped into its great looking sheet-metal. Courtesy of a twin-scroll turbocharger mounted on its 1.6-liter, direct injection Gamma-4. Horsepower gets a nice boost from 138 to 201, and torque gets an equally impressive increase from 132 to 195 lb-ft. Compression ratio drops from 11.0:1 to a more forced induction-friendly 9.5:1. Sounds like it certainly has the potential to cure what ailed it, so we wasted little time hitting the track to find out.
Off the line, there’s a fair amount of wheel hop as the front tires struggle for traction, but eventually enough is attained to get to 60 in 7.8 seconds, almost a second quicker than the normally aspirated Veloster. The quarter mile is equally quicker at 16.0-seconds at 87 miles-per-hour.
As before, both 6-speed manual and automatic are available; we chose the manual and we’re still not huge fans of the shifter, as you need to be very precise with it, but gears are well spaced and we love the more aggressive exhaust note that comes with the Turbo. It’s still not super fast, but without doubt a big improvement over the base Veloster and just enough to make it finally live up to its looks.
And speaking of looks, it’s hard not to love the funky styling of the Veloster; it truly appears “special” hauling down the road. And the Turbo gets some very well done visual upgrades that set it apart. But, not so much so that it look super boy racerish.
Up front there’s a larger hexagonal grille, and down the sides, rocker skirts are extended. 18-inch wheels with chrome inserts are standard. And of course the unique single right side 3rd door arrangement remains, though unfortunately so do the all too obviously fake hood “vents”. It looks most aggressive from the rear however, with the scooped out look accentuated by a body colored, hatch-top spoiler and dual, round center exhaust tips.
When it comes to handling, the turbo Veloster equates itself well enough. With no suspension changes, you still can’t push it too hard before it starts to push hard. But, a little finesse rewards you with flat cornering and more than enough power to exit with a smile.
But, our biggest complaint on the base Veloster was the absolute lack of steering feel. So the Turbo adds a slightly faster ratio and sportier tuning to the electric assist to increase feedback and response. We had no complaints about braking performance before, nor do we now as stops from 60 averaged a very good 120-feet.
We still love the motorcycle inspired, well equipped interior of the Veloster and the Turbo gets a few updates, like leather seats with Turbo embroidery, alloy pedals, and unique gauges. Heated seats and push-button start are standard. The Ultimate Package adds panoramic sunroof, automatic headlights, back-up warning sensors, and Navigation with Back-up camera.
Even if you crawl through the right side 3rd door, you won’t find any more room in the cramped rear seats. But, fold them and the 15.5 cubic feet of cargo space expands to 34.7. Though you’ll have to lift bags pretty high to get them through the hatch.
In case you haven’t heard, the government has some issues with Hyundai’s Fuel Economy Ratings. They’ve since been revised downward on many models, including the Veloster. The Turbo with manual now rates at 24-City, 35-Highway, and 28-Combined on Regular gas. We averaged a fine 32.9 miles-per-gallon in mixed driving. Making for an Energy Impact Score that’s still much better than average at 11.8-barrels of annual oil consumption with 5.3-tons of CO2 emissions.
Pricing gets a boost as well, to $22,725. That’s $4,500 over a base Veloster, but it comes almost fully loaded and is only about a grand over the very well-equipped Veloster we tested last year.
Adding boost to the 2013 Veloster may not be enough to blow the Turbo to the sharp end of the sporty hatchback segment, but Hyundai certainly made a fun little car even more so, giving it the additional performance it needed to back up its sporty mission. So we mean it when we say, “Mission Accomplished.”
Specifications
- Engine: 1.6-liter, direct injection Gamma-4
- Horsepower: 201
- Torque: 195 lb-ft.
- 0-60 mph: 7.8 seconds
- 1/4 mile: 16.0 seconds @ 87 mph
- EPA: 24 mpg city/ 35 mpg highway
- Energy Impact: 11.8 barrels of oil/yr
- CO2 Emissions: 5.3 tons/yr
2024 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy Night Edition
Hyundai Turns To The Dark Side To Create A Special Palisade
Hyundai turned the page on their lineup when they launched the three-row Palisade crossover utility 4 years ago. Still the same Hyundai value we loved, but with more luxury, and more room for growing families. Now for their next big hit, it looks like Hyundai is working on their night moves.
If you’ve been following the auto industry, you’ve probably noticed a darkness setting in. No, we’re not talking about EV mandates, we’re talking about the increasing number of manufacturers invoking darkness or using some reference to the color black to create special editions of their vehicles or note their highest trim level. Well, that’s what we have here with the 2024 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy Night Edition, a way to take the range-topping Calligraphy trim to an even higher level of exclusivity.
Available in either Abyss Black or this Hyper White, the Night Edition applies a dark chrome treatment to the grille, rear bumper, and door moldings. There’s also glossy black trim for both the front and rear fascias, as well as the roof rails, while door handles are now body color. Finishing it off are 20-inch “black liquid” wheels and unique finishes for all logos including the HTRAC badge that signifies all-wheel drive, which is standard here in the Calligraphy Night Edition, optional on most lesser Palisades.
All-wheel drives get additional Snow and Tow driving modes, as well as the ability to lock in a 50/50 torque split. All Palisades share the same V6 engine, a naturally aspirated 3.8-liter unit which produces 291 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. Nothing changes there, but it’s more than enough to move this big utility down the road with ease and pull 5,000 lbs. of trailer, aided by the standard eight-speed automatic transmission. In addition to steering wheel mounted paddle shifters, minimal buttons for controlling the transmission share space on a rising center console which also houses the touch sensitive climate controls. On top of the dash sits a 12.3-inch touchscreen with navigation standard on all Palisades. A separate 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster resides in front of the driver on Limited trim and above.
As for the rest of the interior, Night Editions adds a unique blackout theme with some added dark aluminum trim and devilish 630 watts of Harmon Kardon premium audio. There are also some exclusive premium micro-suede materials on the seats, though most of our staff felt they didn’t seem quite as luxurious as the Nappa leather seats in the regular Calligraphy. Second row captain’s chairs here of course, plus a power folding third row that holds three Palisades come as both seven or right seaters with up to 16 cupholders! There’s also adequate room for adults in that third row, though seating comfort drastically improves moving forward. Cargo capacity remains a strong point for the Palisade, with 18.0 cubic-feet available behind the third row, 45.8 behind the second, and a max of 86.4 with all seatbacks folded.
At Mason Dixon Dragway, the Night Edition delivered a moderate dose of power, enough to battle a little wheel spin off the line leading to a steady jog to 60 of 7.6 seconds; about a half second slower than the last Palisade we tested. Gear changes happened smoothly, causing minor power flow pauses throughout the quarter-mile, completed in 15.8 seconds at a respectable 90 mph.
This big unibody bruiser is suspended with MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link independent setup in back. They provided a surprisingly nimble platform for shuffling through our handling course. There was a reasonable amount of feedback through the steering wheel, helping us stay on top of the slight understeer that we encountered. There was very soft pedal action in our panic braking runs, along with a reasonable amount of nosedive, but 102-foot stops from 60 rate great!
All Palisades come with a healthy complement of active safety features like Lane Keeping Assist and Highway Driving Assist, while Calligraphies add a more advanced Parking Collision Avoidance Assist system. With all-wheel drive, Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 19 City, 24 Highway, and 21 Combined.
Even with the Night Edition establishing a new high mark, it’s still priced less than many large three-row utilities at $55,245. That’s $3,500 over the standard Calligraphy, and about $17,000 more than the base SE Palisade.
So, when it comes to this 2024 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy Night Edition, there’s no need to be afraid of the dark. The only thing lurking in the shadows here is more tremendous value, something that Hyundai has been bringing to light for years and years.
Specifications
As Tested
- Engine: 3.8-liter V6
- Transmission: 8-speed automatic
- Horsepower: 291
- Torque: 262 lb-ft
- 0-60 mph: 7.6 seconds
- 1/4 Mile: 15.8 seconds at 90 mph
- Braking, 60-0 (avg): 102 feet
- EPA: 19 City | 24 Highway | 21 Combined