Breathtaking
Everything about the 2016 Hyundai Veloster Turbo Rally Edition is fantastic! I owned a 2013 Hyundai Veloster, I bought the 2013 after a 3 mile 5 minute test drive. It just felt like it was made for me.
When I saw the initial photos for the Rally Edition I knew I had to have it! I went to our local dealer for an oil change and while there asked the only car salesman we will deal with (just because the man is a miracle worker and great with my kids) and asked him if he had any info on the Rally Edition (bear in mind this is late 2014, early 2015) and he said he didn't have anything sold, just whispers. He promised to keep an eye an ear out for the Rally Edition. Every time we came in for oil changes, he would give me an update on any info he had. I never once had to seek him out.
He called us one day at home and told us he had all the information on the Rally Edition. Shortly thereafter I was driving the car home, I didn't even need to test drive it, I knew it was going to be awesome. I hadn't driven a standard transmission vehicle in about 15 years, but the smooth clutch and short throw shifter the Rally Edition have made driving the Rally easy. They vehicle has great pick-up! I went from 30 mph to 65 mph (highway speed) in the short length of the on ramp. Acceleration is sneaky, if you don't pay attention you are way over the speed limit without realizing it. That says a lot about cabin noise as well. Usually I turn the stereo WAY up when I drive, but I was listening for any unusual noises. I didn't hear anything bad, except maybe my heart skipping a couple beats. The vehicle handles like its on rails, even at 70 and I came up on a driver doing 50 I could switch lanes quickly and switch back safely. When I pulled into the driveway I just sat there enjoying the interior. The mostly black all leather seats with the blue trim was a stunning contrast that looked so nice with the touches of grey on the doors and console tied it all together (The embroidered Turbo on the seats was a really nice touch) The floor mats had the Rally Edition branding that popped off the black mats.
The exterior of the car with the blue matte finish with the oversized grille LED accented headlights looked vicious and ready to eat other cars. The Veloster body style has not changed a whole lot, they got rid of the false vents in the hood but not much more has changed, which in my book is fine, if it's not broken don't fix it. The back of the car had the nice new tail lights that give it a space ship look, maybe something out of Star Wars ... The turbo has the round tailpipes verses the trapezoid shape of my 2013 tail pipes. The lower rear fog lights are round which just looks better than the elongated rectangle of my 2013 Veloster.
It's been 3 days shy of a month that I've owned my Rally Edition and I still find myself just staring at my car. I've also had several people ask me about it and ask to see inside. The matte paint is the eye catcher along with the black Rays Alloy Rims. The black on black rim/wheel combo supporting the matte blue paint scheme catches eyes of all car lovers. I've had people u-turn after I pass then and they will follow me to where I am going and pull up next to me at the store and start checking out my car, it's really THAT eye catching!
The ride is nice and tight with the race tuned suspension and the tight steering. The car has a number of tuning tweaks to tighten up the ride of the car.
Lastly I have to talk about the sound system. It's a great sounding system with Bongianovi Sound Adjuster which constantly samples the sound in the car and tunes it for the best possible sound. There is a built in woofer in the trunk and six Infinity Dimension speakers and factory installed Head Unit. It has a 7 1/2" touch screen to control a Bluetooth phone, music (iPod, CD, SiriusXM, MP3, USB, Gracenote and Pandora) although most Hyundai vehicles come with lifetime GPS, that's the one thing my vehicle does not have, but I'm guessing it would not be hard to add it.
One final mention on the look of the body is that under the doors and under the front grille Hyundai added strips of faux Carbon Fiber and they really look nice. I saw them at first and immediately thought it was a understated but sharp addition.
The 2016 Veloster is not the fastest "Hot Hatch" but I'll be damned if it's not one of the nicest looking ones.
The matte paint is a lot of extra work, espically in the winter (it's reccomended you wash it every two weeks) If you don't have a garage, borrow a friends, or ask a local car wash owner to pay for one of their bays for an hour or so. You can pressure was the paint, but you HAVE to make sure the pressure is not too high or you will go in with matte paint and come out with something between a mixture of matte and buffed shine ... hand wash to be safe. Hyundai includes a Dr. Beasleys Car Care kit. It's a big box with two gallon buckets with red grit sifters on the bottom, special natural sponges, the matte finish soap and matte finish uhhh ... finisher. There are also shamies for drying the car, you don't want to let it air dry, use those shamies!
This car is beautiful and will give you years of happiness. It will take care of you and you need to take care of it. At 45 years old I can say I'm not going to be buying big old gas guzzlers or some battery powered econo-box. I hope to have this car for years and when it comes time, and I start looking for a new car, I hope like hell the next Car I buy will be another Rally Edition.
Recommended
Verified Owner
