For Current VT Owners: If you could do it again, would you still buy a VT?

[ynggun]

Great little car could do with an lsd diff. Maybe independent rear end. I would have liked to seeva factory brambo brake option and a few more electronic options on the touchbscreen ie the ability to have a boost oil and gforce gauge in screen apart from that love the style road presence and so far the build quality is good.

[cbrmale]

I shall clarify one thing to start and that is that the Veloster does not have a solid rear axle. It has a torsion beam rear axle which are two trailing arms linked by a flexible beam in spring steel. Like a Volkswagen Polo GTI and a few other performance European cars. Also used to feature on the Volkswagen Golf and Golf GTI until relatively recently. The second is that the Veloster has a supple ride and is not harsh. A German hot hatch not softened for the American market is harsh; the Veloster is not harsh. European Velosters are sprung stiffer than American Velosters and Australian Velosters are stiffer again, and my Australian Veloster is quite fine although a little under-damped at the rear which can cause rear suspension bump-steer on a sequence of three or four bumps. But over the last 3 days I drove a Focus for 150km a day, and it bump-steered much the same way.

The Focus the OP dreams about is an American-spec version, softened from the European / British / Australian spec, as most cars are. One problem with the US Veloster are the Kumho tyres. British / Europe / Australian Velosters have Hankook Ventus tyres which are quite decent. Kumhos are rubbish.

I don't understand miles per gallons but I do understand litres / 100km and over the past three and a half months and 4,500km my turbo automatic has averaged 8.2 litres / 100km, about 1/3rd of that in country driving, but mostly back-road country driving, and about 2/3rds of that around town. Not stop and start around town, more cruisy but still roundabouts and stop signs and traffic lights and so on. So it's a fraction thirstier than my previous car but has a lot more go, so it's fine. The combined fuel efficiency rating of the Veloster Automatic is 7.6 so I am close to that, and it's mid summer so I have yet to drive the car without airconditioning, even most mornings! Without airconditioning I would expect to get better than 8.2. A lot of fuel efficiency is down to driving style. The correct way is large throttle openings and limited revs, ideally keeping it around torque peak (in the case of the Veloster 1,500 to 2,500rpm). The Focus I drove (2 litre normally aspirated with 6-speed Getrag twin-shaft automatic) averaged 8 litres / 100km, while the regular driver of that car averages 9. I am his manager and I did his pathology courier run for three days, and I was significantly more economical without trying to be economical.

The problem with a Focus ST is that it looks like every other Focus. It looks like the courier car I drove, minus the signwriting! And the centre console has 3,259 buttons! The cruise control is rubbish (no resume function for heavens sake), I couldn't work out how to make the trip computer display, and to change from AM to FM was almost beyond me (somehow I pressed the right sequence of buttons to get there, and that's where I left it). It's like the interior designers didn't know when to stop. Yes, I briefly considered the Focus before I settled on a Veloster, and the overdone interior was the main reason why I didn't want one.

Today I took the Veloster to the local shopping centre, and when I was loading it in the underground car park a middle-aged man was looking at it so intently that he almost walked into me! Women admire it too of course, and in one case that has bubbled over into something more than admiring my car, and I will leave the rest of that to your collective imaginations.

[abigdumbkid]

I would definitely get the car again. I've been waiting for the VT since the NAV initially came out. It does and has everything that I need. I came from a bigger and more HP vehicle but don't miss it. My round trip, to and from work is only 12 miles and am already getting better gas mileage than my old car. The fact that I only need to get regular gas and not premium gas for my old one, makes the car much more appealing. There are a few niggly bits that could be improved on the car but it's a brand new model, give it time and I think those should be worked out or improved.

[MadaTx]

I only have two complaints so far:

2. The Dimension audio system kind of doesn't cut it for me. Don't know if the problem are the speakers or the actual radio, but I feel that it kind of lacks on sound quality.

There is a DIY thread shows you how to replace the speakers. I did mine and sound quality has improved greatly. It is not easy but well worth the effort.

[cubancaddy]

I would buy my VT again.. I got such a great deal. I would prefer lsd, and to get the sticker mileage you REALLY have to drive careful. Lately I have just got sick of everyone trying to race me, so I have been letting them have it back. When I check the mileage with a calculator it does not match the average MPG on the dash, it's like 3 lower. I don't care though, it's a fun car for not too much money. It looks like it costs about 10k more than it really does lol.. I am going to tune the suspension with some coil overs and performance dampers, that should liven things up a bit. The stock American suspension is too soft..

[MTD]

Yup I would. Im very happy with the car. Ive had it for about 6 months now and I havent really found anything I dislike. My previous Elantra had a few things I didnt like and even my '13 Genesis has a few quirks I dont like.

The VT is fun to drive, cool to look at, its comy and has some great options and features, great on gas, reliable so far, has an excellent warranty and an affordable price.

Really, any and all cars could use changes or improvements. No car is perfect and everyones wants, needs and opinions differ. LSD and IRS could improve the handling, but they would also add weight, cost and complexity.

[rhinolord]

im a lover not a hater........i must say i do love driving my VT.... coming from a 07 350z track, the ride is about the same and the power disappears after the revs get high...but hey my gas bill is about 1/2 and i get just as many haters...just what i wanted! if i could make one suggestion it would be a LSD and.....ohhhhh i don't know maybe ....2.0T....and since im dreaming a free car washes by a supermodel every friday afternoon....

[Namsek]

I've only had my VT for about 3 weeks now, but I feel I would definitely buy one again. I come from a very unimpressive automotive background to say the least ('82 Mercedes 240D x 2, '95 Jeep Wrangler, '98 VW Beetle :P) so I don't have much room for comparison when discussing the VT's strengths/weaknesses. That aside, I haven't found one thing I dislike on the car as of yet. I am very satisfied with it and so far the best part of my day is driving to and from work

[AdelaideSRT]

and since im dreaming a free car washes by a supermodel every friday afternoon....

If you manage to get that mod working, let me know, I've been trying to get that fitted to all my cars for years...

[LGP_VT]

I only have two complaints so far:

2. The Dimension audio system kind of doesn't cut it for me. Don't know if the problem are the speakers or the actual radio, but I feel that it kind of lacks on sound quality.

I was not impressed with the sound system during my initial test drive at the dealership and when I first go my car. I found that a combination of things have improved the sound quality dramatically

1. I stopped streaming over Bluetooth and play high bit rate MP3 or uncompressed WAV files off USB.

2. I played around with the EQ setting. I found that something like +5/-1/+2 in Dynamic mode works pretty well for the type of music that I listen to.

3. I let the speaker burn-in. They definitely sounded a lot better now than when I first got my car. I will never mistaken the stock system for a 3 grand aftermarket system. But it does pack quite a bit of punch.

I still miss the Boss system on my last car.

[hsh2000pk]

23K miles in little over a year. No problems. Still really like the car.

[cignaxi]

There is a DIY thread shows you how to replace the speakers. I did mine and sound quality has improved greatly. It is not easy but well worth the effort.

By any chance do you remember any keywords from that thread that might help me find it using the search function of the forum? Thanks.

[J-Dubb]

By any chance do you remember any keywords from that thread that might help me find it using the search function of the forum? Thanks.

Changing Dimension Speakers Part #1


While it says part 1 - all the parts are in there you might just have to scroll a bit.

[Darren]

6500 miles. Answer Yes

9000 miles and YES! That's like asking if I like to breathe "clean" air and drink water.

[Darren]

23K miles in little over a year. No problems. Still really like the car.

Wow, you've had your Veloster Turbo (VT) for little over a year! Is it the concept or did you steal the test car?

[Maximum]

Wow, you've had your Veloster Turbo (VT) for little over a year! Is it the concept or did you steal the test car?

I don't think He realised it's VT only.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using AutoGuide App

[jeremy13vt]

ive had my VT since the endor october 2012, waited a while to find a 6speed..traded in 11 ram 1500 hemi 4x4, so as for not paying over 400 dollars a month for gas in the VT is well worth it first off. but i have owned some random cars, 87rx7 turboll, built and turbo hondas, 03 gli jetta(which i still have) and a couple trucks, i have no complaints after about 7500miles on the VT i would buy it again and i cant wait to role it over a 100k... my biggest complaint is that its 2013 we need FULLY INDEPENDANT REAR suspension and maybe a little more hp, but the car really opens up after 2000miles and feels like a different car after that and i always run 93 octane gas as MPG is not a concern to me, obviously i do an oil change when i make a payment

[veloster SR turbo]

I bought a black VT manual, have had it for about 2 weeks now, I was originally looking at getting a wrx but drove past this gem and had to check it out. so glad I decided to stop by Hyundai that day as I would have regretted the lack of features the wrx has compared to this, ive already done the exhaust system and intake to make it a little more responsive and for the price have saved significantly compared to a wrx! im so glad with my black VT and once i replaced the standard wheels with black racing wheels the beast looks sexy! haha.

[cignaxi]

I was not impressed with the sound system during my initial test drive at the dealership and when I first go my car. I found that a combination of things have improved the sound quality dramatically

1. I stopped streaming over Bluetooth and play high bit rate MP3 or uncompressed WAV files off USB.

2. I played around with the EQ setting. I found that something like +5/-1/+2 in Dynamic mode works pretty well for the type of music that I listen to.

3. I let the speaker burn-in. They definitely sounded a lot better now than when I first got my car. I will never mistaken the stock system for a 3 grand aftermarket system. But it does pack quite a bit of punch.

I still miss the Boss system on my last car.

Will definitely try this tomorrow. Thanks!

[mtbker36]

I would definitely get this car again. I traded in my 10 Mustang GT and I'm getting better overall MPG's. Also, the VT has more options than my Mustang did and for the price you can't beat that.