The gearing on this MT is set up way way differently from my other cars. On my BMW, 2nd and especially 3rd pull a LOT longer. 3rd is good for at least 85 on the Bimmer. On my CRX (the car the V is replacing) I stay in 2nd a long time, because if you short shift it, you've got no prayer of building any speed in 3rd.
The Veloster seems to be geared in such as way as to encourage you to get to at LEAST 4th to do any cruising. I find myself winding up 2nd a little more and just skipping 3rd altogether.
Clutch feels really nice, and I like that it's light so if you're stuck in traffic, it won't be a beating. The BMW gets to be a workout in heavy traffic.
The gear lever feels pretty good, but the difference between 2 and 4 is sometimes hard to feel. I don't think I'm going to money shift it, but if I did, it wouldn't be shocking.
I might try to teach the wife to drive stick in this car. We tried once in the CRX but she didn't do so well. Of course, she's got no idea what's actually going on in the transmission, so she doesn't really understand why you NEED a clutch and whatnot. I tried to explain it but got "BORING!!!" pretty much immediately.