A few weeks ago at the Detroit Auto Show, Hyundai showed us one of the best cars that will be released in the coming year: The Veloster N. It’s supposed to compete with the Honda Civic Si, Golf GTI, and Ford Focus ST. It will definitely compete with them and will then proceed to leave them in its dust. Here’s why…
The Civic Si doesn’t stand any type of chance versus the Veloster N. It just can’t stack up in any way. On top of that it isn’t even offered as a hatchback, even though the Type-R is. I’m only including it because it still is technically an enthusiast version of the Civic. More on that later… The Veloster N has more power, more options, and while it doesn’t have the history to back it up, it does have something the Si has lost: a purpose. It was designed specifically and totally with the enthusiast in mind. The Si has no such credentials in its current incarnation.
The Golf GTI will always be a better overall car than anything else in the hot hatch segment. Supremely balanced and eternally usable, the GTI’s goal is to do everything without overdoing anything. In terms of performance though, the GTI is the next victim to fall at the hands of the Veloster N. There’s also something else the Hyundai can pull out of its new bag of tricks. Bring the two side by side and take a look at both. Your heart is always choose the one you really want: The Veloster N. The Golf GTI will always be the better car, but not the better hot hatchback.
The Ford Focus ST is a bit more difficult to dismiss. It’s currently the hottest hot hatch that most people can afford, and it packs quite a punch. Ford knew what they were doing when they designed it, and unlike the Civic Si, the ST can claim specific purpose behind the engineering of this car. The power is the closest to the Veloster N of the three cars vying for an edge here. Not only that, but there is a large enthusiast following behind the ST that isn’t there any longer for the current Si. The Veloster strikes back here with a weight advantage compared to the ST. Though numbers aren’t out yet, we can most likely expect the Veloster to be about 100-200 pounds lighter than the ST.
The Veloster N is is never going have as much of an enthusiast following as the other three cars here, but it should be able to handle all three quite easily in stock form, which will be 100% fine with anybody buying it.
This comparison makes for an interesting situation. Not only does the Hyundai have a power advantage of at least 25 horses over the Focus ST, the most powerful of the three, but it’s also rivaled in weight only by the Civic, which has the least amount of power… and isn’t even a hatchback. The interesting part of this comparison is going to come when the next level is challenged. Don’t forget that all three of these cars have bigger brothers. The Civic Type-R, Focus RS, and Golf R all out-power the Veloster N by quite a bit.
The Focus RS and Golf R will both have the advantage over the Hyundai simply by mere power numbers, but they also have something else the Veloster doesn’t have: All-wheel-drive. Power to the pavement means better acceleration even if both cars will be heavier. And that leads to the issue of how well the Veloster will be able to put power to the road. We already know that the Type-R, as good as it is, can’t put its power to the road as well as the other two.
We’re left with a car that bridges the gap between the affordable hot hatches and their more expensive siblings. The Veloster will compete the best with the Ford Focus ST based on actual performance numbers and price. Even though the price hasn’t been announced yet, I’m going to go out on a limb and say it will be close to $30,000, well within the reach of a loaded Focus ST. Though it will be cheaper than a Focus RS, the rest of the Veloster N will be more similar to the RS. The setup, purpose, and the ability of the car is far and away closer to the RS when all is said and done. Even the exhaust note is frighteningly similar.
The Golf R is out of the picture for a real comparison. Of the three more powerful hatchbacks, it’s closer in performance numbers, but the Golf R reaches a different audience than the RS and Type-R people. It’s more refined and fits easier with those people who want an Audi but can’t quite afford one. As for the Civic Type-R… If the Focus ST had a little less power and torque, I would say that the Type-R would actually be the biggest rival to the new Hyundai, but it’s not, so the Type-R has to play second fiddle to Ford.
What is the Veloster N? It’s the hottest of the hot hatches. With the Civic Si, Golf GTI, and Focus ST all being front-wheel-drive, the comparison necessarily falls within this pool. The Civic Type-R, Golf R, and Focus RS are hot hatches, but they are definitely farther outside the affordability zone for most people, so they have to be considered a bit differently. Still, the Civic Type-R and Veloster N comparison is an enticing one. The Type-R may not prove too much more expensive than the Veloster, and it’s front-wheel drive. Only time will tell if that comparison will have any substance. For now, we will anxiously await the first Veloster N to arrive in showrooms and dream about its sporting potential.
–SWF
