Why I Like the Veloster Turbo

Several people have said “oh noes” you can’t get rid of your MINI, or “what an ugly piece of crap, how can you want one of those!” so I thought I’d point out some reasons that the VT appeals.

  • Price. For $26k or so I can get a sporty looking vehicle that can do 0-60 in just under 7 seconds, has sunroof, rear camera, 7″ touch screen with Pandora, bluetooth, navigation etc…. I can even plug my PS3 into it and play games on the screen. I can’t get a comparable MINI, Audi, BMW (not that I ever would) etc for that
  • Looks. I happen to like how it looks. Unlike the last point, we can agree to disagree.
  • Cost Savings. I do about 23,000 miles a year, 2/3rd of that on the motorways. Quick fag packet calculations… my MINI currently gets about 25 mpg, let’s say gas is $4 a gallon so that’s $3680 a year for the hot juice. The VT is advertised as 38, so lets say I actually get 34, gas is #3.80 a gallon so that’s $2570. I just saved a $1000 in gas. And I’m still having fun.
  • Rarity. For better or worse I like vehicles that are different. My first car in the USA was a Toyota Paseo, have you ever seen one of those on the road? Exactly. So the VT appeals as it will be a car that turns heads (even if only to puke) and therefore appeals to that inner need I seem to have for attention (ah, the old dance competition days….).

So there’s a few reasons. I think the car is going to be very hard to find for a while, but I really would like to get one before my MINI is up for registration at the end of August. My choice is for a Vitamin C (read: copper/orange), Manual Transmission with the Ultimate package but I may have to give up on colour, we’ll see.

150k Miles

Last night on the way out from work I passed 150k miles in the MINI. Couldn’t take a picture on the button as I was moving but did get it just a mile later.

The oil pressure light is coming on again when I take a sharp corner fast, really need to get her back in for an oil change, or I suppose I could top it off again in the expectation that she is being soon replaced?

Veloster Turbo Pricing


Hyundai finally announced pricing for the 2013 Veloster line today including, of course, the Turbo I’ve been waiting for. The bottom line on the Turbo is that it will be $21,950 for the MT and $22,950 for the AT. An Ultimate Package is available for $2,500 which adds

  • Panoramic sunroof
  • Backup warning sensors (bodycolor sensors with specific exterior colors)
  • Navigation system with rearview camera
  • Automatic Headlights
  • 115V outlet

Some of the highlights of the Turbo are

  • 1.6-liter turbocharged, direct-injected engine
  • 201HP at 6000RPM, weight to power ratio of 14lbs per hp
  • 38MPG Highway
  • Very fancy TFT screen on the dash, can even play XBOX 360 (what, no PS3?)

There is still no official word on whether Vitamin C (orange, basically) is available in the Turbo but my first choice for colour would be between that and the red. Oddly there is a $200 upcharge for Pearl White (not that I would ever want a white car in the desert) and a whopping $1000 for matte grey!

So if I were to go for an Ultimate MT I’m looking at around $26500 out of the door if I have to pay MSRP, but I am expecting a local credit union’s car buying service to find me better than that.

Not rushing into anything yet, but it might be getting close to time to do something.