Hyundai Veloster N review

Once on boost it pulls convincingly, enthusiasm barely diminishing as the 6750rpm redline gets close, and with a hard-edged exhaust that sounds genuinely good rather than just loud. The switchable 'N' mode adds some pops and bangs on a lifted throttle, while also sharpening up various other dynamic functions.

But there's enthusiasm aplenty, as well. Like its i30 sister the Veloster N produces a fair amount of torque steer - it never feels wayward, but there's no doubting the work that front tyres and suspension have to put in to deliver the boosty motor's output over rougher surfaces. Grip levels are keen, the limited slip differential delivers plenty of front-end bite in slower, loaded turns and the Veloster proved willing to take an impressive amount of directional advice from the throttle pedal - the rear end neutralising cleanly or even being persuaded into some tidy oversteer.

The shift action for the six-speed manual gearbox is accurate, although a high-biting clutch in my test car made smooth low-speed progress difficult. The brake pedal felt a little rubbery at the top of its travel, as well - although there were no complaints about the retardation from the beefy discs.

Given its back-to-basics mission it would be churlish to complain about the N's firm ride. Even with the switchable dampers in their gentlest setting the chassis only just stayed on the right side of harsh when exposed to some of rural Michigan's rougher surfaces. Smooth Tarmac is necessary to engage the sportier modes without wincing. A fair amount of road noise reaches the cabin at cruising speeds and, as with the standard car, interior plastics feel low-rent and smell slightly cheap; less forgivable in a car that carries a 50% supplement over the base version in the States.

Is Hyundai right not to bring the Veloster N to the UK?

The Veloster's strange, asymmetric three-door layout still seems to be a response to an unasked question with little obvious practicality: the Veloster remains a slightly lumpy coupe on one side and a cramped-looking hatchback on the other.

It's hard to see the logic in Hyundai's decision not to bring the Veloster N here, or indeed the rationale behind denying the i30N to the US. Both cars seem different enough not to tread on each other's toes, and indeed both were developed together with the heavy involvement of Hyundai's Nurburgring testing facility.

Although the Veloster N's appeal would likely be more limited than its hatchback sister, it still offers an appealing if less practical package. It's a fun, honest and quirky car that offers American buyers plenty of bang for their bucks; it's just a shame we can't buy those thrills for pounds as well.