I got fooled at the recent Geneva Motor Show when I first saw the Hyundai Veloster in the metal, writes Brian Byrne. As I took my first pictures, I assumed it was a four-door coupe, with concealed rear doors handles a la Alfa Romeo.
Later I returned to the stand, and was surprised to see that they had replaced the first car already with a two-door version.
Of course, I was wrong on both counts. It was the same car. But Veloster has three passenger doors, the one for rear access being on the curb side.
Which is one reason why the arrival of RHD versions will be delayed until the end of this year, because Hyundai also plan to change that door so it is also on the safe curb side.
Why I'm musing about this now, even though we won't see the car on sale here until next January or so, is because I got an unexpected chance to drive one last week. And liked it. A lot.
Sure, it was a preview day, really to show a few of us Irish auto journalists the new i40 which is coming here at the end of June. In both that car's case and the Veloster's, we were getting a few fast kilometres in pre-production versions in advance of the proper launch in the summer.
Veloster is a very advanced looking car, not for those who don't want to make a statement about themselves. And in the canary yellow (I'm sure there's a fancier sounding name for it) of the preview car, it's a loud statement indeed.
There's nothing quiet about the front end style either. Scooped and sculpted is one description, strongly shaped lights and an in-your-face version of Hyundai's current grille design.
The shape is coupe, though this isn't the replacement for Hyundai's very popular in Ireland old Coupe - that's in train for later. But Hyundai Ireland's Stephen Gleeson reckons the 'around €25,000' price will be attractive to the many former owners of the Coupe, some of whom will have migrated to other brands and models since, such as the eponymous Mini.
That third door is a clever thought, actually. The old Coupe was always a four-seater, but access and egress to and from the back was never that easy. The Veloster's rear seats are not a problem to sit into. And the other surprise is that there's really lots of room there in the back, even for tall people. Along with a fairly decent luggage compartment under the back hatch.
So there's a market here even for the buyer with family responsibilities, maybe. The expansion of a two-unit family to three doesn't necessarily mean the end of sporty-looking wheels.
The only powertrain mooted so far for the Veloster is a 1.6 gasoline direct injection unit. With 135hp there, it's perky enough, and responds well to being wound up. I guess it is a reflection of how used we in Ireland are to driving diesels that I initially missed the low-down torquiness of the oil-burner. But that passed once I got into letting the engine's enthusiasm run free.
There were things that betrayed the pilot position of the preview cars. Some wind noise to be dealt with, a bit of refinement needed for the rear suspension. Maybe a few improvements on the trim needed.
But in a nice mix of hilly roads and autobahns at the back of Frankfurt, it was a pleasant interlude that promises further interesting times when the production car finally gets here.
Hyundai in Ireland are still on a climb. They reckon on finishing out the year with around 4.1 percent market share. And are strongly targeting 5.6 percent for 2012.
Veloster will play its own part in that effort.
