E-Rod's New Non-Mazda

[erod550]

Hey guys. I know I haven't been very active here lately but I haven't had much car-related stuff to talk about recently. I made the tough decision to sell my Mustang because it was a lot of money to just sit in my garage mostly unused since I work from home. So I sold it and used the equity to pay off my wife's car and was planning on just driving the Miata for the next couple years while working on some other debt. Well, that lasted all of 2 months before I got another car, this one a lot less expensive, however, and we've still freed up a significant amount of monthly debt.

Meet the 2015 Hyundai Veloster Turbo. I know, I know, Hyundai? Several years ago I would have said the same thing, and I'm aure I actually did say "I would never drive a Hyundai" at least once in my life. But man have they come a long way. They are packed with features and the warranty is outstanding. I'm also seriously impressed at the interior of this car. It's really what sold me on the car actually, along with all the standard and available features. It's on par with the MS3 interior, which is saying something I think as my MS3's interior was one of the nicest I've ever had. The one I got is loaded with stuff like heated leather seats, proximity key, nav, sunroof, bluetooth, etc. It's not the fastest but it's plenty quick enough for getting around in traffic and having fun driving. Oh, and I can easily hook up a game console with the factory-supplied RCA cable, lol.

Enough rambling, on to the pics!

[Huzer]

Cool ride, congrats! Styling wise, I've had a soft spot for the Veloster. I think they're cool. To be honest, I didn't even think to look at one when I got the ST. The STs were so cheap, I just went with that.

[GR-8]

Hyundai gives the same warranty as Kia right? I forget which is the Parent Company. 10yr/10k miles. I was thinking of a Veloster Turbo and I like how they look. Wish the suicide door was on both sides of the car. I agree with what you said about features and interior of Hyundai/Kia and even the styling. You get some nice looking interior and exterior styling our of them and its not really "cheap" feeling at all. Something I have grown to like about the Asian manufacturers versus the American guys.

My sister had a 2013 Optima Turbo before someone ran a red light and totaled it. A huge box truck. Strong car to be hit at 40mph, kept her safe. It was nice and fun to drive. She fell in love with it and is looking to pick up a new one later in the year.

[erod550]

It's actually a regular door, not a suicide door, but yea I wish it was on the driver's side. Then you could quickly throw a bag in the back seat without walking around the car.

And I didn't look at the ST until after I'd already bought the Veloster but to get one with the same options would be about 3k more. I didn't want a stripper model.

[geo2maz]

oh shit e-dog!

I love it, did it come with that Mario64 or did you hook it up?
Always really liked Velosters, and turbo makes them tempting...
how much hp?
sunroof holla'!

i've been way out of the loop lately too

[erod550]

No that's my N64 I hooked up, heh. 201hp but they're only in the 2800-2900 lb range. Will get smoked by a Focus but I didn't buy it to race anyone.

[geo2maz]

but I didn't buy it to race anyone.

we grown now! i hear ya..

[GR-8]

It's actually a regular door, not a suicide door, but yea I wish it was on the driver's side. Then you could quickly throw a bag in the back seat without walking around the car.

And I didn't look at the ST until after I'd already bought the Veloster but to get one with the same options would be about 3k more. I didn't want a stripper model.

Huh, for some reason I could have sworn it was a suicide door. Anyways, having that longer driver door is a negative for me. It makes it that more difficult to get out of the car in tight parking spaces. I hated my cousins eclipse and my sisters mustang for that reason.

[coloskydiver]

Congrats Eric. That is a good looking car and there is something to say about the tech of a car if it can run a N64. Anyone up for some Mario Cart? I love the styling and dig the exhaust. At 2900lbs 200 hp can be a lot of fun and with most cars, I am sure there is some meat left on that bone. Enjoy!

[erod550]

Even though the driver's door is longer than the passenger's, it's actually not as long as a normal 2-door, like my Mustang. I don't think it will be a problem in a tight space. I can get in and out of it easily on the first notch in my garage.

[roninsoldier83]

Nice car buddy! Congrats! I've always like the look of the Veloster- they've caught me eye in traffic several times. They're definitely one of the better looking cars in the segment. They seem like a pretty good value as well.

Although I did get a bit of a laugh out of your photo of the Veloster in your garage (along with your Miata)- parked right in front of an American Muscle poster!

[erod550]

Lol yea I still have all the Mustang stuff on the walls. That banner, Mustang clock, Mustang mirror, "Mustang Ave" street sign.

[erod550]

So the stock tires are technically all-seasons but they're pretty terrible in snow. I thought maybe it was just people overreacting but I took it out and confirmed it for myself, heh. I can get around, but it's a little too sketchy for my taste.

So I have a second set of wheels/tires on the way. Decided to go with a Performance Winter tire instead of a full-on ice/snow tire. I had some Michelin Primacy Alpin PA3s on my MS3 that handled pretty well on dry and still did well on the snow, unlike the Altimax Arctics or Hankook Ice Bears that I've had before that are amazing on snow but absolutely awful on dry roads. I got the Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D. Should be delivered today.

[roninsoldier83]

I've heard good things about the Dunlop Winter Sports. I'll be curious to know how they turn out for you. Are you staying with a stock size setup, or going smaller?

I'm running a dedicated winter setup- Blizzak WS70's, and while they don't hold a candle to the FoST's OEM summer tires on dry pavement, they're not too bad. I can definitely feel the sidewalls firming up in the cold weather- they seemed a bit squishier when I first installed them and it was still warm. I don't expect them to be corner carvers, but during the cold months, I don't really do much corner carving anyway, so I doubt I'll notice too often.... and my thoughts are: if it gets warm enough to go play with the car, swapping the summers back on is only a 30 minute affair in the garage!

I had Blizzak LM-25's a few years ago on another vehicle... and thus far, it feels like the WS70's have more snow traction, but I don't remember the LM-25's giving me enough dry cornering grip to warrant having them over a full snow setup. That is, unless you do a lot of traveling at very high speeds (far exceeding any speed limit in CO), as I believe the WS70's are "only" rated up to 118mph ha!

[erod550]

I went with 16" for the cost savings. Plus the extra sidewall is nice for snow. The thing I hate most about full-on snow tires is how soft the sidewall is. I know this is beneficial for snow driving but they just feel so "floaty" for lack of a better word. Like you can turn the wheel slightly back and forth a little while going straight and just feel the car wobbling from side to side. I hate it, so that's why I went this route.

I do have studded Hankook Ice Bears on the Miata though since it was my only snow car there for a while and I wanted all the traction I could get in the snow for a light RWD car. So I just deal with hating the feel of the car when it's not snowing heh. Although now I probably could have just left the all-seasons on it since I can just drive the Veloster in the snow now and probably will to take advantage of the heated seats, being garaged so no scraping windows, etc.