Hyundai Motor Company’s latest line of engines, the 1.6 liter Gamma, is still fairly young but is already racking up exposure. In its debut year, the gasoline direct injected block that powers the Accent, Veloster and a few Kia vehicles managed to land of Ward’s Auto 10 Best Engine Award list even in 138 horsepower naturally aspirated form. Good for efficiency, the Gamma still left room for improvement an in October, Hyundai announced a turbocharged version of the 1.6 but was a little hush-hush on where it would find duty. Despite a few vague denials from Hyundai, the automotive industry began putting money on a turbocharged Veloster to show its face and do so rather soon. The rumors of a boosted three door turned out to be more than that as at the North American International Auto Show, the veil was lifted on the 2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo.
Just as it sat during Hyundai-Kia’s International Powertrain Conference in the fall, the 1.6 T-GDI Gamma breathes through a twin scroll single turbocharger to pump out 201 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque. The boosted engine still retains gasoline direct injection and a 9.5:1 compression ratio but now sucks down up to 18 psi of boost pressure. With its new-found power, the Veloster Turbo has its sights set directly on the Honda Civic SI, Mini Cooper and Clubman S, and the ultimate hot-hatch the Volkswagen GTI. In order to deal with the added power and torque, the transmissions have been changed up a bit from the base car. The six speed manual’s gear ratios have been widened ever so slightly and the six speed DCT automated manual is gone. According to Hyundai themselves, the newly developed DCT was unable to deal with the turbo’s torque so in its place is the company’s tried and true six speed automatic. “The base Veloster’s EcoShift DCT is tuned for fuel efficiency and not for the performance feel needed for the Veloster Turbo,” said Hyundai.
On the outside, the Veloster Turbo gets a little bit of extra aggression to go along with its street ripping power. The front bumper adds lowered flares while the signature hexagonal grille is larger than before. Lower side skirts drawl attention to the revised rear that features both a functioning diffuser and new exhaust design. Gone is the base car’s trapezoidal tip and in its place are more traditional dual pipes. The diameter has been enlarged to let the turbo Gamma breath better and put out a more aggressive note. A faster ratio steering rack and larger set of 18 inch ‘turbo’ wheels further separate the two Velosters but the boosted car’s suspenders are unchanged. This is due to the base car’s already impressive handling traits which are more than capable of dealing with the added power. With 24 mm and 23 mm stabilizer bars front and rear, the extra power should make the Turbo one sharp autocross cone killer.
Inside, the spacious and useful cabin remain relatively unchanged. Special leather seats with ‘turbo’ stitching and exclusive Supervision Cluster offer an added customized feel. All the standard interior tech that made the 2012 Veloster so special can be found on the 2013 model. Voice recognition, Gracenote, streaming audio, and extra fuel economy games make the Turbo entertaining while standing still while the available navigation and BlueLink support system let the Veloster accomplish things that used to be exclusive to laptops. And all of this technology and scoot will be fully covered by the best warranty the industry has ever seen. Hyundai has yet to release official pricing for the 2013 Veloster Turbo, but it should be safe to assume a base MSRP around the $20,000 mark. The boosted car will hit showroom floors during the summer.
Source: Hyundai
