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The Hyundai Veloster FS reminds me of an ad I read in a newspaper a few years ago that said "Selling two 3-door-wardrobes."

If you are looking for a sports coupe from Hyundai or if you generally can't decide whether you want a 2-door or 4-door car and choose the middle ground, aka 3 doors which is literally the middle groud, then you definatelly need to take a look at the Hyundai Veloster FS.

But we should still talk more about the Hyundai Veloster FS than just the fact that it's a 3-door car. First of all, it's one of the strangest cars in terms of the car platform you use, because the first Veloster is paired with the Hyundai i20 and the Kia Soul. If you look at all 3, you could say that they look just as good as the Tate brothers. They look the same, but not really. At least the Veloster with the i20, the Soul being from another movie altogether.

Secondly, it was their sportiest car in a long time, if not their first truly sporty car since the defunct Tiburon. They brought a lot of experimental toys on the Hyundai Veloster FS, which also had a downside. As sporty as the car was and as hairy chested as the technology was, it was also fragile. Which is why the Veloster has an image in the US as good as fast food. Or like Steven Seagal.

So you would be tempted to say that the Hyundai Veloster FS was as brilliant an idea as bringing Piers Morgan to the Got Talent judge board, if you went by the Americans' standards at least. The 2.0 Turbo engine they received is indeed a nippy engine but not fantastic nor elastic. And neither is the dual-clutch automatic transmission. We Europeans, on the other hand, got the classic 1.6 petrol engine and a manual transmission and it's a completely regular car. It's an i30 with sports suspension and missing a door. And missing on rear visibility. But that's about it.

Hyundai Veloster FS Engines

Petrol

• 1.6 G4FC and G4FD of 130 and 140 horsepower – You may think absolutely nothing of the 10 horsepower difference, but the difference between them is quite big. The 130 horsepower is has the classic multi-point injection system used on the i30 and it is a problem-free engine. The 140 horsepower is GDI direct injection engine so will have to deal with the inevitable carbon deposits on the intake manifold. And the GDI engine is also prone to oil consumption, which the basic MPI one isn't. BUT the biggest difference is that the 130 version has an older torque converter automatic gearbox, and the 140 has the more responsive but less reliable double clutch.


• 1.6 Turbo G4FJ with 186 and 204 horsepower – Here we have the debut of the 1.6 T-GDI engine that would even be installed on the Tucson or Santa Fe. A fairly reliable engine, but be careful that it can leak oil at the turbo, and if you ignore them long enough and don't change the seals, you will be left without an engine. Also, there have been cases where the aux belt went "Aw snap, aw snap, come to the macaroni party and then take a nap", dealing quite some damage.

Hyundai Veloster FS Reliability Issues

• I was talking earlier about the DCT dual clutch automatic transmission which is to be avoided and I'll repeat it once again so you get the message. Hyundai and Kia have major reliability issues with this transmission so avoid it completely.


• The Veloster may have fantastic engines and bombastic looks, but its kinship with the i20 is evident in the cheap plastics inside.


• Rear and left visibility non-existent. Terry Crews could be singing "It's not unusual" on the roof and I wouldn't have the faintest idea. And since we're talking about visibility, I'll also add the panoramic roof, which has a tendency to crack.

Hyundai Veloster FS Verdict

If we were in America I would say it's not quite a full car and I would go to the supermarket to buy another semi-automatic. But we are in Europe. Even worse, in the UK. And for UK it's a really decent car, the first Hyundai sports car after the defunct Tiburon. And it definitely remains a rare car here for the simple fact that it has 3 doors. Hyundai Veloster, for the kind of person who isn't convinced he wants 2 doors, 2.5 doors or 4 doors so he buys 3 doors. I'm waiting for the 1-door version to appear. Although that would be the 6 Series, the official car of people without friends.

What engines do I recommend? The 1.6 naturally aspirated 130 horsepower petrol is all you need, although all versions are good. Just make sure it has a manual transmission.