2020 Hyundai Veloster N

History/Overview

The Hyundai Veloster N joined this compact car's lineup last year as part of its second generation. The N label was inspired by Germany's Nurburgring racetrack, where Hyundai fine-tuned the Veloster's chassis. While Hyundai's current crop of compact cars boast better ride and handling than before, none is more impressive than the Veloster N, which was conceived to compete with the hottest of hot compacts.

Available Trims

The Hyundai Veloster N comes in a single trim. Power is from a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine making 275 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed manual is the only transmission available. Hyundai positions the Veloster N atop this model's range; the other three Veloster trims are covered in a separate buyer's guide entry.

Standard Features

All examples of the Veloster N get 19-inch wheels, automatic LED headlights, LED taillights, heated side mirrors, intermittent wipers, sport cloth seats with blue stitching, six-way driver and four-way front passenger manual front seat adjustments, heated front seats, an eight-speaker stereo, 8.0-inch infotainment screen, leather-trimmed shifter and heated steering wheel, steering wheel-mounted drive mode buttons, cruise control, 4.2-inch digital gauge cluster display, power windows and passive keyless entry.

Notable by their absence are electronic driver aids or active safety features. Hyundai wants the Veloster N to appeal to driving purists; if you want collision warning, automatic braking and lane keep assist, you have to move down to the non-turbo version of the regular Veloster. There are also no options to add to the Veloster N, so what you see is what you get.

Fuel Economy

Hyundai's fuel consumption estimates for the Veloster N are 10.6/8.3 L/100 km (city/highway).

Competition

Hyundai lines up the Veloster N against the more extreme members of the sport compact class, like the Honda Civic Type R, Volkswagen Golf R, Subaru WRX and Mini Cooper JCW. The Fiat 500 Abarth is in the same vein, but gives up more than 100 hp to the Veloster N. The Audi S3 is a lot more expensive but aside from AWD, it doesn't have much of a leg up on this sportiest Hyundai.