Well I've driven a V. Only for a short trip, so tough to say that much. I'm 5-11 and sitting in the front passenger seat, no problem. Didn't sit in the back. Then I took the wheel. I like it. Love the navi- had backup camera built in too. The interior feels more upscale than the Fit. Nice tight ride. The tires are super low profile- I don't like 'em that low profile. The Fit's are low profile enough for me thanks. It was a red v and I must say, it's an eye catcher. Hot looking in person, trust me. But the Fit- what can I say? Honda hit it so perfectly overall with the Fit, nothing really compares. We may not have every bell or whistle. But when you need a fun car, it's there. When you need it haul truck-like loads, it delivers. If I can spend some time behind the wheel of the v, I'll chime in. It seems to be a fun, cool car. But it ain't no Fit.

 

Problem is shockwave199, I'm sure it may well be a good car, but you mention you drove one with the navi and what not package, which brings the price well over $20k, I think this car can be in the range of $22,500 once you add features.. In some ways I don't doubt for a second that it's better than the Fit, the Fit is what it is a decent economy car. But with the options the Veloster I don't think is really competition to the Fit

 

The Veloster is a good car that is priced as a great car, therefore it's just not practical. It's for people who never had a new car before or a teenager that parents buy a car for. The only thing Kia/Hyundai has done differently in the past 3 years is design and marketing, which is proven to sell sell sell!

 

I'd give them more credit than that. Let's see 2010 Kia Optima SX V6 194hp 184 ft/lbs 2011 Kia Optima SX 2.0 Turbocharged 274hp 269 ft/lbs. Most of their cars have direct injection when they previously haven't. It's a lot more than just flashy cars and good marketing, they actually have solid cars now.

 

I guess we are throwing the term solid cars around a lot more loosely these days, I don't judge a car on its solidness by its engine power alone. Honda could and would crush everyone with that if they wanted to.

Don't get me wrong I think cars like the Kia Forte look pretty awesome, and they have greatly improved their image. But I need more than spec's of a completely new car platform and design to tell me about long term. This is all still too new for them, I don't care what the "initial studies say" Look back just a couple years and everyone including the expects would tell you Kia and Hyundai are some pretty crap cars that won't last, and none of them ever did, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say maybe, but it's still too early to tell, in the mean time. There is a company called Honda that has making solid cars for decades.

 

The Turbo Optima dyno's 203whp, that's a staggering 30% drivetrain loss! It's a bloated power figure that is unacheivable with 87 octane. Only if you run 93 does it dyno over 200whp.



I've been a member on several Hyundai and Kia forums, the mpg numbers are lower than EPA. The sheet metal is thin so you end up with dents from weather changes. I have done my research, they haven't improved nearly as much as people think.

 

OP, I was thinking the same thing and while I've sat in one and looked around a bit, I havent driven it. But here are my impressions so far:

Pro's-

-Interior (felt way bigger and nicer than the fit though the fit wins in storage ability. seats felt like the old seats from my 96 accord and I loved the way I sat in that car) layout was intuitve and would really like the pandora radio...

-shoulder room is great without having to get a midsize sedan. Most smaller cars are narrow, not this one.

-pop the hood and it looks realtively open enough to allow for some mods and diy's without tearing up your hands...headlights can be removed for retrofits without having to remove bumpers I think....

con's

-in some angles and colors this car looks HORRIBLE...but then again the side profile of the fit can be pretty bad also

-rear window visibility is crappy and a broadway mirror and some practice will be essential for all new owners

-the paints dont seem so tough and if I can recall from my experiences with other hyundais, you can punch a dent into one (and punch it back out- like my mom did to her accent lol!)

-every review of the car was dismissive so I'll have to test drive this one myself....

-comparing specs with the elantra makes you want the elantra more....

 

I saw the Veloster in the lot at the grocery. I have to say it looks much better seeing it in person.

 

Id get the veloster but if you dont mind paying 3-4k more wait till the turbo version comes out, hopefully honda can do something different in 2013, theres several cars on the market with more hp/tq and better gas mileage than the fit with a similar price tag or cheaper and these cars you dont have to worry about your sport wheels getting stolen from typical 90s honda thieves. Only thing fit has over these cars is the cargo room and looks but thats always in the eyes of the beholder.

 

I saw one on the road about a month ago... I was very impressed with the appearance of it.. I drove behind it and around it to check it from every angle and there isn't anything about it that I didn't like.... I'm glad I'm not the kind of guy that is impressed with the aesthetic appeal of a car or I would be going into the hole for 3 years to pay for a Hyundai..

 

The rear quarter blind spots in the veloster is worse than the cr-z.....

 

I have to admit.. that Hundai looks GREAT.. but in my opinion all Hyndais look great when they first come out.. but a few years down the road... idk if i would want to own one...

if you look at honda.. lets be honest, who wouldn't wanna own a nicely conditioned EK, or even an EG... or any honda civic.. they are almost all classics

now this is all personal opinion, but i loved the tiburon when it first came out... and now when i see a tiburon i kinda laugh and iam glad i didn't get one (mostly because of the horrible transmission reliably) and then you look at the genesis coupe, and it looked dazzeling when it first came out.. competing against cars like the 350z/370z but a few years down the road that 350z is still a CLASSIC, and the genesis just looks like an old car right now thats in need of a refresh model (which they are getting one next year.. and YES it DOES look amazing once again), (i also feel that the genesis fails mainly because they made 4 and 6 cylinder versions.. nobody can tell which one is exactly better, where you kinda KNOW for sure that the 350z only came as a 350z 6 cylinder)

the Cobalt SS, and the Neon SRT4 didn't exactly have long runs either, each time you see one you kinda wonder if its a turbo or a poser version.


so yeah.. i hope i can stop you from making a bad decision of selling the fit.. because the fit is coming up on its NEW model soon.. we already passed the refresh model phase, and the next year should be the last year of the 2012/2013 refresh phase.. so according to car generation math.. the new fit will be out soon too.. and who knows.. it might actually look good.

 

I'd say that car had problems or the dyno was messed up as the Hyundai Sonata Turbo which shares the same engine only suffered from 15% loss and that's with the auto.

 

DO NOT GET THE NON TURBO! I've been researching all the reviews, and the first gen Veloster is a let down. I'm waiting for the reviews once the Turbo comes out. On a bit of the geek side, I've driven the the Turbo Veloster on Forza 4, and it seems a bit sluggish compared to the Fit, but I think it looks more stylish.

 

literally, wow! I think you didn't tune it right! need to get the headers and exhaust upgrades and sport cams.

 

Cant wait for the info to come out. Cant believe Im saying this but the new ford focus is 160hp 148tq and delivers up to 40mpg highway. I know someone with one and already went cross country with it, they love the car. If ford can come up with these numbers hopefully honda can too.

 

The new turbo veloster is awesome. My auto tech teacher works for hyundai as an engineer and he brought in the 2012 turbo veloster to show to the class. It's amazing, the looks are beyond my expectations, at least once you see it in person. I was in the passenger seat while he was moving it out of the shop and it didn't seem sluggish at all, but then again we only went 20 mph max :P he says he's getting 37 mpg, so that isn't too bad. The turbo is going to go for 21k and 23k with a more sportier trim, which includes sunroof and sportier interior.
According to him, he said it performed well against a STI, I wouldn't be too sure though since it was second hand info.

 

If you can live with 2 doors, I'd say go with the Veloster Turbo.

If you need 4 doors, the Fit is the best choice.

 

 

Might I recommend Consumer Reports?

Hyundai Veloster first look from Consumer Reports - YouTube

Honda Fit Review from Consumer Reports - YouTube