The veloster is actually 3 doors + the hatch door. It has a rear passenger door but not a rear driver side door

 

since i considered the fit and ended up with the veloster, i thought id chime in. i did need some utility, and the veloster gives me enough of that. i can fit quite a bit of stuff in the back with the seats folded down. also, contrary to what some here think, the back seats are very useable. my dad is 5'11" and 79 years old...he had no trouble climbing in the back and his head did not touch the roof. he was very comfortable for our 200 mile trip to ann arbor. id say at 6' or taller, it would not be eough roof space in the back.

for under $18,500 i got the 6 speed manual (which has a very smooth, short throw shifter) with very bolstered comfortable seats, 7 inch touch screen, blue link(which gives turn by turn navigation on the screen), a quite nice stereo, 17" alloys, bluetooth....more stuff than i even wanted. so, the base model is nicely equipped.

ive noticed more and more people pushing their hyundais toward 200,000 miles. i also took note of the last jd powers long term dependability study (not the useless 90 day study). considering the study goes back 3 years, it was not even done on their most current crop of newer offerings (accent, elantra, veloster...). ive always been a loyal honda/toyota buyer, but hyundai made something i really wanted and ive accepted that things change. honda wasnt making the most long lasting cars when i bought my first honda.

 

Honda is ranked even with Ford?

Lincoln at the top? (it's a ford)

Jag?

And I thought Kia and Hyundai were basically the same car?

Oh well. The only thing I can figure is Ford buyers are so used to lousy electronics that they think failures are normal and not a problem.

Or the incidence rate at the high end of 2 problems per 100 vehicles is so low that differences between makes aren't really significant.

I agree that Hyundais are strong competition for Honda.

 

thats my take on the industry as a whole. all manufacturers have improved greatly in the last decade. i no longer worry about what manufacturers car i am going to buy...i can now look at which car "does it" for me, regardless of who makes it.

 

So far, the only thing that has impressed me about the Veloster when I see them on the road is the paint. I know Hyundai was playing around with an electrostatic type paint coating, similar to Mercedes to put on their Genesis cars. If that's the case, then it really shows. This is also because they are all new and shiny, and I don't doubt other Hyundais are the same way underneath the dirt that their appliance owners let form a nice patina of.

 

I agree on the back seat. It's not as comfortable as the Fit, but it's perfectly usable for the type of car it is. I'm 6'3", and from sitting in the back of a Veloster at the auto show this year, it seemed perfectly adequate. Would I want to take a road trip sitting back there? No. But would I easily be able to ride around town back there? For sure.

 

except I messed up, it's a high incidence rate of 2 per car (from a low of 1 per car). Still not a big difference. With the LMS recall and the buggy MPG calculation I'm on par with Minis!

 

6 speed? Disc brakes? Longer warranty? Better features? Better mileage? Crazy warranty? It's quite the deal, it seems!

I'm not so hot on the 3rd door... I think it looks fantastic from the driver's side. Overall, it depends on what you want/need. The Fit has more cargo space... if you need more cargo space, that's a factor. If not, don't worry about it.

 

That was the turning position for me. I liked and needed the cargo space. Mostly to tote around a 5 hp snowblower and a generator.

 

Know this is a older thread but see the turbo can be priced out on the Hyundai site with 6 speed manual for $22,725.

 

It's a good price, especially considering the luxuries it comes with on the base model. Leather seats, 450w sound system, projector headlights, rear view camera, touch screen display, etc.

 

In my little opinion there is only one thing that really matters. Does the car you are purchasing doing it for you? Are you proud of it?

Every thing else seems a bit trivial.

There will always be a battle of the specs.

I would not buy a Veloster simply because I do not like the look of it and it has no cargo space to speak of. We always think that feature means little...until we need it. As well the trunk is high and it makes it difficult for pets.

As well I believe that all Hyundai's are prone to cabin noise on the highway.

 

I've had 3 different domestic cars and have driven a couple of hyundai models--not test driven, my dad has one and some friends drive them. I have a certified Honda mechanic buddy that just bought a veloster and though he likes it he has a laundry list of complaints. Yeah the turbo version will likely be faster than a Fit but realistically, the fit is way more practical. I am 5'8" and it's a struggle in the back of the veloster.

He says the reliability will probably be something like a Mini Cooper, maybe slightly worse--he's a mechanic though so he really doesn't care.

 

If the hyundais and kias start having a lot of mechanical problems, then that warranty won't mean crap to most people, and we will continue to see an influx of Fit owners. It doesn't do everything great, but it does a lot of stuff really well at the same time. Still waiting for the competition to beat it overall.

I think the main thing people are wanting that the Fit doesn't offer is quiet, comfort and amenities. Power with the manual is plenty enough compared to the other subcompacts I've driven.

The turbo is still 22k, which would get you a Fit sport with a custom turbo that would walk a Veloster and probably still be more reliable. Nobody seems to want to turbo their Fit though.

 

I think the Veloster is a GREAT looking car, like someone said the paint looks outstanding (I wish I could say the same of the Fit ).

However, the overall utility of the Fit would win me over even today. Like Hayden said:
To me that's been the allure of Hondas for a long time, they don't really stand out on spec sheets, but everything comes together to make a really USEFUL vehicle.

I don't see the Veloster as that, despite how really nifty it is with bells and whistles, show and shine. Judging by how many of them I see on the street vs. 2012 Fits it seems despite all the technology the Veloster has packed into it, people perfer that utility the Fit provides.

 

Maybe it's just where I live, but I see more Veloster's than Fit's.

 

I don't see the Fit in the same category as the Veloster. Saw one up close a few days ago and looks really sharp. Wow, lots of glass... To me it would be in the CRZ category instead of the Fit. Definitely as already posted, the Fit is very "utility friendly".

No knock on Hyundai. I have an '08 Elantra and am quite happier with it than my '79 Corolla it replaced. Whatever does the job for you, works for me.

 

Veloster is in a whole other league. Way higher. Doesn't hold as much but what a fun car to drive. Only problem with me is that it only has 2 sets of seat belts in the back. Can't fit my 3 kids in there. They would fit, but not with only 2 sets of belts. It would be on my short short list for what to buy next, for my wekeend fun car.

 

West coast loves their Hondas + somewhat fuel efficient + small city car means that SF and LA are flooded with Fits. It's not uncommon for me to to have two next to me at the same time in traffic Here, they're literally EVERYWHERE.

It is interesting I seem to hear in the east coast and midwest they're not as popular it seems.

What'd you do with the Corolla?

 

Oops... sorry, Wanderer I meant '98. I know what you're thinkin'. Love d those model years. Unfortunately, the Corolla challenged an unmovable concrete guard rail after the front end was clipped by a #### driver trying to change lanes on a freeway a few years ago. RIP!