Rabu, 30 November 2011

2012 Hyundai Veloster Driven Review

2012 Hyundai Veloster Profile Night
Rarely does the topic of giving come to the forefront of our minds. We are takers, not just as a society but as individual human beings. To a large extent, this is forgivable. We do, after all, require certain elements in order to survive. Around the Christmas season, however, giving becomes a more frequently discussed subject. This holiday season, there's a new giver in town, and the generosity emanating from this soulless giver is tangible yet strangely lacking in physicality.

These are the sorts of subjects not normally present in a review of the 2012 Hyundai Veloster, or any other car for that matter. The Veloster's generous ways made me thankful throughout its late night photography session, a session which took place outside an absolutely empty shopping mall, only hours after it was jam packed with holiday shoppers. But taking from the Veloster was a lot like receiving gifts from a secret Santa: there was no signature, no communication. Just a giver and a taker.

Though this sounds like the 2012 Veloster leaves a hollow experience in its wake, there's no denying the impact it's had in Hyundai showrooms, and if anything is being left in the Veloster's wake, it's Honda's CR-Z, perhaps even Scion's tC.

GoodCarBadCar's full review of the tech package-equipped, DCT-fitted 2012 Hyundai Veloster can be read after the jump. For the full Christmas Eve effect, the Veloster was photographed only at night. Outside a barren mall, beside an empty school, beside the airport runway, on traffic-less roads, in freezing conditions. When Hyundai Canada's silver Veloster visited GoodCarBadCar, it wasn't yet Christmas, but gloves were worn, winter coats were on, and toques were pulled down over ears. Some of the resulting images can be viewed (and enlarged with a click) in this post, but scroll down and you'll also find a complete Gallery of GoodCarBadcar photography.
2012 Hyundai Veloster Night Halifax Airport
GOING
Enter the Veloster without removing the proximity key from your jacket pocket, depress the circular start button directly in front of the shifter, and, if the stereo and HVAC systems are off, you'll hear the whisper of a smooth 1.6L four-cylinder. This direct-injection 138-horsepower four is a bit buzzy at first, but a few minutes of warmth puts the buzzing to rest. Anybody other than Speed Kills proponents will say the Veloster is surprisingly sleepy from rest. It's not that the engine is unwilling to rev - things move along quite nicely above 4000 rpm - and it's not that the engine isn't utterly smooth when revving. Moreover, those who are surprised at the Veloster's lack of gumption are surprised because of its design, not the spec sheet. Each of this loaded Veloster's horses must carry 20.4 pounds.

In a basic Hyundai Accent sedan, each of the 1.6L's horses is tasked with toting around only 17.4 pounds. Is the Veloster quick? Not at all. Hyundai never said it was. Besides, there's a turbocharged Veloster coming next year. The Veloster merges onto a highway without difficulty and feels significantly more responsive in fourth gear at 80 km/h than it does in first at 5 km/h. In exchange for failing to provide you with Accent-like accelerative pace, the heavier Veloster gives 38 miles per gallon on the highway and 29 mpg in the city, according to the EPA. The highway figure improves by two mpg if you opt for the manual transmission, but doing so will drop the city rating down to 28 mpg. Canadian readers will note that this works out to an average of 7.4 L/100 km.

The manual transmission wasn't something GoodCarBadCar sampled. Fortunately, the automatic is technologically interesting. Dual-clutch gearboxes like the one in the 2012 Veloster are increasingly common. The Veloster's is clearly less aggressive than the dual-clutch transmission in say, the Ferrari 458 Italia, but as a $1400 (CDN) option, it's only $200 more than the conventional 6-speed automatic in the Accent. The slippery shift from first to second was consistently frustrating until I took control with the flappy paddles. Once on the move the DCT was effective, particularly pleasant when downshifting, and never harsh in the least. If you like to row your own, stick with the manual. For those who require automatic transmissions, this DCT will add to the experience. Just don't assume it will give or lend extra pace.
2012 Hyundai Veloster Cemetery
All Photo Credits: Stephanie Cain ©www.GoodCarBadCar.net
TURNING
A blessed absence of body roll does not automatically make a vehicle a good-handling vehicle. Nor does it automatically make a vehicle fun to drive. It simply means corners can be taken aggressively in seats with softer bolstering.

You won't be left wanting for increased bolstering in the Veloster's front seats, however. And not to confuse the matter, but the Veloster really does know how to make use of a contractor's level when cornering. That puts an end to the positives, as it is during this process of driving the Veloster hard through the twisties that all interaction ceases. The steering wheel's vast dead spot on the straight-ahead, its strange desire to avoid self-centering, the sticky sensation one only finds in a Hyundai steering rack, and the Veloster's inability to transfer messages from the wheels to the helm leave the driver with little confidence. The stiff chassis leads one to believe the entry speed is safe, but the wheel angle is unknown and probably in need of correction. What kind of correction? The steering isn't talking, so who knows?

This is the Veloster's one key fault, one of its only faults, in fact. The problem isn't misspelled telegrams coming back through the rack, it's that the lines of communication are broken. Here the Veloster is one of us, a taker; not a giver. You will give effort and intelligence. In return, the Veloster fails by offering no real-time reconnaissance.

LIVING
Every passenger I had in the Veloster was impressed by the overall feeling of space. Because Hyundai placed an emphasis on cabin comfort over cargo capacity, every one of the four inhabitants can get comfortable, that is if the rear seat passengers aren't long above the hips. Headroom is at a premium; even for some front seat riders in this sunroof-equipped Veloster. The third door makes entry into the back easier, though not outright easy, and once situated there were no complaints.

Meanwhile, up front, the driver and passenger are treated to an array of features rarely seen at this price point. Bluetooth, heated seats, air conditioning, proximity key, backup camera, cruise, steering wheel controls, and a seven-inch touch screen are all standard on the basic Veloster. Upping the ante with the $3500 (CDN) tech package brings about a panoramic sunroof, leather wrapped wheel and shifter, partially leathered seats, bigger alloys, a thumping eight speaker stereo, and navigation. You can play Hyundai's BlueMax efficiency game through the touch screen.

Out back there's access to 15.5 cubic feet of load lugging capacity, shaped squarely with a nice perch for photographers under the opened hatch. A quick fold of the rear seats prepares the Veloster for moving day. The liftgate is high but lightweight.
2012 Hyundai Veloster Tech Package Interior
LOOKING
Polarizing designs aren't always acquainted with success. A vehicle which splits opinion can, however, inspire as much love on one side as it does hatred on another. The Veloster will invariably be derided by some, but those who approve of the unique design could be more than just satisfied - they may be excited. Excited enough to buy one. The Hyundai Veloster doesn't appear Plain Jane from any angle, but it's blunt front is probably its least distinctive.

The Veloster looks like nothing else when viewed from the back, its glassy roof running away to meet the windshield. The scalloped doors nicely break up what would otherwise be slab sides. Looking at a Veloster from a back corner gives the Hyundai hatch an opportunity to shine. From there it looks more mature while still unique. Regardless of the angle, this Hyundai always has a sense of the exotic about it. That's not to say onlookers would think it costs $200,000, but they surely won't guess $20,000, either.

Inside, the Veloster features Hyundai's small car design theme, doing so with more success than the Accent or the Elantra. Some cheap materials are used, but not in the places you most often touch. The steering wheel is of proper girth, the paddles don't feel as though they'll snap off, and buttons and switches and blinker stalks mostly feel like they were inherited from a more expensive vehicle.
2012 Hyundai Veloster Cargo
COMPETING
Conventional thinking says the 2012 Hyundai Veloster is in prime position to take on the Honda CR-Z and Scion tC. That's true. The CR-Z is more expensive and not much more efficient, the tC has been around a while and doesn't bring a whole lot of excitement to the table. Comparing the Veloster to the Volkswagen GTI flatters Hyundai but ignores the fact that the Golf-based performance Volkswagen is a true performance machine. On pricing grounds, it's also out of the Veloster's league.

On content terms, the Veloster's cousin from Kia, the 2012 Rio, is something of a threat with its upper trim levels. Obviously not intending to be half as sporty as the Veloster, the Rio tries to be handsome and succeeds. Excluding similarly sized, well-equipped subcompacts from the equation gives the Veloster a sort of cheap iPhone feel.

Imagine if Apple introduced a new iPhone but priced it below the vast majority of possible competitors. Sure, competitors may have a more powerful camera. Some may scroll more smoothly, offer a greater capacity for music storage, even compute more quickly. But if you could have all the iPhone offers for less than the price of a typical Android device, the stage would be set for (even greater) Apple domination.

The 2012 Hyundai Veloster is a flashy high-tech device. There are a couple things it doesn't do quite as well as we'd like. Averaging just 25 miles per gallon (9.4 L/100km) wasn't acceptable, for example, but that could relate to the engine's youthful tightness, a fact which could've contributed to its slow-witted takeoff, as well. The steering is GM circa 1997, only twice as light, a not inconvenient trait to possess in parking lots, I suppose. If the third door is so great - and it is - why isn't there a fourth?

The Veloster is fun in spite of a couple glaring faults. Fun because of features, fun because it looks like nothing else, fun because every street light in the neighbourhood lights up the interior through all that glass while the stereo rattles teeth. Fun and moderately practical and rather efficient and super stylish... while costing less? That's not the Apple business model.
2012 Hyundai Veloster Front Halifax Shopping Centre
POETICIZING
What the Veloster lacks in on-road dynamic character it makes up for with outrageous styling. For most car buyers, acquiring a Hyundai Veloster will require a measure of rational thinking, not just a burning desire for a characterful car. Within that frame of reference, Hyundai is prepared to give you yet another value-oriented small car with an excellent warranty and generally low interest rates. In exchange for approximately $20,000. 

The fact that you must pay for a Veloster suggests it isn't a gift, nor is it a gift giver. One can safely assume that Hyundai could charge hundreds more, at the very least, for the privilege of owning a Veloster. Thus, you're receiving the gift of a built-in discount. 

The Veloster's lack of outright pace and its un-Lotus-like steering fall victim to an expectations game. Judge the value of the Veloster's aggressive stance separate from its dynamic repertoire and the Veloster will, more likely than not, exceed expectations. Unlike the uncovered Christmas Veloster poetry below which will undoubtedly have Jim Reeves rolling over in his grave.


Hyundai Canada provided GoodCarBadCar with nine days in an Ironman Silver 2012 Veloster 

Jolly old Saint Nicholas, lean your ear this way,
Feel free to tell some other souls, what I'm going to say;
Christmas Eve is coming soon; now, you dear old man,
Whisper which Hyundai I'll get, please let it be fast.

When the clock is striking twelve, when I'm wrapping gifts,
In the driveway broad and black, with my car you'll creep;
Take that old Corolla, please, crush it with your sleigh,
Leave a Hyundai parked right there, or a Porsche is fine.

Johnny wants a PS3, Susie needs Wii Fit,
Range Rover makes a nice Evoque, But I just want three doors,
Mommy says, "It is true, your brain is not so bright,"
But Santa Claus, you must agree, V'losters are alright.

That's eight speakers, navi too, plus a backup cam,
A big sunroof, sharp design, leather and nice wheels,
The 1.6 won't make beelines, not for you or me,
I won't care how fast it is, there are three real doors!

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What Canadians Pay For A New 2012 Hyundai Veloster

Senin, 28 November 2011

Top 40 Best-Selling Vehicles In America In 2004

2004 Honda Civic Si FPP
A quick examination of 2004's 30 best-selling vehicles in America list will reveal that 26.7% of the nameplates were General Motors products. In October 2011 that figure was 20%, for some perspective, and in 2003 the number had been 30%. GM was still selling cars by the boatload, but market share was certainly in decline. General Motors market share in 2002 was 28.6% and fell slightly to 28.3% in 2003. GM market share slid to 27.5% a year later.

G.W. Bush was reelected president, Michael Phelps won eight medals at the Athens Olympics, the National Hockey League season never began, and Honda sold a hatchback Civic in North America. It was 2004, and the U.S. new vehicle market grew by 1.4%. The Ford F-Series alone was up 11.5%, equal to 93,925 more sales than in 2003. This means, you could say, 40% of the market's growth came as a result of the growth of America's best-selling vehicle, a crazy feat indeed. 

Sales of America's best-selling car, the Toyota Camry, were up 3.3% from 2003. The best-selling SUV in the United States was the Ford Explorer but sales fell 9.1% from more than 370K to less than 340K. Trailing the Explorer on the best-selling SUV list were Chevrolet's TrailBlazer and Tahoe, Ford's Escape, the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Liberty, Ford Expedition, Honda CR-V, Dodge Durango, and GMC Envoy. Yep, just the one import among the ten most popular sport-utility vehicles in America. The minivan crown was worn by the Dodge Grand Caravan - its lead over the Toyota Sienna was more than 83,000 units strong.

Embarrassingly, the Buick LeSabre remained a member of the top 40 in 2004. The Chevrolet Cavalier was way up in 16th spot. The Ford Taurus certainly wasn't the most exciting car in America in 2004 but Americans bought nearly a quarter million of of them anyhow.

You can see America's top 40 best-selling vehicles from 2002 here. 2003's list can be scanned here. Start searching for other types of best seller lists here. Below, you'll find America's top 40 best-selling vehicles in 2004.

Rank
Best-Selling Vehicle
2004 Sales
% Change 
From 2003
#1
Ford F-Series
939,511
+ 11.5%
#2
Chevrolet Silverado
680,768
- 0.5%
#3
Toyota Camry
426,990
+ 3.3%
#4
Dodge Ram
426,389
- 5.1%
#5
Honda Accord
386,770
- 2.8%
#6
Ford Explorer
339,333
- 9.1%
#7
Honda Civic
309,196
+ 3.2%
#8
Chevrolet Impala
290,259
+ 8.4%
#9
Chevrolet TrailBlazer
283,484
+ 8.5%
#10
Ford Taurus
248,148
- 17.4%
#11
Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan
242,307
+ 3.8%
#12
Toyota Corolla *
238,143
- 7.6%
#13
Nissan Altima
235,889
+ 17.2%
#14
GMC Sierra
213,756
+ 8.7%
#15
Ford Focus
208,339
- 9.2%
#16
Chevrolet Cavalier
195,275
- 23.9%
#17
Chevrolet Tahoe
186,161
- 6.5%
#18
Ford Escape
183,340
+ 9.4%
#19
Jeep Grand Cherokee
182,313
- 12.1%
#20
Chevrolet Malibu
179,806
+ 46.5%
#21
Jeep Liberty
167,376
+ 2.7%
#22
Ford Expedition
159,846
- 12.0%
#23
Toyota Sienna
159,119
+ 50.8%
#24
Ford Ranger
156,322
- 25.2%
#25
Honda Odyssey
154,238
+ 0.1%
#26
Toyota Tacoma
152,932
+ 0.8%
#27
Honda CR-V
149,281
+ 3.7%
#28
Chrysler Town & Country
142,523
+ 18.0%
#29
Dodge Durango
137,148
+ 27.0%
#30
GMC Envoy
134,897
+ 5.6%
#31
Pontiac Grand Am
133,707
- 14.6%
#32
Toyota Highlander
133,077
+ 10.7%
#33
Pontiac Grand Prix
133,551
+ 4.9%
#34
Ford Mustang
129,858
- 7.5%
#35
Honda Pilot
128,158
+ 19.9%
#36
Chevrolet Suburban
119,545
- 11.6%
#37
Chevrolet Colorado
117,475
+ 3223.2%
#38
Chrysler PT Cruiser
115,955
+ 7.6%
#39
Toyota 4Runner
114,212
+ 4.5%
#40
Buick LeSabre
114,157
- 0.4%
Source: ANDC
* Corolla sales figures do not include sales of the Matrix as recent Corolla sales figures do

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 40 Best-Selling Vehicles In America In 2002
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Sabtu, 26 November 2011

2013 Toyota GT 86 Image Gallery - This Is Your Production Scion FR-S

2013 Toyota GT 86
It will generate 197 horsepower at 7000 rpm and 151 lb-ft of torque at 6600 rpm with a 2.0L boxer four-cylinder. It will weigh less than 2700 pounds. It will be 167 inches long, 50.6 inches tall, and 101 inches wide. It will also be sold as the different-in-many-ways Subaru BRZ. It is the Toyota GT 86, a car formerly known as the Toyota FT-86. We will most likely know this sporting rear-wheel drive Toyota as the Scion FR-S. Probably. If that's what it ends up being named when the Toyota GT 86 reaches North America shores. The Toyota GT 86 will go on sale in the United Kingdom in June 2012. And it looks like this. 

2011 Scion FR-S Concept
2011 Scion FR-S Concept
The front three-quarter is surely the GT 86's best position for photography. When viewed from the back the GT 86 isn't the classiest but it will make the rear angle unmistakeable. There's too much air above the rubber. The rear wheels seem to be just a little hidden in the rear wheelwells. Toyota's application of a rear wing on a car that has plenty of visual interest without it is disappointing. In this trim the profile of the tires appears absurdly high. The front plate reduces the apparent size of the gargantuan air intake but doesn't actually do the car any favours.

Toyota says the GT 86 is the smallest four-seat sports car on the market. It will also likely be one of the least expensive, and the basically trimmed-out interior furthers that impression. The GT 86's innards are attractive, however, and very purposeful. But it looks like the interior of a car that wants to be driven rather than caressed.

Overall impressions have been and continue to be nothing but positive in the automotive universe. The GT 86 is not as stunning as the Scion FR-S concept, but unfortunately, this is the nature of bring a new automobile to market. Impress us, get us talking, then get real with the production car and disappoint us just a bit. 

The Toyota GT 86, the Scion FR-S if you will, is now pictured in production form. The fact that this car exists is exciting enough. That Toyota has also made a good-looking car, one that is lightweight and engineered to be a genuine driver's car, well, that's like a heaping bowl of strawberries on top of a burbly rev-hungry boxer four-cylinder.

The gallery below is filled with twelve exterior shots and two interior pictures of the 2013 Toyota GT 86. Peruse and enjoy. 


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Top 40 Best-Selling Vehicles In America In 2003

2003 Ford Explorer
The Ford Explorer was America's best-selling
SUV in 2003, America's sixth-best-selling vehicle overall
America's new vehicle market shrunk by 1% in 2003. More than half the vehicles appearing on this list of best sellers reported declining sales compared with 2002. 

America's three best-selling vehicles were also America's three best-selling trucks in 2003. All three - the top-selling Ford F-Series, second-ranked Chevrolet Silverado, and the fastest-rising Dodge Ram - posted year-over-year gains. America's four most popular cars did not fare so well. The top-selling Toyota Camry was down 5%, Honda Accord sales slid by less than 1%, the Ford Taurus dropped 10%, and the Honda Civic was down more than 4%.

Remember 2003? America went to war in Iraq, SARS wreaked havocFinding Nemo grossed $340 million in North America. And the Ford Explorer was the best-selling SUV in the United States. Sales were down 14% from 2002, however. The Chevrolet TrailBlazer, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Expedition, Ford Escape, Jeep Liberty, Honda CR-V, Chevrolet Suburban rounded out the top ten list of best-selling SUVs. That's nine Detroit sport-utilities and one Japanese cute-ute. In 2010 there were four Detroit SUVs among the top 10; none bigger than the Chevrolet Traverse. Moreover, the Honda CR-V was the best-selling SUV in America in 2010.

Before you scan this list and head back to check out 2002's top 40 best-selling vehicles in America, consider one more interesting fact: 30% of the vehicles in the top 30 were built by General Motors. In October 2011, 20% of America's 30 best-selling vehicles were built by General Motors.

Rank
Best-Selling Vehicle
2003 Sales
% Change 
From 2002
#1
Ford F-Series
845,586
+ 3.9%
#2
Chevrolet Silverado
684,302
+ 4.9%
#3
Dodge Ram
449,371
+ 13.2%
#4
Toyota Camry
413,296
- 4.8%
#5
Honda Accord
397,750
- 0.3%
#6
Ford Explorer
373,118
- 14.0%
#7
Ford Taurus
300,496
- 9.7%
#8
Honda Civic
299,672
- 4.3%
#9
Chevrolet Impala
267,882
+ 34.7%
#10
Chevrolet TrailBlazer
261,334
+ 4.7%
#11
Toyota Corolla *
257,696
+ 26.3%
#12
Chevrolet Cavalier
256,550
+ 7.7%
#13
Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan
233,394
- 4.7%
#14
Ford Focus
229,353
- 5.7%
#15
Ford Ranger
209,117
- 7.5%
#16
Jeep Grand Cherokee
207,479
- 7.5%
#17
Nissan Altima
201,240
- 0.3%
#18
Chevrolet Tahoe
199,065
- 5.1%
#19
GMC Sierra
196,689
- 2.7%
#20
Ford Expedition
181,547
+ 11.1%
#21
Ford Escape
167,678
+ 15.3%
#22
Jeep Liberty
162,987
- 4.8%
#23
Pontiac Grand Am
156,466
+ 3.7%
#24
Toyota Tacoma
154,154
+ 1.4%
#25
Honda Odyssey
154,063
+ 0.4%
#26
Honda CR-V
143,909
+ 1.6%
#27
Ford Mustang
140,350
+ 1.4%
#28
Chrysler Town & Country
140,007
- 4.4%
#29
Chevrolet S10
136,573
- 9.5%
#30
Chevrolet Suburban
135,222
- 10.5%
#31
GMC Envoy
127,782
+ 15.4%
#32
Pontiac Grand Prix
125,441
- 3.6%
#33
Chevrolet Malibu
122,771
- 27.5%
#34
Hyundai Elantra
120,858
+ 0.2%
#35
Toyota Highlander
120,174
+ 6.2%
#36
Dodge Neon
120,101
- 4.8%
#37
Volkswagen Jetta
117,867
- 19.0%
#38
Saturn Ion
117,230
+ 1832.6%
#39
Buick LeSabre
114,572
- 15.7%
#40
Ford Windstar
113,465
- 23.8%
Source: ANDC 
* Corolla sales figures do not include sales of the Matrix as recent Corolla sales figures do

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Top 40 Best-Selling Vehicles In America In 2002
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