’22 Hyundai Veloster N DCT

  • Everything tested to be working, looks great!

2022 Hyundai Veloster N DCT DD/WW Build:

  • Performance Blue
  • Turbocharged 2.0L (275hp, 260lbft)
  • FWD
  • 8speed Hyundai Wet DCT
  • ~3,250lbs

Modifications:

Rolling updates/maintenance/miscellaneous

New-to-me 2022 Hyundai Veloster “LM N” DCT. This is a car I’ve wanted since it came out in 2019, but wished it came with an automatic. When the lifecycle refresh came out in 2021 with a new DCT, I knew it was going to be perfect for me. The VN will serve as a “daily” with the build for autox in street class – very much like the Mini used to be.

I had most recently been considering a GR Corolla. A turbocharged 3cyl with a trick AWD system seemed like a great option – particularly after the LC update came out with their new 8psd torque converter. The form factor is great too – I love hatchbacks. At 174″ long, it is about 2 1/2 feet shorter than the Sequoia, making it way easier to park. However, I wasn’t sold on the bang-for-buck of the car. With a fully loaded option (formerly Circuit, with Carbon roof) + DAT, you were looking at 48k MSRP. For a Corolla. With a standard Corolla interior, minus an armrest. Even though I could afford it, was it worth DOUBLE the price of a Veloster N?

The next option was the Elantra N. Best interior of the options so far, with a great digital cluster & infotainment system, solid materials, and felt the most premium overall. After the LC update with its improved cooling and much revised front fascia & various other small improvements, this was a really appealing option. Ultimately, the form factor just wasn’t right for me. At 184″ long, it’s actually half a foot longer than the Evo. I didn’t really want a sport sedan, and especially didn’t want something that didn’t make parking significantly easier. If I were in the suburbs, maybe…

That led me back to the Veloster N. Road and Track’s 2020 PCOTY (Performance Car of the Year). Full specs here. Starting with the exterior, this is the best looking car of the 3 to my eye. Handsome front fascia, great headlights & design, and angry taillights with a very cool wing-mounted 3rd brake light. At 167″ long, it’s the shortest option by far (over 3′ shorter than the Sequoia!), which helps with parking. I also actually like the 3-door setup. Usually coupe doors are way too long, but it’s not too bad on the driver’s side here. It’s got a seatbelt butler like my old M3 had, but the design is better here. The 2 doors on the passenger’s side is really cool & convenient. The dog is able to jump in the back seat, which I’ve set up for him, while still having space for 2 more passengers. The back seat is fine leg-wise, but the headroom is a little tight for me. More importantly, up front are the best factory bucket seats I’ve ever experienced (with slick performance blue seatbelts!). Great bolstering up top and below, fits my body nearly perfectly, will just be getting a pillow for more lumbar support. The only bummer is that these aren’t heated, even though they are in other markets… They “N” logo lights up, very reminiscent of the “M” logo in BMW M cars. The infotainment system is fine, the screen is a little small and less integrated than modern cars, but has wired Android Auto and it works fine. The safety features added to the 21+ are appreciated. This is definitely the lowest sitting car I’ve ever been in, and I feel like I’m nearly sitting on the ground when I drive, almost like a go kart – fine for most instances, but at night, a lot of headlight shining at me with no auto-dimming rearview mirror. In the end, though, this car provided 100% of the fun at 50% of the cost of a GRC, and probably 70% of the cost of the EN.

Like almost every review mentions, this is the first “N” product in the States, following Albert Biermann’s appointment from BMW. The car is built for fun first, maximum performance second. A twin scroll turbo force feeds air into a 2.0L making 275hp and 260lbft is perfect for a FWD car. The car feels quick, and the power delivery is really smooth, without the drama of a slower-spooling, harder-hitting turbo. The “NGS” overboost feature is cool, and I expect its strategic use at autox may come in handy. The power then goes through an 8spd wet DCT, and in some ways it really does feel like a manual transmission. When you’re off throttle and get back on throttle, you feel that you’re in the gear – which isn’t the case with a torque converter. This transmission shifts smoothly, quickly, and creeps like an automatic when you release the brake. You have to fully stop before going between forward and reverse, something I’ll need to be careful about vs with a torque converter. Efficiency is not bad either. I think in my particular driving, I’ll be averaging around 20mpg, but I can easily hit 32+ on the highway.

Power is then put down through an electronically controlled mechanical LSD. Rather than using torque to push the plates together to create lockup, a computer will make predeterminations for electric motor to control the that action. The active suspension makes a solid difference in the firmness of the chassis, which was strengthened to improve rigidity. The brakes are enormous, a single-piston caliper system from (I believe) a Kia Optima. Very similar to how my E92 M3’s brakes were setup, and I don’t hate the approach. They’re very, very responsive and the cold bite is something to get used to, as they are so grabby. I’ve seen some comments about pad knockback, so that’s something I’ll have to keep in mind on when racing. Everything done performance-wise really makes sense to me, and I love how the components were built so that this car could truly do a track day without overheating.

Initial driving impressions, however, were just okay. The smoothness of the power delivery is deceptive, with the car building speed quickly. No really turbo lag & kick here. I had expected the dynamics to be closer to the Mini, but the car felt closer like the Evo in terms of nimbleness/agility. This made sense when I looked into it – the wheelbase of the VN and the Evo are nearly identical. I think it could have benefited from a shorter wheelbase for more go-kart like handling like the Mini’s. Instead, I’ll be trying to make up for some of that through increased front camber from the camber bolts and mainly the 24mm WL rear sway bar, which should really sharpened up front end response. The ride is not too bad in comfort mode, but 19s are too big. Not only does it make the ride quality worse with rubber band tires, but the car is also more susceptible to blowouts from potholes. This car actually came with Continental Extremecontact DWS06+, which is the newest extreme all-season from Continental. It’s the tire I would pick for an all season, so its encouraging to me that the previous owner ditched the summer tires and went this route – shows me he genuinely cared about the car, which hopefully means the break-in was also followed appropriately, maintenance was kept up-to-date, etc.

I’ve been driving the DCT around town a bit and while I’m not a straight-line kind of racer, it is pretty exciting to know I’d be able to outstrip any near-stock STI, CTR, Evo, etc. Even decently modded ones may fall if the owner isn’t willing to bang out an aggressive shift. For autox, however, I’m not sure that the DCT’s performance benefits will outweigh its weight penalty. Once you’re in 2nd, you’re pretty much set for autocross, and I don’t think the DCT kicking down to 1st once in a while will save much time. The overall weight is also around a hundred pounds more than the manual VN, which is a lot to overcome. The car is a DD first, so I stand by the DCT 100%, but it does give a small uphill battle with its weight penalty.

The plan is to run the car in DS. It’s an uphill battle, as that is the Evo/STI/CTR class. This car is just a half step below those cars performance-wise, might be a little closer to a Golf R and maybe on par with the GRC if anything. I haven’t really kept up with SCCA Solo in a while, but I did confirm the rule is still just a RSB, +- 1″ wheel diameter, and shocks, which I won’t be doing. Thinking I’ll get the Enkei Raijin’s in 18×8 – that will look really cool on this car, plus whatever the performance tire of the day is. I know I’ll be carrying a penalty for the weight but I’m still hoping this car will be competitive. The other cars are all on 8.5″ wide wheels, but I think this car should still be more nimble than those. Testing-wise always has this car very close to those cars on track, and I’m hoping this car gains more from a big RSB than the CTRs and STIs.

So why the “LM” part? This car is actually a lemon title – AKA “LM N.” I’d been searching for a Veloster N DCT for a while – a few months. Pickings were slim, which was frustrating trying to locate one but encouraging that owners were apparently holding onto theirs. While I had initially ruled out this option because of the lemon title, I decided to dig a little deeper into it. The car had been lemoned due to a check engine light – I was never able to find out what caused it, but I did call the dealership before and after the lemon buyback. They were insistent that the car had been fixed, which gave me a little more hope. Upon further inspection, while Hyundai did confirm they fixed the car, they bought the car back anyway to promote “customer satisfaction.” So, here was a 2022 (last model year) VN in DCT ($1,500 option) in performance blue with only 13k miles. This car might have gone for 29-30 save for the lemon title – and I saved a good chunk of money this way. I did test drive it extensively, and have been driving it for a few weeks now with absolutely no issues. Since I want to drive this car into the ground, this is a win for me. It even retains the remainder of the basic warranty (5yr 60k) in case anything does go wrong – apparently, lemon titles still don’t forgo the factory warranty, which gave me all the confidence to go for it with the car – though I still managed to haggle down a little bit on the price.

I can’t wait for the warmer weather to come but in the meantime I’ve already got a bunch of parts to start throwing on the car. More to come soon!