The 2014 Hyundai Veloster Turbo has a new trim level, the R-Spec, which will be making its debut at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show. Hyundai recently announced the changes to the three-door coupe, but these won’t be cosmetic in nature. The updates will be to make the car more convenient, safe and performance-oriented.
The new Veloster is not a higher-performance Turbo, but rather one that is more affordable. Product planner Mike O'Brien gives the reason for the change as he says, “The R-Spec is perfect for tuner-oriented buyers and people who want to do their own accessories." This basically means that those who are interested in tuning their cars, can do so at their own leisure. Also this stripped down version will help lower the costs considerably.
Compared with a standard 2014 Hyundai Veloster Turbo, the R-Spec drops push-button start, heated front seats, leather, gloss-black interior trim pieces, auto-up driver's window, and side-mirror signal repeaters. The removal of these features, O'Brien says, will allow the R-Spec to be priced about $1000 (Rs 62, 875) less than a Veloster Turbo.
What it does receive is a unique Sprint Gray paint colour, and special red leatherette/black cloth seats while The six-speed manual transmission receives a B&M short-shift kit (the optional six-speed automatic is not available in the R-Spec), and buyers can option special side skirts and a front splitter. The car will be available with four paint options: Marathon Blue, Sprint Gray (as mentioned earlier, will be exclusive to the R-Spec), Elite White and Ultra Black. In addition to the various R-Spec badges, it also gains Torque Vectoring Control.
In terms of engine, there are no changes to the 1.6-litre turbo-four engine, which remains rated for 201bhp and 264.08Nm of torque in the 2014 Hyundai Veloster Turbo.
Although an exact sticker price has yet to be divulged, expect the 2014 Hyundai Veloster Turbo R-Spec to command approximately $22,000(Rs 13.83 lakh), including destination, when it goes on sale in February 2014.
