The passion of the Veloster Turbo

When the Hyundai Veloster came out in South Korea last year, as part of Hyundai's new Premium Youth Lab brand, the Korean automaker really thrown a curve by releasing this eccentric hatchback coupe that opens one door at the driver's side and two doors at the passenger side. Here in South Korea, it is limited to 18,000 units to keep its premium image and for a fact, it was featured on the City Hunter Korean drama starring Lee Min Ho. Because it was powered by a 1.6L GDi engine, the Philippines won't be getting those because of the country's fuel not yet refined for fuel injection technologies. However, some didn't get that memo and hastily bring the Veloster as a grey market import. That is just stupid and made me sad. Why did most Filipinos want the Veloster so much even though the fuel-injected engine not fit for their country?

Well, to shut them up, unless if you're a Filipino living in the suburbs of San Francisco and Los Angeles, the folks from Hyundai Motor Company and Forza Motorsport 4 teamed up to bring the Hyundai Veloster to the game via the "Hyundai Veloster Bonus Pack". What they did bring on Forza Motorsport 4 is the 2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo, which recently made a world premiere at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

That Hancars gig wasn't my idea...

A Veloster mated with a Gamma 1.6L Turbo GDi engine is the perfect marriage made in heaven. Just imagine what they did is turning a boring hatchback into a street fighting "come on, you think you're hard enough" road fighter and a Geordie Saturday night attitude to peace and love. (Punching the camera) Clearly, what Hyundai did is take a dreary Veloster hatchback coupe and threw most of it away.

Lee Min Ho proves he's faster than The Stig!

You see that's because the all new Gamma 1.6L Turbo GDi engine is capable of releasing 201HP of power output and 195lb-ft of torque output. Mated with a 6-speed manual transmission, it promises an estimated fuel economy of 38MPG highway thanks to its direct fuel injection. While Hyundai never told about its top speed and 0-60 time, Forza Motorsport 4 told us the figures of the Veloster Turbo but this is a little bit tentative if you ask. It will go 0-60mph in 7.5 seconds, and top speed is limited to 145.5 mph, which in Top Gear math is 146mph.

The Hyundai Veloster's interior

The Veloster Turbo is an addition to the game's Autovista feature but to do that, you have to complete a challenge in order to explore more about the Veloster Turbo in Autovista. I am impressed to be one of the first people who will witness the sound of the Gamma 1.6L Turbo GDi engine and see why the Veloster really is a 1+2 door hatchback coupe. I find it weird about the BlueLink feature but can you play XBOX 360 games on the Veloster's BlueLink telematics system? Oh no...

Hyundai Veloster in Top Gear!

Because the Veloster Turbo weighs under 2800 pounds, I expected to be more lighter than other C-class FWD cars such as Peugeot RCZ, Volvo C30, Volkswagen Scirocco GT, Golf GTi, Mazdaspeed Axela, Seat Leon Cupra, and the Honda Civic Si Coupe but it's heavier than the Mini Cooper John Cooper Works and despite being a hot hatch, it lacks some European-style handling than other European hatchbacks I know.

Yes I know, that hatchback has three doors.

For a soon-to-be-a-Top-Gear-presenter like me, I would say that the Veloster Turbo is just one of the cars the Korean automotive giant's been capable of. The Forza-Hyundai collaboration really made it further since the introduction of the Genesis Coupe at Forza Motorsport 3 as well as Hyundai-sponsored events made for US players to test their skills and their passion for Hyundai. Here in Forza 4, the art of car passion (and also Top Gear passion) really furthered to satisfy this gameplay and this Veloster Turbo really satisfied me that I am one of the only Filipinos living in the USA who are interested to try the Hyundai Veloster. You know what you should do? Start your very own Veloster Relay Mission Show - Forza 4 style! Have your friends readying their Velosters and undergo series of challenges such as a game of Top Gear Car Football, Keep the It, Pass the It, Elimination, Drifting, and the good old classic circuit racing.

And that concludes my first impressions about the 2013 Veloster Turbo on Forza 4. So, if you don't mind before Lee Min Ho knocking on my house and get this car, I'd better get out of here.