New 2026 Hyundai Veloster MSRP, Interior, Release Date

New 2026 Hyundai Veloster MSRP, Interior, Release Date  –  There has always been something strange about the Hyundai Veloster. Its unusual three-plus-one door arrangement and strange design make it too strange to compete with the subcompacts, even though it is somewhat smaller than the typical compact class of vehicles. But in 2019, Hyundai debuted its high-performance N badge on the Veloster’s rear, bringing it to North America. Global auto critics have been gushing about it ever after they quit scratching their brains.

The New 2026 Hyundai Veloster is undeniably the Veloster you want and, as it happens, the only Veloster you can still get, with lesser versions removed from the lineup. All wheat, no chaff. That wheat, as I’ve learned, remains as tasty as ever, but the current sport compact landscape is a bit different than the one the Veloster was born into. As good as Hyundai’s three-door hot hatch is, I’m not sure it’s the hot Hyundai that’d get my money in New 2026.

New 2026Redesign and Update Plan

Exterior and Interior

It doesn’t take a lot of time behind the wheel of the Veloster to tell that comfort probably wasn’t the highest of its engineers’ priorities. Even so, it’s fairly livable. Wind and road noise, for example, are quite noticeable even by hot hatch standards. The suspension, meanwhile, is only reasonably compliant in normal mode but gets significantly stiffer in any of this car’s more sporting modes.

Those very cool-looking front bucket seats are well-sculpted and not bad to sit in for long periods of time, but they aren’t quite as outstandingly comfy or aggressively bolstered as the ones in the rivaling Honda. All in all, the Veloster is sufficiently comfortable for daily driver duties as long as you keep your expectations realistic (this ain’t a luxury car).

But those looking for a truly comfy compact that can thrill as well may be better served in something like the new Golf R or aforementioned Civic. The former has, coincidentally, also seen its lesser, non-performance siblings cut from its automaker’s catalog this year, leaving the Golf GTI and R as the remaining Volkswagen hatchbacks.

New 2026 Hyundai Veloster Specs

With no real optional extras or packages to jack the price up, the creature comforts that come standard with the Veloster are what every example gets. It’s got heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, LED lights all around, keyless entry with push-button start, automatic climate control, and an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system running wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The overall level of equipment here isn’t exactly stark, but there are quite a few key features missing that have become expected from most modern cars pushing $40,000. All of the seat controls are manual, for example, while the climate control is of the single-zone variety. The touchscreen is one iteration smaller and duller than Hyundai’s current, much wider setups. The wipers do not have an automatic rain-sensing setting, while most of the gauge cluster remains analog. Although to be fair to the Veloster, those other, similarly priced vehicles usually don’t offer nearly as much driving fun.  New 2026 Hyundai Veloster MSRP

Engine and Performance

Like pretty much every other car in its class, the Veloster is powered by a turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder. It shifts smoothly in normal, automatic driving, while paddle-operated manual gear changes happen appreciably quickly. Full-throttle, redline upshifts even come with a little supercar-esque kick in the backside. The shift paddles themselves are made of plastic but are perfectly shaped to the fingers. Bright, useful shift lights located at the top of the gauge cluster are easy to parse with just peripheral vision.

Similar to the handling, Hyundai’s powertrain doesn’t feel quite as manic or unhinged as the one in the competing Honda – mostly because there’s none of the Type R’s theatrical turbo lag and it is, when it comes down to it, less powerful – but the Veloster is still fast and energetic in its own right. On the other hand, the Veloster sounds better. It sounds racy, scrappy, less Dyson-like, and the burbles and pops that appear in its sportier driving modes have yet to get old.    New 2026 Hyundai Veloster MSRP

New 2026 Hyundai Veloster Fuel Economy

The Veloster might be all about fun but it is, at the end of the day, an objectively small car using a turbocharged four-cylinder and, hence, it’s decent on fuel. Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) says the automatic-equipped version is good for 12.0 L/100 km in the city, 8.6 on the highway, and 10.5 combined. After almost 800 km of mixed driving, the little dual-clutch Hyundai beat its own rating, showing 10.3 L/100 km on its trip computer.

New 2026 Hyundai Veloster Safety Features

Regarding safety, the Hyundai hot hatch is equipped as standard with lane following assistance, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, and forward collision avoidance with pedestrian recognition. Notable absences from safety technology include adaptive cruise control, Hyundai’s clever lane-change cameras, and traffic sign recognition. There’s an antiquated static-speed cruise control.    New 2026 Hyundai Veloster MSRP

New 2026 Hyundai Veloster Price and Release Date

When equipped with the automatic, the Veloster starts at $39,499 (the manual, meanwhile, begins $1,600 less at $37,899). After a $1,000 charge for the matte paint, A/C tax, and non-negotiable destination, the grey car you see here rings in at $42,324. That’s not a bad price at all compared to its more expensive Japanese and German competitors, but the Veloster’s value proposition falls apart when you realize its brand new Elantra N sibling actually costs less.

Making itself its own worst enemy, Hyundai has, for some reason, given its new compact N sedan a starting price $700 lower than that of the Veloster. That deal becomes even sweeter when you learn that the inherently newer and bigger Elantra N is a simultaneously more fun and refined driving machine, has a notably nicer interior with better tech, and more rear seat space.

When confronted with this, a Hyundai spokesperson pointed to the fact that the hatchback Veloster does indeed pack more seats-up cargo room (565 L vs the Elantra’s 402 L) and that more choices, not less – especially when it comes to fun cars – is always a good thing. Different strokes for different folks, as they say. It’s fair, but it doesn’t change the fact that if it were my money, the Elantra N is undoubtedly the car I’d go with if I had $40,000 to spend on a fast Hyundai.  New 2026 Hyundai Veloster MSRP