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The Hyundais\u00a0seem like such a nice family<\/a>. A full-line automaker from the wee Accent sedan to family patriarch Santa Fe SUV, the brand is well-mannered and ranks No. 1 in Kelley Blue Book\u2019s Cost to Own awards. It’s civilized, handsome and reliable.<\/p>\n And then there\u2019s the mutant Veloster hatchback. I\u2019d like to be at the family table when this thing shows up.<\/p>\n Like a three-headed Cerberus hound from hell, the three-door-plus hatch Veloster is a growling, spitting mutt that wants to pick on every sports car in the neighborhood. New for 2018, the compact Veloster is back for its second generation and I guess you could say it\u2019s cleaned up a bit.<\/p>\n The Rottweiler-sized front maw has been tweaked and the severe cuts to the rocker panels and rear hatch have been field-dressed like wounds to Conor McGregor after a UFC cage fight. But saying the Veloster has changed is a little like saying Dennis Rodman dressed down by removing one of his lip rings.<\/p>\n Like Mazda\u2019s Miata, Hyundai\u2019s \u201creverse halo\u201d sporty car is at the affordable end of the lineup. This hot hatch demands attention.<\/p>\n The grille upgrade has gone from Rottweiler to pit bull. See the difference? Me neither. The (slightly less) rounded haunches are still there. The (slightly less) muscled rockers. The twin tailpipes (why not three?) out the back. The squashed greenhouse with the visibility of a tank turret. The huge nose sniffing the ground hunting for the scent of prey.<\/p>\n The Veloster comes in a base model with a 147-horse, 2.0-liter inline-4 and a $29,000\u00a0Ultimate trim with 1.6-liter turbo and more options than a Mercedes: head-up display, rain-sensing wipers, auto-headlights, smartphone app connectivity, Alexa connectivity\u00a0and so on.<\/p>\n Nice. But if you\u2019re in the market for a rowdy pocket rocket, I recommend the R-Spec turbo.<\/p>\n Hyundai is the rare brand that splits its compact offerings between hatch (Veloster) and sedan\/coupe (Elantra). Most competitors \u2014\u00a0Honda Civic, for example<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 offer a stepladder of variations on their compact car \u2014 Sport, Si, Type-R \u2014 to satisfy more performance-oriented customers. Hyundai says the heck with that and spliced DNA to mutate a different pet. So if you\u2019re gonna opt for Veloster quirkbox over conventional Elantra sedan, I say go all the way.<\/p>\n Though not as spec\u2019d out as the Ultimate, R-Spec is still a recipe for fun: black\u00a018-inch wheels, blind-spot detection, heated seats, wireless phone-pad charger, AppleCarPlay\/Android Auto connectivity to navigate where you\u2019re going.<\/p>\n And then comes the icing: a 201-horse\/195 torque, 1.6-liter turbo-4 mated to a six-speed manual for just $23,785.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a grand below the manual Civic Si coupe and $3,500 shy of the VW Golf GTI while offering the same performance as the Si and the hatchback utility of the Golf. It\u2019s a steal.<\/p>\n A car this unique demands engagement \u2014 no autonomous features here \u2014 so the R-Spec only comes in a manual. The six-speed isn\u2019t as precise as the V-dub or Honda (call it Ford Focus-like right down to the pull-up-ring reverse gear) but it\u2019ll do just fine for Michigan country roads or a weekend autocross.<\/p>\n The pedals are nicely placed for heel-and-toe downshifting, and the meat of the torque is at low rpms\u00a0(unlike my ol\u2019 high-revving, 2006 Civic VTEC). Rowing through the gears on to Interstate 75, my pit bull sprinted past 100 mph without breathing hard. A Drive Mode switch offers 500 more revs in Sport mode and the Michelin Pilot Sports \u2014 gummy tires unique to R-Spec \u2014 provide tenacious grip in the twisties.<\/p>\n The driver’s seat is comfortably bolstered (compared to, say, the Camaro 1LE I recently tested that hugs like a girdle) and the ride comfort noticeably improved from Veloster 1.0, which felt like it might rattle apart on Metro Detroit\u2019s washboard roads. I expected more bark from those twin pipes out the rear, but the interior insulation is much improved. The electronic steering is firm, if numb, but the short wheelbase R-Spec is wonderfully tossable thanks to a multi-link suspension upgrade from Gen One\u2019s\u00a0torsion beam.<\/p>\n Aiding in that grip is front torque-vectoring which brakes the inside wheel for better rotation. I\u2019d prefer a proper, mechanical, limited-slip differential (you\u2019ll miss it under hard acceleration around autocross pylons) like the Civic Si, but that\u2019s the budget sacrifice a $23,000\u00a0sticker requires.<\/p>\n Hyundai buyers will have to wait\u00a0for the top spec, Civic Type-R-fighting Veloster N for limited slip \u2014 which will be key to reining in its expected 275 ponies.<\/p>\n R-Spec customers will find other corner-cutting details like a hard-plastic dash and door sills. But the carefully tailored surfaces mask the hard plastic. And the interior ergonomics are surprisingly good for such an unconventional car.<\/p>\n The 8-inch tablet screen is intuitive, as are the crisp dash buttons. The rear seat is accessible only via the right rear since Hyundai forgot to install a left rear door. Hyundai says this was done on purpose \u2014 you know, to give the car the dual personality of a coupe that still welcomes rear passengers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n