Hyundai’s Veloster is a stylish three-door hatchback with innovative packaging, a stylish sporty coupe and a model providing the driving experience of almost a sports car. With the new 2014 Hyundai Veloster Turbo R-Spec, the 2014 model of Veloster gets it closer to the sports-car label. The Turbo R-Spec, compared to the Veloster Turbo, has a stiffer suspension, a B&M sport shifter and different steering tuning. Special badging and sportier interior trim are part of the new model, and it’s offered only in Sprint Gray, Marathon Blue, Elite Ultra Black and White. It mostly remains unchanged and there is a hatch back, two passenger side smaller front-hinged doors and a driver-side door.

The interior is almost as much of a trendsetter with a V-neck on the dash and a big LCD locket in the middle. The base level has got the Veloster’s 1.6-liter four-cylinder, 138-horsepower engine cribbed from the Veloster teamed with a dual-clutch automatic or a six-speed manual. The torque is a little low off the line but the EPA highway fuel economy is excellent amounting to 37 mpg highway. The Veloster Turbo has got an entirely different story. It has a 195-lb-ft torque on tap at low engine speeds and a twin-scroll turbocharger for 201 hp in all with a choice between six-speed manual and paddle-shifted automatic transmissions. It reaches 0-60mph in about 7.0 seconds or less.

The Veloster is spacious enough up front for two but moving down to the back seats, anyone greater than child-size will find it tight. Consider the Veloster as a versatile two-door hatch, with rear seats able to be fold down easily creating a very useful cargo area. If one opts for the edgy Turbo R-Spec, he will do without some features. Push-button start and Proximity key; side-mirror turn signals, the electroluminescent instrument cluster, and leather heated seats are some of the many items removed in this focused performance model.