Fire up the... Hyundai Veloster

LIKE a silly hat on Ladies Day at the Grand National, coupes are all about style. Even if it's useless at just about everything else, if they've got the looks then we'll buy them.

Hyundai knows this all too well, having had a string of hits with various models called simply the Coupe, which took ordinary enough ingredients and then garnished them with gorgeous sports car styling. It was a Ferrari 456GT for a fraction of the price. So how does the Veloster, the company's new coupe contender, stack up?

Very well indeed if what you're looking for are extra doors, because the new arrival uses the same trick the MINI Clubman pulled off a couple of years ago by offering you an extra opening on the left-hand side, making it usefully easier to get into than most of its rivals.

It's also, considering it's a coupe and therefore something you'd forgive for being a tad cramped, roomier in the rear and bigger of boot than you'd rightfully expect it to be.

Yet as a coupe connoisseur, you'll be buying the Veloster for the looks, and while I know style's a very subjective thing it's where I reckon the Veloster starts to fall apart. It's striking enough at the front and its proportions hide that third door beautifully but at the back it's got all the flow and grace of a crumpled piece of paper.

It might be practical but it just doesn't quite gel, and nor does the way it drive. It's an easy and refined experience not a million miles from its i30 hatchback sibling, but for something setting its stall out as being sporty the feel and handling are nothing special. There's nothing wrong with it, but nor is it anything to thrill or excite you.

The Veloster's the one to go for if you need your coupe to come with a pinch of practicality but if you don't I'd go for either Volkswagen's Scirocco, which is much more fun to drive, Honda's CR-Z, which is cramped but an eco-friendly hoot to drive, or Peugeot's RCZ, which wins in the style stakes.

Hyundai's latest coupe contender is by no means a bad car, but it isn't an exceptional one either.

Fire up the... Hyundai i30

FORGET the five star rating in the Euro NCAP crash tests, or the generous warrantage package. Thanks to an ingenious publicity stunt at Knowsley Safari Park, all anybody knows about the Hyundai i30 is that it'll stand up well if it's attacked by monkeys.

So we all know that if you give Hyundai's new big hitter to a troupe of baboons it'll pass with flying colours, but what about if you give it to a rather different and more discerning pack of primates - people looking to buy a mid-size family hatch? These people are traditionally some of the choosiest in the car market, and with so much on offer they've every right to be.

Luckily the Korean contender's got plenty going for it - not only do you get a five year warranty, but they'll chuck in five years of roadside assistance too, and it's got plenty of gadgets and gizmos thrown in as standard. I drove the 1.6 diesel version because it's the one Hyundai are banking on being their biggest seller here, and while it's unlikely to scare you with its performance it's very silky and smooth on the move. In fact, that's the flavour you'll get should you chuck it into a corner - if you're looking for excitement you're probably better looking elsewhere, but if you just want to act like a grown up and arrive everywhere quietly and unruffled then the i30's more than up for the task.

While the styling's smooth - if a little generic - it's clear that a lot of effort's gone into the interior. We already know that it's tough enough to survive being attacked by monkeys, so it's unlikely there'll be any woes over build quality, but what's more impressive is the quality of the materials and the attention to colours and shades. It really is a nice place to be.

At a whisker under £18,000 its price is pitched straight at the likes of the Focus, the Megane and the Astra, but I reckon that's fair game because in terms of quality and packaging it's more than a match for some of Britain's best sellers.

Hyundai i30 passes The Monkey Test at Knowsley Safari Park

HYUNDAI has headed to the north west to put one of its models through the toughest test Merseyside can throw at it - a trip to Knowsley Safari Park!

A troupe of baboons based at the wildlife attraction were let loose on the new i30 to test the toughness of the hatchback's interior and exterior fittings - and unlike many a motor that's had the odd mirror or two knocked off by the animals - it was still fighting fit at the end of the visit.

David Ross, General Manager at Knowsley Safari Park, said: “For a baboon, to have a car to play with for a whole day is manna from heaven! If you put them on any car they will scour it for the weak points and find any faults. At one point there were 40 monkeys in the car, pushing it to its limits – that’s ten times the size of the average human family.

"I’ve seen thousands of cars pass through this enclosure, get mobbed by monkeys, and none have lasted the distance as well as this Hyundai. These baboons are incredibly inquisitive."

 

Hyundai said the car's paintwork had been smeared and scratched after being attacked by the monkeys, but otherwise the i30 had emerged unscathed from the experience.

 

Felicity Wood, i30 Product Manager at Hyundai, said: "At Hyundai we believe in new thinking, which is why we decided to take a new approach with this durability test. You have to be pretty brave to subject a car to the most rigorous quality testers in the world, and the monkeys certainly gave our i30 a thorough examination!

"The fact that it survived with only a few scrapes is testament to the way a modern Hyundai is designed and engineered. We really do give a monkey’s about building tough cars!"

 For more information about Knowsley Safari Park visit www.knowsleysafariexperience.co.uk or call 0151 430 9009.

Video: Hyundai Velostar

IT'S not often I'll upload the videos manufacturers make to plug their own models, but I thought I'd make an exception for this swoopy coupe.

Hyundai's got a bit of track record for injecting a touch of style into its sportier two door models, and the Velostar - which is technically a three door thanks to some clever engineering - carries it on for the firm in fine form.

So sit back, grab some popcorn and enjoy some lovely footage of what I reckon could be one of next year's big hits...