Cross shopping with Veloster N

[michaeljf]

A couple of videos of the Yaris smoking the ctr

Absolutely stock around my local track at the hands of the same professional race car driver the base Yaris GR did a 1:11, a stock i30N did a 1:10 and a MY17 CTR 1:09. And he said that was fair reflection of their stock track performance.

No doubt the Yaris GR Rallye with the tricky diffs and better tyres would get close to the CTR but I don't think it would be that much quicker than a MY21 CTR if at all.

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[nota4re]

One area where there may be a significant (game changer) difference is in warm-weather track performance. This is a huge weakness in the CTR - but allegedly the Hyundai's will just keep going.

 

[Negitoro7]

I used to be one of those (many) people who poo-poo on Hyundai, and gawd knows all my friends still do, but I would love to have a Veloster N in my garage. The former head of BMW ///M division really did do incredible things for this car.

Almost every respectable reviewer who compares the CTR with the Veloster N concedes that the Type R is the better outright performer, but the N is the funner car with more personality, particularly at public road speeds. Wish Honda would proverbially let its hair down a bit when it comes to giving us an optional “fun” exhaust setting. Also would be incredibly bizarre and disappointing if the next Type R doesn’t have customizable drive settings like all its competition have.

Since there’s no markups over MSRPs here in Canada, the Type R is probably still the better buy, but the N would be a very attractive proposition if you could get the dealer to knock off a few grand off its MSRP. Also wish Hyundai North America gave us the option of having a sunroof like Korea gets, but Canadians do get heated seats and heated steering wheel here.

 

[Mcclaughry95]

Only 2 reasons I would buy the N.
Warranty and never mod it.
No markup.
Bought the R to mod on a super reliable engine and trust issues with hyundai personally.

 

[NapalmEnema]

Just wait for Toyota to bring over whatever gr they are bringing to the states probably the Corolla gr. Or if you have access get the Yaris gr. A couple of videos of the Yaris smoking the ctr

Yeah awd car on wet pavement beat a Type R - lemme get my car up for sale!

 

[gtman]

Only 2 reasons I would buy the N.
Warranty and never mod it.
No markup.
Bought the R to mod on a super reliable engine and trust issues with hyundai personally.

You know, there was a time people mistakenly thought Honda was shit, too. So much bias out there. For the record, I massively modded my old Elantra GT hatch with great success and that was the old XD gen (far before the company turned it around).

Look I'll admit, I like Hyundai. I run/own a Hyundai based forum community (ElantraClub). Back in the day, we had nearly 25,000 members and just like my tuning reliability survey here, I had similar stuff there. Far and away they were reliable cars.

Yes, the early Hyundai's were awful. But they have evolved to the point they are on an equal footing with Honda in most ways. The company's one shortcoming was in suspension dynamics and Biermann is fixing that.

All you Hyundai/Kia haters, do me a favor. Go to you local dealers, test drive a Veloster N or even something more mainstream like new Elantra or Sonata or K5 or Stinger or Kona. Your perceptions might change.

 

[Jjk226]

A lot of good advice here. The N offers a lot for the price no question and I certainly considered it. But being 100% honest (and fanboy speak lol), I just couldn’t pass on an opportunity to buy a sports/sporty car from Honda. After missing out on the ITR and S2000... shit man I needed a piece of this lol.

 

[Mcclaughry95]

You know, there was a time people mistakenly thought Honda was shit, too. So much bias out there. For the record, I massively modded my old Elantra GT hatch with great success and that was the old XD gen (far before the company turned it around).

Look I'll admit, I like Hyundai. I run/own a Hyundai based forum community (ElantraClub). Back in the day, we had nearly 25,000 members and just like my tuning reliability survey here, I had similar stuff there. Far and away they were reliable cars.

Yes, the early Hyundai's were awful. But they have evolved to the point they are on an equal footing with Honda in most ways. The company's one shortcoming was in suspension dynamics and Biermann is fixing that.

All you Hyundai/Kia haters, do me a favor. Go to you local dealers, test drive a Veloster N or even something more mainstream like new Elantra or Sonata or K5 or Stinger or Kona. Your perceptions might change.

I agree tho. No hate here I've mainly had Honda's so that's all I really know. But I'm 25 so should be plenty of time to experience other makes. After this R is paid off I'll probably be getting a Hyundai. Besides I feel like the R can get me into trouble too fast. Lol

 

[Tsong]

I think the veloster N is a great car. It has great value and performance. The reason why I got my R is that I think the type r is really special. I love the looks of the R way more than the N. The N is definitely more sleeper and you will definitely get less attention. I came from a golf r, so I wanted something that popped a little more. Also there’s a lot more mods for the type r. However, the N is still a great alternative and honestly both are fantastic. I just wanted to pilot a gundam ?

 

[FK8_Track_Pig]

I used to be the "It's a Hyundai its shit" type of guy until I got to Germany and saw how big the i30N is here (i30N essentially a Veloster N with a different body) and actually started to look into Hyundai and its N division and saw how much they've improved from their early days and how they're a legit company that makes cool cars now. Plus watching their i20N in rallies here is super cool.
I'd still chose the Type R over it but I would definitely pick up a used Veloster N later down the road. Reliability doesn't seem to be a huge issue with them so far, nothing catastrophic just small fixes here and there which is no different with our cars. Lets be honest Honda reliability isn't what it used to be our cars have their fair share of issues.
I would test drive both look into the facts of comparing specs, compare both of them to what you want in a car and go from there. Ask people who actually own or have owned both cars. You'll always get biased opinions from fan boys that may sway you in a particular direction for no real reason.

 

[gtman]

About the "Hyundai is shit" mentality. I suffered from a bad case of that. I'm an older guy that used to be into American muscle cars and thought Japanese cars were garbage way back when. Then I bought a Honda CRX and an Acura Integra and became a believer in Honda.

Way back in 2001, I wasn't a fan of Hyundai and every time I saw one I kept thinking that their owners bought a Hyundai only because the couldn't afford a decent car like a Honda. And there was truth in that but Hyundai was making some strides. Then in Christmas 2001, I saw this cool looking red Saab hatchback on the floor at a Mall while shopping with my wife and daughter. When I looked at the sticker, I was shocked to see it was actually a Hyundai Elantra GT hatchback This was a fastback style hatch. Long story short, about 6 months later, I bought one and my wife bought the sedan version.

I fell in love with the car... so much so that I started ElantraClub.com in 2002. The cool thing about that site was that through it, I met some of the head tech guys and decision makers at Hyundai. The thing with Hyundai was they knew they had to get better. And over the years they always plucked the best of the best from other car makers to help them move up the ladder.

Today, I'm a fan of both Hyundai and Honda. And where Honda started out as vastly superior in terms of quality control, Hyundai has caught up. Hyundai always did a decent job with it's motors but the actual driving dynamics were way behind Honda. Now with Biermann at the helm, that's changing with every model.

Sorry for the long post but I just see such a negative bias here. Sure Hyundai used to be nothing but bargain basement but those days are long gone.

 

[BryanCO]

Hi All,

I was wondering who on the forum cross shopped the CTR with the Veloster N and what made you choose the CTR.

I was thinking on upgrading my base civic for next year into a CTR, but the N seems hard to beat. Those exhaust crackles and pops....

The N looks like a great car. I passed (actually may have looked at it after I bought the CTR) as it felt smaller, I didn’t care for the overall quality of the interior and I didn’t like the three door design (if I’m going to be in the practical hot hatch category, then I want the practicality...). I hadn’t had a Honda (well, my wife had had a few MDX’s) since my S2000 back in 2003 but, without sounding brand snobbish, I’ve driven mostly German cars for the past 20 years before trying the Focus RS then the CTR. Hyundai, while they are certainly on the upswing, felt like a bit further down the food chain. Paying $50 above invoice and the CTRs resale made the CTR a better value.

When I test drove the CTR, I was sold. 15 months later and I enjoy driving it every time (and the styling no longer makes me cringe).

Drive them both and see which one puts a bigger smile on your face.

 

[Litfuse]

I cross shopped the N with the CTR. I was also looking at the GTI and STI. I enjoyed the performance and personality of the N without a doubt. I didn’t like it’s configuration and the weird third door. I wanted a car that was practical and fun since my son would be going to school with me next year. I think the N has a lot to offer at its price range. Hyundai is still feeling the impacts of its yesteryears reputation. They have come along way, like any company should. It is Honda that has seen a downward trend in reliability. I am very disappointed with the build quality of my new CTR. Between panel gaps and multiple imperfections in the paint, I am not sure how it passed visual inspection. It makes me question the quality of what can’t be seen.
Of the cars I shopped, the CTR is the most capable in performance. It is also the most sterile. At this point, I am not sure if that is a good thing or not. At times, I wish I would have gone for the STI, but then I am sure I would be worried about motor reliability in the back of my mind. The STI has a lot of personality, along with the GTI. I’m going to keep assessing the CTR, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it is a short term ownership for me.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Of the cars I shopped, the CTR is the most capable in performance. It is also the most sterile.

Interesting. Shows how these sorts of assessments are very much a personal thing. Coming from an Audi, the CTR has loads of personality and character; the Audi, I found, was sterile. Brutally efficient, fast, and capable, but with all the emotion of a Frankfurt banker shuffling Euros around. Compared to that, the CTR is like a court jester on crack.

 

[Litfuse]

Interesting. Shows how these sorts of assessments are very much a personal thing. Coming from an Audi, the CTR has loads of personality and character; the Audi, I found, was sterile. Brutally efficient, fast, and capable, but with all the emotion of a Frankfurt banker shuffling Euros around. Compared to that, the CTR is like a court jester on crack.

Comparing it to an Audi, the CTR does feel more frantic. I have an Audi as well. I expect that in that car. But when you drive the CTR back to back with the STI, GTI and the N, there is an emotional detachment. I think it depends what you are comparing the CTR to. When I jump out of my CTR into my Audi, it’s a huge difference. When I get out of my CTR into my Miata, I keep thinking, “The CTR needs more of this!” As I giggle and laugh at its immediacy and responsiveness.

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