2014 Hyundai Veloster Turbo R-Spec is One Hot Hatch

Making its debut today at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show is Hyundai‘s hottest hatch to date: the 2014 Veloster Turbo R-Spec.

The Veloster Turbo R-Spec is being billed as a “reverse halo” car for the brand, hoping to become a gateway product for the next generation of Hyundai buyers. From the onset, the Veloster Turbo R-Spec was designed to be differentiated from other core vehicles in the automaker’s lineup and hopes to attract tuner-oriented buyers from lower segments thanks to a lower entry price.

SEE ALSO: 2013 LA Auto Show Coverage

But what makes the Veloster Turbo R-Spec so special? Well to start, it’s the little things such as the available red accent front splitter and side blades while the rear features exclusive R-Spec badging. Inside, the Korean automaker has given enthusiasts exclusive red leatherette seats that have been contrasted with black cloth. To give it a sportier driving experience, Hyundai has outfitted the hatch with a B&M short shifter, higher spring rates in the front and the rear, a stiffer transmission mount and a “sportier steering map.” Of course it wouldn’t be a complete package if we didn’t mention the R-Spec floormats.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Perhaps the biggest improvement, however, is the addition of torque vectoring control. Essentially an electronic limited slip differential it uses the car’s brakes to limit wheelspin on the inside tire, thus helping the car rotate around a corner.

Under the hood is a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 201 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque, which delivers a best-in-class power-to-weight ratio according to Hyundai. The Veloster Turbo R-Spec weighs in at 2,800 lbs and gets 24 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway. To achieve that competitive power-to-weight ratio however, Hyundai had to remove some luxury amenities from the Veloster Turbo R-Spec. Compared to the base turbo model, the R-Spec loses its proximity key with push button start, leather seating surfaces, heated front seat, electroluminescent instrument cluster, side mirror repeaters, drivers auto-up window and high gloss-black interior accents. Those changes were also important to help keep the price tag of the R-Spec down.

And the best news of all is that the Veloster Turbo R-Spec will retail for just $22,110 including the $810 destination fee. At almost $1,000 less than the standard Veloster Turbo it’s also the most affordable version of the Veloster Turbo you can buy.