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Toyota Auris X vs Hyundai Veloster

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Johannesburg - The turbocharged Hyundai Veloster is a fine car. Its dashing looks make it stand out in the daily stampede, especially when it’s wearing its signature colour: sunflower yellow.

Step closer and you’ll discover a hidden door handle on the passenger side that opens an extra door. Yes, the Veloster has the sporty look of a two-door, but the kids can pile in through the “secret”, kerbside door. It’s not just practical either, but refined, easy to drive, and generously loaded with luxury and gadgets.

That’s half the story, though. Previously, it had to make do with considerably less power. There’s nothing wrong with its standard 1.6-litre unit, which was the only engine option, but some felt the Veloster needed more fire to match its sporty profile.

To address this, Hyundai SA brought the turbocharged 1.6-litre version to Mzansi this month.

My initial reaction when setting off in the car was one of disappointment. The response to my right foot pressing down on the accelerator was lukewarm. But then I learnt that more pressure on the pedal wakes up the engine and that it wants high revs before granting the rewards of power.

When moving swiftly along a curvy mountain road, the nimble Veloster displays decent lateral grip. The steering feels right and the manual gearbox is easy and fast. There’s a more expensive automatic option for those who live in rush hour traffic.

So, in its own world, the Veloster is a fine car, even if the dashboard plastic looks and feels cheap. The trouble comes when we compare it to other so-called hot hatches in its price range, especially the Renaults and Fords.

For example, take the magnificent Mégane GT coupé. It has more power, but costs R40 000 less. The Mégane RS (manual only) is even faster, for the same money as the Veloster. Then there’s the brilliant Focus ST, which also knocks out the Veloster.

Should you avoid the Veloster like it’s your ex? No, just play the field before you part with your hard-earned bucks. Test-driving all those candidates that vie for your wallet is lots of fun too. ...--

PRICE

R379 900 for the manual and R399 900 for the automatic

An aura of quality

Where Hyundai refreshed the Veloster with a turbocharger, Toyota enhanced its Auris X with a nip and tuck, interior noise reduction and better-quality materials inside.

This is good, but Toyota missed out on the chance to have it catch up with the Golf and Focus that have been using small, turbocharged engines for many years. Turbo engines make cars more fun to drive and sometimes use less fuel than bigger engines without these go-faster parts.

The 1.6-litre engine in the Auris, although inaudible thanks to excellent soundproofing, requires gearing down to third to make it up a modest incline. If Toyota had fitted the Auris with its 1.2-litre turbo engine, it would have performed better.

Unfortunately, the Japanese company is still haunted by its love affair with hybrid tech. Not that hybrid – where a car uses petrol and electric propulsion – is bad.

It’s just much more expensive because it requires big, expensive batteries to drive the electric motor.

This means buyers will have to fork out another R60 000 or so for the hybrid Auris if they want the extra boost of power the electric motor supplements the petrol engine with.

But if quick overtaking and performance isn’t your thing, you will find a well-built, quality proposition in the Auris.

And it will last so long, you can pass it on to your children....--

PRICE

From R223 700 for the Auris X to R301 700 for the Auris Xr CVT (automatic). Price of Auris hybrid to be announced at the September launch

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