[Martian21]

Hyundai's site states "Second and/or subsequent owners have powertrain components coverage under the 5-Year/60,000-Mile New Vehicle Limited Warranty."

That is a pretty significant reduction from the 10-year/100,000-Mile powertrain warranty though I think I saw somewhere that certified pre-owned vehicles retain the remainder of the 10-year/100,000-Mile powertrain warranty but can't seem to confirm that information.

 

[Martian21]

There is a blue 2020 veloster N for sale at Gary Rome Hyundai in MA right now. It’s brand new as well.

I found it but looks like they still have it listed for MSRP - guess I should call them up and see what they can do. I saw a couple dealers had a $4k reduction on 2020's. I'd jump on that in a heartbeat!

Thanks for pointing it out!!!

 

[Martian21]

I agree the safety equipment on the '21 would be nice but I've not had it for the past 25 years so i'm sure I'll get by. Don't think it will make a difference on my insurance either here in Indiana. That and my agent is a relative so I'm well taken care of!

I do plan to daily drive the car (though we have F150 with all wheel drive for when it's really bad) so I would either put all season tires on it or more likely pick up a set of 18" wheels and some snow tires for Thanksgiving through April. I plan to keep the car long term so not hugely concerned about resale (otherwise I'd probably look closer at a WRX/STI or a GTI). I know the DCT is better on paper but both the wife and I prefer a manual and this is supposed to be a FUN car!

I'm over in Fort Wayne but get up to the South Bend area every now and then. Never been on a track on 4 wheels and don't really have the bug right now but who knows maybe I will if I get a VN...

 

[Martian21]

There is a blue 2020 veloster N for sale at Gary Rome Hyundai in MA right now. It’s brand new as well.

Talked to them today and they won't budge from MSRP. Best of luck to them I guess.

 

[Martian21]

They texted my again today stating "Our 2020 in Performance Blue is the only one in the country at this time" which may be true but it's not a unicorn.... I can order a 2021 with the upgraded seats and safety features for MSRP and while I don't really care all that much about the extras personally they would be nice to have and are probably worth the bump up in price. Or maybe I'll wait until this fall and try to get a discount on a 2021 when the '22's come out... I'm not a kid anymore - I can wait

 

[Martian21]

I bought mine used a month ago...

I assume you bought a Certified Pre-Owned? That seems to be the only way to keep the remainder of the full warranty on a used Hyundai. That would be idea if I can find one!

 

[Martian21]

Curious if the additional 40k warranty is thru Hyundai or only through your dealer? I know my local dealer offers a "double powertrain" warranty so 20 years / 200k miles which seems insane but the 2nd half of that warranty is only through the dealer so if you sell the car, move away, or the dealer goes away / changes ownership the double warranty is useless. Still better than nothing.

 

[Martian21]

I've never purchased a new car but it's hard to ignore Hyundai's warranty and hard to give up a large portion of it buying used. Curse you Hyundai for not making your excellent warranty fully transferrable (except in the case of Certified Pre-Owned...)

 

[Martian21]

My local dealer called me Tuesday and informed me that they got a Black 2021 VN with DCT in and invited me to come take it for a spin which I gladly did yesterday.

I like the new seats and found them quite comfortable though I've never sat in a '19/'20 for comparison. I'm 6 ft / ~175 lbs and had no issues with the bolstering though I could see where someone wider than me in the legs could feel a bit squeezed by the seat bolsters.

I prefer a manual but went into the DCT with an open mind. Long story short the DCT performed great but I hate it. It sounds and feels just like a manual when it shifts so much so that I couldn't keep my left foot still. Not being in control of the shifts bothered me so much that I put the DCT in manual shift mode most of the test drive. I tried the paddles but didn't care for them - I'm sure I could get used to them but just used the pull back / push forward on the shifter. Dealer has a white 6-speed on order and I'm really looking forward to testing that one!

It was 27 degrees, sunny, and roads were mostly dry during my test drive and the Pirelli P Zeros actively wanted to kill me. I knew they would be rock hard and not have much grip due to the cold but was still a little surprised. Lost traction on turns at normal speed and anything more than normal acceleration. Didn't try any hard braking. On the bright side the less than optimal grip allowed me to test the LSD and it did not disappoint!

I set up custom N mode with everything maxed but normal suspension and spent most of my 20-30 minute drive in that mode. I did spend a couple miles in full N mode and could definitely feel the stiffer suspension but didn't find it teeth jarring (also didn't hit any true Indiana pot holes). The exhaust sounds great with the dampers open and it certainly turned heads in traffic. At interstate speeds the exhaust still sounded good but would get old pretty fast - switching to Normal mode fixes that issue. In fact, in Normal mode it really reminded me a lot of previous Civics and Accords I've owned which was not a bad thing!

I can certainly say after my test drive I'm even more excited about the VN! I'm still want to drive an MX-5 before I decide but I know I would be perfectly happy daily driving a 6-speed VN.

 

[Martian21]

I don't plan to do any performance mods other than maybe a catch can (which really isn't a performance mod). I think I'd rather clear wrap, ceramic, and tint, none of which should create warranty issues.

The 370z was one of the cars on my short list that I considered but it is getting pretty dated and as silly as it may sound to some Apple CarPlay is a must have for me! I know I could get an aftermarket system with CarPlay but the aftermarket systems never seem to play nice with the stock infotainment. That and at the end of the day when looking at two seater RWD cars I always come back to the MX-5 RF even though a 370z Nismo would have twice the power.

 

[Martian21]

I am still interested in the Veloster N however I've come to realize that I don't really need four seats. I had the opportunity to check out a new ND2 Miata yesterday and I must say I was very impressed!

I think Hyundai made a huge mistake pricing the 2021 VN above $30k. Making the Performance Package standard was a no brainer and I applaud them for the addition of the DCT as an option though I couldn't care less about it. That said, all the VN really needed in 2021 was blindspot monitoring and heated seats / wheel (which they still didn't add in the US - seriously WTF?!?!) I think they could have added those and kept the MSRP at $30k. Had they done that my eyes probably wouldn't have wandered... The price increase put the VN within a rounding error of pretty much all of the competition and lost the VN's best selling point - smiles / $

 

[Martian21]

The fancy cameras for much of the electronics add tangible cost but the sensors and LEDs for blindspot monitoring probably wouldn't cost Hyundai must more than you paid for the convex mirror.

 

[Martian21]

I test drove a 2021 MX-5 ND2 Miata for about an hour this week. I must say it is truly an amazing car! The VN is hands down faster but the Miata feels fast and I didn't even rev it out (new engine and I didn't want to be "that guy"). It's very true that you don't drive a Miata, you wear it. It makes the VN feel huge but in size and on the road. Driving the VN felt like driving a much better version of every car I've ever driven. Driving the Miata felt like no car I've ever driven before - it's more like a go cart on steroids or a hot rodded golf cart (especially with the top down!).

I'm in the same boat as you Aurablade77 - I'm having a very difficult time choosing between the VN and the Miata! I still haven't driving a 6-speed VN. I will say that if I had to choose between the 6-speed Miata and the DCT VN it would be the Miata - I hated driving the DCT that much! I know it's the better transmission on paper but I don't care! My local dealer is supposed to be getting a 6-speed VN in very soon. I'm hoping to be able to drive it and then drive the Miata again to make a final decision.

 

[Martian21]

Yeah, you pretty much need to be 6'1" or under with the top up or 6'6" or over with the top down and a set a goggles

 

[Martian21]

Sorry I disappeared. I did end up buy a brand new 2021 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF GT but not before I test drove a white 6-speed Veloster N. It was already spoken for at the dealer but the buyer hadn't put money down yet so they said I could take it out. The buyer was actually there and had just driven it. He was a younger guy and clearly an enthusiast. He knew I was going to take it out and was excited to hear what I thought of it which I thought was pretty cool.

The manual was even more fun than the DCT! If I was a single guy in my 20's I'd have bought it that day (pretty sure that was the case for the young guy who bought it!). The way the car handles is nothing short of magic! Also the exhaust on the manual is far more lively and "on demand" which was great. As good as the manual transmission was the Miata's is better. The clutch pedal on the VN is too far forward for me in relation to the brake and gas and it doesn't have much of an engagement point. I suppose with 275 HP the clutch needs to bite fairly hard but it was a little too on/off switch for me. I also felt like the engagement point just wasn't in the right spot in the travel. All very minor things but having just test drove a Miata with what was the best clutch and shifter I'd ever felt the difference was very noticeable. Shifting felt really good and it was easy to row gears no real complaints there but again having just driven the Miata I could feel the difference between the direct shifts and the cable shifts ever so slightly. Oh, but that rev matching! I can heal toe in the Miata but not well and I flub it up almost as much as I don't. I couldn't heal toe the VN. It's possible but the pedal positions aren't as close as the Miata so I left the rev matching on and WOW! I like to heal toe, but I'm not a purist and I could really get used to the rev matching. Perfect down shifts with that sweet, sweet symphony of exhaust music every time. It was intoxicating!

I was seriously questioning the Miata as I was carving around town in the VN. I was thinking of 3 passengers instead of 1 and then I caught a rough patch of pavement and even with the suspension in normal (N Custom) I nearly swallowed my spine. Granted it was a pretty rough stretch but that ended my affair with the Veloster. Turns out I (and my wife) much prefer the softer suspension and body roll of the Miata. I guess I'm officially an old man now... Being able to drop the top on the Miata is also a nice bonus. I've never been a convertible guy but the targa style top on the Miata RF is brilliant and I love it.

The Veloster N is an amazing vehicle and I'm very glad I got to test drive both the DCT and the manual before buying my Miata. For me the Veloster N would be my weekend bender car but the Miata is the one I come home to.