By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

The quirky Hyundai Veloster entered the market as a 2012 model with a rather anemic 132-horsepower engine, but a very useable "hidden" third door on the passenger side to eliminate the pain of getting in and out of the back seat of a small two-door. The three-door configuration has become the car's signature styling element.

Enter the second-generation 2019 Veloster where it upholds its “quirky” designation with the asymmetrical three-door design and where you’ll also find a rear hatchback that opens to reveal a surprising 19.9 cubic feet of storage space behind the rear seat. It's actually larger than numerous competitors including the Honda C-HR crossover, and double that of the Mini Cooper.

Even with modest dimensional growth and overly ferocious new styling, the Veloster remains familiar and instantly recognizable, and continues with the signature rear-canted rear-visibility impairing roofline, and twin centered exhaust pipes. There’s a new grille shape, and stylish sculpturing to the rear hatch and taillamps. You can even opt for a darkened roof treatment if desired. We really like what Hyundai designers have done with the hatchback.

Inside, the four-seat cabin is surprisingly roomy and comfortable up front with ample head, leg and shoulder room. The passenger’s side and rear seat not so much. There’s an upgraded eight-inch color touch-screen display that controls both the standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto infotainment features. There’s also push-button start and wireless smartphone charging. All operational controls are well laid out and intuitive. And thankfully it has actual knobs and push buttons for most functions.

While the original base engine is a thing of the past, Hyundai's new 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 147 horsepower mated to a six-speed automatic is still lacking for an automotive design that screams out its sporty intentions. Although far removed from sporty, it will adequately get the job done with the need for occasional pedal-to-the-metal maneuvers in merging and passing situations. For the budget-minded the 2.0-liter starts under 20 grand.

The Veloster comes in five trim levels starting with the 2.0 base, 2.0 Premium featuring the smaller engine, and three 1.6-liter models — Turbo R-Spec, Turbo, and Turbo Ultimate. Prices start at $19,385 including the $885 destination charge, then climb steadily through the trim levels topping out with the Turbo Ultimate for $29,035.

To get the most out of the Veloster opt for the1.6-liter turbocharged four that makes a respectable 201 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. And to get the most out of the Veloster choose the new Turbo R-Spec trim level that features a six-speed manual transmission. If you would rather drive the rewarding seven-speed dual-clutch automatic opt for either the Turbo or the Turbo Ultimate trim level which we also drove.

The collection of turbos share their new rear suspension and carry-over turbocharged 1.6-liter with the Elantra GT Sport. It improves on the original — we found from our "Space Gray" Turbo R-Spec test car to be more refined with better handling traits and a smoother ride. With the new engine-suspension setup the Veloster is indeed a fun car to drive not only on the highway, but on the twists and turns of a mountain road. It also has excellent steering.

We found the R-Spec manual shifter to be buttery smooth with short throws. Another reason the R-Spec felt so buttoned-down was the standard-equipment R18-inch Michelin Pilot Sport Summer Performance tires.

For those who like to compare vehicles through statistics, the new Veloster 1.6-liter has been clocked from 0-to-60 in 6.2 seconds and in 14.7 seconds at 97 mph in the quarter mile. These times will significantly improve with the introduction later this year of a more powerful Veloster N edition that is expected to make 275 horsepower.

There’s an abundance of advanced standard safety features available, including forward collision avoidance assist with automatic braking. The Turbo Ultimate adds additional safety features including blind-spot assist and pedestrian detection, lane keeping assist and adaptive cruise control (available only when selecting the automatic transmission.)

The base car comes with such standard safety features as a forward collision mitigation system, lane keep assist, and a rearview camera. Its standard seven-inch touchscreen features Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, Bluetooth, two USB ports and a six-speaker sound system.

Our Turbo R-Spec test car was loaded with standard equipment — no options needed and very few available — and came in at $23,785 including destination charge. It came with the upgraded eight-inch infotainment display, an eight-speaker Infiniti Premium sound system with subwoofer, hill start assist, keyless entry and start, and unique turbo cloth seating surfaces.

Essentials
Base price: $19,385; as driven, $23,785
Engine: 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder
Horsepower: 201 @ 6,000 rpm
Torque: 195 foot-pounds @ 1,500 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Drive: front wheel
Seating: 2/2
Wheelbase: 104.3 inches
Length: 166.9 inches
Curb weight: 2,889 pounds
Turning circle: 34.8 feet
Luggage capacity: 19.9 cubic feet
Fuel capacity: 13.3 gallons (regular)
EPA rating: 26 city, 33 highway, 20 combined
0-60: 6.2 seconds (Car and Driver)
Also consider: Mini Cooper 2-door, Ford Fiesta, Nissan Juke

The Good
* Upgraded styling inside and out
• New sport tuned suspension
• Third door access to back seat
• Cargo area larger than average

The Bad
• No power seat adjustment

The Ugly
• Weak base engine