On a cold night of November 2011, this just-turned-auto-journo girl walked up to a Hyundai dealership, looking more confident than she actually was. She was going to do some serious shopping and if the price was right, the sales guy would have an easy night. That night, I bought my very first – and perhaps last – brand new car, armed with a new job and with what little knowledge I had of the industry back then. I was getting a bright red, new and shiny 2012 Hyundai Veloster. The head turning, award-wining Veloster. Without a test drive or even getting to sit in it, I bought a car. My mind was set and I had the good words of a few journalist colleagues to support my theory that this was the right car for me.

In retrospective, the price wasn’t really right, but that’s something I’ve come to understand with time. I had to wait about six weeks to take delivery of my Veloster at the time, they were selling like hot cakes and the dealer could not keep them in stock. Mine sure got a lot of attention; it was the first red one they had received. Back in the day, the Veloster was a pretty good deal, well priced and with the level of equipment that gave the Korean manufacturers the reputation they still enjoy today. What was back then the entry-level trim is now considered the middle ground, SE version. The new entry-level trim is now a little more basic, probably to keep costs low. Cue Nelson’s laugh.

For 2016, Hyundai came up with a new and exciting variation of the Veloster that proves that Hyundai has heard the discontent regarding certain aspects of the model and has done their homework to address it. The result is the 2016 Hyundai Veloster Rally Edition. Exterior-wise, the Rally picks up after the Turbo Veloster with the round double exhaust pipes, the wide open hexagonal front grille and LED headlights. However, what makes the new Rally Edition stand out the most is the  gorgeous looking matte blue paint, paired with a set of black, 18-inch Rays alloy wheels and carbon fiber accents. What a sexier and slightly more masculine ensemble it creates! I also find the front portion design on the new Rally and on the turbo to be better looking than the base model, with the buck tooth-like grille insert.

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