And now yet another vehicle joins the ranks of Hyundai's hall of fame: the Veloster. Initially unveiled as a concept car at the Seoul Auto Show in 2007, the Veloster has come a long way, picking up the 2012 AJAC awards for Best New Sports/Performance Car under $50,000 and Best New Design.

The Veloster differs from past winners in that it's expressly designed for the twenty-something buyer. Hyundai also made the three-door hatchback's distinct look a priority over its performance. When I picked up my tester at Hyundai headquarters, I asked a public-relations specialist about the reasoning behind the three-doors. More specifically, I was curious to know whether it was just to make the car stand out from the crowd, which is common practice in the auto industry. I was told that the third door served two purposes: first, to keep the Veloster's sports appeal while also maintaining its practicality by allowing you, for instance, to place groceries in the backseat; and second, to make the car stand out from the crowd.

When first sizing up the Veloster, you can't help but be struck by its exotic looks and beautifully sculpted sides. It doesn't look like a vehicle that starts at just $18,999. When face to face with the car, you may find the front a little boxy and inconsistent with the rest of the package. But taken together the bright marathon-blue and the athletic coupe shape create a solid package.

The interior has its positives and negatives. The manual base model is filled with standard features including a push-button start-up, rear-view camera, power windows and doors, air conditioning, cruise control, heated front seats, iPod/USB/aux interface, and a 7" LCD multimedia touchscreen system that includes XM radio. On the negative side, you have to manually adjust your seat, and the console is too basic. The major problem I had to overcome was that, from the exterior, the Veloster appears to be a pricier vehicle than it really is, which naturally created certain expectations about the interior that were bound to be disappointed.

There's no doubt about it: the Veloster is a textbook case of split personality. It has luxurious elements like leather seats, paddle shifters, funky chrome interior door handles, as well as a dual exhaust; at the same time, it has lower-end elements like its mediocre 1.6-litre, direct-injected engine that cranks 138 hp and 123 lb-ft. of torque. I took the Veloster to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and received plenty of interested glances on the four-hour trek but desperately needed an injection of power. I could also feel a lot of the bumps on the road, and the steering alignment felt a touch off as the car periodically veered to the right. On the flip side, when it comes to fuel economy, the Veloster produced a combined 6.5 L/ 100 km in the city and on the highway.

In terms of comfort, the Veloster scores high. The two-tone leather mesh seats welcome you with ample space to manoeuvre. Hyundai has focused on cabin comfort in the front seats, but it comes at the expense of the back seats. The third door adds a measure of convenience, and the rear seats can also fold down to add a vast amount of cargo space if needed, but it can get pretty tight back there if you're above average height.

All things considered, the Veloster is a creative invention that's made a big splash in the auto industry. Hyundai's aim was to upstage Honda's CR-Z by bettering it in performance, seating room, practicality, and price. And for the most part it succeeds. But it still has a Jekyll-and-Hyde complex: on the one hand, I love what Hyundai did with its unique look, but, on the other hand, it's hard not to be let down when it doesn't drive like the sporty car it resembles. With its focus on style and technological connectivity over performance, the Veloster is clearly geared towards the younger generation. If you're more interested in performance than appearance, you may want to wait for the forthcoming Veloster Turbo, which is due out this summer and which promises to provide a sorely needed power boost.