Personality among new cars is a trait that seems to be more and more lacking as years go by.

Without stepping high onto a soapbox, a quick look at the new SUV market might help one reach this conclusion. There's a lot of redundancy and blandness. But to make lemonade out of lemons, having a ton of SUVs in manufacturers' respective lineups means their coffers are packed, and can afford to invest in something that does have personality.

In fact, what I'm talking about has a ton of personality: the 2021 Hyundai Veloster N.

After a couple years into the N’s production, I think we’re past “oh my god I can’t believe Hyundai makes this!” and are now at “oh my god I’m glad Hyundai is still making this!” And in 2021, they’re showing the new car market that they’re sticking with their angry little hatchback formula -co-developed by Albert Biermann and kicking ass in touring car racing- by introducing an optional dual-clutch transmission.

They didn’t already have an enthusiast-approved dual-clutch in their parts bin (at least nothing of note), so… what’s this new gearbox like? I recently had an entire week with a 2021 Hyundai Veloster N DCT, and without giving too much away, the South Korean brand did not disappoint by making it an option.

They added a few refinements elsewhere, too.

Many thanks to Hyundai USA for lending me the 2021 Veloster N DCT for an entire week, plus a tank of gas and all necessary insurance. My tester’s all-day price was $33,245.

Sharp Looks Inside and Out, Plus Upgraded Tech

2021 Veloster N DCT
Image: Peter Nelson

The 2021 Hyundai Veloster N hasn’t really changed on the outside compared to 2020 and 2019 models, which is a good thing. I really dig its athletic, hot hatch looks, sharp headlights, and wild 4-door hatch setup. It doesn’t really look like anything else on the road, which is much appreciated in this day and age of blurred design lines between manufacturers. My tester’s Racing Red color might also be my favorite color, too -it follows a proud hot hatch lineage for sure. Though Hyundai’s signature Performance Blue is great too, as not many OEMs are inclined to paint their cars a similar color.

As far as the interior goes, some of this fast Hyundai’s most noticeable upgrades over previous years’ models exist here. I had no real complaints about the 2019/2020 Veloster N's interior materials quality and infotainment system, but the 2021 model year’s upgrades are mostly welcome.

RELATED: 2021 Hyundai Veloster N: Costs, Facts, And Figures

Trim, center console, and dash material seemed to have been spiffed up a tad, feeling more substantial and higher-end than before. The 2021 model’s brand-new seats were very comfortable, made of nice materials, and had excellent bolstering, though, this unfortunately comes at the expense of tall-guy friendliness. One of the things that made last year’s Veloster N so good was that my 6’3”-and-long-torso’d frame had so much headroom. These new seats must sit a tad higher than the old ones, as my head was just-about touching the headliner when reclined in a comfortable, yet performance-oriented position.

2021 Veloster N DCT
Image: Peter Nelson

Getting in and out of it was easy thanks to its large door openings and roomy front cabin area, and while I didn’t spend any time in the backseat, it’s enough to temporarily cart around two adults. Just make sure they know to load-in from the passenger side; the Veloster is well-known for being a four-door hatch (one hatch and three doors); which is a concept I’ve always dug. I like coupes, but have always hated having to get out of the driver’s seat to let people in. Hyundai engineered a sneaky rear door just for them, while maintaining coupe looks on the driver's side.

The N’s cargo space is quintessential hot hatch: 19.9 cubic feet with the rear seats up and a massive 109.8 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down. This makes it a prime candidate for hauling a lightweight wheelset with sticky tires, plus all the equipment one would need for a long weekend at the track.

The infotainment system is on a larger 8-inch screen over 2020’s model, and has been upgraded to Hyundai’s AVN 5.0 Multimedia Navigation System, which has better screen clarity, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, voice recognition, Bluetooth, satellite radio, and an excellent Infinity 8-speaker sound system. Annoyingly, I found navigating around and making changes in the N menus to be a bit more fiddly than last year's model. One of the Veloster N’s high-cards is being able to adjust its suspension, engine, and transmission tuning, as well as its differential in N Custom Mode. When that’s more of a pain to navigate to and adjust, it takes some of the fun out of it.

New for 2021, the Veloster N has Hyundai’s suite of driver aid assists, including Lane Keeping Assist, Lane Following Assist, Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Blind-Spot Collision Warning, Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning, and Driver Attention Warning. That's great, though most likely a large chunk of the reason why its base price went up to $32,250, compared to previous years’ $30,695 with Performance Package (for 2021, all Veloster Ns have the Performance Package’s specs). Personally, I’d rather pocket the $1500 and put it towards inevitable replacement front tires, as this FWD beast was a total blast in pretty much all driving scenarios.

A Fast-Revving Engine With Accompanying Fast Shifts

2021 Veloster N DCT
Image: Peter Nelson

The 2021 Veloster N was incredibly smile-inducing thanks to its torquey-as-hell 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder, direct-injected turbo engine that makes 275 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. Torque came on strong at as little as 1750 RPMs, and acceleration was a blast all the way to its 6750 RPM redline. This torquey turbo-4 made even the most bland, easy-going daily drives more fun than not. The 8-speed dual clutch transmission made the most of its torque curve with its seamless, lightning-fast shifts. This combo put a smile on my face so much that I guarantee my face aged a solid ten years during my week with it.

The N will pull its 3,186-pound self to 60 MPH in the low 5-second range. I was able to get pretty close to this without much effort, however Car and Driver was able to achieve a number in the high-4s; quite impressive.

RELATED: Hyundai's Veloster  N DCT Has Some Really Cool Driving Modes

A fun piece of turbo tech only available on DCT-equipped models is Hyundai’s N Grin Shift. This is a temporary overboost function that lasts 20 seconds, and bumps torque to 278 pound-feet. N Grin Shift was indeed grin-inducing behind the wheel. The bump in torque made even uphill, twisty-canyon-road acceleration more noticeable, with more aggressive revs and a touch more anger in my little red beast’s exhaust note.

2021 Veloster N DCT
Image: Peter Nelson

The DCT-only trickery doesn’t stop there, however. N Power Shift kicks in at 90-percent-or-higher throttle input, makes gear changes sharper, and acceleration all the more pupil-dilating. I found N Power Shift to slightly resemble such wild technologies as McLaren’s Inertia Push; there’s a little extra shove after each upshift. This is very much welcome in an angry, sub-$35,000 hot hatch.

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Street driving was fun, acceleration on the highway was far-beyond ample, and all forms of twisty-road driving were an absolute riot. The Veloster N ripped out of tight corners with all the gusto, and screamed up to redline quite quickly before the next one. An accompanying shift light improved the theatrics, as well.

The N’s differential surprised me; it kept everything very well composed. Barreling into corners, braking hard, and then getting back on the power as early as possible at corner exit were dealt with very easily. It sorted everything out really well and never put up a fuss. I was routinely expecting a little corner-exit understeer, but it never happened, even when I tried to make it do so by stomping on the throttle a little too early. I don’t recall the 2020 model year doing this -if this was a part of the N's 2021 revision, major kudos to Hyundai.

Sharp Handling, Solid Steering, and Flexible Modes to Tie it All Together

2021 Veloster N DCT
Image: Peter Nelson

The 2019 and 2020 Veloster N made a solid impression on enthusiasts with its adaptive damping and other sporty suspension tuning. For 2021, none of this has really changed, with the exception of some mild tweaking from the factory to account for the added weight of the DCT over the 6-speed manual.

My tester’s handling was incredible. It may not be as complex and high-tech as its competitor the Honda Civic Type R, but it still felt taut, fun, and very grippy. The N ripped through successions of weirdly-cambered, tight canyon road corners easily, and made the most of its big power and big, 235/35/19 Pirelli P Zero Summer tires. Cornering speeds were impressive no matter the kind of turn; long sweepers, tight, 90-degree-or-less right-handers requiring extra steering input, etc. My tester stuck to the rode like glue, and took a lot of conscious, poor inputs to make it behave badly.

It didn't take much effort to gobble up twisty real estate between myself and unsuspecting civilians out for a chill, Sunday mountain drive way up ahead. Almost annoyingly so.

RELATED: These Are The Best Modifications For Your Hyundai Veloster N

In full-on N Mode, or N Custom Mode set with the most extreme damping, the ride over bumpy tarmac was harsh to say the least. Every tiny change in the road’s topography resonated up through my spine. While I always chalk characteristics like this up as appreciated because it’s more racecar-like, it did eventually get a little old, at which point I quickly switched to Sport Mode. Sport was the sweet spot in the N for handling over bumpy roads -either set in N Custom Mode or the full-on Sport Mode. It still immensely lacked body roll, but softened up the damping just enough to soak up imperfections in the road. The engine tuning wasn’t as lively in Sport, but it was certainly more lively than Normal Mode or... the dreaded Eco Mode. I avoided this one at all costs.

On any kind of smooth road surface, I gleefully kept it in full N Mode and played pretend TCR race car driver.

I actually spent most of my time in Sport Mode while schlepping around Southern California. While I get why Normal and Eco are there, they made the experience way too subdued. This is a fun, rowdy little hot hatchback that’s supposed to put a smile on your face at all times, Sport is the max amount of subdued I wanted to deal with. Though, Sport didn’t want to automatically shift up to 8th gear at highway speeds. That’s its only downside over Normal and Eco.

Steering felt good for a modern, electric rack. Hyundai’s rack-mounted motor driven power steering system (say that five times fast!) adjusted weight very well, tightening up nicely in Sport and N modes for added confidence, and lightening up nicely for low-speed turning, such as turning onto city streets at un-enthusiastic normie speeds, or getting around parking lots.

A Great All-Around Package

2021 Veloster N DCT
Image: Peter Nelson

I had a great week with the 2021 Veloster N DCT. It put a smile on my face during even the most uninspiring situations on the road, and thanks to the DCT it’s a more do-everything hatchback than ever. Its EPA-rated fuel economy is 22 MPG City and 28 MPG Highway; my combined was a bit lower at 21 MPG, as it was too fun to not keep my foot out of it. Its infotainment system might be a little bit more of a pain, and the seat height isn’t as good as the pre-refresh seats, but it’s otherwise still a great car.

The DCT also tames down the exhaust note over the manual, producing fewer burbles, crackles, and pops. These are fun in manual-equipped models, but they do get a little old after a while. I imagine a good number of consumers will agree; this definitely bolsters the N as even-more of a do-everything-hatchback. I really hope these sell well and stick around, as there isn’t a whole lot else on dealer lots these days with so much personality and grin-inducing characteristics. Especially for around $32,000.

NEXT: Honda Civic Type R: The Coolest Features Found Inside The Sports Car