Hyundai RM16 N mid-engine hatchback might be real
 

Guys, guys, guys! Hyundai might actually be producing a mid-engine, rear-drive hatch under their N performance division... Or is it just a race car version of Veloster version 2.0? Look at those rear vents. Yuge!

Would you trade in your 86 / BRZ for this?


http://www.autoblog.com/2016/10/24/h...to-mid-engine/

http://o.aolcdn.com/dims-global/dims...m16-n-21-1.jpg

http://o.aolcdn.com/dims-global/dims...m16-n-03-1.jpg

http://o.aolcdn.com/dims-global/dims...m16-n-16-1.jpg


*http://www.autoblog.com/2016/06/06/h...gine-veloster/ <- Link to Concept car (2.0 Turbo mounted behind the front seats)

Is there any information on the drivetrain?

Edited post to show concept car that debuted with 2.0 turbo. The concept was a 2-seater. No other information available right now, however, the vehicle in the photos appears production ready, as noted by Autoblog. Whether it is a production car, or just a racecar, who knows. Hopefully we see it at LA or Detroit i next couple months and it turns out to be the N divisions halo vehicle.

Also I incorrectly pasted the Autoblog link. Fixed*

I wonder if it'll have the 2.0T that the GenCoupe had? If that mid-engine Veloster M ever makes it to the car lot, that could be an awesome car. 2 seater though.

Its still a fucking veloster... Han's right

Very interesting in concept (mid-engine, RWD). The Hyundai badge wouldn't deter me, but I'm doubtful about their ability to nail the execution. Hyundai has never made a RWD sports car with great driving dynamics. Not sure it's going to magically come together with this car. I'm skeptical but I'd consider it if the final product was legitimately amazing to drive.

Also (contrary to the poll option) this isn't going to have the huge cargo space of a typical hatch. The closest car is probably the Renault Clio V6, and that had practically no hatch space behind the engine and no rear seats.

http://13252-presscdn-0-94.pagely.ne...pen_resize.jpg

But there should be some space for groceries up front? There's no engine to get in the way- it won't be a huge space but it should have some space like a 911 has. But there won't be much in the back

Yeah but the poll option is "Yes, gimmie that cargo capacity & mad driftz"

This is going to have less cargo capacity than a typical FR coupe.

That's all I was saying, although agree it will have a small frunk like a 911/cayman.

You can't really drift a mid engine car can you? They are infamous for being too tail happy and snapping to oversteer in a heartbeat (or so I read).

Yeah that's a good point - MR cars aren't really known to be easy to drift. Definitely possible though.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeHaMdset9Y"]Keiichi Tsuchiya Drift an MR2 Part3 (Dubbed) - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3ITponbFKM"]Tuerck'd: Ryan Tuerck Slays Supercar Rubber in Vancouver - YouTube[/ame]

Lawl, well, I stand corrected on 2 counts, probably. Maybe it won't be able to drift, and perhaps the cargo capacity will suck, relatively speaking. The hatch opening looks large which will help with taller objects, but yes, the vehicle appears quite short. Though the frunk might helps.

Can you edit polls after the fact? I am thinking not.

if it is mid engined and rwd it will be worth a look. I mean the velostar looks great, but that is all it does.

Oh yeah, definately! Hyundai might actually make a car that can handle for a shit! It should be lightweight, the Gen 2.0t put out 270/270 and the balance should be awesome.

I think the Veloster has a good look that kind of grows on you. IMHO this car could be a beast and will definitely be unique in a MR2 kind of way.

It looks cool.

Also, kinda reminds me of the concept golf... W12...

https://i.imgflip.com/1cyhfx.jpgvia Imgflip Meme Generator

It'd have to be absolutely perfect for me to trade, doubt that would happen as odds are it'd end up in STI/GolfR/FoRS territory on pricing and >3,000 lbs on the curb weight, both of which are major stumbling blocks for me.

Not even mentioning the fact that Hyundai hasn't quite nailed the dynamics of a fun car as mentioned before.

Interesting, but I hope they don't actually try to make a midengine hatchback. It's adds some weight since you need a humongous firewall with lots of sound deadening, and doesn't look as cool as a coupe. I think Lotus was right in not making the area above the engine available for storage on their cars (though they should have opened up the frunk for storage instead of their crap radiator ducting).

Not really worried about the powertrain, that can be modified.

This sounds like one of those neat ideas that dies a fiery death when the execution is attempted.

Would I trade my BRZ for a mystery car I've never driven that may or may not actually get produced, about which we have no reliable information at all and which may actually suck to drive?

I could do that. But that would make me a fucking idiot.

If it ever sees the street, I'll definately test drive it, but I don't think I'll ever own another Hyundai. My Gen was fun, but in the end not the safest car with the bad brakes and terrible electronic assists and horrible ABS- the ABS in that car was a joke. But I wouldn't mind taking the Veloster M for a spin.

Yea but hyundai can always bring in Lotus to figure that out. There is no need for it to be that heavy if they try to keep it reasonably lightweight.

who needs sound deadening, just make the engine sound awesome. I hate coupes, i wish the twins were hatches. And if they try they can make it lightweight, it does not need to be as big as the twins, just big enough.

I'd take it if it were a front-engine rear drive hatch.

Mid-engine cars can drift. One of our former regulars used to run a MR2 and get in trouble for drifting on track -almost regularly. (He was pretty good at it though)

I have gotten a lot of different mid-engine cars "on their toes" and more than a few "out of shape" and, they generally behaved very well. I have also driven a lot of rear-engine 911's and only liked the newest version I drove once things got hairy. (I suspect the electronics were not completely off on that version though)

Let me ask you a question, do you think your car is loud?

My MR2 has extra sound deadening over the firewall and a stock muffler, and it's louder in the cabin than my FR-S when it had a track pipe, despite sounding just like a stock Corolla from the outside. There is such a thing as unacceptably loud.

Even if you don't care about loud, there's also the heat issue. You cannot pipe air to the center of the engine so it gets hot, and so you'll need substantial thermal insulation. This is why a Porsche Cayman is not much lighter than a Boxster with its power soft top.

no my car is quiet. My last car was a Yaris, and I removed everything behind the front two seats. It had even less insulation than the twins do and I literally could here the gas sloshing in the tank if I turned off the radio. It was wondrous. If you get the venting and ducting done properly heating won't be an issue. The VW Bug was rear engined and never once did anyone complain about the car being too hot.

Okay, not only is that the truth, I cracked up and spit out some coffee.

Really not into Hyundai's turbo i4. It's a pretty blah engine.

I'm not enthusiastic about it. It does look tiny though.

Okay I just had to check. I've driven a stripped car before where you could hear the fuel pump and everything too, but the MR2 is another step up in loudness because the engine is so close to your head.

Thermal insulation isn't actually that bad as it'll only weigh a few extra pounds, but sound deadening is almost certainly a problem.

the big deal isn't really any of this, it is the actual size of the vehicles. If you take the BRZ, remove the need for rear seats and that stupid rear trunk, and take some off the front because really why do I need to have the space to shove pretty much any v8 on the market in there?, and you'd get a car about the size of a Yaris.

Even the heaviest current Yaris is 2335 lbs. You take out the back seat and associated useless crap and that's 2200. I still don't know why Toyota doesn't do what they've done with every MR2 and make their econo car into a rwd rear engined sporty car, because a 2300 lb MR2 would be awesome.

A mid engined car does not have to be heavy. A modern car does not have to be heavy. Even with all the bells and whistes a modern sports car does not need to weigh a lot. I swear they designed the BRZ solely with the need to throw in a v8 for pro drifting.

The car you're talking about is the SF-R concept. That thing is tiny and weighs much less.

Wheelbase is a really big factor in weight, since a longer wheelbase requires proportionally more chassis reinforcement to maintain stiffness. The BRZ's front wheels don't have much space to move back.

I get the rear seats on the BRZ, because they are actually decently sized. I've gone a ski trip with my FR-S, and taken 3-4 passengers quite a few times. The BRZ is not a hardcore sports car, it's a sporty coupe that is a great grocery getter. It's so good at getting groceries that if I actually bought groceries more often, I would have kept it :P

Now on the 911, the rear seats are silly. A small child might fit, but not an adult. That's dead weight in my book. Since they already have rear wheel steering on the GT3, I think they should have shrunken the wheelbase.

Yes a midengine car doesn't have to be heavy, but I would rather ditch the hatch for weight reduction. Every car needs front wheels, so a well designed frunk is the optimal solution IMO. Porsche got the size of the frunk right, but they could have moved some stuff around to allow the overhang to be reduced.

You're right, a 2300lb new MR2 would be awesome and is totally doable. The new Miata is 2300lbs and has a convertible top, so a fixed roof MR2 without a torque tube/driveshaft could actually get down near 2200lbs. I would be first in line to buy one, but Toyota doesn't seem to think it would be a good seller, so I bought another old MR2.