redesigned from the inside out for 2019, hyundai's quirky three-door veloster hatchback now has some competitive pricing to go along with its spring on-sale date. the car represents a unique prospect, with one large door on the driver's side and two smaller ones on the passenger side. compared to rivals, however, its performance angle also represents a price at the pump.
that may have some shoppers rethinking their options. according to the aaa daily fuel gauge report early thursday, the average price for regular gas went up another 6 cents this past week to level off at $2.90 per gallon, the ninth week in a row it has increased. a national average of $3 could soon become reality.
the 2019 veloster sidesteps that issue by offering a choice of four-cylinder used engine that shouldn't break the bank at the pump, though it doesn't compare favorably to rivals such as the honda civic, mazda3 or volkswagen golf.
- the base veloster used engine is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 147 horsepower. the epa says it has city/highway/combined fuel economy of 25/33/28 mpg with the standard six-speed manual transmission and 27/34/30 mpg with the optional six-speed automatic.
- that means that filling the veloster's 13.2-gallon tank would cost $38.28, based on the national average of $2.90 for regular.
- in california, which had the highest average price for regular at $3.70, filling the tank would cost nearly $49.
- mississippi had the lowest average at $2.59, and a fill-up there would run a bit more than $34.
pushed by rising oil prices and high demand for gas, pump prices rose by a nickel or more the past week in more than half of the 50 states. the biggest increases for regular were 9 cents in michigan; 10 cents in indiana, minnesota and wisconsin; and 14 cents in missouri. aaa listed 15 states on thursday where regular averaged $3 or more.
the national average for premium gas rose 6 cents to $3.42, and diesel fuel was up 7 cents to $3.16. regular and premium were 56 cents higher than a year ago on thursday, and diesel was 66 cents higher. pump prices are now the highest they've been since 2014.
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