Hyundai Veloster Problems

You’ve layed out some challenging requirements here. You’d like a small SUV with a bit of ride comfort and clearly a bit of performance too, given your question about the i30 N.
I think you’ll find the ride harsh on the i30 N, especially since you found the ride on the Kona harsh already. Keep in mind the i30 N is a hot hatch and has the suspension to match.
I find the Subaru XV has very nice ride comfort for the small SUV segment, but I also feel that you will be disappointed with the performance from its 2.0-litre engine. You may also want to consider the new Hybrid Toyota C-HR. The Hybrid drive gives it a smidge of extra kick and it’s a fuel consumption hero, too.
For a better blend of performance and ride, really only the Volkswagen T-Roc and Skoda Karoq are going to excel in the small SUV crowd. In terms of ownership both now have five year warranties, and you can (and should) pre-package five years of servicing on top at a discount.

I can understand your concern but there is a growing number of cars that now run on premium unleaded. You won’t use much in the Veloster, which is pretty economical.

The Veloster should be fine and I have a nephew who has driven 40,000km in his and loves it. It's not a sports car but a stylish coupe that's practical as well. It gets The Tick from me.

Both cars are good ones, the Camry Atara is a more practical choice and would probably have a better resale when you want to sell it in the future, but the Veloster is a sportier car. The choice is really an emotional one and the 21-year-old wants the sporty choice. You won’t go wrong with either car.

The Veloster has just had an update and is better, the A1 is all right but the Polo is a ripper little thing that gets The Tick and is my choice.

Problems with clutches are cropping up on a regular basis these days, certainly more than they did a few years ago. It's hard to say how long a clutch should last today, in the past I would have said that 36,000km is too low, but it's now not unusual to hear of clutches needing replacement at relatively low kays. As yours is still not worn out it might not actually need replacing until 50,000km or more and that would be within the acceptable range. The only way to determine if the wear is abnormal is to inspect it.

It has 5-star safety, is quite cheap to run, and parts and servicing are not expensive, all of which make it a good choice. But for a rookie driver's first car it might not be the best choice, given its performance and his inexperience. Perhaps think about a non-turbo model.

It is probably backlash in the driveline, as you say like that you would experience in a rear-drive diff. If it's only happening when you backing out of the driveway I wouldn't be concerned about it.

Hyundai has told us that yours is the first report of pinging that has been received, but they are happy to investigate the issue on your car and will be in contact with you soon to arrange a time for you to take your car to your dealer.