Hyundai Tiburon 2002 Review

At first glance the Tiburon replacement for Hyundai's all-curves Coupe is a rude shock. The price for Hyundai's 2-dr coupe has jumped a staggering $9000 from $26,990 to $35,880. The top spec Tiburon, with new V6 engine and six speed manual gearbox costs a whopping $42,880, making it the second most expensive Hyundai in Australia.

That's serious cash for something wearing a Hyundai badge, or so you would think at first. But the new Tiburon, with its sleek styling, punchy V6 engine and oodles of features, is set to redefine the Hyundai brand as something more than a builder of cheap cars.

Hyundai sees the sportscar category split in two distinct camps, which it calls sports performance and sports style. The performance category includes the soon to be withdrawn Nissan 200SX, Subaru WRX and Honda's highly-strung Integra Type R.

The second category, previously and derisively refered to as hairdresser's cars, includes the not-as-sharp Honda Integra GSi, soon to be withdrawn Ford Cougar, and the Toyota Celica.

It's in this second category that Hyundai positions the Tiburon, and with some justification. All four are front wheel drive 2-dr coupes. All are equal parts substance, style and seduction. All are as much about how they look as how they go. And on those terms the Tiburon should be taken seriously.

The Tiburon's sculptured flanks and rakish roofline build a sharklike profile that's no accident - Tiburon is Spanish for shark. The front fender 'gills' and razor sharp character line down the side continue the sleek, aggressive styling theme, while the front and rear treatment is a study in subtlety. It's clear when comparing the superceded Coupe's overly busy 'bulging curves' design to the svelte new Tiburon that Hyundai's designers have finally discovered when to lift the pen from the paper.

Thankfully it's the same story on the inside, with a refreshingly less-is-more approach to the cabin. A light, airy seat fabric opens up the cabin, while the chunky steering wheel and chrome-ringed dials dominate the driver's view. Vented alloy pedals, leather gearlever and handbrake, and chrome door inserts are highlights of the Tiburon interior.

Looking at the Tiburon, it's easy to see the influence of other well known cars in its design. The Audi TT comes in for a regular mention - the hex-nut fuel cap cover, chrome ringed dials and proud-standing dash-mounted air vents - and the taillights look at little Jaguar to us. Even so, we reckon the Tiburon is one of the first great looking cars Hyundai has turned out.

The real story, however, and the bulk of the extra $9000 has been spent under the skin - exactly where it needed to be spent. The previous model was quite literally all show and no go, lacking the performance and polish to deliver an involving and exciting drive. The Tiburon, thankfully, addresses all those issues.

Hyundai will offer two models, the Tiburon four cylinder base model, and the top spec Tiburon V6. The Tiburon is powered by the 102kW 2.0-litre four cylinder engine from the previous Coupe FX, mated to either a 4-speed tiptronic-style auto gearbox, or a five-speed manual, and good for 0-100km/h in 9.2 seconds.

The Tiburon V6 gets the all-alloy 2.7 litre block from the Sonata, Santa Fe and Trajet producing 127kW of power. This is down slightly on the Santa Fe (132kW) due to the restrictive positioning of the exhaust system. Torque is down marginally at 245Nm. The Tiburon V6 is available with either a 4-speed tiptronic-style automatic or a close ratio six-speed manual, the latter helping the Tiburon V6 accelerate from 0-100km/h in 8.2 seconds.

Both models include good levels of standard equipment, including air-conditioning, CD player, engine immobiliser, remote central locking and power windows and mirrors. The Tiburon V6 adds cruise control, leather steering wheel, luggage net, rear spoiler and three extra instrument dials (volts, torque, fuel economy) to the mix.

On the road the V6 manual is the pick of the bunch, even when you take the extra $6000 into account. With over 30percent more torque than the four cylinder model, the Tiburon V6 is at home in most driving situations, from hilly country roads to crowded suburban streets.

The V6 engine revs hungrily from rest, tiring a little after 5000rpm on its way to a 7500rpm redline. Thanks to the close ratio six speed manual gearbox, with a somewhat stiff, but reassuringly solid short throw, there's no need to dwell in the upper region. Stick around 3500-5500rpm and there's enough torque on tap for the Tiburon V6 to lunge forward eagerly.

The Tiburon's suspension is pretty standard stuff - coil over strut front, multi-link rear - with a few minor Hyundai improvements. High quality German gas dampers add a touch of class to the ride, which is firm yet comfortable, and surprisingly capable in the tight and twisties.

It came as some surprise to us that the Tiburon handled itself as well as it did on the launch. Conducted at some speed along the Murray Valley highway and other choice backroads around Albury, the Tiburon showed itself to be a vastly more capable sports coupe than the model it replaces.

Well planted and pliant, it displays very little bodyroll in corners, and only small amounts of bump kickback through the steering wheel. The steering is significantly sharper on initial turn in, attacking the apex with a verve the old Coupe could only ever dream about.

The four cylinder model, with its lighter engine up front and higher profile 16-inch tyres doesn't steer quite as sharp as the 40kg heavier V6 model, though the steering itself feels noticeably lighter. We found this a disadvantage at speed, and an advantage in low speed manoeuvers.

Both models get the same 280mm vented discs with floating calipers up front and 260mm solid discs in the rear, antilock only on the V6. On high pressure applications the brakes lack initial bite, and feel somewhat vague by comparison to, say, the Celica, but they did slow us up confidently every time we asked.

Under heavy braking the back end of the Tiburon gets very light and has a tendency to wander a little, but nowhere near as bad as the old Coupe. In fact we were pleasently impressed at how well tied down the rear end of the Tiburon is, under brakes and in corners, and not once did it step out of line - unless asked to.

Hyundai's goals for the Tiburon are conservative - just 100-150 a month for the first three, levelling out to around 50-100 a month thereafter. The once declining sportscar market has turned around in the last year or two, though the imminent withdrawl of the Cougar and 200SX from sale may halt that growth.

While the Tiburon's move upmarket, and the price rise associated with that may scare punters initially, the vast improvements both visually and mechanically are likely to convince many of its merits. The Tiburon bears no resemblance to the Coupe model it replaces, instead bearing all the hallmarks of a competent, stylish sports coupe with ample on-road performance and ability to back up the claim.