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April 3, 2008 http://www.thecarconnection.com/fullreview/hyundai_tiburon_2003

  Marc K. Stengel
EditorMarc K. Stengel

 

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There are a lot of things going right for Hyundai's latest iteration of its sporty-coupe contender, the Tiburon. It's got fashion-runway looks; a new, more powerful V-6; and a reputation enhanced by Hyundai's sixth manufacturer's championship in ProRally Racing.

And then there's the historical context: After years as a struggling upstart from South Korea, Hyundai is finally earning its stripes as a major player in North America. Its cars aren't just econoboxes for tiny tots any more. They're for grown-ups, and they include the stylish Sonata sedan, the spunky Santa Fe SUV and this svelte, gorgeous Tiburon. The company still offers extremely generous warranty coverage for five years/60,000 miles (and 10 years/100,000 miles for the drivetrain); but this now looks like a good marketing ploy rather than a desperation plea.

With so many decent cards in its hand, Hyundai is beginning to look like the classic underdog-made-good. So it's a bit deflating to take the Tiburon out for a spin and have to admit that, well, there's some vital ingredient missing that keeps this looker from reaching its full potential. Perhaps it's akin to a conversation with a Victoria's Secret model who thinks Tennessee Williams is the secret weapon the Vols have been waiting for all season.

Street cred intact

There's no shortage of credentials on paper, mind you. The Tiburon wears four-wheel disc brakes and is shod with a four-wheel independent suspension. With the UltraSport 1 option package, there's an ambitious six-speed manual transmission. And underhood, there's a twin-cam V-6 with a four-valve head. The result is 181 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. Oops! Scratch that. In an embarrassing misstep after the Tiburon's debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September, Hyundai fell on its sword and restated specs to read 170 hp and 181 lb-ft. And in contrition, it offered customers an increase in warranty terms of either 10 years free roadside assistance, six-year/72,000-mile warranty protection or a 12-year/120,000-mile drivetrain warranty, customer's choice.

For what it's worth, the right engine stat went up where 'round-town driving is concerned, since torque is the determinant of responsive short-sprint acceleration. Problem is, Hyundai's "Delta" motor, borrowed from the popular Santa Fe SUV is a bit plodding and dutiful, when it should be sparkling and effervescent. It's not an especially fast revver, so stoplight acceleration feels a bit like that dame gathering up her petticoats before she sallies forth. The one-and-a-half ton curb weight doesn't help matters, of course; nor does the fussy six-speed shifter, which really doesn't come into its own until warp speed anyway. In this class of car, with rivals like Mistu's Eclipse and Acura's Integra ready to pounce at a moment's notice, the Tiburon comes off looking and feeling a bit like a poseur.

Look-ism at work

But, ah, those looks. Even the gills behind the front wheel wells (an etymological cue, in fact, since tiburon is Spanish for "shark") look like they're supposed to be there. The flowing lines, the upswept flanks, the rounded roof and front — the Tiburon's bravado styling is remarkable mostly because it manages simultaneously to suggest something subtly graceful and slightly sinister.

There's a price to pay here as well, however. The Tiburon's official classification as a four-seater is an exercise in corporate wishful thinking. Even the back seats in the tiny MINI Cooper feel larger and more tolerable. Moreover, the clumsy operation of the front seat sliders makes clear that friends who are banished to the rear of a Tiburon won't remain friends for very long.

It's important to point out that Hyundai equips the Tiburon with side airbags as standard equipment, and this is the right thing to do. Why, on the other hand, anti-lock brakes are buried deep within a $1748 option package is all the more a mystery. Certainly, price is one of the Tiburon's strong suits; and the version evaluated here was otherwise very well equipped with power controls, AM/FM/in-dash CD and air conditioning for $18,744, as tested. A single line-item ABS option, theoretically, would still keep the overall package well under $20,000. So what's the problem?

Out on the backroads, where this shark was meant to swim anyway, the Tiburon is actually a driver's delight. Despite its pixie size, it's not a sprinter or quarter horse like the MINI or the Miata; it's more of a miniaturized version of a Golden Era gran turismo coupe of the Italianate '50s and '60s. The Tiburon's strut-based independent suspension is compliant at both ends. The shocks are sport-tuned, but there's nothing harsh about them; and the steering and weight-balance while cornering are very predictable. The Tiburon rewards smoothness in the driver's choice of line and application of throttle and braking; conversely, the coupe gets a bit grumpy when the driver misses a braking point or accelerates late. In this heavy a car, regaining speed carelessly lost means waiting patiently for the Tiburon to build back its head of steam.

The best place to be in proximity to the new Tiburon is in the driver's seat, which is snug, cozy and well placed in relation to important controls and gauges. It's also more or less isolated from the coupe's sexy exterior, thereby minimizing thoughts of grandeur that this beauty may well inspire but be unable to fulfill.

Hyundai's genuine achievement with the Tiburon is to have raised the status of its sports coupe far beyond the standards of the kit-car it appeared to be at its debut in 1997. Just the same, the affordable sporty coupe category is notoriously vicious when it comes to sorting out the winners and the losers in the performance-per-dollar sweepstakes. In this regard, the Tiburon is less likely to star in the role of shark than of shark-bait.

2003 Hyundai Tiburon GT V-6
Price: $18,744 as tested
Engine: 2.7-liter DOHC V-6, 170 hp
Transmission: Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Wheelbase: 99.6 inches
Length: 173 inches
Width: 69.3 inches
Height: 52.3 inches
Curb weight: 3023 lb
EPA City/Hwy (mpg): 18/26 mpg
Safety equipment: Dual front and side airbags
Major standard features: Leather seats, premium audio system, 17-inch alloy wheels, power windows & mirrors, keyless remote with alarm
Warranty: Five years/60,000 miles

 

 

  GET CURRENT PRICING GET AN INSURANCE QUOTE   There are a lot of things going right for Hyundai's latest iteration of its sporty-coupe contender, the Tiburon. It's got fashion-runway looks; a new, more powerful V-6; and a reputation enhanced by Hyundai's sixth manufacturer's championship in ProRally Racing. And then there's the historical context: After years as a struggling upstart from South Korea, Hyundai is finally earning its stripes as a major player in North America. Its cars aren't just econoboxes for tiny tots any more. They're for grown-ups, and they include the stylish Sonata sedan, the spunky Santa Fe SUV and this svelte, gorgeous Tiburon. The company still offers extremely generous warranty coverage for five years/60,000 miles (and 10 years/100,000 miles for the drivetrain); but this now looks like a good marketing ploy rather than a desperation plea. With so many decent cards in its hand, Hyundai is beginning to look like the classic underdog-made-good. So it's a bit deflating to take the Tiburon out for a spin and have to admit that, well, there's some vital ingredient missing that keeps this looker from reaching its full potential. Perhaps it's akin to a conversation with a Victoria's Secret model who thinks Tennessee Williams is the secret weapon the Vols have been waiting for all season. Street cred intact There's no shortage of credentials on paper, mind you. The Tiburon wears four-wheel disc brakes and is shod with a four-wheel independent suspension. With the UltraSport 1 option package, there's an ambitious six-speed manual transmission. And underhood, there's a twin-cam V-6 with a four-valve head. The result is 181 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. Oops! Scratch that. In an embarrassing misstep after the Tiburon's debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September, Hyundai fell on its sword and restated specs to read 170 hp and 181 lb-ft. And in contrition, it offered customers an increase in warranty terms of either 10 years free roadside assistance, six-year/72,000-mile warranty protection or a 12-year/120,000-mile drivetrain warranty, customer's choice. For what it's worth, the right engine stat went up where 'round-town driving is concerned, since torque is the determinant of responsive short-sprint acceleration. Problem is, Hyundai's "Delta" motor, borrowed from the popular Santa Fe SUV is a bit plodding and dutiful, when it should be sparkling and effervescent. It's not an especially fast revver, so stoplight acceleration feels a bit like that dame gathering up her petticoats before she sallies forth. The one-and-a-half ton curb weight doesn't help matters, of course; nor does the fussy six-speed shifter, which really doesn't come into its own until warp speed anyway. In this class of car, with rivals like Mistu's Eclipse and Acura's Integra ready to pounce at a moment's notice, the Tiburon comes off looking and feeling a bit like a poseur. Look-ism at work But, ah, those looks. Even the gills behind the front wheel wells (an etymological cue, in fact, since tiburon is Spanish for "shark") look like they're supposed to be there. The flowing lines, the upswept flanks, the rounded roof and front — the Tiburon's bravado styling is remarkable mostly because it manages simultaneously to suggest something subtly graceful and slightly sinister. There's a price to pay here as well, however. The Tiburon's official classification as a four-seater is an exercise in corporate wishful thinking. Even the back seats in the tiny MINI Cooper feel larger and more tolerable. Moreover, the clumsy operation of the front seat sliders makes clear that friends who are banished to the rear of a Tiburon won't remain friends for very long. 2003 Hyundai Tiburon GT V-6Enlarge PhotoIt's important to point out that Hyundai equips the Tiburon with side airbags as standard equipment, and this is the right thing to do. Why, on the other hand, anti-lock brakes are buried deep within a $1748 option package is all the more a mystery. Certainly, price is one of the Tiburon's strong suits; and the version evaluated here was otherwise very well equipped with power controls, AM/FM/in-dash CD and air conditioning for $18,744, as tested. A single line-item ABS option, theoretically, would still keep the overall package well under $20,000. So what's the problem? Out on the backroads, where this shark was meant to swim anyway, the Tiburon is actually a driver's delight. Despite its pixie size, it's not a sprinter or quarter horse like the MINI or the Miata; it's more of a miniaturized version of a Golden Era gran turismo coupe of the Italianate '50s and '60s. The Tiburon's strut-based independent suspension is compliant at both ends. The shocks are sport-tuned, but there's nothing harsh about them; and the steering and weight-balance while cornering are very predictable. The Tiburon rewards smoothness in the driver's choice of line and application of throttle and braking; conversely, the coupe gets a bit grumpy when the driver misses a braking point or accelerates late. In this heavy a car, regaining speed carelessly lost means waiting patiently for the Tiburon to build back its head of steam. The best place to be in proximity to the new Tiburon is in the driver's seat, which is snug, cozy and well placed in relation to important controls and gauges. It's also more or less isolated from the coupe's sexy exterior, thereby minimizing thoughts of grandeur that this beauty may well inspire but be unable to fulfill. Hyundai's genuine achievement with the Tiburon is to have raised the status of its sports coupe far beyond the standards of the kit-car it appeared to be at its debut in 1997. Just the same, the affordable sporty coupe category is notoriously vicious when it comes to sorting out the winners and the losers in the performance-per-dollar sweepstakes. In this regard, the Tiburon is less likely to star in the role of shark than of shark-bait. 2003 Hyundai Tiburon GT V-6 Price: $18,744 as testedEngine: 2.7-liter DOHC V-6, 170 hpTransmission: Six-speed manual, front-wheel driveWheelbase: 99.6 inches Length: 173 inchesWidth: 69.3 inches Height: 52.3 inches Curb weight: 3023 lbEPA City/Hwy (mpg): 18/26 mpgSafety equipment: Dual front and side airbags Major standard features: Leather seats, premium audio system, 17-inch alloy wheels, power windows & mirrors, keyless remote with alarmWarranty: Five years/60,000 miles     GET CURRENT PRICING GET AN INSURANCE QUOTE There are a lot of things going right for Hyundai's latest iteration of its sporty-coupe contender, the Tiburon. It's got fashion-runway looks; a new, more powerful ...