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Hyundai Tiburon sports coupe in new design shows V6 strength
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Muscular fender bulges flared around Pilot Sport tires by Michelin with that long and broad hood, the raked windshield and a hatchback roofline tapering to the stubby tail with flying spoiler wing: The clean and aggressive styling of this low-slung sports coupe seems like it can rip to excessive speeds and run wildly through a wiggly set of curves.
And, to settle the performance issue at the outset, it surely can.
It also looks exotic and downright expensive, as cast in the familiar mold of extravagant 2+2 sports coupes.
But, to confirm price points up front, this new car scores as the anomaly among pricy sportsters.
Top trim edition, rigged with a V6 engine and six-speed manual shifter stick plus leather upholstery, aluminum pedals, a moonroof and anti-lock brakes, tallies to a couple of bucks below the watershed mark of $20,000.
Base issue, with four-pack powerplant and a five-speed manual transmission, dips to $15,999, plus the unavoidable delivery fee of $495.
All versions bear the badge of Tiburon in a new design for the slickback sports coupe by Hyundai of Korea.
Inspiration for the original Tiburon came at the 1993 North American International Auto Show in Detroit with Hyundai's daring concept car called HCD2. Projecting a low profile and extreme shapes including exaggerated body bumps pitched above each wheelwell, the mock-up seemed rather unexpected for Korea's car company known at that time only for economy mini-cars.
Typically, by the time production models emerge from show-car concepts, final designs appear watered and tamed, certainly less dramatic and less exciting than the original. That wasn't the case with Tiburon, however, as all of those bulges and sweeps and curves from the 1993 concept showed up in stunning reality for 1997 production models.
Pared in 1999 to a single edition and fitted with a new face and tail styling plus a revamped cockpit, Tiburon continued in its initial form through 2001, when a tail spoiler became standard equipment.
Now tagged for model-year 2003, the new rendition refines Tiburon's original exterior styling while also expanding the platform and adding optional V6 power along with a six-speed stick and sport-tuned suspension settings.
Tiburon originally rode on a platform also employed by Hyundai's subcompact Elantra sedan and hatchback, while the 2003 version receives a dedicated chassis dubbed the GK. Compared against the original, this new platform measures some two inches longer in wheelbase and about the same in overall length, with more than an inch in additional width.
That extra space shows up in the cabin with more room for heads and legs and shoulders of passengers.
Further, the GK chassis is decidedly stiffer than the original, and more sophisticated with a front subframe aboard for strength and new hydraulic engine mounts attached to isolate engine vibrations.
The independent suspension consists of MacPherson struts in front with offset coil springs and gas-filled hydraulic shocks, plus an anti-roll bar hitched directly against struts. In back, Tiburon wears a strut-type multi-link arrangement.
Two different versions emerge, as segmented by powertrain and suspension tuning.
The price-leader entry edition, labeled simply as Tiburon, packs Hyundai's four-cylinder Beta engine that displaces 2.0 liters and musters 140 hp at 6000 rpm and torque of 133 lb-ft at 4800 rpm.
A five-speed manual is the standard transmission for this engine, but Hyundai's four-speed electronic automatic with Shiftronic manual controller is optional at $900.
The sport-tuned version -- Tiburon GT V6 -- contains an all-aluminum dual-cam V6 sized at 2.7 liters.
It's rated for 181 hp at 6000 rpm and up to 177 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm.
Transmissions on the V6 include the standard five-speed manual or optional Shiftronic four-speed automatic, although Hyundai also offers the pliable new six-speed manual.
We fire up a Tiburon GT V6 with six-speed at hand for a series of hot laps on the serpentine infield track at Las Vegas Speedway. Starting from pit lane we apply Michelin rubber to the track with Tiburon's kick to action, then rip through three gears in quick flick-flick moves before wrapping the first right of many curlicue kinks.
Track out left and ply the aluminum pedal as speed builds on the straight that follows, but brake and downshift at the end of the straight, prompting Tib's nose to dip and the pace to drop in order to set up a sharp left hairpin.
Our GT V6 screams around that hard corner as tires slip laterally and the prow pushes to the outside edge yet in a balanced and predictable slide. Counter-steering corrects the slip and we punch the throttle again for a brief straight before a left-right chicane and broad sweeper.
Hold tight as we squeal around it without conceding the pace.
More straights and curves follow, but Tiburon maintains a fast line through each entry, apex and exit. On the final straight the speed climbs again until we shut it down for an exit left into pit lane.
Back in the pits, the GT V6 pauses with frisky engine idling and a driver -- pulse still pounding -- eager to play out more laps in this fun-to-drive car.
It feels so tight and quick and responsive.
And -- if you could conceal the brand badge and erase any memory for those low sticker figures -- you'd swear this one is rather exotic and certainly pricy.
But there's more: Hyundai sweetens Tiburon's good price points with an extensive warranty program. Powertrain is insured for ten years or 100,000 miles and there's a five-year or 60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper shield against defects plus five years with unlimited mileage in a 24-hour roadside assistance program that includes towing service.
Even the base Tiburon loads up on standard equipment: Air conditioning, remote keyless entry, cruise control, foglamps, power windows and door locks, four-wheel disc brakes and a stereo with CD deck and six speakers.
Tiburon GT V6 adds the V6 engine, leather seats and leather-wrapped steering wheel, an Infinity deluxe sound kit with seven speakers and the tail spoiler. Three packages then add more goods, such as the aluminum pedals, moonroof and ABS, and the six-speed shifter.
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 2003 HYUNDAI TIBURON Specs |
| Description: |
Compact 2+2 sports coupe
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| Model Options: |
Compact 2+2 sports coupe
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| Wheelbase: |
99.6 inches
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| Overall Length: |
173.0 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 2.0-L I4
DOHC 2.7-L V6
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| Transmission: |
I4: Manual/5
Auto/4 Shiftronic
V6: Manual/5
Manual/6
Auto/4 Shiftronic
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| Drive: |
Front
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| Braking: |
Power 4-disc
opt. ABS
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| Airbags: |
2 (front) + 2 (side)
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| Gas Mileage: |
I4 M/5: 23/31 mpg
I4 A/4: 23/30 mpg
V6 M/5: 19/26 mpg
V6 M/6: 18/26 mpg
V6 A/4: 20/26 mpg
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| Price: |
$ 16,494 to $ 21,392 |
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