The Hyundai Tiburon has proven to be a very popular couple in just about every country that it’s been released in and in some parts of the world demand has outstripped supply. In the United States for example there are no Tiburon’s available and the best a dealer can tell a client is that “they’ll be here soon”.
So what makes these cars so popular? Well it’s certainly not the fuel economy for even Hyundai only suggest that the Tiburon will return a combined figure of 10.3L/100km for the manual and 10.2L/100km for the automatic … but then if you’re buying a sports coupe then fuel economy is not going to be at the top of your list of ‘must-haves’.
The acceleration isn’t going to be a major attraction either with 0-100kmh being achieved in around 11 seconds but then maybe actual acceleration figures aren’t going to be important for someone who may buy a Tiburon either.
Perhaps in this market segment it’s the looks and the price that’s important and the Tiburon certainly looks good and comes in at a good price point too. At just $34,990 for the base model with manual transmission it’s a price that’s hard to beat. Even my wife was impressed until she discovered that tall people may have problems with head-room … in the front seats.
However, if you’re of average height, you like the smooth flowing lines of a sports coupe and you don’t want to spend all your inheritance on a car then the Tiburon may well suit you right down to the ground.
Powertrain
The Hyundai Tiburon is powered by a 2.7-litre V6 quad cam engine coupled to a close-ratio six-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic with Hyundai intelligent Vehicle electronic control … HiVec for short.
The V6 provides up to 123kW of power at 6,000 rpm and peak torque is reached at 4,000 rpm.
Safety
The Hyundai Tiburon comes with driver and front passenger airbags and side airbags. The body and chassis are reinforced and there are crumple zones front and rear.
There are three-point retractable seat belts for all passengers and the front seat belts are equipped with pretensioners and load limiters.
Security
The Tiburon features keless entry with alarm and panic features, central locking, an engine immobilisers and security PIN audio.
Steering and Brakes
The steering is power-assisted rack and pinion with tilt adjustment for the steering wheel that sits atop an energy absorbing dual-collapsible steering column.
Braking on the Hyundai Tiburon is via dual-diagonal, split-circuit, power-assisted brakes fitted with ABS and an Electronic Stability Programme is also fitted.
Creature comforts
There’s climate control air conditioning with a pollen filter as standard. A six speaker MP3/CD and AM/FM sound system fitted along with power windows, front fog lights (remember to leave them turned OFF unless you really are driving through fog – it’s the LAW), leather steering wheel, centre console with storage space and arm-rest and cup and mobile phone holders.
There’s a trip computer with distance to empty, average speed and drive time read-outs. They may sound rather unnecessary but if you’re on a long trip and you need to be somewhere by a certain time then the average speed read-out can give you great peace of mind.
The seats are what Hyundai calls “race inspired” and feature leather outers and cloth centres.
Luggage space
Remember, this is a sports coupe so don’t expect a lot of luggage space but there is a 50/50 split rear seat and if there are only two of folding down both seats does give you a lot more room.
Extras
There’s not a lot that you can add to a car that comes with just about everything but if you want to reinforce the sports car character of the Tiburon you can’t drive out of the showroom without a rear spoiler.
The sunroof that you will see in these photos is standard on the TS model and an option on the base model.
Apart from that the only other things that come as extras are headlight protectors, mudflaps and tailored floor mats
Warranty
Like all Hyundai vehicles the Tiburon is covered by five year unlimited kilometer warranty.