Street Scene
by Larry Mason
Vol. 7 - No. 1
2003 Hyundai Tiburon GT V6

Journalism | New Car Reviews

Value. Style. Performance. Are we really talking about a Hyundai? Well, let's take a closer look and find out the straight scoop.

First of all, I must start with a story on the success of Hyundai's styling department. Kudos to them for making the Tiburon "look fast even when it's parked." I was driving a "Rally Red" Tiburon GT V6 from LA to Phoenix and hadn't quite made it to the Arizona border yet. Seeing as I was driving a bright red car, I set the cruise control to 70mph (in the 70mph zone) to avoid any unfortunate meetings with the CHP. Like I said earlier, kudos to the styling department - they accomplished their mission. A CHP officer pulled me over for "doing 85mph" earlier when he had someone else pulled over. Of course this was preposterous since the cruise control had been set the entire time. On the way back from Phoenix where the speed limit is 75mph, an Arizona patrolman also paced me for quite some time. At this time I would respectfully like to give you some advice - Unless you're looking for trouble, buy your Tiburon in another color.

That being said, let's talk about how the Tiburon got to this point. Originally introduced in 2000, the 2003 model is built on an entirely new platform. The combination of curved and straight lines, 17-inch wheels with 215/45R/17 Michelin Pilot tires, steeply raked windshield and aggressive front-end styling make this new Tiburon stand out like no other.

Under the hood is the same V6 that you'll find in Hyundai's Sonata and Santa Fe SUV. It's an all-aluminum 2.7-liter, DOHC V6 that puts out 181 hp @ 6,000 rpm and 177 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm. Mated to an all-new six-speed gearbox, the Tiburon leaps off the line quickly and the engine revs willingly all the way to the 6,500-rpm redline. Still, the power doesn't compress you into the back of the seat like you'd like it to. Furthermore, there was also some slight hesitation upon acceleration that seemed strange for a fuel injected engine. It felt like a throttle tip-in problem on a carbureted engine. Otherwise, the engine is very smooth and makes nice mechanical sounds all throughout the rev range. The aforementioned gearbox is a wee bit notchy rowing through the pattern but the throws are relatively short and quite precise.

Handling prowess is quite nice in the new Tiburon. Independent strut front and multi-link rear suspension is supple enough to absorb some rough road harshness. Upgrades to the suspension versus the four-cylinder version include larger anti-roll bars, stiffer springs, and tighter shock valving in both compression and rebound. Body roll is low to moderate and as expected the Tiburon understeers if you push it too hard. Brake dive is low to moderate as well and the pedal provides good feel with instantaneous response. On the long freeway drive to Arizona, I noticed quite a bit of tire noise coming into the cabin when on rough roads. Most of that noise seems to be coming from the rear tires. If I was on a stretch of smooth highway, then it was very quiet. Wind noise was minimal.

Inside the Tiburon is quite comfortable thanks to the supportive cloth seats that hug you like a close relative. Furthermore the Tiburon capitalizes on good ergonomic design. Two large gauges (speedo and tach) flank the dash and most controls fall right into place. The GT comes standard with a 360-Watt AM/FM/Cassette/CD Infinity audio system with seven speakers (including a subwoofer in the trunk). The sound system provides good audio quality that can definitely drown out the excessive road noise if need be. Side airbags, tilt wheel with stalk mounted cruise control, 50/50 split fold-down rear seats, and carpeted floor mats are all included in the base price.

If you do decide to buy the Tiburon, you can be rest assured that your warranty won't run out any time soon. The "Hyundai Advantage, America's Best Warranty" includes a 10yr/10,000-mile powertrain and 5yr/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty. There's also the addition of a 24hr/5yr/unlimited mileage roadside assistance plan that includes emergency towing, lockout service, and limited coverage for trip interruption expenses. Hyundai's U.S. sales have more than tripled since 1999 and that's due in no small part to their warranty program. Yeah, I'd like a bit more horsepower and definitely another color, but with an MSRP of only $18,744 (including destination charges), the new Tiburon GT is certainly worth your serious consideration. Drive one for yourself; just watch out for the cops! 2) No matter what angle, the Tiburon looks fast.

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Larry Mason