Base price: $16,494; GT V-6, $18,494
Vehicle type: front-engine, front-drive; 3-door 2+2-passenger coupe
Interior volume, F/R/cargo (cu ft) 51/30/15
Wheelbase 99.6 in
Length/width/height 173.0/69.3/52.3 in
Turning circle 35.8 ft
Curb weight 2600–2900 lb
EPA city/highway mpg 18–23/26–31
Fuel-tank capacity/range 14.2 gal/256–327 mi
Passive restraints driver and passenger front and side airbags
POWERTRAIN
2.0-liter DOHC 16-valve 4-in-line, 140 hp; 2.7-liter DOHC 24-valve V-6, 181 hp; 5- or 6-sp man, 4-sp auto
SUSPENSION
F ind, struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar
R ind, multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar
BRAKES
F/R vented disc/disc
ABS optional
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HYUNDAI TIBURON
The 2003 Hyundai Tiburon was introduced in early 2002 and sold alongside its predecessor, which was a nice car but nowhere near as sporty as this one. First unveiled at the 2001 Frankfurt motor show, the new Tiburon is equipped to do some real damage in the small-sport-coupe segment. That’s because the Korean automaker finally gave its sportiest model enough power to compete with pocket rockets such as the Acura RSX, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Toyota Celica, and Volkswagen GTI.
The third-generation Tiburon can be powered by the so-called Delta V-6—the 181-hp, 2.7-liter DOHC engine found in the Sonata sedan and Santa Fe sport-ute—or the 140-hp, 2.0-liter DOHC four-cylinder found in the current model.
Transmission choices for the six include a four-speed automatic with Shiftronic manual control, a five-speed manual, and—for the first time—a six-speed manual. Four-cylinder cars are offered with a four-speed automatic or a five-speed manual.
Where the previous Tiburon had struts at all four corners, the ’03 model uses struts up front and a multilink setup in the rear—same as the RSX, Celica, and Eclipse—which should improve handling. Also aiding in the H-department will be an optional 17-inch wheel-and-tire package, a 2.2-inch-longer wheelbase (stretched to 99.6 inches), and a slightly lower curb weight (about 20 pounds less for a base four-cylinder car with a five-speed).
Bringing the car to a halt will be vented front disc brakes and solid discs in the rear. An anti-lock system is optional.
As for styling, Hyundai says, “the new exterior design incorporates both straight lines and curves to emphasize vitality and strength.” To us it looks more like Hyundai designers morphed a Ford Mustang with a Ferrari 456GT—not necessarily ugly choices to imitate when you’re designing a sporty hatchback. Whatever the case, the look is attractive, sporty, and fresh, albeit a bit familiar.
Longer by 2.1 inches, wider by 1.2, and 0.7-inch taller than the previous car, the 2003 Tiburon is bigger all around. Naturally, this improves accommodations for four adults—if only by a little bit.
Hyundai says the interior is “simple, yet functional.” We see it as a straightforward layout consisting of more dials than buttons and a full array of high-quality plastics, leather, and cloth that is becoming the norm at Hyundai.
As with its other models, Hyundai is providing the Tiburon with its tops-in-the-industry warranty: 10 years or 100,000 miles on the powertrain and 5 years or 60,000 miles on the rest of the car.
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