Best Used Hyundai Coupe - Tiburon
Coupes have frequently been used by automobile companies desperately attempting to impart a performance image onto a vehicle which may only display the faintest of sports car aspirations. This is most often a tactic employed by automakers anxious to connect their entry-level vehicles with the youth market, as this demographic often has very little money to spend but a great deal of interest in anything that seems powerful or looks fast. This explains the proliferation of two-door compact cars which not only save money from a production standpoint for their respective brands but also allow their owners to enjoy a little harmless wish fulfillment when behind the wheel.
It is possible, however, for a vehicle to eventually rise above its economy-oriented roots and actually offer a drivetrain that can back up the promise of its swoopy body work and aggressive styling. When Hyundai introduced the Tiburon in the mid-1990's, it had all of the appearance of a sleek sports car but little of the required horsepower to follow through. While the automobile was reasonably fun to drive, it certainly was not competitive in the stoplight grand prix. This was fine with Hyundai, who at the time were more concerned with strengthening their foothold in North America than they were with being perceived as a purveyor of fast sports coupes.
Of course, the priorities of a car company can evolve, and Hyundai gradually began to move towards putting together a broader vehicle lineup. This included a redesigned edition of the Tiburon, and this time the company didn't pull any punches when it came to outfitting the vehicle with the mechanical components it needed in order to blossom into a serious contender for the title of compact pocket rocket. Buyers who had previously only been interested in the Honda Civic or Chevrolet Cavalier coupes now sat up and took notice of the angular and in-your-face styling presented by the Tiburon. Not only that, but test drives in the vehicle were now more likely to be converted into actual sales, thanks to the vehicle's much improved performance and better driving dynamics.
This article examines the 2003 - 2007 Hyundai Tiburon, still the best used coupe available wearing the Hyundai badge. Information on the vehicle's specifications, features and overall characteristics is discussed in order to provide potential buyers with a synopsis of why the Tiburon may be worthy of their hard-earned dollars.
2003 - 2007 Hyundai Tiburon
Those familiar with the original Tiburon will most likely be quick to notice that the second generation of the vehicle seems to have gained a few pounds compared to the older model. The 2002 - 2007 Tiburon has traded its exaggerated curves for a blockier, butch styling that uses hard angles and a powerful front fascia to make its point. This has helped bring the coupe's design into the new millennium, and has also banished some of the more polarizing elements of its predecessor's appearance to the dustbin of history, allowing the vehicle to achieve a wider acceptance in the market.
The Tiburon has also grown up under the hood as well. The requisite 4-cylinder base engine is still in evidence, a 2.0-liter unit that produces 134 horsepower and which is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission or optional 4-speed automatic. While this trim level does provide fairly good fuel economy - 23 miles per gallon in the city and 31 in highway driving - the most interesting edition of the coupe is the Tiburon GT and its available V-6. Displacing 2.7-liters and generating 170 horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque, this new motor finally elevates the Tiburon onto a level playing field when compared against some of its better-endowed compact competitors. In addition to the same transmission options provided for the 4-cylinder, GT buyers can also select to shift gears through a 6-speed manual unit. The GT's suspension is tweaked to provide a stiffer ride, and it also makes use of 17-inch rims and wider rubber.
Opening the door and sliding into the Tiburon's passenger compartment reveals that Hyundai hasn't completely abandoned their economy focus. The GT comes standard with leather seats, but standard editions of the coupe make do with cloth buckets. Rear seating is restricted to children, which is par for the course when it comes to compact sport coupes. A sunroof is the most popular option found in these vehicles.
The 2002 - 2007 Hyundai Tiburon is worth a look from first-time car buyers interested in a used coupe with decent acceleration and standout styling.