Love At First Bite

My wife, and I first saw one of these cars on display inside of a shopping mall this past summer. We fell in love with the looks of it right away, and since we were going to be shopping for a new car later in the year, we decided that the 2003 Tiburon was our first choice. We have never owned anything resembling a sports car, and I have been basically driving four cylinder cars for about the last 15 years or so. Since I was going to be the primary driver of this car, I decided that if we did buy one, it was going to be the GT V6. We live in an area with many steep hills, and I was tired of having to put my foot to the mat to make the climb.(It's especially bad in the summer when running the air conditioning) I am not an aggressive driver, or high performance enthusiast. I'm just an average driver who's looking for a nice looking, dependable car with a reasonable price tag. The Tiburon definitely fits that description. Here are my impressions from the outside in:

STYLING: As almost anyone who's seen one will tell you, this is one good looking car. The fins (Actually I think they're really gills) at the front of each door are definitely there to highlight the shark theme on the vehicle,(Tiburon is Spanish for shark) and yet they're somewhat reminiscent of a Mustang as well.Many automotive critics have written that the overall lines of the car get some of their styling cues from Ferrari. Not bad for an economically priced sport coupe!The car shies away from the "boy racer" look, and goes for a more sleek, and sophisticated style that anyone from 18 to 58 would look good in. I especially like the lines of the hood which has creases that start out on either side of the windshield and head toward the middle, and run by each headlight. Our car has a small spoiler on the back to add a little visual interest since without it the rear end would seem rather plain. The car also has 16" alloy wheels with low profile Michelin All Season Radials, which really add to the overall sexy sporty look of the vehicle. Tiburons with the standard transmission get 17" wheels (Ours is automatic) and Michelin Pilot Sport tires which are not "All Season" by the way. The chrome tips on the dual exhaust are a very nice touch. The color on our car is Mystic Teal which my wife and I think is beautiful. Fit, and finish seem to be fine. Overall, the car is made to look far more expensive than it really is.

COCKPIT: This is where I thought I'd be most disappointed. I anticipated that since this car rides on the low side, as most sports coupes do, that I would feel like I'm sitting in a hole. However, once inside I was pleasantly surprised. Although the bottom of the side windows was a little high, the bottom of the windshield was low enough to negate any feeling of being in a foxhole. I also used the drivers seat height adjustment to move the seat a tad higher, and found myself feeling quite comfortable. I was also surprised at how roomy the interior is. I don't feel crowded at all. However, all of this is at the expense of an almost non existent back seat area. This is really a non factor for us, since we also have a four door sedan to drive if we need the extra room. Most people who buy this car probably don't care about the back seat anyway. Head room is ample enough for me(I'm only about 5'9") but bear in mind that my car doesn't have a sunroof which definitely eats up head room. Because of the sloping roofline, and smaller windows in back, visibility is a little limited when changing lanes, but not dangerously so in my opinion.

Controls for the climate control, and the sound system are located in the center of the dash within easy reach of the driver. All of these controls have a very high quality feel to them, and operate very smoothly. The gauges are illuminated in an amber light which looks very nice in low light situations. The odometer is digital while the gauges are analog. The dash is done in black with brushed aluminum accents around the gauges, and shifter. Although you would think that it would be a little stark, I think it works well with the black leather interior. The adjustable steering wheel is a little on the thick side, but comfortable, and wrapped in leather which provides a fine grip. Overall I was very impressed with the quality of all the materials used inside.

The leather seats are firm, yet comfortable. They have wings on the side which hold the driver in place without being restrictive. I haven't taken the car on a long trip yet, but I feel that it would be quite comfortable on a long haul. There's a knob on the side of the drivers seat which adjusts the height. I do wish that power seats were available, but it's not that big a deal. The rear seats fold down to add storage space to the rear storage compartment in the hatch.

The sound system included is by Infinity which pumps out 360 watts, and includes a subwoofer which is installed in the rear cargo compartment. It has a built in cassette player as well as tuner, and cd player. Pop a cd in this baby, and prepare to rock! While it may not be the absolute best I've ever heard, it certainly is a qualty system that really cranks! A really nice addition to this car.

PERFORMANCE AND HANDLING: Although Hyundai has apparently made an error in it's horsepower ratings for this car(Instead of 181 hp it's really about 170 I believe) the car performs very nicely by my modest standards anyway. Mine has the automatic transmission with Shift-tronic so you can shift it like a standard without the clutch. As I mentioned earlier, I'm used to four cylinders, so my perspective is probably a little skewed. When I hit the gas, the car takes off effortlessly. The engine runs very smooth, and quiet, but you'll hear a satisfying little growl when you push it. The handling on this car is superb for my style of driving. It corners tightly, and I get the feeling that I'm totally controlling the car, not the other way around. The car just begs to be driven faster, and I occasionally oblige. As I said before, I'm not an aggressive driver but this car inspires driver confidence, and I find myself driving a bit more aggressively than I normally would. Drives my wife a bit crazy, but I can't help myself. It's really a pleasure to drive, and I just wish my daily commute to work was more than 10 minutes long.

The ride in the car is stiff because of the sport tuned suspension. It's actually a little stiffer than I'd like, but it somehow still manages to be comfortable. Bumps in the road definitely will find their way into the cabin much more so than your average car, but that's to be expected when you're buying a sports coupe. If you want a softer ride, you'd best opt for the four cylinder Tiburon,(which comes with a softer tuned suspension) or perhaps another car altogether. The car is also very tight. No rattles when going over bumps, or potholes.

Another thing I'd like to add, is that this car handles pretty well in snow. For those of us who live in the northeast, or anywhere else where it snows, and are forced to drive this vehicle in all kinds of weather, it's nice to know this. I've driven it in some pretty snowy road conditions, and have made it through just fine. Only spun the tires slightly one time. The abs brakes in these situations are also a godsend, and kept me from sliding. The weight of the car (over 3,000 lbs) also helps.

While I haven't figured out my exact gas mileage yet, I can tell you that this is definitely not an economical car to run mileage wise. However, it does run on regular gas which should offset some of that expense.

In summation, I must say that I'm really impressed with the amount of car you get for the money. When you consider that you get as standard equipment: leather seats, Infinity 360 watt sound system, dual front and side airbags, power windows and door locks, cruise control, tilt wheel, alloy wheels, Michelin Tires, and a 10 year 100,000 mile power train warranty, plus 5 year 60,000 mile bumper to bumper, and 5 year roadside assistance,(And I'm sure I'm forgetting some stuff) it's an unbeatable deal. We were able to take advantage of a $900.00 rebate from Hyundai on the GTV6 with automatic transmission. Our car also came with anti-lock brakes, and mudguards, and we only paid $18,021, which is only about $200.00 over factory invoice! And believe it or not, I didn't even have to dicker with them over the price. They gave me that price in just a 5 minute phone call.

I know people still have issues over product reliability with anything that has the Hyundai name on it. While I can't predict the future, I can tell you that we've owned a 99 Sonata for about 3 and a half years now, and have had no real problems with it. As a matter of fact, it's proven to be infinitely more reliable than the 95 Mercury Mystique (Or is it Mistake?) that we traded in for it. Hopefully the Tiburon will follow suit, and I have reason to believe that it will.