Driving Impressions

Great looks are important but a great driving experience is really more significant. Fortunately the Tiburon GT V6 does really well. Hyundai is convinced that most Tiburon buyers will opt for the GT V6 evasion and most of them will opt for the six-speed manual version. We couldn't agree more. That's why we tested this version with the Sprint package. The first thing you'll find out about the GT V6 is that it's got a great engine that revs freely to 6000 rpm. Put the (aluminum) gas pedal to the metal and the front wheels scrabble for grip. Not for long though as the 215/45R17 Michelin tires get to work and the car sprints forward. The engine has a pleasant husky sound thanks to the dual exhaust. Shift into second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth and the car's cruising. If you get lazy and forget to downshift as you putter around town, it's no problem as the engine has plenty of torque at low rpm. We found it'll pull reasonably well in sixth gear from 35 mph. It's a very different driving experience from cars like the Celica GTS and Civic Si that thrive on revving over 6000 rpm. The power rack-and-pinion steering feels fine, it's precise with just enough feedback for fast driving. Inevitably there's torque steer but it's controllable and actually kind of fun when you're driving round town. On the highway it's barely noticeable. Not unexpectedly the car tends to understeer, what with the weight of the aluminum V6 engine mounted transversely between the front wheels. During a brief test drive among pylons laid out in the infield of Las Vegas Speedway we found the Tiburon easy to throw around. Like all front-drive cars, it tended to understeer, but it was easy to compensate by using the throttle, brakes, and steering wheel. The four-wheel disc brakes worked well and stopped the car quickly. Out on the highway the ride is good on smooth roads but the sports suspension and low-profile tires tend to transmit excessive harshness into the cockpit on rough road surfaces. The handling is fine with little body roll. It's nothing exceptional but more than adequate to hold its own against other like cars. It would be pretty easy to tune the suspension still further to get a really good handling car. Tuners are undoubtedly working on it as you read this. They've got a good basis to work from: MacPherson struts up front on a subframe and a strut-type multi-link suspension in the rear. All models get anti-roll bars and gas-filled shock absorbers all round. The sport tuned suspension on the GT V6 has 10-percent stiffer spring rates, stiffer compression in the gas-charged shocks and thicker anti roll bars front (23mm vs. 20mm) and rear (19mm vs. 18mm). If you prefer an automatic transmission, go for the GT V6 and you'll not give up much in performance, especially as the automatic includes Shiftronic manual control.

Final Word

Hyundai has been on a roll for the past couple of years in the US. Its cars are remarkably better than they were a few years ago, both in quality as well as in style. Nobody needs to be embarrassed driving around in a Hyundai anymore. Indeed, driving a 2003 Tiburon GT V6 will elicit smiles all round. For under 20 grand it is a great car. Spend the cash saved on accessories and one could have a super cool car for less money than a stock version of one of its competitors. Perhaps the Tiburon is a shark after all -- it may well eat some of the other cars it's swimming with.