Drivers hooked on Hyundai Tiburon

Hyundai offers attractive deal for young buyers

With harpoon clenched in bloody hands, Santiago waited for the shark attack. He was determined, but held little hope as he watched the great fish close in. The shark's head came out of the water and the old man rammed the harpoon down into the shark's head.

If you don't know how the story ends, you'll have to review Hemmingway's "The Old Man and the Sea." But if you read this review, you'll learn that there's another kind of shark attack, and Hyundai, the Korean auto giant, has laid the bait.

Tiburon, which means "shark" in Spanish, seems to be lurking where you least expect it, and car enthusiasts with a penchant for sports car handling and exotic looks are getting bitten on a regular basis. Tiburon uses Hyundai's tried and true formula -- style and performance at affordable prices -- to set the hook. With a flowing profile and gill-like front fender apertures, Tiburon is the automotive equivalent of a shark. For this review I test drove a GT V-6, which is the sportiest and most powerful model in the two-car line-up. The base model is supplied with a four-cylinder engine with variable valve timing that makes 138 horsepower.

Although the styling is what gets your attention, the compelling pricing is what makes the Tiburon so attractive to would-be sport sedan buyers. A four-cylinder Tiburon starts at less than $17,000, and a souped up, loaded up GT V-6 with a super-slick six-speed gearbox retails for about $22,000. Try to find that kind of styling and equipment with a Japanese or American nameplate and you'll spend considerably more.

And, Hyundai no longer has to take the back seat on the quality bus. My test vehicle was well assembled, tight and rattle free. According to J. D. Power and Associates, the well-known auto consultants, the brand's quality and reliability have improved tremendously. But just in case you still have reservations, keep in mind Hyundai's 5-year/50,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and their 10-year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty.

First introduced in 1997, the Tiburon is about as stylish as you'll find on today's roads. I photographed it from many different angles, and I don't think any of the pictures look bad. The rear spoiler is standard on the GT V-6, and is slightly larger than the one that comes on the base model. It's just the thing younger buyers, who didn't want a boring economy sedan, are looking for. The Tiburon received a makeover last year, and if you squint, it could almost pass for a Ferrari 456 GT. It certainly is a head-turner.

The current Tiburon is about 2 inches longer than the original. It competes against the Toyota Celica GT, Acura RSX, Mitsubishi Eclipse GT, and Dodge Stratus R/T. Why isn't that other well-known sporty car, Mustang, in the list? Because it is a rear-drive platform with an available V-8 engine, and the others are all front-wheel-drivers with available V-6s.

With its four-wheel independent suspension, power rack and pinion steering, and grippy Michelin tires, the Tiburon is a good fit for the vast majority of younger buyers who want something that looks stylish and sporty, yet is comfortable enough for everyday driving. It is becoming more common on college campuses, as buyers discover its long list of standard equipment and sports-oriented mechanicals. The 2.7-liter dual overhead cam V-6 engine produces 172 horsepower and 181 foot-pounds of torque -- enough to make lots of tire squealing noises at launch time. The dual chrome-tipped exhaust pipes produce pleasing sounds as the revs climb, and the six-speed transmission with short-throw gearshift is a perfect match for a performance-oriented driver. But it's not hard to drive -- the clutch pedal is pleasingly light, and clutch engagement is smooth and predictable. If you get lazy and occasionally lug the engine down when driving around town the car doesn't complain like cars from the old days. There's no embarrassing bucking and stalling. But if you don't like stirring the gearbox--and six gears are a lot to stir -- there is a nifty five-speed automatic available that can be manually held in the gear you prefer. But I enjoyed driving the six-speed, gripping its leather-wrapped shift knob and listening to the tunes from the exhaust.

Speaking of tunes, younger drivers will enjoy the superior sound system by Infinity. The test vehicle had a 360-watt receiver with six speakers and a subwoofer in the trunk. The system would accept cassettes or CDs.

The 50/50 split fold-down rear seat leads to a spacious trunk, but that rear seat is not designed to carry real grown-up Americans. But the folks in the front will be comfortable in the supportive leather seats with center armrests and power moonroof, and the driver will enjoy the adjustable steering column and aluminum foot pedals.

Tiburon GT should get 18-mpg in the city and 26-mpg on the highway, plus a lot of admiring glances. If you're looking for a sexy ride, and you wouldn't mind a nice factory rebate of around $2,000, you may want to do a little fishing at your local Hyundai dealer.

Steve Robertson of Robertson's Creative Photography is a car enthusiast and former staff writer/photographer for the Southeast Missourian. Contact him at steve@robertsonsphotography.com.