2004 Hyundai Tiburon Reviews

Graham Smith road tests and reviews the used Hyundai Tiburon 2002-2010.

Hyundai Tiburon coupe arrived in Australia in March 2002 to somewhat mixed reviews. The biggest stumbling block to sales was the unusual styling.A minor facelift in February 2005 didn’t make a lot of difference to the overly Asian shape, but a major reshape in February 2007 was a winner. Though it retained the same overall silhouette the ’07 Tiburon looked so much better that it could have been an all-new design.At the start but Tiburon’s price was somewhat optimistic for a South Korean company that still sat low in the image stakes. Prices were slashed and sales lifted to a reasonable level, so there are quite a few on the used-car scene.Coupes have made a comeback in Australia in the last couple of years. Hyundai’s own Veloster with its striking shape and interesting door layout grabbed a lot of attention, but the biggest publicity came from the Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 twins.Prices of Tiburons may increase due to this renewed interest in coupes, no promises though...The South Koreans have a similar attitude to Australians in their likes of good chassis dynamics and driving pleasure. So the Tiburon has a nicely neutral feel and gives good feedback through the steering.It’s not going to rival the big name Europeans but is a lot better than you might expect, particularly if you invest in a good set of sporting tyres.Interior room is pretty good in the front seats of the Tiburon coupe, chiefly because front-wheel drive through a transverse engine takes up less space.The rear seat is about average for this class, meaning it’s much better suited to kids than adults. Access to the rear seats of the Hyundai Tiburon requires a degree of flexibility, but we have seen worse.When launched in Australia the Tiburon came with a choice between a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine producing a somewhat lacklustre 102 kW, and a 2.7-litre V6 with a healthier, though still not outstanding, 127 kW. The latter output dropped marginally to 123 kW with the introduction of the 2007 model because the old-design engine had to be modified to meet new emission regulations.The four-cylinder engine was withdrawn from the Australian lineup midway through 2004. At the same time the price of the V6 was drastically reduced, to the extent that the V6 was then cheaper than the four-cylinder had been at the time of its 2002 introduction.Transmission is by a five-speed manual with the four-cylinder engine, and a six-speed manual beside the V6. A four-speed automatic transmission is available with both engines, its relative lack of ratios is partly counterbalanced by it having sequential-manual modes that let a keen driver make their own decision about which gear the Tiburon needs.Build quality has improved markedly in Hyundai cars in the last few years. Tiburon is one of the older generation models but isn’t too bad in the quality stakes. Our ‘what to look for’ section will give you some advice on areas of possible concern.A good amateur mechanic can do a fair bit of work on this car as the design is relatively simple. As always, it's sensible to leave the safety related items to the experts.There seems to be some confusion among insurance companies as to what class the Tiburon falls into, so it's worth shopping around for a good deal. As always, make sure you’re comparing apples with apples.WHAT TO LOOK FORCheck the remote locking is working correctly on Tiburons made before 2005. Electric windows that are reluctant to work aren’t unknown in early models. Look for power steering hoses that are swollen and/or leaking oil. While bodies are generally good, interiors can be of variable build quality. Check for untidy edges between plastic panels, minor controls that don’t fit neatly and controls that are stiff or sloppy in operation.Listen and feel for hesitation from the engine when it’s suddenly asked to work hard. Make sure the manual gearbox has reasonably slick changes and that there's no grinding or jamming during fast downshifts. Check for uneven tyre wear, especially at the front wheels. This can be an indication of harsh driving.CAR BUYING TIPHaving finance on standby before walking into a used-car yard puts you in a stronger bargaining position.

Hyundai is well known for offering a lot at a low price, and the Tiburon is no exception: sports car-like handling, power and ride with a tag half of some of its rivals.The Tiburon replaced Hyundai's aged RD Coupe and its Ferrari-like styling is a major drawcard. Despite the car being on sale for more than two years many admirers were surprised to learn it was made by the Korean company and many didn't know what it was or what it had in it.At $31,990 for the six-speed manual the Tiburon – Spanish for shark – is one of the cheapest sports cars in the market today, coming in second only to the Daihatsu Copen.The next model to even come close is the Smart roadster at $37,990. While the Tiburon cannot compete with the Smart's go-kart handling, it definitely wins in the power and interior space departments.The Tiburon comes with a 2.7-litre V6 that delivers 127kW of power at 6000rpm and 245Nm at 4000rpm.The manual does the 0-100km/h sprint in a not-so-shabby 8.2 seconds and hits a top speed of 220km/h.Despite these figures, fuel economy is good – the manual using under eight litres per 100km on the highway and about 12L/100km in the city.And the V6 sounds the part too, care of the twin exhausts making their presence known from under the rear bumper.The six-speed manual box features close ratios and is smooth under hand.When pushed the Tiburon turns in well and is nicely balanced. Only slight understeer was felt but was easy to control and reinforces the reason behind the exclusion of stability or traction control buttons – it doesn't need it.Steering feel is a bit remote and the slippery leather steering wheel is a bit off-putting. But it only takes 2.6 turns lock to lock and has a reasonably small 10.8m turning circle.Ride comfort is unusually acceptable for a sports coupe and noise intrusion is minimal, very minimal, with only a small amount of wind over the wing mirrors audible.Brakes come in the form of ventilated discs on the front and solid discs on the rear. ABS and electronic brake-force distribution complete the package.Inside, the Tiburon is stylish and well-equipped but with none of the glitz and fanfare of higher-priced sports cars.It shows that Hyundai concentrated more on the car's driving dynamics rather than filling it with unnecessary wood panelling, steering wheel controls and leather interior.It is a simple layout and there are no fancy extras but all buttons are easy to reach and leave the driver (and passenger) less cramped.The Tiburon has driver and front-passenger airbags, cruise control, airconditioning, power mirrors and windows, sunglass holder, remote central locking, front fog lights and 17-inch alloy wheels and of course the electric tilt/slide sunroof.There are plenty of gauges with three quirky readouts prominent on top of the in-dash MP3/CD player: an instant Newton-metre figure, voltage meter and litres/100km readout. Like most coupes, rear-seat accommodation is for the little ones only. The sharp-sloping rear windscreen leaves little in the way of headroom for the average-sized adult while the legroom is best used on short trips only.Front-seat space is more enjoyable, although larger types can feel their hair touching the roof.The front seats are comfortable thanks to deep side bolstering and cushion contouring. The driver's seat also has lumber support.The back occupants are treated with a small compartment to hold knick-knacks.While nothing has changed on the Tiburon it still represents a good package for your bucks and with the free sunroof, just got a lot more appealing.