When South Korea's Hyundai Motor Corp. entered the United States eleven years ago, many established automakers chuckled to themselves. After all, it was easy for the motoring public to lump Hyundai's low-priced, compact Excel together with the even lower-priced Yugoslavian-built Yugo, another small, mid-1980s upstart automobile. Hyundai sold 100,000 Excels after only seven months in the United States, but quality and durability were suspect in those pioneering years, especially since competing Yugos were notoriously unreliable. When Hyundai later introduced a larger, mid-size, four-door Sonata sedan in 1989, those same automakers laughed even louder. Now, Hyundai heads in a very sporty direction, and some pundits are ready to split a gut. But remember, he who laughs last... Enter the all-new
1997 Hyundai Tiburon with roots dating back to the 1993 Chicago Auto Show when Hyundai's HCD II concept car was on tour. The HCD II served as a design spring board for the all-new Tiburon, a name which translates from Spanish as shark. It's a front-wheel drive vehicle appealing to sports car enthusiasts...on a tight budget. The striking, fun-looking exterior with rear decklid spoiler, stands out in a crowd. It's a car entry-level shoppers can feel cool driving in, even if it is a Hyundai. Don't let the power trip go to your head because the Hyundai-designed beta engines are strictly four cylinder, good for gas mileage, but not designed for drag racing a V-8 Mustang Cobra two lanes over. It's a small sporty car, not a sports car in a traditional sense. Both Base (1.8-liter, 130-horsepower) and upscale FX (2.0-liter, 140 horsepower) trim levels, include double overhead cam, inline engine designs with multi-port, electronic fuel injection; decent four-cylinder engines. We test drove a bright red, Tiburon FX ($15,699 base price) with an option package including air conditioning, cruise control and cassette stereo. The bottom like totalled $17,674 with discounts and destination charges included. Base models with manual transmission begin at $13,499. Tiburon is based on the same automotive platform as Hyundai's Elantra sedan, introduced last year. The long hood blends into the front bumper, negating the need for a front grille. Front fenders arch a couple inches above the hood for a muscular, windswept exterior. Slim roof pillars maximize driver's field of vision. Inside, power windows, rear-window defroster, rear-window wiper, hatch area cargo cover, stand-alone digital clock and five-speed manual transmission come standard. FX trim levels include a standard rear spoiler, optional in the base level, power outside mirrors, power door locks and six-way adjustable driver's seat. Sunroofs and leather-trim interiors are options only in upscale FX. Dual air bags are standard, but anti-lock brakes are optional in FX editions only. Oval-shaped speedometer, fuel gauge and tachometer ad to the sporty interior design. Large, thick, easy-to-grasp fan speed and temperature dials are accessible by both front seat passengers. Additional air vents located inside the door, just below both outside rear-view mirrors, help defrost the window quicker on cold morning. Dual cup holders retract from the dashboard. Fuel door and hatch release levers are found on the bottom left of the driver's bucket seat. Like other sporty competitors, occupants sit low to the ground. Getting into the back seat is made easier by a passenger-side seat which moves forward on a track while the back rest folds forward. With the split back seat folded down, Tiburon's hatchback area has plenty of storage space. A sports-tuned, independent suspension and power-assist rack-and-pinion steering gives Tiburon the feel of much expensive cars. Fuel estimates check in at 21 miles per gallon city, and 28 mpg highway. With 2,488 odometer miles, our test-drive Tiburon registered 22 mpg in combined driving. The tank holds 14.5 gallons of unleaded fuel. Tiburon's a decent, good-looking vehicle with plenty of four-cylinder pep. Some rattling emitted from the hatch area when traveling over bumps, but the vehicle handled well in deep snow. If Hyundai gets its price-advantage message out to its youthful, first-time buyer target market, Tiburon success may be just down the road. But enthusiasts of small, sporty cars are a fickle group. Tiburon could go the way of the recently departed Hyundai Scoupe and disappear from the map, like Yugoslavia and the infamous Yugo.