Hyundai has been surprising us lately. The quality of its cars is improving, vehicle styling is eye-catching and the company is now standing behind its products with the most aggressive warranty in the industry. In short, Hyundai is moving up in the automotive world.
Most Hyundai cars are fun-to-drive as well as affordable, and we were duly impressed with the design and driving characteristics of the Tiburon the last time we drove one in sunny Santa Barbara, Calif. So we were eager to slip behind the wheel of another Tiburon FX for a couple of weeks this fall in Denver, and see what new surprises would crop up. Our initial assumption turned out to be valid: the Tiburon is affordable and it is fun to drive. Unfortunately, some of the surprises we encountered weren't quite as favorable.
We noticed the first high-pitched, mousy squeak right away. It was coming from overhead, though we could not place exactly where, and it was relentless. The second creak became apparent as we drove slowly down side streets in an office park; harsh, clunking noises were emitted periodically from the driver's side door and the floor near the pedals, and we suspected the steering column as the culprit. Then, halfway through our test loop, a new rattle made itself known: this one emanated from inside the instrument panel and stopped when we pushed against the panel's face. As soon as we released the pressure, the rattle started up again. All of these irritating noises perplexed us. We remembered that the last Tiburon we had driven was distinctly rattle-free. Oh well, we said the car was fun ... not consistent. To alleviate the squeaking problems, we did what any normal driver with half a brain would do: cranked the stereo.
Zipping through town in the Tiburon, windows down, with some good tunes on the AM/FM/cassette stereo made Colorado in December feel like Florida in May. Of course, the region's uncharacteristically warm weather may have helped propagate this feeling, too. Still, the Tiburon's peppy, 140-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine propelled the sporty little coupe through the crowded city streets with verve. Passing power was surprisingly spry, and its five-speed manual transmission changed gears smoothly and accurately. The shift lever felt a bit sloppy at times, but it was easy to push through the gears. Finding reverse was sometimes a problem, however; the shifter looked and felt like it was in reverse when it wasn't quite there yet. Depressing the clutch could be done with ease and little effort, even for a driver with sprained tendons around her left knee.
On the twisty highway portion of our test route, steering felt tight and responsive. Both brakes and tires performed flawlessly on paved canyon roads, gripping the asphalt tightly enough to satisfy our need for safety and speed. The car's body tended to roll a bit around fast corners and understeer was frequent, but the suspension proved soft enough to handle most road abrasions.
Inside the cockpit, the Tiburon does not disappoint. Gauges are large and easy-to-read, and the large stereo and climate knobs work as they should and are simple to figure out. We appreciated the seat height adjuster, easy-to-operate split folding rear seats, supportive driver's seat and nice driving position with good visibility all around. The passenger side front seat also tilted and slid forward for easy access to the rear.
Some unsettling traits included paint chipping around the driver's side keyhole, the edge of the driver's door and the rear hatch. The rear hook intended for hanging dry cleaning is tiny and worthless and the sun visors felt flimsy.
Though Hyundai's warranty is meant to quell fears about reliability problems, we had one strange experience with the Tiburon this time around. My husband and I climbed into the car on our way out to the video store one evening only to find that the engine wouldn't turn over. We knew the battery wasn't dead because the lights worked, so we assumed there was a problem with the starter. We finally ended up pushing the car downhill and popping the clutch as it rolled along. It worked, and the starter never gave us another problem, but it did make us scratch our heads.
Overall, we ended the week with lukewarm feelings about the car named "shark." It's good-looking, reasonably priced at $17,000 (with floor mats, air conditioning, cruise control, cassette stereo and mud guards) and fun-to-drive. Now if they would only get rid of those squeaks and rattles...
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