The Bottom Line: Depends on your priorities. As sleek, low-priced transportation, the Tiburon gets four stars. If you're an enthusiast in search of sophistication and excitement, it probably won't satisfy.
I test-drove a Hyundai Tiburon GT V6 6-speed at a local dealer. I drove the car for about half an hour, through city streets, winding secondary roads, and on the freeway.
Performance
The Tiburon's 2.7-liter V6 generates impressive acceleration times (usually quoted around 7 seconds 0-60), but somehow those numbers don't translate to a substantial feeling of strength in real-world driving. It always feels fully adequate, but the Tiburon's acceleration never thrilled me the way the numbers suggested it would. When I wound it out in second and third gear on a freeway on-ramp, power delivery felt fairly flat, from the bottom end to the redline. It just doesn't seem to have a sweet spot--it never really came alive, no matter how high or low I revved it. It makes truck noise, too--kind of a groaning, gnashing whine--that discourages you from stretching the engine into the higher reaches of the tachometer. If this were a family sedan, I'd have been satisfied in that the car never felt slow, and the engine was muted and free of vibration. But in a sports coupe, I (and most buyers) expect more excitement and enthusiasm.
Transmission/Clutch
This area is certainly the Tiburon's weakest link. The shifter moves with a stiff, gritty action, and it sometimes sticks when you're trying to slot it into gear. Usually, when I complain about shifters--and I usually do--it's because I just didn't like the feel of them. But in the Tiburon, I actually missed a shift or two because of the ill-defined gates. The clutch is easier to operate, but its engagement point is a bit vague, which resulted in a fair number of slurred shifts. Between the sticky shift action and the uncommunicative clutch, this is a transmission that tends to make you feel like a novice again.
Steering/Handling
Here's an area where the Tiburon fares much better. This car's body structure is among the stiffest and most rattle-free in its class, which gave the Tiburon a feeling of solidity that inspired confidence on the winding roads of my test drive. Its handling felt stable and surefooted in fast turns, with little body lean and plenty of grip from the generously-sized tires. I found the steering heavy and devoid of road feel, which prevented the car from feeling truly nimble. But it directed the car with satisfying precision, and it homed in on straight-ahead like a locomotive, making freeway travel easy and relaxing. The Tiburon may have lacked that last bit of communication and precision that marks its best-handling rival, the Toyota Celica, but it was plenty satisfying to drive quickly.
Ride
Unfortunately, this subject brings us back to the bad news. The Tiburon's ride is surprisingly stiff and lumpy--I'm not much of a stickler for ride comfort, and it even bothered me a little. The wheels clump heavily over bumps, almost like they're made of lead, and potholes produce substantial clunking and thumping noises. I suppose it's not all bad news, though. Although the ride is rough and the road noise can irritate, the Tiburon's engine is hushed in freeway cruising, and there isn't much wind noise at all. On smooth roads, it's actually a pretty quiet car. But those who prioritize comfort highly won't be happy in the Tiburon when the going gets bumpy.
Interior
The Tiburon's interior is a mixed bag. On one hand, the materials quality, fit and finish, and feature content were amazingly high. I'll admit to still carrying around a bit of the old Hyundai prejudice, but that stereotype really deserves to be exctinct now. All the Tiburon's gauges and controls were laid out logically and elegantly, and the knobs and switches turned with a pleasing smoothness. The sheer volume of stuff can't be overlooked, either--the Tiburon I test-drove was well under $20,000, but was equipped with leather, power everything, a wiper/washer for the hatch window, and a lot more. Looking over the equipment list, I found myself blurting out expletives involuntarily. The only feature which struck a sour note (quite literally) was the six-speaker Infinity stereo system, which sounded just as flat and muddy as the cheapo units in most cars--why bother installing a fancy system if it doesn't sound good? But there's a more important drawback to the Tiburon's interior, and that's the driving position and general ambience. While everything in the cabin is high-quality, the cabin itself is a bit dark and gloomy. Everything is black, and the windows are narrow, which gives the interior a closed-in, "bathtub" feeling. Six-footers like myself will dislike the resulting somber mood, and shorter drivers may also find that it hinders their view out, especially since the seats are butt-to-the-floor low.
Practicality
The Tiburon isn't the most practical car on the road, but it's competitive with other sports coupes. There's plenty of room for passengers in the front, with lots of legroom and plenty of fore-and-aft adjustment. The rear seats are more or less useless except for short trips, but that's to be expected in a coupe. The Tiburon's trunk was fairly roomy, and very useful with the rear seats folded, but the high load height means that you'll be straining your back to lift heavy items up over the rear deck. All this makes the Tiburon sound like a pain to live with day-to-day, but in all fairness, it's at least as practical as the other sports coupes in its class, the Celica, Eclipse, and RSX.
Reliability
Consumer Reports has no reliability data for the Tiburon, so it's not certain how well it may fare. It's worth noting, however, that Consumer Reports has rated every other Hyundai at least Average, which means that you're probably not likely to run into much trouble here. Also of note is Hyundai's exceptional warranty.
Overall
I've always had a hard time being tough on Hyundai--they're such an underdog--so to give them credit, they've got all the basics in place here: the V6 engine, the six-speed transmission, the seventeen-inch wheels, and an aggressively-styled body to wrap them all up in. The Tiburon looks great on paper, but rough edges, an undistinguished personality, and a lack of refinement make this car feel like less than the sum of its parts. To be fair, if all you're looking for is affordable transportation with an extra dash of style, you won't be disappointed with the Tiburon. With an automatic transmission to solve the issue of the six-speed's sticky shifting, it could be a great value as an eye-catching, everyday commuter car. I wouldn't warn such buyers away from the Tiburon, and for that reason, I gave it a Recommended rating. Still, for sport-minded driving enthusiasts (myself included), the low price tag's undeniable appeal won't be enough to compensate for a driving experience that doesn't satisfy the way the best sports coupes can. Hyundai has a good recipe going with the Tiburon--it's a lot of hot-looking car for the money--but it's one whose ingredients need more delicate mixing if they want to win the hearts of the enthusiast crowd.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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