2008 Hyundai Tiburon Road Tests

The Tiburon SE suspension is firm, but not uncomfortable. The payoff comes in the corners, as the front-wheel-drive Tiburon SE grips the road better than the Eclipse. The Tiburon SE also stops well, having 12-inch cross-drilled front brake rotors.

From the side, Tiburon looks rakish; and the 12-spoke SE wheels look great.

Inside, the seats are comfortable and well bolstered, and the instruments are backlit in a cool blue, with sharp gunmetal accents on the instrument panel. When you look into the rearview mirror, the high spoiler reminds you that you're in a sports car.

The Tiburon SE's V6 engine makes 172 horsepower, considered modest for this class nowadays, but it makes a nice throaty sound when you rev it to its 6500 rpm redline. The engine's torque comes early in the revs, making it easy and pleasant to drive around town. The SE's six-speed gearbox is good, and the clutch is smooth, but the shift lever has too long a throw to feel tight. Heel-and-toe downshifts are challenging because of the pedal locations.

The Tiburon GS, the entry-level model that goes for less than $18,000, uses a four-cylinder engine with a five-speed gearbox.

All Tiburons are equipped with anti-lock brakes, electronic brake-force distribution, a tire pressure monitor, side airbags, and a 220-watt Kenwood MP3 sound system. New for 2008, the system includes XM Satellite radio with three months of free service.

Also available are a four-speed automatic transmission with Shiftronic manual control, and electronic stability control with brake assist.

Hyundai claims its warranty is America's best, with five-years/60,000 miles bumper-to-bumper and 10-years/100,000 miles limited powertrain. Tiburon buyers also get 24-hour roadside assistance at no charge for five years.

The Tiburon GT ($19,925) uses a DOHC 2.7-liter V6 with the same transmission options as the GS, and rides on 17-inch alloy wheels. Inside, there are black leather seat bolsters with cloth inserts, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, driver's-side adjustable lumbar support, automatic climate control, trip computer, and metallic trim. Cruise control is also standard, although the sunroof is optional ($900).

The GT Limited ($22,525) adds a red leather interior and makes the sunroof and automatic transmission standard.

The SE ($22,375) is the "track-tuned" model, with a suspension set up for hard cornering. It comes with the same the 2.7-liter V6 as the GT and GT Limited, but the only available transmission is a six-speed manual. Other special equipment includes Electronic Stability Control (ESC) with Brake Assist and Traction Control, red front brake calipers on big vented rotors, a high rear spoiler, aluminum pedals, and the red leather seats with black cloth inserts. Climate control reverts to manual, and the sunroof is optional ($900).

Options for all models: Bluetooth hands-free phone system ($325), cargo net ($45), carpeted floor mats ($90), mud guards ($85), sunroof wind deflector ($85), and wheel locks ($40).

Safety equipment that comes standard includes front airbags, front side-impact airbags, seatbelt pretensioners and force limiters, anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution, and a tire pressure monitor.

The 17-inch alloy wheels on the SE are handsome, a sort of starburst 12-spoke pattern; imagine six headless and armless gingerbread men, joined in a circle at the neck.

Hyundai freshened the Tiburon's appearance for 2007, with new front and rear fascia, headlights, taillights, hood, front fenders and twin exhaust tips. No additional changes have been made for 2008. We're not sure we like the latest nose and tail, which are more rounded and nubile than sleek. The Tiburon's rear isn't as big and bulbous as that of the Mitsubishi Eclipse, and the rounded trapezoidal tail lamps are graceful. The spoiler on the SE is a nice touch, high but not too high. But take away the spoiler on the other three models, and there isn't much left to draw the eyes.

From head-on, the Tiburon misses the opportunity for something dramatic. Above the bumper there's one thin slit that might add mystery but doesn't demand a second glance. The horizontal slats in the wide air intake under the front bumper are reminiscent of a 2001 Chrysler Concorde, which itself copies the look of some Ferrari grilles. A lot has been lost in the double translation to the Tiburon.

The center stack is squarish, with two big round climate vents over smaller ones on top of the dash. We found the air conditioning performance strong. The usual accessories run down the center, with reasonable controls without bran-teasing challenges to figure out. There are two cupholders, a small glovebox, door pockets and a small single-chamber console between the seats. Our SE had the sunroof and we opened it to the Pacific sky, which came through with a loud whoosh. There's an optional wind deflector for the sunroof, but our test model didn't have it.

The rear seats offer 29.9 inches of legroom, which isn't much but isn't bad for a two-plus-two coupe. The Eclipse has 29.2 inches.

We had a couple of problems, namely our right toe making contact with some low-hanging thing under the dash, every time we moved our right foot from the brake to the throttle. And there's a horrendous blind spot behind the right C-pillar, when you look over your shoulder in that direction.

And when you look into the rearview mirror, you see the high spoiler to remind you that the Tiburon is at least trying to be cool. It does block visibility out the rear, which might be inconvenient because if you're always revving the engine to redline, you might want to keep an eye out for the cops.

The aluminum double-overhead-cam V6 is mounted transversely. It makes 181 pound-feet of torque, which isn't a ton, but it's all there at a low 3800 rpm, and that means a lot. Cruising along at 75 mph in sixth gear, 3500 rpm, you can mash the throttle without downshifting, and the SE accelerates well; of course, it'll squirt away better if you downshift to fifth. Just don't expect neck-snapping acceleration from the 172 horsepower, which has to pull the Tiburon's 2986 pounds. Torque steer from the front-wheel drive is noticeable, a tug on the steering wheel when cornering and accelerating at the same time.

The gearbox, from German manufacturer ZF, is good, but the shifts aren't so sharp because the lever has a long throw and the linkage isn't as tight as it might be. However, the clutch action is smooth, especially on the upshifts, and that compensates a bit for the long throw. So overall, the upshifts work.

We can't say the same for the downshifts, at least not with heel-and-toe downshifting, because the gas pedal is quite a bit lower than the brake pedal. So you can't fit the toe of your foot on the brake pedal and easily blip the throttle at the same time. As serious as Hyundai was about the track-tuned suspension, it's surprising they missed something simple like the pedal position for sporty downshifting.

The ratios are fine; sixth gear is a tall overdrive designed to deliver better fuel mileage. It's basically an extra gear on top, because the ratio of fifth gear (0.86:1) is almost the same as the fifth gear (0.84:1) in the five-speed gearbox on the GS model.

EPA estimated highway mileage is the same as for other Tiburons, at 24 mpg, but city mileage with the six-speed drops for 17 mpg to 16. (The more frugal four-cylinder, five-speed GS manages 20/28 mpg, city/highway.)

We got a chance to test out the brakes, pushing the Tiburon SE hard on a downhill run to the Pacific Ocean through Malibu's canyons. The SE's larger rotors (12-inch diameter front, compared to 11-inch on the other Tiburons) are cross-drilled for cooling, the first time Hyundai has tried this technology that's not uncommon to high-performance cars. The brakes are good and solid for a car in this class.

Grip is quite good for this price range. Compared to the other models, the Tiburon SE springs are 13 percent stiffer in front and 10 percent stiffer in the rear. Strut valving is also specific to the SE, and overall roll stiffness is increased by 32 percent. This all feels pretty firm on a choppy freeway, but not unbearably so, and it's reasonably comfortable over mere ripples. The SE handles corners well for the class. The Tiburon SE has its limits when driven aggressively through switchback curves, but handles the situation well. It does a better job than its main competitor, the Mitsubishi Eclipse.

NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Sam Moses filed this report from Santa Monica, California.