Hyundai's Tiburon in detail.
 
'Tiburon' means shark in Spanish, appropriately evocative of the new car's sleeker, sharper-edged design with its fluted flanks and purposeful profile. Design detail highlights include scalloped upper sides leading to the 'gills' in the front fenders, flared lower sides which give an integrated side skirt look, clear blister headlight lens, a seven-hex-bolt fuel filler surround and twin fat sports exhausts. Tiburon is available in the following configurations:
  • 2 litre manual
  • 2 litre Selectronic
  • V6 2.7 litre manual
  • V6 2.7 litre Selectronic
 
Style and Strength:
From the front, the first impression is of a design oriented towards the driver. The dynamic styling has resulted in the following:
  • Performance orientated air dam intake and integrated round projection fog lamps
  • Trapezoidal radiator grille, with lowered matte-black slats, tucked under the hood
  • Side sill moulding, stylish outside mirror, 5-spoke alloy wheels, grip-type door handles, a 'race type' sculptured fuel filler cover and a sporty slim cockpit
  • Flat curved roof sculpture, fastback rear window and sporty rear spoiler(only in V6 models)
  • Smooth surfaces and metallic surrounds on displays and control elements
  • Large round analogue instruments, with white dials and red needles on a dark background
  • Optimum contour of the 8-way adjustable Recaro-styled seats with side bolsters, lumbar support, height adjustment and double reclining struts
  • Front seat walk-in memory system
  • Rear seats fold 50/50 full flat
  • The voluminous 418 litre luggage compartment
 
Performance and Economy:
The sporty high-output 2.7 litre V6 engine is complemented by an alternative 2.0 litre engine:
  • The 2.7 litre V6 boasts an engine output of 127kW/6000 and a torque of 245Nm/4000
  • The 2.0 litre 4 cyclinder engine boasts a top output of 102kW/6000 and a maximum torque rating of 181Nm/4500
 
Safety:
The Hyundai Tiburon comes with an array of both passive and active safety systems:
  • A rectangular sub-frame and reinforced front and side members
  • Passengers are protected against injuries by a seven-way energy path from the side sills which disperses collision impacts
  • Door impact members and bars, plus a reinforced centre pillar
  • Dual Threshold Airbag System avoids unnecessary inflation in low speed collisions
  • Pre-tensioned seatbelts with load limiters are standard
  • A collapsible steering column
 
Comfort and Convenience:
Contrasting with the charcoal theme interior are brushed alloy highlights on the centre dash panel, door switchgear panels, steering wheel, auto gearshift knob and (with rubber inserts) the pedals and the driver's left foot rest. Instrumentation lighting is an orange-red glow. The following have been carefully integrated:
  • Climate control system
  • The trip computer standard in both models displays odometer read-out, trip odometer, average speed, distance to fuel-empty and drive time travelled since the last time reset.
  • Power assisted steering and height adjustable tilt steering wheels are standard
  • Plenty of storage through the inclusion of map pockets, roomy glove box, storage boxes and cup holders
  • The sporty windscreen has 3-speed, variable intermittent and time adjustments
  • A large wiper improves visibility through the fastback rear windscreen
  • Electric power windows with a driver's side auto-down control unit
©2002 Hyundai Automotive Distributors Australia Pty Ltd