Hyundai Coupe (Tiburon) 1999 - 2001 coupe

Little fighter

Image - nothing - announces annoying television advertising. Maybe somewhere it is, but not in the car business. The image, or, as it is now fashionable to say, the brand is one of the most important components of any brand, especially relatively young. It is only a pity that we most often pay attention to the image of the brand, and not to what is produced under this brand. And Hyundai Coupe is a typical example of such myopia. If SUVs, minivans and ordinary models produced by the concern, buyers around the world, including ours, accepted it with a bang, then to the sports compartment, at least, we still have a wary-cheating. I repent, I myself went to this test with some prejudice, we can say, with the installation for disappointment. Rather, not so much for disappointment, I just doubted that Coupe could surprise me with something, and even more so amazing me. And all the more pleasant to me to make sure of my wrongness - the car was surprisingly worthy, if not more.

There is such a saying: how you call the ship, so it will float. So, in the case of this model, the name plays a very important, even decisive role. In my opinion, Coupe is too fresh for such an interesting car, but Tiburon (as they call this car for sale in the American market) - just right. Hearing it, I immediately want if not to drive, then at least look at the car with that name. I will say more - this name is ideal to the character and running qualities of the car, and it is not clear why the company deprived of Europeans so deprived. Perhaps there are good reasons for this, for example, not a very good sound of this word for some European language. But a more sonorous name, it seems to me that it could, if not to affect the level of sales, then at least make a model more known, individualize it.

It just so happened that there was no time for a preliminary acquaintance, so by adjusting the seat and mirrors for ourselves, we set off. And immediately a pleasant surprise - slightly releasing the clutch, I hesitated a little with the gas, but the car without this confidently moved from the place at idle. And while we, maneuvering between the pedestrians, moved from the site near the dealer center, the car confidently, without trembling, rode at minimum speed, without requiring nuns. Further - even more fun. The car rolled off the curb, and I pressed the gas pedal to the floor. The first, the second - under the evil accompaniment of the Coupe engine, scribbled with tires, briskly rushed forward, increasing acceleration with each additional hundred revolutions on the tachometer. When the arrow already came close to the mark of 4000, I, logically reasoning that the engine with such a thrust on the bottom, in theory, should be no at high speeds, was already reaching for the lever gearbox, but then the engine was opened as if the second wind was opened - the most powerful A jerk, and literally through a thousandth of a second, the motor has already rested against a speed limiter, which, by the way, is triggered by about 6500 rpm. Honestly, it was so unexpected that a couple of seconds I just thought stupidly why acceleration stopped. I repeat the procedure in third gear, and everything is repeated with an accuracy to the smallest detail - dynamic acceleration and a good jerk at the end, only the speedometer this time has already shown almost one and a half hundred. The last three thousand revolutions of the tachometer shooter flies so briskly, as if a non -existent turbocharged was joined in the work. It seems like two cars - one rather dynamic, but calm (in the zone of low and medium revolutions), which has a relatively slow movement and does not force to constantly work as a gearbox lever, the second is a real animal, configured for an uncompromising race, whether in the city or beyond its borders. This is very similar to how the gas distribution phase system works, but that’s the focus that this is not here either. Yes, of course, 138 horses and a little more than a ton of equipped mass is a good ratio, but we must pay tribute to the engineers, they made a really good motor. And you should not stop there - it seems to me that if an extreme version of Coupe was produced like Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution or Subaru Impreza WRX, wound up to about 200-220 horses and sold at a Korean price, such a model could well find customers, Yes, and in terms of image would have served a good service. However, we will not teach people who have achieved much, but we will better study their product.

At the time of its debut, in 1996, the Coupe model looked less aggressive, as, indeed, all the other Hyundai at that time. Not to say that this is bad, but now more sharp forms are in fashion, which clearly demonstrates the latest new items of almost all world manufacturers. Therefore, last year, Coupe was subjected to serious modernization, which affected mainly appearance. The most striking, in the literal and figurative sense of the word, the element of the new design is a quad -eyed lighting technique, which, in general, made the soft appearance of Coupe more aggressive. True, the tongue does not turn to call it quad -eyed, if only because the front of Coupe has ten optical elements of various purposes, and the total number of on -board lights reaches thirteen. In any case, even if you do not pay attention to lighting equipment, the design of the Coupe model can be called successful, especially because it turned out to be very unusual and memorable. Is it beautiful or not - you can argue about this to hoarseness, but one thing can be said for sure - only a person can confuse Coupe with any other sports model very far from the world of cars. A characteristic detail is like Rolls -Royce, the color of the car directly depends on the version. We had a silver metallic on the test, for example, and if I understood correctly, this suggests that the car is equipped with a 2.0-liter engine and a mechanical gearbox. This is the coolest version, if you do not take into account the cost of modification with an automaton, so there is almost everything in the car, ranging from cast discs to air conditioning.

The interior, in particular, the instrument panel and the central console are made in full accordance with the external design, that is, they look very original. After you look at the aggressive Coupe face, in the cabin you expect to see something like that, and any European-proper and boring interior would look here just like designers hacks. You can, of course, say that such a sophisticated salon will quickly get out of fashion, but this is still a controversial question, but the fact that it is original and quite distant is already a fact. Can you recall how some European or Japanese compartment looks inside? And if you sit at least once in Coupe, then you can always easily identify it. At least I have not yet seen such convenient and original buttons of turning on the headlights or round control of ventilation at the same time. It is also pleasing that in pursuit of originality the designers did not disregard such mundane things as ergonomics and convenience of management. The steering column is adjustable in height, and in both extreme positions it does not interfere with the readings of the devices. The driver's seat is not adjusted in height, but in addition to all the usual adjustments, you can change the angle of inclination of its pillow. The chair itself can be considered a compromise between a purely sports bucket and a comfortable sofa. In corners, it fixes the body quite well, although some homegrown shumans would prefer closer hugs, but at the same time you can travel in a jacket without fear of finally hind it.

It is comfortable to sit in the back seat, and even more so, only either a small person (option is a child), or a finished masochist, can go on a long trip. It is clear that the space of the salon in sports models is very limited, but here with free space everything is in order. In width, the salon is quite sufficient for three passengers, the same can be said about the place for the legs, including in the knees. Moreover, despite the low, only 130 centimeters, car growth, landing and getting out of it is quite convenient, even in the back seat. The long base and a wide doorway were eliminated from the need to engage in rhythmic gymnastics when landing in the rear seat, but the sports contours of the body caused the appearance of one drawback - the rear passengers rest their heads on the sloping rear window. Not in the ceiling, but in the glass, but it, as you know, softens the blows a little worse than the soft upholstery of the ceiling. The rear passengers sit a little bent, because the strong negative tilt of the pillow does not slide on it in order to sit normally. It is not fatal, of course, especially since the large percentage of these inconveniences can be attributed to the fact that we were in winter clothes, but if the seat pillow was slightly thinner, and it was installed more horizontally, this would give several additional centimeters of the reserve. And on the other hand - if you often travel such a team, then buy yourself Trajet. In addition, some Coupe structures also unobtrusively hint at his non -passenger focus: after the front chair, no matter, driver or passenger, moves forward, it does not remember its settings, so after this procedure it will have to be adjusted again each time.

The most delicious dish in this menu is, of course, piloting, and absolutely all the same, you just go around the city, in a dense city stream, or on an empty platform in Borovaya. And it doesn’t matter how aggressive or, conversely, you prefer a calm driving style. Somehow it turns out that on Coupe all the time you go a little faster than the main stream, and regardless of its density. I even remembered one of the recent mini-horses-then we also tested the sports model, and some kind of dashing guy on Ford Probe ensued with us. By power, our car almost doubled, but no matter how we tried, literally in a couple of kilometers our opponent broke so far that we lost sight of him. There, where he walked with a whistle, we had to enter literally in attraction, forcing passing cars to shy away in different directions. If the case took place on the highway, the advantage, undoubtedly, would be on our side, but we are not so rich yet to buy two cars for the city and for the highway. This is me to the fact that if you like to drive quickly, and regardless of the situation, then the car needs to be selected appropriate. For example, Hyundai Coupe is a relatively small car, and besides, the dimensions are very well felt that in combination with a hot motor and an excellent suspension turns Coupe into a wonderful urban wire. Imperceptibly for yourself, you begin to actively rebuild from a row in a row, diving into such cracks in the stream that you do not pay attention to in an ordinary car, leaving them to be a motorcycle. Moreover, all this maneuvering will not even force your pulse to become more frequent - everything happens somehow everyday, smoothly, and at that moment you can control one hand, and the other to sort out the radio waves in the receiver. And you know that in case of something, you will always have time to stop: disc brakes on all wheels (in front - ventilated) and excellent low -profile tires will force the guy who was driving after you, short -sightedly believing that a safe distance is not for him. True, the low tire profile makes you go a little carefully, carefully tracking all the dirty tricks of the road services, because any minor defect, as the above services like to call the above, make you startle not only the car, but also a characteristic sound, unobtrusively suggesting the prospect of repairing the bent wheel disk. In principle, the 55 percent profile of the 205-mm Michelin is not the worst option for our roads, but in the autumn-winter period, when the roads become terrible, it’s better not to risk it and put another rubber.

But how good it is, you can even say, just wonderful on these tires Coupe keeps the road, which we could see on the site in Borovaya. In any turn, the car enters almost without rolls and, most importantly, instantly reacts to the slightest movement of the steering wheel. The steering wheel is quite sharp, a little more than two revolutions, and in the near -Stolium zone its effect is slightly dgeduced, which positively affects the convenience of driving at high speeds. Typically, cars of such a weight category behave somewhat nervously at high speed, but this car did not raise questions on this part. Since we started talking about speed, I would like to note the pleasant sound of the motor, in particular the bass roar of the exhaust system. On acceleration, its sound becomes dominant, but if you lose the gas, then when the radio is turned on, you will not hear anything. What did not like - the gear lever, or rather, the clarity of its work. No, no, it is impossible to make a mistake when turning on the transmission, but the clarity of its work is more suitable for a family hatch-bek, therefore, against the background of the excellent work of the rest of the governing bodies sharpened for the sports style of driving, its normality is simply striking.

Coupe is controlled simply perfectly, especially on turns. True, it is advisable to avoid getting into various pits and cracks with which the road surface abounds, but otherwise everything is just fine. If you really want to tear the car into sliding, you need to either find a turn sprinkled with a sand, or, if any, is not available, have the qualification of the rider. Any other method leads to the same result - a car, frantically screening with tires, smoothly shifts out of turn, and if you drop the gas, it instantly goes to a smaller radius, without leaving the hot guys a chance to amuse their pride. In order to really tilt Coupe (see photo) when passing a snake, the arrival of the already high speed by several tens of kilometers, although it must be admitted that then the car behaved perfectly perfectly.

It is also pleased that the dynamics of acceleration, and from a place to hundreds of Coupe accelerates in 8.6 seconds, practically does not affect the degree of loading of the car. One is going or five - the difference is minimal, except that at high speeds the loaded car becomes somewhat more phlegmatic and does not react to gas so sharply. But if passengers are planted, then Coupee, without any tension, accelerates to a speed close to the maximum wing. However, it will be very problematic to load the Coupe thoroughly - perhaps a couple of bags and a canister can be put in the trunk. You involuntarily wonder where the free space has gone - the trunk is small, the rear seat is cramped. It seems that the designers left a place for the drive to the rear axle. By the way, the most attentive will probably notice that the back door opens access to the salon, that is, Coupe is actually a hatchback, although the company in the catalog means it as a sports compartment with a rear door. That's it, live a century - learn a century.

If they ask me if the car liked it, then the answer will be unequivocal: yes! At least because yes, that in accordance with all the canons of the genre, the car is very unlike its classmates. And let sports models be mastered by our roads for a long time, such a car will always find its buyer, especially since in accordance with the tradition of the company, the Coupe model is offered for a very interesting price.

Pavel Kozlovsky
 

A source: Auto -Gazeta / N 43 (302) dated 13.12.00