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"           Before we were let loose on the roads of southern France, Hyundai officials told us their new Tiburon sports coupe marks a new phase for the Korean car company; that is, building cars that are not just value-oriented, but excitement-oriented. This is good for enthusiasts and should be good for Hyundai too. Not that they are doing badly. Hyundai&amp;#039;s 2001 sales are up about 40 percent.   The previous Tiburon was no yawner, but the new car&amp;#039;s body makes people notice. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the Koreans have a deep love of Italian design. The Tiburon&amp;#039;s scalloped-out sides and rear section are derivative of the Ferrari 456 GT. The front end, on the other hand, is its own design. It should be a strong car structurally, as outer body panels are made with something termed Tailor Welded Blanks, said to increase impact absorption. TWBs were also put into structural members to increase rigidity while reducing weight. Basically you get a tighter car.   The heart of the matter, though, is the new 2.7-liter V-6. It&amp;#039;s the same engine used in the Santa Fe sport-utility vehicle and produces 181 bhp at 6000 rpm and 177 lb.-ft. of torque at 4000. The 140-bhp 4-cylinder carries on as the base engine. A 5-speed manual transmission comes standard with both engines, but only the V-6 can get a 6-speed manual (a $1000 premium), while a 4-speed automatic with Shiftronic manual control is available for either engine.   The V-6 is a welcome addition to the Tiburon, and it enables it to tackle such competition as the Toyota Celica GT-S, Mitsubishi Eclipse GT and the Acura RSX. Can it compete? It certainly is an enticing alternative. While the engine is not as silky (or as powerful) as the Eclipse&amp;#039;s V-6, it offers significantly better torque characteristics than the Celica and RSX engines and provides smooth, unobtrusive power.   If there is anything to gripe about the Tiburon&amp;#039;s V-6, it&amp;#039;s that there is no power rush. It has power everywhere, but never a ton of it. It almost doesn&amp;#039;t matter what gear you&amp;#039;re in, for it always seems to rev at the same rate. This isn&amp;#039;t bad; it&amp;#039;s just that I kept waiting for a surge or rush that never came.   While many manufacturers have proven recently that it isn&amp;#039;t easy to make a 6-speed gearbox, Hyundai&amp;#039;s Aichi-built unit is good. I never had any trouble finding the correct gear and its linkage does not have the rubbery nature of so many others. If we&amp;#039;re nitpicking, it is a tad notchy and the throws could be shorter, but otherwise a fine effort as Hyundai&amp;#039;s first-ever 6-speed.   The Tiburon&amp;#039;s MacPherson-strut front suspension and multilink rear are little changed. To minimize roll, the front anti-roll bar was repositioned and on GT models it grows to 23 mm in diameter (base cars are 20 mm). Both models use an 18-mm bar at the rear. GTs benefit from higher spring rates as well, and the car is quite stable at elevated speed. I cruised comfortably at 180 km/h (112 mph) on a French autoroute with no drama whatsoever.   On back roads the Tiburon felt just fine, with good turn-in and excellent steering feedback to the driver. It exhibited no surprises and was a joy to toss through the curves. The only downside was a bit of harshness and thumping over some rough roads.   Braking is via 11.3-in. vented discs up front and 10.2-in. discs at the rear with Electronic Brake Force Distribution. Unfortunately, ABS is not standard, but optional. The brakes work well and are certainly adequate to bring the near-3000-lb. car down to a halt quickly and surely.   The interior of the Tiburon is a definite step forward. The first thing you notice are the serious-looking 8-way adjustable sport seats designed (but not built) by Recaro. They offer excellent lateral support and comfort \u2014 all seats should be this good. You&amp;#039;re also greeted by a sporty steering wheel and metal-covered pedals positioned nicely for heel-and-toeing. The window switches, steering-wheel stalks and other controls feel just right.   Hyundai hadn&amp;#039;t released prices when we went to print, but officials felt confident that a GT V-6 with the 6-speed manual, ABS, sunroof, leather and premium audio would come in under $20,000. Now that&amp;#039;s a genuine performance bargain. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/reviews/a9405/2003-hyundai-tiburon/>