Gary Rome Hyundai

2008 Hyundai Tiburon: Preview

New Tib Debuts in China

I remember how shocked I was at the introduction of Hyundais current Tiburon. Not that the South Korean automaker wasnt making serious headway with every new model, but the new Tiburon was such a marked improvement over the old one that most everyone at the Las Vegas launch was impressed. Having only recently seen photos of the new 2008 version, just introduced in July at the 2006 Guangzhou Motor Show in China, Im thinking that its more about refining an already strong package than reinventing the wheel. No doubt there will be equal parts positive and negative at what appears to be more of an evolution than revolution in design, some glad things are staying more or less the same with others wishing that Hyundai had taken their favorite coupe in a new styling direction, but the differences between old and new, while subtle, are still easily noticeable.

Gone are most of the coupes hard edges, replaced by Hyundais new smooth as silk design language first shown on the 2006 Sonata, and more recently on the all-new 2007 Santa Fe. The Tib, as its referred to internally, maintains its unique character, mind you, not eschewing the wide, tall grilles of its sedan and crossover stable mates, but rather continuing forward with a more sporting horizontal slot, even narrower than the outgoing model, plus a wider, lower grille opening.

New headlight clusters and taillight lenses are more jewel-like in appearance, and a unique horizontal front fender vent highlights the changes made to the cars sweeping beltline. Previously this beltline was creased from the taillights forward edge, across the cars profile where it met a shark-like downward fold just aft of the front-wheel cutout, wrapping a set of vertical fender vents. Now this beltline continues forward, intersected by the wheel cutout before visually reemerging on the other side and meeting up with the outside edge of the front bumper. The new side vents are smaller and less pronounced.

In the rear, the new Tiburon gets a diffuser-like valance in black, plus twin chrome exhaust tips to accent the revised tail lamps.

The old and new Tibs identical roofline, plus the shape of the trunk and hood makes it appear as if nothing has changed under the skin. This may be true, and for now Hyundai is keeping mum. Most likely it will continue forward with its 2.0-liter four-cylinder in base trim, mated to a five-speed manual transmission and four-speed automatic with manual-mode.

The optional drivetrain is more of a mystery, mind you, with rumors abounding that the 3.3-liter V6 from the top-line Sonata and Santa Fe will get the nod, but given that the current V6-powered Tib uses Hyundais 2.7-liter unit mated to a six-speed manual transmission it is likely output will rise from the current 172-horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque, to something similar to the engine in base 2007 Santa Fe trim, or rather 185-horsepower and 183 lb-ft of torque, which should make for more spirited performance.

One good thing about the Tiburon moving forward unchanged under the skin will be that its a veritable shoe-in for top-three placement in the J.D. Power and Associates various quality ratings. The 2006 Initial Quality Study (IQS) places the current Tiburon as number two in the Compact Sporty Car category, only outpaced by Mazdas venerable MX-5 Miata. Hyundai as a brand, rates highest amongst entry-level nameplates, ahead of Toyota and Honda, and third place overall.

Regarding the new Tib specifically, Hyundai hasnt shown any photos of its interior, but it should receive the same measure of updates as the exterior. Expect a new dash, revised instrumentation, and higher quality materials throughout.

It is important to note that the Tiburon shown in China wont necessarily be the same as the car that comes to North America. Hyundai promises additional information, specifications and prices pertaining to that North American-bound car at a later date. I, for one, cant wait to experience how much better this car will be from the already strong 2006 model.

Preliminary