Hyundai Coupe Review
Published: 14th February 2005
Hyundai Coupe
How It Drove - Performance
A V6 engine always stirs our emotions and the Hyundai Coupe 2.7 V6 is powered by a fuel injected 2.7 V6 DOHC ‘Delta’ engine (2656cc) with 24 valves which produce 165bhp@6000rpm, a torque figure of 245Nm/181lbs ft @4000rpm which enables it to accelerate from 0 to 62mph in 8.2 seconds and continue to a top speed of 135 mph. For those of you who like to watch how many Newton’s of torque your car is producing, there is even a gauge, although we had trouble watching it and looking where we were going.
Driving so many cars over the years numbs your sense of acceleration and initially the V6 Coupe, seemed a little disappointing, but the quoted 0-62mph time of 8.2 seconds seemed realistic. You do have to work the 6-speed gearbox to see the best of the performance. After a day or so with the car we did find the car more rewarding and particularly enjoyed the engine note, when climbing up and down the gears.
Around town the Hyundai Coupe is easy to drive although the gearbox can be a little notchy in slow traffic. The new 6-speed gearbox uses a double cone synchroniser ring for better first and second gear shift movements and special friction material for the third gear synchroniser ring. On 'A' and 'B' roads the car comes into its own, the 6-speed gearbox is perfectly matched to the engine and delivers the power in a precise manner allowing you to perfectly match each gear change in the correct power band.
We were impressed with the Coupe's fuel economy and we achieved a little over 27mpg, not too bad for this type of vehicle and not far off Hyundai's quoted combined consumption figure of 28.5 mpg.
How It Drove - Ride/Handling
Living in Devon we always have the option of good roads with great destination locations. Our week with the Hyundai Coupe was out of season and all the caravans had returned home. So we decided it would be fun to drive up the Exe valley and then go for lunch somewhere on Exmoor. After you leave the Exe valley, the roads become deserted and are the perfect proving ground for a sports Coupe, bar the sheep and speed limits!
The steering is direct and well weighed and in keeping with a Sports Coupe. We found the traction control a hindrance when powering out of bends and it was a bit premature for our taste. It can be switched off but we would never advocate doing this on the public highway. We also found that the ABS cut in too soon, but it is always best to be on the safe side. There is a little more body roll than we were expecting and the Hyundai Coupe tended to safely understeer when pressed hard. But to be honest so what, it was all great fun and always felt safe and predictable.
The Hyundai Coupe is equipped with dual diagonal-split circuit, power-assisted braking system with ABS (Anti-lock Brakes) and EBD (Electronic Brake force Distribution). 11" ventilated front discs, floating calipers with pad wear warning device and 10" solid rear discs ensuring that the Coupe brakes reassuringly well.
What we liked about the Coupe is that everyone can have good, safe fun and it doesn't take a skilled driver to be entertained.
