2000 Hyundai Tiburon Review

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Review:

BALBOA ISLAND, Calif. -- It's amazing how a Porsche look-alike (at least from the front end) that costs around $15,000 can look perfectly at home parked at the entrance to one of Southern California's toniest resorts, the Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach.

Hyundai's Tiburon sports coupe seemed to fit right in as the valet-parking attendant came to get my keys. Guests asked what it was and gaped when I smugly boasted of its low price though they seemed to sniff at the Hyundai name. "Sure looks like one of those German sports cars to me," said a tuxedoed young man with a debutante on his arm, shaking his head in disbelief.

His was a typical reaction wherever I drove the car in this beach town filled with SLK 230s, 911 Carreras and Z3 coupes. But what's rather puzzling about the impact of Hyundai's 2000 model is that it's been around awhile and while this is its first major revision since its introduction three years ago, though hardly a complete re-design, the new version isn't dramatically different from its predecessor: the same low, wide stance, aggressive grille, and power shoulders. Well, why mess with a great-looking design?