Hyundai Coupe

12:32pm Tuesday 29th August 2006

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WHERE have all the affordable coupes gone?

The Ford Probe and the Vauxhall Calibra were scrapped more than a decade ago, the Honda Prelude and the Nissan 200SX were more recent casualties, and now I hear that 2006 will be the last year you will be able to buy a Toyota Celica in this country.

So what are we left with? Lots of expensive stuff like the BMW 6-Series and the Audi TT but just about the only affordable sportster of note is the Hyundai Coupe.

However, as city cars and cheapies remain the mainstay of most Korean car makers, can the Coupe really cut it?

In some markets the Coupe is called a Tiburon. Apparently tiburon is the Spanish word for shark and Hyundai is hoping its redesigned sportster is good enough to take a bigger bite out of what is, inexplicably, a shrinking market.

In particular, it is hoping the addition of a 2.7-litre V6 engine will attract more male buyers, since more than half of current Coupe owners are women.

More power under the shapely nose isn't the only change - a couple of years ago the Coupe was restyled inside and out. Like the old one this model still sits on the bare bones of the Elantra family car.

However, before you turn your nose up and pass on by the Coupe like some unpleasant odour, let's not forget that the Capri was based on a Cortina, the Calibra started life as a Cavalier and the Prelude borrowed liberally from the Accord.

More importantly, when the Coupe was redesigned some important changes were made by Hyundai engineers.

The wheelbase is 2.2 inches longer than that of its predecessor, and the length, width, and height are increased by 2.1 inches, 1.2 inches, and 0.6 inch respectively.

The first-generation Coupe was an impressive job by the Italian Giugiaro that won universal approval. For the mid-life facelift Hyundai messed it all up by adding bulbous, flared wheelarches and a 'melted cheese' boot spoiler.

The latest look is much better. The soft edges have gone, replaced by a shape that has sharp creases, strong lines and a taut body that bears a resemblance to the Ferrari 456GT - a look that was almost certainly intentional.

The absence of model badging means owners of lesser-engined Coupes can hold their heads up high next to V6 drivers.

Mind you, the base models don't get twin tailpipes.

The interior very nearly lives up to the promise of the exterior. A leather steering wheel and metal pedals lend a sporty air but, once again, those crazy Koreans just don't know when to stop.

Why else would it fit the Coupe with a torque meter (surely an automotive first? ) that somehow measures the amount of thrust passing through the tyres?

The leather buckets are very comfortable but the lack of headroom front and back is shocking - I'm no giant and my hair brushed the roof.

Six-footers had better favour a lyingdown driving position or take care over hump back bridges and sleeping policemen!

Like all coupes the Hyundai pampers its front passengers at the exAs well as tight headroom there's hardly any legroom, no fresh-air vents, a postage stamp side window and (horror of horrors) no cupholder. There is a map pocket and a cubby but that's about it. A long trip in the back of a Coupe would be a feat of endurance for any adult, though ever since this class of car was invented a 2+2 has held limited appeal for families.

Anyone clambering into the rear seats will need to be pretty agile.

The boot is, however, pretty big for a car like this and can accommodate a weekly trip to the shops with ease. A luggage net helps keep fragile items safe. A spacesaving spare is available for emergency tyre changes.

Equipment-wise the V6 has plenty to offer, even if the CD unit does look depressingly 'after market' and satellite navigation isn't even a cost option.

That big, long bonnet and iffy rearward visibility would have made parking sensors a useful addition to the standard specification.

Base models receive an antitheft alarm. More expensive versions benefit from an alarm with ultrasonic sensors. Central locking is standard on every model.

The steering has power assistance so it's easy enough squeezing into tight gaps if you are careful. The clutch and six-speed gearbox felt positive.

Dual front and side airbags, ABS with EBD, side-impact bars, traction control (V6 only), adjustable front head restraints, seat-belt pre-tensioners and a brace of three-point fastening rear seat belts round off a decent safety package.

Three engine options are offered: a weak-kneed 1.6-litre (103bhp) petrol; a decent 2.0-litre (141bhp) petrol that's a classic performance/economy compromise and the 2.7-litre V6 (165bhp) petrol.

Both the 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre are fitted with a five-speed manual gearbox. The 2.7-litre V6 comes with a six-speeder. If you really can't be bothered to exercise your left arm, a four-speed automatic is available as an option on 2.0-litre and 2.7-litre models.

The V6 engine has already seen service in the Sonata and Santa Fe off-roader. It has a nice exhaust note and makes the Coupe feel as a quick as it looks (although I'd hesitate to call even this model fast, as any decent hot-hatch would probably have it for breakfast). Fuel economy isn't bad by big V6 standards at a shade under 30mpg.

The ride is tweaked for European roads and borders on the harsh. but that's the way coupe buyers like it.

To be honest, if you want a cheap (ish) coupe these days then the choice starts and ends with this car. There simply isn't anything else to touch it for the money.

Even better, the Coupe comes with the industry's best new car warranty (five years, although the Americans get a scarcely believable ten) and a reputation for longevity that shames many prestige motor manufacturers.

So is the Coupe a suitable standard bearer for the budget sportster, a class that's all but extinct, or an embarassing throwback?

Despite a few cost-cutting short comings I reckon anyone who wants to add a dash of excitment to their driveway could do an awful lot worse.