Hyundai Tiburon GT V-6

If you're a young car company with ambition, how do you win a place in the world's biggest car market? Easy. First, keep the price down where lots of singles and DINKs can reach for it. How about an $18,494 base for a two-plus-two sports coupe? Next, put priority on high-visibility attractions. The Tiburon leads with the must-haves. The shape is sufficiently wowee! to draw second and third glances, although it begins to look a bit amateurish on closer study. The tail flaunts a big wing. The 17-inch, low-profile, 45-series Michelins have genuine sporting credentials (instead of four-season capability). When you peer through the hatch glass, you see a healthy subwoofer in the side panel.
There's muscle on the menu, too. Our test car has the up-option 2.7-liter V-6 of 181 horsepower mated to a six-speed gearbox.
All of which adds up to a load of good stuff for less than $20,000, and for four grand less than the next coupe up this test's price ladder, the Acura RSX.
It all works reasonably well, too, with a fourth-place finish just one point behind a tie for second.
Reasonably well, but the Tiburon is not excellent at any task, and once you've savored the deal, the rest of the car is never inspiring. Acceleration by most measures trails the others', although occasionally the Tib nips ahead of the Toyota as it does in 0-to-60 times: 7.1 seconds versus 7.3. On the skidpad its 0.82-g grip edges only the Mitsubishi. Nearly the same story in braking, too, where the Tiburon shades the Eclipse by one foot and the Acura by three. Put another way, you could say Hyundai braking and Hyundai acceleration can play in the same league with the famous brands, which they surely do.