Hyundai coupe comes with feel-good factor
3 May 2000: by Brian Byrne & Trish Whelan.
Trish: If you want to be seen, this certainly fits the bill! It’s also fun to drive. You might as well know from the outset that I left this car back with an awful lot of regret!
Brian: I know! ... I’ve been hearing about it ever since! But you’re right, the latest version of the Hyundai Coupe is a stunner, and gives better fun and feel-good than many more expensive cars in this particular niche ...
Trish: The Coupe was always curvy but they’ve added a great dollop of extra sexiness with the nose and tail jobs on the previous version. The front is particularly better-looking (Brian you should be writing this!) with snazzy individual lights instead of the composite ovals of the last model. This adds a huge impact to the full frontal.
Brian: Given that you were heading off (I couldn’t get the keys!) in it more than me, I got lots of looks at the rear, and here they’ve made the lights larger, which also makes the car much more substantial. As far as side view is concerned, the strong underlying coke-bottle shape reminds us of the American ‘muscle’ cars of the 60s, but better executed ...
Trish: And don’t forget the alloy wheels. They look super!
Brian: Moving inside, they’s brightened up the interior considerably. Instead of standard black plastic switches, Hyundai’s designers have given us a very futuristic look, with strong geometric shapes and lots of metallising ... have to say, though, that it took me a little while to suss out a few of their functions, particularly the cruise control set, rather hidden behind the steering wheel ...
Trish: Talk about comfort ... this car had it by the bucket-seat full! I found the seats so comfortable. Lumbar support was especially good. The review car had them in two-tones of grey leather which looked terrific to me. The steering wheel and gear shift were also leather covered. As to the driving position, I felt absolutely cocooned by the cockpit. But a slight problem was with all those curves up front, I sometimes found it difficult to gauge parking space ahead of me, while the high back did little for rear visibility ...
Brian: This car was also well thought-out ergonomically, because both Trish and I had no difficulty in finding really comfortable driving positions ... having things right for heights ranging from 5’4 to 6’2’ isn’t always done well. I suppose, I could have been very close to hitting the roof because the car comes with a sunroof, but I actually didn’t find it a problem ...
Trish: There’s certainly no room for backseat drivers in this beauty, though ... the rear pair of seats might just accommodate a couple of quiet kids, and certainly not for a long trip ...
Brian: Before we get to the driving experience, we should mention the specifications ... the review car was the 2-litre upper-level option, and came with aircon, electric all (including aerial), ABS brakes ... and the three-year warranty that most European manufacturers still don’t give us in Ireland (though quite a few do in the UK!) ...
Trish: The car has the usual safety features, but I have to say that I felt particularly secure in this car, maybe because it did seem to be very well built ... of course, the 151 horses under the bonnet also gave me the confidence in knowing that when I wanted to make the car go, it went ...
Brian: Yep, it’s a powerful car. And sometimes that can make it feel that a car will run away with you. Not in this case, the coupe’s responses were always taut ... that applied to the handling, too, because you could take this car around a series of curves as complex as its own shape, and you might as well have been running on rails ...
Trish: And even in these days of very high fuel prices, you wouldn’t feel too upset at the thirst, which seems to run somewhere between 30 and 35 mpg. If you were buying a family car, this might seem a little extravagant, but if you’re buying a Hyundai coupe, you’re not buying for the family ... but for fun!
Brian: And if it’s a fun weekend away for two, there’s more than ample space for his ‘n’ hers luggage ... and if he gets away with bringing the golf clubs, they can be accommodated by dropping that back seat ...
Trish: So, you liked this car, and I LOVED it. I want it back!!!!
Brian: You just need a whisker under £20,000 ...
Our Rating: 8/10
Hyundai Coupe facts: 1.6 and 2.0-litre petrol; 5-speed manual; coupe; price range £17,495-£19,595.
