Javi Martin
You have to see what a mess he made with him. Hyundai coupe, everyone wanted one, or almost. It was the talk of the town among fans when talking about cars, it created excitement when someone in the group of friends showed up with one and The magazines compared him to the best of the segment, which by the way, was full of options back in the 90s. It was even compared to such personal models as the Honda Civic Coupé or the Mazda MX-3. The Hyundai Coupé, or the Tiburón, as it was called outside Europe, attacked on all fronts.
What did that car have to make it so successful? It was a coupé from a brand that, at that time, was not as well known as it is now, or at least, It did not have the same image that Hyundai currently gives off. And, by the way, whoever has seen them, what a change! To top it off, they earned the nickname “poor man’s coupe”.
Yes, It had a devastating price in its segment, which was accompanied by an eye-catching design and also had good equipment, but that is not always enough to achieve good acceptance. If it had been, for example, Peugeot, perhaps it would not have raised so much dust; and we say Peugeot, but we could also say Fiat or Toyota.
MANY RIVALS FOR THE HYUNDAI COUPÉ
In fact, fiat coupe Fiat, the Opel Calibra, the Toyota Celica, the Alfa Romeo GTV or the aforementioned Civic Coupe and MX-3, all, They were more expensive than the Hyundai model. Not only that, they were much more expensive, as was the case, for example, with the Fiat. Its most expensive version, in 1996, the Hyundai Coupé 2.0 16 FX, cost 2.620.000 pesetas, while the equivalent Fiat Coupé, the 2.0 16v with 143 hp, cost no less than 4.162.000 pesetas. We are talking about more than half a million pesetas more expensive.
The cheapest, the Hyundai Coupé 1.6i LS, was priced at 2.445.000 pesetas and the closest was the Mazda MX-3, priced at 2.525.000 pesetas. With those prices, how could it not be a success?
HYUNDAI COUPÉ, A SPORTS CAR FROM THE YEAR 2000
The Hyundai Coupé was seen for the first time in Spain during the celebration of Madrid Salon 1996. It had only been two months after the launch of the much more important Geneva Motor Show. This car replaced the Hyundai S Coupé, a car that was not nearly as popular. Not surprisingly, it had neither the design nor the flair to attract attention. Its mere presentation in the Spanish capital led to a flood of orders and predicted a huge sales success.
Technically, it was based on the Hyundai Lantra -with the wheelbase shortened by 80 millimetres-, a mid-size sedan that was well received in Spain. In any case, it had the collaboration of the Porsche engineering department to give it a good life. Meanwhile, for its exterior image, none other than Pininfarina was hired, although, curiously, the logo of the Italian studio does not appear anywhere on its bodywork, something usual when working with such a famous design studio. A detail that was not an impediment to its overwhelming sales success…
It was offered with two enginesThe entry-level engine was a 1,6-litre block with 114 hp and 143 Nm of torque and was the best-selling. It crowned the range a 2-liter with 138 hp and 180 Nm of torque, which was the most interesting due to its good performance. In other countries, such as the United Kingdom, a two-litre 156 hp version was offered for the Hyundai Tiburón F2 Evolution. This version also had a sportier set-up, as well as a somewhat more radical image thanks to a larger rear spoiler and specific rims.
Sportiness was one of the most notable features of the first generation of the Coupé, as the Spanish press of the time pointed out. It also noted the absence of elements such as the driver's airbag or ABS in its cheaper versions. Although it may sound unbelievable, they had to be paid for separately, even The 2-litre model also required paying extra for ABS..
HYUNDAI COUPÉ RD2, A RESTYLING THAT HELPED MAINTAIN SALES
By 1999, just three years after launch, the Hyundai Coupé underwent a redesign, the traditional makeover which, all things considered, came very soonIt wasn't a question of low sales, the Coupé remained an enormously popular car, but the competition was tight and the South Koreans didn't want to let things get too complicated. So they gave it a notable facelift, with a new front end made up of four circular headlights - the central ones larger than the side ones - which completely changed the look of the model. At the rear, the drivers abandoned their elongated shapes and adopted more square ones, which obviously gave a totally different image.
The car became more serious, as some would say, more mature, with improvements in finishes and materials, more equipment, new body colors... All to keep the model at the top, although The engines were not touched nor was the technical section touched., although some adjustments were made to the chassis.
The truth is that it looked like a new model, something almost necessary given the new generation of models with coupé bodies, although, it must be said, not as striking. Rivals like el Renault Megane Coupe or Opel Astra Coupe They made life a little more difficult for him, without completely managing to snatch the title of best seller in its segment. And it was not only because of its image, since the price remained quite contained, although it went up a little. This is demonstrated by the 2.860.000 pesetas of the Hyundai Coupé 2.0 16v, the most expensive in the catalogue, not much for a car that continued to have a remarkable sporty behaviour, very good performance and an unbeatable image.
The Hyundai Coupe It remained on sale until 2003., when the second generation of the model was launched, a car with a completely different attitude and orientation that did not achieve the same acceptance. It lost visual impact, became more expensive and, to top it all off, its rivals became more interesting.
ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR CARS TO TUNE
The popularity of the Hyundai Coupé also brought with it less interesting things, such as its huge profusion among fans of tuningAnd we say interesting not as a criticism of the tuning, but because many examples ended up in a very bad state due to work that was truly botched. There were good tunings on the Coupé, but those are less common. Many units also ended up in the wrong hands, Second-hand Hyundai Coupés were like candy at the school gates and many kids, with the driving license fresh out of the box and with a lot of drive on their right foot, they got one as their first car and they didn't always have a good ending.
That makes Finding units in good condition is quite complicated. First generation models with a 1,6-litre engine and very basic equipment can be found for prices between 1.000, 1.500 and 2.000 euros. However, many of them have more than 200.000 kilometres on the clock in many cases. Versions with a two-litre engine are much rarer and rarely cost less than 3.000 euros.
El Hyundai Coupe with two headlights It is more expensive in both cases, with prices varying between 2.900 and 3.500 euros for half-decent units. Those equipped with the 138 hp engine are usually priced at around 5.000 euros.
