Hyundai Coupe 1.6
Youve got to hand it to Hyundai, theyve pulled a real rabbit out of the hat with the Coupe. If the first generation one was interesting and the MK2 upped the anti further, the current facelifted MK3 car is a stunner. If the slinky shape seduces you, the £15,772 1.6-litre version is the most cost-effective way to put one on your driveway.
The compact coupe market always has been relatively easy to fathom. Put simply, the shape is everything. Where compact coupes are concerned, the perceived sexiness of the bodywork counts for a great deal more than the quality of the oily bits. Take the original Vauxhall Tigra please.
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Perhaps Hyundai dont understand the market quite as well as they think. Upon acquaintance with the latest Coupe 1.6, youre at first drawn to its swoopy Latin styling and its solidly Teutonic interior, noting that theyve managed to hit the nail firmly on the head in these departments. Theres a restyled front end to consider with longer, meaner headlamps, a thin letterbox grille and a wide air-intake below that hides revised fog lights in its corners.
The trademark side gills now also have integrated side repeater lights. So far, so good. Then you notice that the 1.6-litre engine offered in this entry-level version generates a very modest 103bhp, hardly enough to pop the top off a pot of Pringles.
Itll be all downhill from here, you think. Except that it isnt.
"Even if youve sampled the V6 version of the Hyundai Coupe, the 1.6S will come as something of a pleasant surprise."
For a start, theres the surprisingly good equipment levels. Surely the entry-level model shouldnt come with floating calliper brakes including ABS and electronic brakeforce distribution. That should be reserved for a serious drivers car. Likewise, its tempting to give Hyundai a bell and ask them what twin front and side airbags are doing on the 1.
6, not to mention part-leather trim, air conditioning, a six-speaker CD stereo with built-in iPod connector and central locking. When the body shape ensures that sales are pretty much a done deal, you really do have to wonder why they insisted on things like remote anti-theft alarms. Still, the customer benefits and we cant argue with Hyundais corporate munificence. The engine is far from the star here, but by the same token the 1.
6-litre 16v in-line four-cylinder powerplant doesnt disgrace itself. The Coupe 1.6 will hit 60mph in 11.4 seconds and run on to a top speed of 115mph which is respectable if not trouser torchingly impressive.
Being able to return an average of over 37mpg will come as a relief for those who have mortgaged their grandparents to get one. Even if youve sampled the V6 version of the Hyundai Coupe, the 1.6 will come as something of a pleasant surprise. No, you dont get that infectious low-end shove nor that terrifying metallic wail as you ascend the rev range, but you will almost immediately feel that theres a good deal less weight in the nose.
The featherweight 1.6-litre engine gives the Coupe a nimbleness and delicacy that the flagship variant lacks and makes it a far wieldier car for flinging at a country lane. The brakes are also excellent, firm and fade free after repeated applications. The engine is a touch thrashy at the top of its range and deters you from wringing the last ounce of performance out of the Coupe, somewhat negating the overall competence of the cars other dynamic qualities.
Never mind. Just enjoy the supple ride, the cleanly styled interior with its cool blue instrumentation lighting and make sure you pass by plenty of reflective plate glass windows. The best thing about this car however, is the way it looks. Not for nothing have the sweeping lines been compared to those of a Ferrari 456.
It was styled in the US, as was the original Hyundai Coupe the car that first got people talking. The South Koreans unwisely tried to update this look a few years back to a torrent of abuse. Wisely, they gave the job back to the experts when it came to this second generation model and now this facelifted version has moved the game on further. The rather shameless pilfering of other manufacturers design cues continues inside.
True, its a pragmatic philosophy to identify what works for others and replicate it yourself, but you cant help but think Mondeo when you see the clean metallic lines of the fascia. If anything, Hyundai have gone one further than Ford, with some very neat touches. The central-mounted torque gauge is somewhat gimmicky but its interesting for a few minutes to see the torque swell as you ascend the rev range. Whoever reckoned that if something looks right it is right would have looked very smug after a drive in a Hyundai Coupe 1.
6. In order to wipe the look of satisfaction off their face you could either point them in the direction of the beautiful but otherwise unremittingly ghastly Lancia Beta Monte Carlo or, alternatively, the malformed but astonishingly capable BMW M-Coupe. You wont feel like engaging in pointless discourse when youve got a Hyundai Coupe sitting on the drive. You have curtains to twitch.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Hyundai Coupe 1.6
PRICE: £15,772 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 10
CO2 EMISSIONS: 182g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 115mph / 0-60mph 11.4s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 28.8mpg / (extra urban) 44.8mpg /(combined) 37.2mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: ABS with EBD, Twin front and side airbags
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height mm 5395/1760/1330mm
