Hyundai Coupe: Popular Korean

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 09:36

The Hyundai Coupe is very popular with customers. As a 2.7-liter with 167 PS, the Korean offers good performance with a sonorous sound from the double exhaust system.

By Stefan Zaumseil

The Hyundai Coupe has to do it for at least another year and a half. Only then will the long-awaited successor come onto the market: He wants to attack the high-class competition from Germany and Italy even more elegantly and even better with a newly designed rear-wheel drive. Why wait for the successor? The current Hyundai Coupe remains a popular handsome on our streets.

Subtle facelift

The last facelift on the Hyundai Coupe was subtle. The side air inlets in the fenders, which are reminiscent of classic sports cars with their gill optics, are worth seeing. With newly designed headlights, a smaller radiator grille, beefy side skirts, and modified taillights, the coupe looks anything but old. The high waistline and the curved body, which make the Koreans sporty and elegant at the same time, remain characteristic.

Inside, the Hyundai Coupé offers less elegance than functionality. Classic, easily readable and clearly structured round instruments in the cockpit, round ventilation nozzles and round additional instruments for on-board voltage, current consumption and torque development determine the dashboard. The standard leather steering wheel, the aluminum gear lever and the aluminum pedals are also intended to underline the sportiness in the interior.

Firm upholstery

The low-lying leather sports seats are tightly padded, comfortable and offer very good lateral support. Everything looks valuable and is well processed - the only downer is the height-adjustable steering wheel and the rattling motor antenna at the rear. At the rear, the sloping roofline of the 2 + 2 seater offers scarce coupe space for passengers who are not too tall. The trunk holds 312 liters of luggage and can be enlarged by folding down the rear seats - at least there is enough space for a mountain bike. What more does the modern bachelor want?

But buying a coupe is hardly about normative sizes. Motorisation, sportiness and driving pleasure tend to influence the purchase decision. And the buyer of a Hyundai Coupé gets plenty of that. The 2.7-liter V6 with 167 hp hums discreetly when idling and hisses properly when accelerating. The sound body is supported by the dry, sonorous sound of the double exhaust system. The engine pulls cleanly and without torque gaps up to maximum speed, runs smoothly and never becomes uncomfortably loud. The chassis developed in Germany keeps what the engine promises: The very well-balanced mixture of comfort and sportiness is fun on winding country roads without shaking the occupants on bad roads. The Hyundai Coupés reacts very well to bumps, steering movements are implemented directly and precisely.

Well-coordinated circuit

The six-speed gearshift is pleasantly short, crisp and easy to shift. Together with the car's low center of gravity, the handling is right, especially since the V6's 245 Nm of torque bring the driver to 100 km / h in 8.2 seconds. The top speed of 220 km / h could be a bit higher for a sports coupe. At 200 km / h and above, the Hyundai doesn't do much, despite six cylinders and 167 hp. Freu also comes up after chasing curves at the gas station - an economical 8.5 liters per 100 kilometers are - measured by the mileage - a decent average consumption. The Hyundai as one of the last manufacturers still allows normal gasoline, is definitely worth mentioning in view of today's gasoline prices.

The Hyundai Coupé 2.7 V6 GLS is available for a not very cheap 26,490 euros with a wide range of equipment: four airbags, ESP with traction control, fog lights, Isofix child seat attachments at the rear, electrically adjustable exterior mirrors, central locking with remote control, cruise control, electric windows, automatic air conditioning with air quality sensor and Outside temperature display, heated seats in the front and 17-inch alloy wheels. It seems strange that a Korean car lacks electronic details like light and rain sensors or an aerodynamic roof antenna. We also miss powerful xenon headlights and a screen navigation system. Like a sunroof, both are not even available for an extra charge. The old four-speed automatic (surcharge 1,350 euros) can be saved without question.

A three-year guarantee with unlimited mileage, a six-year guarantee against rust perforation and inspection intervals of 30,000 kilometers and comparatively cheap insurance classes speak for - the still enormous loss of value compared to the market leaders against the Hyundai Coupé 2.7 V6 GLS. If you don't need stars or blue and white symbols to be happy and are looking for a coupé with a sporty and elegant look, you will not be disappointed with the Hyundai Coupe. The days of cheap homes are long gone.