Having abandoned the swirling styling excesses of its over-the-top predecessor, the current car is emerging as one of the nation’s favourite coupes.
Indeed, latest figures show that we Brits are buying more Hyundai coupes than any of our European counterparts.
Up to the end of December 5,000 Coupes had been bought nation-wide, 1,800 more than the next closest country, which is sunny Spain with 3,223 buyers, and then the fashion-conscious Italians with 2,363 buyers.
Helen Draper, Hyundai’s coupe product manager, says: “We are delighted the Coupe has been such a big hit here in the UK. The sleek lines, good performance and excellent value for money clearly strike a chord with the UK buyer, and we are confident more people will fall for the charms of the Hyundai Coupe in 2003.”
The car now comes with Hyundai’s five year warranty, which is transferrable between owners and has a genuine unlimited mileage element.
The Coupe range kicks off with the £14,495 1.6S, continues with the £16,495 2.0 SE and culminates with the 165bhp, 136mph 2.7 V6 at £18,495.
However, like all conventional coupes, the Hyundai will be facing unusually tough competition here this year from a completely new class of rival.
The emergence of the coupe-cabriolet takes the concept a stage further by offering coupe buyers the best of both worlds.It began with the Mercedes SLK and Peugeot’s 206 CC, which both feature steel roofs that can be folded away to create a cabriolet.
Such has been the popularity of the concept that we can expect a similar version of the Peugeot 307 and Renault’s Megane, with a host of others planning to follow suit.
The Hyundai also faces stiff opposition from yet another unlikely source – in the form of the diesel-powered coupe.
The apparent contradiction is made possible by the new generation of sophisticated diesels, with recent arrivals such as Peugeot’s 406 diesel coupe offering a combination of 130mph performance and 40mpg economy, with a company car tax liability of just 18 per cent – in comparison to 22 per cent for the 128mph two-litre petrol Hyundai Coupe.
]]>The cool Korean has landed the Coupe of the Year 2005 award from Used Car Buyer, the UK’s only consumer magazine dedicated to the buying and selling of used cars.
According to the judges: “The Hyundai V6 Coupe was marked highest for fitness for purpose, value for money, running costs, reliability, residual value and image.”
And the magazine’s Guy Baker added: “It’s a gem, a fantastic looking coupe with build quality to match. The handling and ride too are first class, giving heavyweight contenders Toyota Celica and Ford Puma a real run for their money.
“As their appeal has grown, residual values have held up well plus, with the balance of a five-year warranty remaining, buyers can enjoy a combination of value-for-money and peace-of-mind that Audi TT owners could only dream of.
“The brand awareness among the public at large has yet to reach its full potential, but for those in the know this gem is worth its weight in gold.”
The Hyundai Coupe has proved to be a huge hit in the UK, selling more in this country than anywhere else in Europe.
Meanwhile, one of England’s greatest ever goalkeepers, Ray Clemence, has taken delivery of a new Hyundai Santa Fe.
As England goalkeeping coach, Ray will drive the Santa Fe 2.7 V6 CDX for 12 months to and from his coaching sessions, public appearances and charity work.
Clemence was England goalkeeper between 1972 and 1983, achieving 61 caps and near mythical status among football fans, particularly at Liverpool where he played in three European Cup-winning teams.
Once his playing career was over, Ray became England goalkeeping coach. He also is a patron for the SPARKS charity (SPort Aiding medical Research for KidS) which is devoted to promoting medical research into childhood disabilities.
Hyundai is a global sponsor of major football tournaments including Euro 2004 in Portugal, and forthcoming World Cup 2006 in Germany.
]]>People carrier prices tend to be on the high side, but there are definite bargains to be sniffed out with this budget priced seven-seater.
From a space point of view, the Trajet is first class. It’s also acceptable to look at and has air-con and CD player as standard.
On the negative side, the quality inside the cabin is pretty basic, nor is the car the most dynamic to drive, especially uphill when – the V6 apart – the engines can feel laboured, even in second gear.
Of course the acid test has to be putting theories into practice and I have employed a Trajet for that most demanding of examinations, the Alton Towers run.
With a full complement of noisy, brawling kids aboard, every aspect of the Hyundai’s ability was been put through the mangle.
All the gloveboxes, cup holders, seatback tables, fold-up trays – even the secret ledge beneath the front passenger seat – were thoroughly tested for durability.
That they survived says much for the Trajet. In fact, little touches like the elasticated straps above the door pockets and the flipdown holder for sunglasses are small but sensible gimmicks.
Of the three models available, the best choice is probably the frugal, if sedate, two-litre turbodiesel which was added to the range after Trajet sales began five years ago with two-litre four-cylinder and 2.7-litre V6 petrol engines.
TD indicates turbodiesel and it’s one of the common-rail types which compresses the fuel in a tube before squirting it into the engine – something designed to make the engine as perky and economical as possible.
The big Korean offers the usual variations, from all-aboard minibus to two-seater van when the other seats are removed.
Families on the move can enjoy a winter picnic in the warm, with the two people in the front swivelling their seats to face the rear.
All three middle-row seats can be moved fore and aft according to the needs for extra passenger legroom and cargo space at the rear.
Folded seats can be used as tables and familiar MPV features like an under-seat storage tray are also included.
Two-litre diesel and petrol Trajets have twin airbags, anti-lock brakes, air conditioning, CD player/radio, electric windows, remote central locking and power steering.
Additions on the V6 include automatic transmission, leather upholstery, alloy wheels, cruise control and powered sunroof.
Finding the ideal driving position is no problem, courtesy of a height adjustable seat and with safety of paramount importance in any MPV, the Trajet has ABS with electronic brake force distribution and dual front airbags.
FORECOURT FACTS
Model: Hyundai Trajet.
Driving: Great interior space but the ride can feel lumpy and diesel engine is noisy.
Performance: The 2.0 petrol and diesel units are adequate at urban speeds while the V6 offers some extra kick.
Economy: Not especially attractive – even the TDi will only return an average 37mpg, while the V6 guzzles fuel.
Safety: ABS with electronic brake force distribution, dual front airbags
Good points: Decent standard spec; plenty of space; competitive prices.
Bad points: Spongy gears, body roll through corners, dodgy residuals.
Recommended buy: 2.0 CRTD.
Price guide: Expect to pay around £5,200 privately for a ’00 W-reg Trajet 2.0 GSi, though the 2.0 CRTD diesel – £7,750 on an 01/51 plate from an indepenedent – is a better buy.
Also consider:
Kia Sedona
Flexibility, interior space and value for money make the Sedona another attractive proposition, especially if image isn’t an issue.
Build quality in earlier models could be better but the prices are tempting, engines strong – especially the post-2001 2.9 CRDi diesel – and performance resonable.
Vauxhall Zafira
Practicality and versatility are what makes the seven-seat Astra-based Zafira so attractive, its trump card being the Flex7 folding seat system.
When not in use the seats can be folded easily away into the floor leaving a vast luggage area.
Fine driving position, strong residuals and wide choice of engines.
]]>Of course this is better than having legs like two oven fries or breeding youngsters that stain the furniture because they have grown into four stones of lard.
Understandably it is important that the nation becomes obsessed with the content of school dinners if our children are being force-fed turkey twizzlers. Especially as no one can actually point to exactly where on a turkey its twizzlers are located.
There was much the same shenanigans when I was a child and Birds Eye launched cod balls.
Sadly, I have more bad news for those people keen to end their lives as a bulk pack of cod liver oil capsules. Not only do fish have poor hygiene habits like eating worms and sleeping in mud, but it turns out herring communicate by breaking wind.
Dr Bob Batty, yes I thought about that, too, told listeners to Radio Nottingham, that his research work in Oban had revealed a fish noise called Fast Repetitive Tick or, and I wonder why, FRT: “It sounds like a fart only higher pitched.” Wow.
FRT is caused by air from the swim bladder being blown out in little bubbles – but only in company, which makes herring either laugh-a-minute practical jokers or unpleasantly talkative.
To be honest, I’m not sure how much more you need to know about Dr Batty but his research has won the Nobel prize for science that makes people laugh. Oh, yes, the fact that herring use their swim bladders as whoopee cushions is about as funny as dead fish behind a radiator.
It is also wildly inaccurate because everyone knows fish communicate through a series of dots and dashes. This is called Morse cod.
Frankly, this sort of nonsense ranks people who won’t consider a car simply because of its badge. Which in turn is so bad a link I’m inclined to blame it on wind.
Arguably, it’s the Korean companies which feel this backdraft most at the moment. General Motors found the brand awareness of Daewoo slightly lower than an eel’s belly and Kia managed to sell only 26 Sportage models in one year.
So what puts people off? Well low residuals for a start, but you could always buy a late used and get it for nothing. If I have one complaint it’s that grey is the most popular suit colour in Korean business and they make car interiors to match.
But then every car building nation has its own trademark; French cars are cosmopolitan, American cars fat and German cars so uniformly correct they march right up the driveway and annex your garage.
And so to the Hyundai coupe which is so not grey it could easily have been made by those bonkers rascals from Italy. In fact, clock this – it sells in more numbers than the Toyota Celica and Audi TT. Which it would at under £19,000 for the six-speed, V6 coupe.
Not that the 2.7-litre engined flagship is going to rip your ears off. It’s quick but not really quick enough. However, that’s not why I wanted to drive one again.
This year the Coupe has a new front, sort of, a new back, well bits of it, and lighter headlining. Crucial. The V6 has lightweight alloys and, er, well that’s it.
Which really is the point. No one decided to give the Coupe a fish’s face. They did not sit down in Namyang and work out how to make the instrument cluster look like a squid’s eye balls or come up with happening new seat colours called neon seasick.
The Hyundai Coupe is what cars should be. Good looking, efficient, equipped to the right level and stylish. It handles well, will sprint to 60 in 8.6 seconds and does not cost a lot.
Oh yes, there is some green nonsense in there but forget that, you’ll be hated by the crossbar tendency for driving it. Because it’s pretty, not quite practical, won’t convert into a family home for four and – something we should never lose sight of in a car – makes you feel good.
Such is the prejudice, even Hyundai has had to urge people to forget the badge. So do I.
On the other hand you might not want to buy a Korean car because in some of that country’s restaurants they serve portions of Man’s Best Friend. Unpalatable I’ll grant you, but next time you eat kippers just give a thought to a couple of herrings whispering sweet nothings through their bottoms.
]]>Frankly, I love Rome. Not because it is an anagram of my own name. If Rome had been called Orme I doubt Emperor Vespasian would ever have started the Colosseum, and Titus would certainly not have bothered to finish it. I doubt there would even be a public lavatory, let alone exquisite bathhouses and impressive drainage engineering.
There would, however, still be McDonalds.
Romans are a class apart. The style, the passion, the beautiful woman, their scowls. Romans put the cow in scowl.
In Rome, no matter what films you might have seen, it is perfectly safe to walk the streets at night, except in bad shoes. This will invite action from the shoe police, who will insist on a change of footwear to something native and classy.
Similarly, it is impossible to buy an off the peg suit without the trousers needing hemming. Roman tailors have worked out that people often have different length legs. This lack of sheer genius is what condemns the British male to wearing a jacket like a gas man’s mac and trousers still mourning the passing of the old Queen.
You think you can drive? Try the morning traffic on the Via Carlo Alberto.
London! Ha! A gang of chirpy cockney washboard strummers who wouldn’t know a proper carve up if it was served with peas down the Southwark Harvester.
Italy’s national approved drivers’ manual has been a book in evolution. Currently it has reached the carboniferous period and hopes shortly to encounter reasoned human thought. Italian driving is inextricably linked with masculinity, aligned in the motoring cosmos with Mars. It is also a close bedfellow of the casualty department.
In Italy there are two types of car. Bent hatchbacks and bent coupes. Driving a Hyundai coupe through the city streets, I didn’t know if I was getting admiring glances or incredulous stares at a car with 100 per cent straight body panels. Well I’m not going to break it am I? They send me a Christmas tree every year.
So now something is going to be done about it. The mad driving, not the free Christmas tree.
Traffic police will begin to measure the time and distance covered by drivers. Any arriving prematurely must have been going too quickly and will be fined.
The scheme is having a trial run this week on the 27km Via del Mare, which runs from Rome to the seaside town of Ostia. I know it well, a strange mixture of dual carriageway, at one point intertwined with a railway line, and modern motorway. It is nicknamed Via della Morte – road of death.
I think I know how this new clamp down works. Police clock the car as it hits the motorway section. The driver then executes a series of crazy overtaking manoeuvres and achieves the compulsory number of over-expressive hand gestures, while avoiding any trouser creasing whatsoever and maintaining the position of his shoulder-draped pullover.
Shortly after the airport the road changes to dual-carriageway and then runs into a built up area where our man turns off, triple parking outside a block of flats wherein lives his mistress.
He then engages in small talk, while enjoying an espresso and small, sweet pastry. Replete, he takes once more to the wheel and arrives in Ostia 22 minutes after he began at the motorway’s start.
For completing the journey in under 23 minutes he gets a ticket, issued by a guy in unbelievably cool shades. Quite right, anyone can tell you making love without due care and attention is an offence in Rome.
The British equivalent would be getting arrested for eating your pie too quickly. But it begs the question, as we head for more and more tolls and big brother style policing, if this one is on the cards here.
You might think this sudden hardening of the attitudes towards liberal Italian driving habits may direct the country’s sporting drivers away from pacey coupes and into the arms of something more sedate. Like a diesel.
Which may be true, but it won’t be an Alfa 147 diesel if they want to stay out of trouble. You see low-sulphur, more environmentally acceptable diesel may be the hook that sells to Mr and Mrs Patio Decking, but to capture the hearts of enthusiasts they have to be convinced that there is performance under the bonnet and they won’t be driving around inside a welder’s toolbag.
The 147 is quick at 9 seconds to 60mph, with an impressive turbo kick and significant reduction in noise levels, from six to three decibels. And it has a six-speed gearbox. It is no wonder diesel sales have risen by 10 per cent in three years.
This is the second shock-horror-it’s-a -fast-diesel that’s cluttered my gravel in recent weeks. Seat’s Leon Cupra TDi is another interesting specimen.
Which I suppose warrants a confession. There was a time when, if it wasn’t petrol, I didn’t want to know. But with seriously able LPG models, diesel turbos that VW are actually racing, and who knows what in the future, I really don’t care if some one builds a car that runs on custard
Have a happy Easter and try to remember its traditional values. Garden centres.
]]>Bigger than Chrysler’s Jeep Grand Cherokee, and boasting an unbeatable five-year warranty with unlimited mileage, the £18,495 price tag makes it genuinely the most metal for the money in its class.
Another advantage is that although it can be switched into four wheel drive at speeds of up to 50mph, in normal use on tarmac drive is two wheels only, which is much more fuel-efficient.
It will arrive initially in 2.9-litre turbodiesel form, with upmarket trim and equipment, and will be sold alongside the Santa Fe, Hyundai’s American-designed sports-utility vehicle.
Unlike the Santa Fe, however, the Terracan is a fully-fledged off-roader, with a body-on-frame construction and a low-ratio box for tricky conditions. There will be a choice of a five speed manual gearbox or four speed automatic, taking the price to £19,345.
Hyundai’s 2.9-litre common-rail turbo-diesel engine generates 148bhp at 3800rpm, and has a torque figure of 246lbs ft 2000rpm, with a towing capacity of 2,800kg. Performance is quite good, with a 0-60mph acceleration time of 13.5 seconds, and a top speed slightly in excess of 100mph.
It will be built at the rate of 100,000 a year, of which 65,000 will be exported. It is already on sale elsewhere in Europe.
Although it borrows some stuff from the Santa Fe, it is largely new, with a couple of engines in other markets that we have not seen before. They are a 2.5-litre petrol and a 3.5-litre V6 while the Terracan is also offered elsewhere with the three-litre V6 already in use in Hyundai’s executive XG saloon as well as the 2.9-litre turbodiesel which we are getting.
This latter engine offers economy of 27mpg around town, and an overall average of just above 30mpg.
]]>With this coupe Hyundai has set new standards by producing a great sporty car at a very competitive price. And the 2.7-litre V6 model supplied for the test drive was an absolute dream to drive.
With stylish looks, a great safety package and excellent performance statistics I spent some time looking for something to find fault with.
And to be honest all I could come up with was that all-round visibility was not that impressive and the console controls a little small, sometimes leading to distraction.
But that aside, the Hyundai Coupe is all about fun and with bags of luggage space including an underfloor storage area, longer journeys can be a real pleasure.
Unlike many other sports coupes, the Hyundai feels very safe to drive. It has a solid feel and boasts some superb features including an all-steel body with reinforcement at all critical points. The frame has been designed to disperse the energy created by a collision in seven ways away from the passengers.
Other key features include anti-lock brakes with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution and airbags a-plenty.
And there has been no cutting corners with comfort either. The seats simply mould to your shape, moving in numerous directions until the perfect driving position is found, and with air conditioning, leather covered steering wheel and gear knob plus leather upholstery, the Hyundai Coupe provides a real challenge in the sports coupe market.
With alloy wheels in the mix it is reassuring that the car also boasts an excellent anti-theft alarm!
FAST FACTS
Hyundai Coupe 2.7 V6
Price: £18,495
Mechanical: 165bhp, 2,656cc, 6cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 6spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 136mph
0-62mph: 8.2 secs
Combined mpg: 27.2
Insurance group: 14
CO2 emissions: 250g/km
BiK rating: 35%
Warranty: 5yrs/ unlimited mileage; 6yrs paint; 6yrs anti-rust
]]>But a new Korean challenger from Hyundai is seriously intending to do battle with its own first real off-roader, the Terracan – which Hyundai says means King of the Land.
I’m not so sure about it being king but, after testing it for a day, mainly off-road, I’d put it pretty high up the royal pecking order.
Land Rover shouldn’t be too worried, though, because Hyundai says its target is to sell just 500 in its first full year on sale in the UK.
This should be easily achieved. On price alone the Terracan, at £18,495, is great value for money, and the offer of a five-year unlimited mileage warranty is exceptional in this section of the market.
It’s a full off-roader, offering five seats, a huge load space, high driving position and gutsy performance on and off-road.
Terracan, is longer, taller and wider than the Jeep Cherokee, Mitsubishi Shogun and Nissan Terrano and its new 2.9 Hyundai common rail turbo diesel engine is a stunner.
It is quiet for a diesel, and although only pumping out 145 bhp, it can bring the Terracan up to the 62 mph mark in around 13 seconds and on to a top whack of 104 mph.
There’s only one version of the Terracan, with one trim level and one engine. The only option is a four-speed automatic version which adds £850 to the price.
Of the two vehicles I preferred the manual, which, when used off-road has stacks more engine braking which came in handy on some pretty steep and slippery slopes on the testing off-road course. All this was done on ordinary road tyres.
Driving the automatic, a few dabs of the brakes were needed to steady the ship but the auto was still extremely capable.
Terracan has a tight turning circle which makes manoeuvring in cramped spaces easier and its sturdy construction keeps it on track in rough terrain.
The new 4×4 offers part-time four-wheel drive, with a “shift on the move” facility which allows the driver to switch between high ratio four-wheel-drive and two-wheel-drive at speeds up to 50 mph. At the flick of a switch the Terracan slots into low-ratio gear for rough and tough off-roading.
The interior of the 4×4 isn’t luxurious, but neither is it spartan. Switchgear is mainly confined to the centre console with houses the radio/CD and climate control panel, hazard warning lights, headlamp levelling switch and dashboard illumination dimmer. There’s also a 12v power point, electric windows, height adjustable steering wheel, folding rear seats and several grab handles.
As far as styling goes the Terracan is conventional in shape. Its rather squarish front end battles against the wind, but even though its shape is hardly aerodynamic, Hyundai claims it will return 33 mpg on a combined run.
Hyundai says the Terracan is a workhorse 4×4, not a style statement or sports utility vehicle, and will be bought mainly by men, aged 35-plus. But I can see it clogging the roads up between 8 and 9 am by the legion of women on the school run.
The Terracan, which goes on sale on July 1 at 100 selected Hyundai dealers, is that kind of vehicle. It offers the best of both worlds with good on-road performance, high comfort level and the ability to tackle the toughest of conditions for those who want to experience the thrill of all-terrain sport.
]]>Launching a new free finance initiative, a spokesman says: “Competitors have attempted to divert attention from the Hyundai i30 by offering low-rate finance deals on some limited models in their ranges with a typical minimum 30 per cent deposit.
“Alternatively they will try to sign buyers up to PCP schemes which require a large ‘balloon’ payment after a few years.
“Realising that 30 per cent can be a struggle to get together as a deposit, Hyundai require a deposit of just 20 per cent across the entire i30 range.
“Despite this, the monthly repayments are still around the same level as competitors’ PCP costs and at the end of the three years you own the car with no balloon payment.”
In the case of a 1.4-litre petrol Comfort model the deposit is £2,200 followed by about £245 a month for 36 months.
The car comes with air conditioning, alloy wheels, CD audio and MP3 player with iPod/USB and auxiliary connections, ESP and four electric windows plus the standard five-year warranty that applies to all Hyundais.
The free finance offer is only available until the end of March.
]]>Its most recent arrival, the Terracan off-roader, takes the range to no less than nine individual models ranging from the supermini Getz to the Santa Fe 4×4.
Terracan only hit the forecourts at the beginning of July, and as its name is supposed to suggest – it’s derived from ‘khan’ meaning king and ‘terra’ for the land – the hope is that it will prove King of the Land.
A workhorse with luxury gear as standard, the Terracan is almost the size of a Range Rover, but, at £18,495, is a third of the price. There’s just the one engine, a 2.9-litre turbodiesel with manual or auto transmission.
A C class size car for a B class price is the sales pitch for Hyundai’s recently facelifted little big car the Accent. Now into its third generation, the Accent range offers four-door saloon and five-door hatchback styles, a pair of trim levels and three engine options – 1.3 and 1.6-litre petrol along with a 1.5 turbodiesel – with prices starting at £8,695.
Diesel options are also available on the Santa Fe 4×4, Trajet people carrier and the Elantra in addition to Matrix and Getz.
The latter comprises a line-up of eight versions stretching from the bargain 1.1 GSI at £6,995 up to the 1.6 Sport and CDX at £10,145. And those buying a Getz before the end of April can cash in on Hyundai’s offer of three years free servicing.
Most elegant model in the stable is the Hyundai Coupe, which is proving even more popular than its predecessor thanks to Ferrari-like styling, top notch equipment levels and competitive pricing.
The original Mark 1 choice of 1.6 and two litre engines have been joined by a 2.7-litre V6 flagship, but those opting for the 1.6S version can take advantage of a special finance deal.
Monthly payments are of £195 over 3 years and it involves a deposit of £3,892, with a credit interest rate of 9.6%.
The Korean manufacturer’s large off-roader the Santa Fe continues to impress and now has the added kudos of a four-star crash safety rating following Euro NCAP tests. Prices are from £15,995 for the 2.4-litre GSI.
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