4:10pm Friday 29th May 2009
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FOLLOWING the crowd has its merits. Often you stumble across a car that proves to be the best thing since sliced bread, and you can share your experiences with the many like-minded folk doing the same as you.
Alternatively you can go off on your own and find something different, something that challenges your perceptions of a particular brand. In the sports car world, following the accepted wisdom of others is the norm - trusted brands and particular cars rule.
This makes Hyundai’s Coupe all the more alluring. In the metal it certainly looks the part. Its low-slung stance and rakish profile easily puts it in the same category as more exotic machinery. Take the badges off and I bet you’ll have the average man and woman expressing an unhealthy interest.
The Coupe is comfortable with its identity though, so those Hyundai badges can stay. In fact, it would be fair to say that the car’s left-field identity is part of its appeal. We all like a plucky underdog, so for a less well known fighter to go up against the establishment it’s got guts - but can it deliver?
Underneath its Ferrari-esque appearance, Hyundai’s Coupe is not short of firepower. Well, for something costing this much at least. The front-drive Coupe is available with a gutsy 2.0-litre petrol motor that likes to be pushed hard. It might not be cutting edge, but what it lacks in the latest super-duper trick electronics it makes up for with low-down grunt and a gritty roar that’s surprisingly addictive.
Frankly, with the roads the way they are - crowded, poorly maintained, greasy in the winter - the sleek Hyundai’s 141 horsepower is more than ample. Acceleration is brisk if not hot hatch quick, however the car’s willingness to power through bends thanks to a welcome slug of mid-range power makes your efforts all the more rewarding.
You sit low down in the Coupe’s snug cabin; this is very much an experience with its roots in a time before seats were mounted so high you expected to get a nose bleed. Also, the Hyundai’s purposeful steering wheel delivers a decent amount of feedback, which should suit keen drivers seeking to safely eek out that extra bit of performance.
Overall, Hyundai’s Coupe is something of a pleasant surprise. A gutsy engine, slick gearshift, communicative steering and a sung, sporty driving position all conspire to question your initial perceptions of this outsider.
On looks alone it easy scores higher than some of its more plentiful rivals. The trend appears to be for a white exterior to match the car’s rather tasty-looking black alloy wheels. Although white still hasn’t met with universal appeal, in the context of a sleek coupe and contrasting wheels there’s something exotic and expensive about Hyundai’s Coupe.
Just because the car is being compared to more expensive machinery don’t think that it’s about as practical as something German and highly strung, because it’s not. In fact, for all the Coupe’s sporty connotations, so long as you’re not weighed down by the burden of family life this Hyundai could easy cope with being your sole means of transport.
Predictably the car’s rear seats are largely for looking at - accommodating adults will easily survive a short run to the pub but not much more. At the front things are far more civilised, whether it’s the supportive sports seats, plenty of oddment storage room or the decent audio unit.
Despite the car’s low driving position forward visibility is good, making navigating the urban sprawl an easy task. It will also swallow everything you throw at it, thanks to the voluminous boot that hides under the large and be-spoilered tailgate.
What’s likely to seal the deal for many in favour of the Coupe is its relative rarity. Usually an attribute more costly rivals attempt to use to their advantage, in the case of Hyundai’s two-door wannabe racer it’s simply a numbers game - its efforts are dwarfed by those of European car makers.
As such, the Coupe is not a common sight. Such exclusivity is the reward for your faith and investment in something a little different.
FACTS AT A GLANCEClick
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