TheMercuryNews.com's view

Santa Claus looked kindly on Hyundai Motor America this Christmas.

He and his reindeer were barely gone when two of my neighbors came out to admire the bright red Hyundai Tiburon sport coupe parked at my home. Santa didn’t bring it — it came from the regional press pool. But the two young men “oohed” and “aahed” over the Tiburon as if it were a present from the North Pole. They couldn’t believe it was a Hyundai.

They even thought it had a $40,000 price tag. Hyundai should have been there with a video camera. It’s the kind of response they’ve been striving for. And the highly stylized Tiburon sport coupe, more than any other Hyundai that has come to these shores, is poised to elicit that kind of reaction.

The Tiburon is, in fact, one of the most stylized cars in the low-price, sporty coupe segment which, studies show, is filled with buyers who are especially swayed by exterior looks. New to the market this fall, the Tiburon is a smallish, 2+2 seater with sculpted side panels, pronounced fenders, creased hood lines and, on the upscale FX model, a standard rear spoiler.

Park it next to a Dodge Neon coupe and the Neon suddenly looks a bit bland. Park the Tiburon next to a Toyota Paseo and the Paseo suddenly looks a bit restrained. Inside the Tiburon, I was surprised at the continued upscale, modern look. It’s definitely a big departure from Hyundai’s early car here, the Excel.

The test Tiburon, an FX, had pleasing, sculpted fabric seats that went well with the car’s sporty image. Molded plastic on the dash isn’t the plain, cheap kind but has texture. Gauges are sizable and right where a driver would want them. A tach is standard on even the base Tiburon.

In the Neon, in comparison, a tachometer is an option even on the Highline coupe. Knobs for the ventilation controls in the Tiburon are sizable and, again, well-placed. The test car had the upgraded AM/FM stereo with cassette player and compact disc player; some of the buttons on that, however, were a bit awkward to use.

And, the Tiburon’s warning chime — to buckle seat belts, etc. — was too noisy.

Still, the Tiburon offers more front legroom than either the Neon or Paseo, though the Neon, which is taller, has more front and rear headroom.

Lest you think Hyundai presents a pretty package in the Tiburon but skimps on the powertrain, let me point out the standard engine for the FX is a 2.0-liter, double-overhead-cam, in-line four with 140 horsepower at 6,000 revolutions per minute. That’s a bit more than the 132-horse Neon with 2.0-liter single overhead cam four and a lot more than the 93-horse Paseo with 1.5-liter, twin-cam four.

The Tiburon torque is similarly higher than the competitors, and, also because the Tiburon is heavier than the competitors, its fuel economy is a bit less.

I scooted around Sacramento with ease in the low-slung Tiburon. On a trip to Placerville, the Tiburon cranked up to highway speeds q uickly and even on big hills on Highway 50 kept up with bigger, more powerful cars. The tester was equipped with an electronically controlled four-speed automatic. The front-drive Tiburon FX takes twists and corners quite stably, with just a bit of understeer. In fact, its sporty feel is more than I expected. So, too, is the rigidity of the body. And far from being in the $40,000 range, the Tiburon — well-equipped with a number of features that are optional on competitors — starts at $13,914, including delivery, for a base model and $15,314 for an FX with manual transmission. Air conditioning, though, is an option on all models.

Santa, after all, doesn’t have much call for it at the North Pole.

SPECS What we drove: 1997 Hyundai Tiburon FX, a two-door subcompact hatchback with 2-liter, double-overhead-cam, fuel-injected, in-line four-cylinder engine and a four-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission.

Base price: $15,699

Pr ice as tested (includes options and delivery charge): $18,774

Curb weight: 2,663 pounds

Length: 170.9 inches

Turning circle (curb to curb): 34.1 feet

Standard features: Two front air bags; power windows; tachometer; tilt steering wheel; rear window defroster; AM/FM stereo with cassette player; carpeted cargo area.

EPA figures: 21 mpg (city), 28 mpg (highway)

Fuel: Unleaded regular