Hyundai Tiburon Rear-Wheel-Drive
July 31, 2007 by Alborz Fallah
We recently test drove the Hyundai Tiburon and our only complaint was that it could do with a little more power and if possible a Rear-Wheel or All-Wheel drive setup. Thankfully the people at Hyundai were already aware of this.
Hyundai America has today confirmed the next generation Tiburon will be based on a rear-wheel-drive platform. Remember the RWD V8 Hyundai Genesis? Well apparently Hyundai are using that platform as the basis for the new Hyundai Tiburon. Hyundai Australia declined to comment for the moment.
There are also rumours of a convertible variant, but we will wait and see on that one.
Given the Tiburon is based on the Genesis platform, it would make sense to stick the new V8 in there as well, not according to Hyundai which has put all V8 rumours to rest. Nonetheless, we expect the new generation Tiburon will come with either a turbo or supercharger to match its new sporty credentials.
As you can see from the pictures, the next generation Tiburon is much larger than the current model suggesting it will tackle the Nissan 350z and the on-again off-again next generation Toyota Supra. The target audience is expected to change from the “it looks pretty” group to the more serious sportscar fans.
Print it: 
This is proof buddies on this website why this Hyundai is rising up the ladder quite hard and not going backwards like those numbskulls at Ford or Holden! When you look how far this model has come since first released on the market then it has come gigantic leaps and bounds in a very very short time!
Everyone goes on about quality… well you Japanese car lovers and media who bag Korean cars out there, I once had a brand new 323SP and it was rough, squeaky and paint job was thin and crap as when went to get a repair of paint job when car written off (someone elses fault) it was a nightmare finish on the whole car as different thickness paint and very thin on roof and little specks of dust was evident in factory paint = bag Japanese as they can be rubbish too! DO YOU HEAR ME http://WWW.CARADVICE.COM.AU!
Go Hyundai as good things are going on there and in a very short time great designs are changing very very very well – ditto quality is quite high as evidenced by some awards received!
Mates, I am so looking forward to this car. I’ve been trumpeting Hyundai’s forward progress for years now, and while I’m still not convinced they’re all the way there, they sure are getting bloody close. And this car definitely looks the business. The side profile looks so damn tough! I just cannot wait to see it unmasked.
- Van
http://grandJDM.com
Mate I think you need to chill out a bit. All car makers are capable of making great cars at some stage or other, and the Tiburon is proof that Hyundai (and Korea) can do this when taking the initiative.
Sorry to hear about you experience with the 323 but its unfair to judge all Japanese car manufacturers based on one ownership experience. I have previously owned a Mazda MX6 and Holden Commodores and enjoyed both in their own different ways.
Oh OK Jason, yes I like your sitting on the fence comment. You might not be as picky as me and it is not good to just accept what car makers dish out. Yes isolated my case might be, but I know plenty of people who have had Hyundais and past comments have been reliability and quality of finish from media; and many say they are bulletproof and last. So get some variety in your life Jason and it takes all sorts to make the world go around!
Yeah guess shouldnt be hard. Pros and cons with all makers I guess
I own a 1997 Hyundai Coupe FX and I bought my wife a 2006 Tiburon in December. I found the Coupe to be a little more “sporty” than the ‘Tibbi’ (as we call it), a bit pacier despite having a 4-cylinder 2.0 engine and there are actually a few tiny things nicer such as the powered radio antenna. The Tibbi also has less headroom than the Coupe which is a prolem for me but my wife is short. But we found the Tiburon to be a very smooth ride, more of a luxury sportscar than a “sports car” and she positively loves it. It feels as if these cars were designed for different market segments. They are both heavier cars solidly built and despite my Coupe having over 240,000km on it, the engine purrs beautifully and doesn’t leak oil. I’ve never had to have any major work on it. I’ve been able to drive many different cars and the only other one I enjoyed as much was a Lancer. I’ll be in the market for a new car soon and I will be having a look at the new Tibbi along with others.
I have driven Hyundai Tiburons alot lately and i have noticed that they do lack the power for their 6 speed tranny. I do think that bigger engine would help that out. Granted yes it would make more weight for the car and take the sport part out but power is power. I will drive any car from any where in the world but other than the Skyline this is my second choice! Woot Woot!
I want one