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2007 Hyundai Tiburon SE
I know, I know...
I am not much of an import fan, and although the Probe has a Mazda engine, I don't consider it an import as much as I would a Toyota or Honda. The Mazda 2.5 is a great engine, and the overall car was a joint effort between Ford and Mazda. I wanted to replace the Probe, as although it only had 98,000 original miles on the car/engine, it was still eighteen years old. We had a Tiburon GT show up at work to have a new rear bumper cover painted and installed. I pulled the car out onto the lot and back inside a few times, and took notice to a few things. The more I looked at it, the more I liked it.
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Enter "The Shark"
"Tiburon" is Spanish for shark, so why would it be any color other than blue? Actually, out of all the cars I have had, be it beaters or decent rides, I have never owned a blue car. The "vivid blue mica/metallic" gleems in the sun, and has a purple hue at night where the lights hit it indirectly. Vivid Blue is also only offered on the SE model, in 2007 anyway. |
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Within the Tiburon family, there are three models: the GS, which is a 4 cylinder, then theres the GT with a V-6, and the most sought after Tiburon is the SE, which is also a V-6. There are a few differences between the GT and the SE...
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Probably the most obvious is the 12"cross-drilled front brake rotors and the factory-painted red brake calipers. SE models come standard with a "sport-tuned European suspension calibration", electronic stability control and brake assist, which provides maximum ABS-level braking force when a panic stop is detected. Rear suspension is Independant "Multi'Link". The worn-out OEM type Kuhmo tires were replaced with Yokohama Avid-ENVigors. The Tiburon is a daily driver, and with the Ohio Winters (snow), I had to opt for at least an all-season type tire. The Probe was bad enough in the snow, and the tires on the Tiburon are even more low profile. |
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Although I think the seats would look neater in blue instead of the red leather inserts, but this is another thing that specifies SE. In fact, the "Vivid Blue Mica Metallic" paint is only available on the SE model in 2007. Other than the color, the seats are very comfortable- possibly the most comfortable seats I have had in a car. The Mustang seats are very comfortable and form-fitting, but these seats fit like a glove. The lumbar is adjustable, and there is a dial on the side of the seat that simply lowers the seat bottom which sits you down lower in the car. At 6'1", this is a good thing, as there is not an abundance of headroom. The gauges are laid out very well, and my only complaint is it should have an oil pressure gauge. The steering wheel is thick and very comfortable as well. Another thing I like is the dead pedal to the left of the clutch.
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Another cool thing is the stereo, which at first looks like an aftermarket system...then you notice the Hyundai logo on the Kenwood flip-down head unit. It's only a single disc player, but overall, the stereo sounds decent. The shifter is in a comfortable position, but it is rather lengthy, compared to the Probe. It is also somewhat "notchy" and not as smooth as you might like, but the throws feel solid and to me this is not a problem...it would just be better if it were a little shorter. |
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Yea, theres an engine under there. It's a 2.7 liter (162 cubic inches) V-6 which produces 172 HP @ 6000 RPM, and 181 lb. ft. torque @3800 RPM. Although it is about 20 more HP than the 2.5 liter in the Probe GT, and the 181 lbs. at 3800 RPM seems decent, especially under 4000 RPM, the peak HP is 2000 RPM above that. For comparison, the Tiburon is more like a sewing machine, and the Probe seemed to have alot more torque. The Probe SEEMED faster, especially hearing the cold air intake come in around 4000 RPM, and hearing the engine. Driving the Tiburon, you can't hear the engine nearly as much, even in the upper realm of the RPM range. In addition, the Tiburons exhaust sounds alot more docile. The Probe had a higher pitched growl. Driving the two, I still think the Probe would take it, unless the Tiburon was held firmly at the peak of the HP range. Otherwise, the torque of the Probe is gonna prevail. On the Probes behalf, thats not bad at all for a car (and technology) that is 18 years old. However, they both are a blast to drive, for a work car anyway, and after a little more seat time in the Tiburon, that might be a different story. I had the Probe for three years, and have had the Tiburon for two months...I could drive the Probe. LOL
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After a damn gate blew into my right fender, since the fender needed paint, I decided to make the center of the hood silver, then ended up doing the top of the rear spoiler also. The hood was stone-chipped to hell and back, so I stripped it, sealed it, primed it, the it was sprayed blue, masked off before the silver and clear was applied. A buddy of mine actually did the paint work. |
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