Ten Point Test


Auto Trader Ten Point Test rating: 77%

The Hyundai Coupe occupies a unique part of the car market – it offers great looks and a sporty drive in an affordable package.

So it’s no surprise the Coupe has been a strong seller since the original model launched in 1996, with more than 43,000 finding homes.

We took to the road to find out if there are brains behind the Coupe’s beauty.

1. Looks 9/10

Facelifted for 2007, Hyundai has styled the Coupe with lessons from the school of Ferrari. There are shades of F430 with the long, sweeping headlamps mounted in curved flares which stretch over the Coupe’s wheelarches. It takes on a look of its own around the rear, save for a pair of lights which are almost Bentley Continental GT-like in shape. These design cues would be appealing on a £50,000 supercar, but are excellent on a sub-£20k coupe. There’s a F1-style racy fuel filler cap, front wing-mounted vents and a neat boot spoiler to complete the sporty look.

2. Looks inside 7/10

After looking at the stunning exterior, the interior simply can’t live up to expectations. It’s well built (although the switch for the driver’s heated seat had broken), but dull with acres of grey plastic more at home in a bog-standard supermini, rather than a sexy coupe. It’s not all bad news though. A trio of dials in the centre console providing information on pulling power, fuel consumption and battery voltage is a pleasant and unexpected addition. The seats offer plenty of side support, but would benefit from more support for the lower back.

3. Practicality 8/10

Although practicality doesn’t usually feature high on the list of a coupe buyer’s wanted list, the Coupe does surprisingly well. It’s got a 405-litre boot and plenty of space in the front of the cabin for occupants’ head, legs, shoulders and various bits of kit (including an iPod, which can be connected to the stereo via a lead in a compartment between the seats). Space in the back is restricted to two very small people, or just luggage. There’s no leg room to speak of, and headroom is very restricted. In fact, there’s a sticker on the edge of the bootlid, warning of potential head injuries should the bootlid be shut with passengers in the back – their heads are likely to be brushing the glass on the move.

4. Ride and Handling 7/10

Considering its low price, the Hyundai Coupe is reasonably deft of foot, although it falls short of other coupes. The 2-litre model we tested felt agile and composed but lacked the depth of steering feel which some buyers expect from a curvy coupe.

5. Performance 7/10

The 2-litre Coupe we tested is a hatchback-quick machine, rather than a genuinely rapid performer. It can dispatch the 0-62mph benchmark in 9.3 seconds, before hitting 129mph flat out. Other engines available include an insurance-friendly 1.6 and a lusty 2.7 V6.

6. Running Costs 8/10

The Hyundai Coupe is unique in the market as the only budget coupe, and our well-specced 2-litre model weighs in at just under £18,000. That might be approaching Golf GTi money, but the Coupe is the one to offer the superstar looks. The 2-litre covers an average of 44 miles on each gallon of unleaded, while insurance shouldn’t break the bank at group 10. Emissions of 193g/km place it in tax Band F, which currently costs £205 a year. Hyundai throw in a lengthy five year, unlimited mileage warranty with six years’ worth of rust warranty as well as a three year breakdown cover.

7. Reliability 8/10

The fact that Hyundai continues to offer its long five year warranty with all its new cars speaks volumes about the way they’re built. The Coupe puts in a good showing in the Reliability Index, with less time off the road and cheaper repair costs than most other cars. Having said that, the switch for the driver’s heated seat had broken on our few thousand mile-old test car.

8. Safety 7/10

The Hyundai Coupe hasn’t been crash tested by the EuroNCAP safety body yet, but its makers are confident of a good score. All models have ‘dual-threshold’ driver, passenger and side airbags, which won’t deploy in a minor collision. Anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution are standard across the range too.

9. Equipment 8/10

All models come with air-conditioning, a CD player with a socket to plug in your iPod, remote central locking, 16-inch alloy wheels and electric windows and mirrors. The 2-litre version adds full leather trim to the 1.6’s half leather, larger 17-inch alloys, cruise control and heated front seats. The range-topping 2.7 V6 also receives automatic headlights, traction control, and automatically dimming rear-view mirror and a six-speed manual gearbox, rather than the five-speeder fitted to other models.

10. X-Factor 8/10

The Hyundai Coupe looks stunning; far more so than its budget price tag suggests. It feels like a proper sportscar at low speeds too. Just a relative lack of performance and niggling details let it down.

Key facts

Model tested: Hyundai Coupe SIII 2.0
On the road price: £17,995
Price range: £15,745 – £20,495
Date tested: June 2007
Road tester: Stuart Milne