2003 Hyundai Coupe 2.0 FX from UK and Ireland - Comments

Where do I start? Is the Hyundai Coupe a good car or a waste of precious metal?

Is it a budget Ferrari or hairdressers Porsche?

The answer to that depends on which model you buy. I am on my second coupe in the space of 12 months. I bought a 1.6 coupe last year, and was plagued with annoying little problems from day one:

Noisy clutch, engine warning light flashing on start-up for a good 20 – 30 seconds and a tapping in my engine due to the lack of oil circulating from a cold start.

That and a rattling hatch drove me insane.

All “natural occurrences” according to the dealer!

As for the car itself, it has very comfortable bucket seats. A bland, but somewhat stylish interior, a very attractive design and high equipment levels make it an attractive buy for the average buyer.

I sold my 1.6 for a 2.0 coupe. This car is in a different class to the 1.6. Yes, it’s the same car with the same excellent handling and brakes. But both inside and under the bonnet, it’s a different machine altogether… it’s a proper coupe!

Even the build quality of the 2.0 seems far superior. Maybe because I bought a dud the first time round, but this time there are no rattles, no tapping (except my fingers to the sound of the 6 speaker stereo system) and a whole lot more power. There’s enough acceleration to stick you to the all leather seats and the braking power to tear you right back off them!

Climate control and air con are another bonus not included with the sluggish, overweight 1.6.

Verdict:

If it’s a no frills, no-go glam car you want, get a 1.6 coupe. It’s cheap and it looks good. Personally, I wouldn’t make the same mistake again. I wanted a proper sports car, which is what I’ve got now with the 2.0. (I have even put a few BMW’s & Mercedes to shame when it came to a traffic light show-down).

Man, give me a break over here. the car is a doll. It looks good and I totally agree with that. But you can hardly consider it a sport car. 2 L engine is not that powerful. second of all, the outer body is very flimsy and I advise you not to think of going into an accident. THIS CAR IS NOT SAFE AT ALL.

I also have a Hyundai Coupe SE 2004 model, I agree with you, it is powerful with 140bhp and a 0-60 of 8.8s is very respectable, in addition the beta engine is equipped with a very effective VVT unit. This car is safe in a crash due to bulk heads, the above comment has obviously only considered the strength of bumbers that are ABS! The only thing that I can complain about the coupe is the soft clutch plate, it tends to wear out quick if you race too much. THIS CAR IS A GEM!

I am assuming the first comment is from an American (forgive me if I'm wrong). Just wanted to clear a couple of things up. For starters, most cars over here, even sports cars have engines of 2.0 litre and under. Blame fuel prices which are, at present exchange rates, pushing $8 a gallon thanks to criminal rates of taxation. Anything that does much less than 30 mpg is becoming prohibitively expensive for the average guy on the street, or those without a company fuel card or fully expensed ministerial limousine, to run.

One advantage we do have however is that our "standard" fuel is 95 octane and our premium is 97 or 98, meaning more power and torque from these "small" engines than you would get over there. We also have a wealth of 4 cylinder tuning knowledge, with dozens of chip manufacturers and tuning houses who could release more bhp and torque reliably from the Hyundai engine (or almost any other) for a reasonable cost.

The other important difference over here is our roads. British roads are tight, twisty and many now get no routine maintenance. If we're lucky, roads get crudely patched up as cheaply as possible, but only after motorcyclists have crashed as a result of the poor surface, or if the ongoing cost of compensation claims for damaged wheel rims and suspension exceeds the cost of repair. Over here, a quick car is one that copes with these twisting, disintegrating roads, gives balanced handling, shrugs off bumps and potholes, and gives a good account of itself on the straights. For the price, the Hyundai does this about as well as anything.

For what it's worth, a stretch of road I use for fun is four miles long and brutally twisty, with several crests capable of getting the car airborne, and lots of tight hairpin bends. The fastest thing I've driven along there was tiny, French, and had just 130 bhp from a 1.9 litre engine.

OK I live in Morocco, but my home land is Wales UK.

I have purchased the latest Hyundai Coupe FX 2.0 litre in a perfect couler blue.

My first problem was after 3 months. For some strange reason I burnt out the clutch (not my fault as I have driven for about 25 years and never burnt out a clutch before)

My dealer tried to charge me for a new clutch, but I managed to convince them that I was not at fault.

To be honest the car is a lovly car to look at and allso drives very well unless you try to open her up on the country roads.

At high speed on these roads its very important not to touch your brakes on corners as you are very likly to lose the back end.

My last gripe is the lack of spare parts stocked in this part of the world.

I need a special part to do with the front end and just been told that it is a two week time span before they can get it so I guess I will loose my car for two weeks off the road.

Finaly I must say how rare this model is over in this part of the world, but I really do take great pride in driving it and it is quick.