Monday, June 02, 2008

Hyundai Coupe GK 2.7 (Tuscani) with an ER34?


Pic 1: The Hyundai Coupe/Tuscani GK GT V6

A few people were surprised to see me pottering around in a Hyundai Coupe (GK) over the weekend, thus I've decided to write a 'lil bit about the car. The Hyundai Coupe (also known as the Tuscani) I was driving is the 2nd generation GK model GT V6. It has a 2,700 cc heart mated to a six-speed manual transmission. Producing 172bhp @ 6000 rpm and 245 Nm of torque @ 3800 rpm, it is more than adequate to potter around town and be one of the faster cars out there.

Interestingly, this particular Coupe/Tuscani is the ONLY unit in Malaysia. Bought into the country in the year 2002 by the distributors of Hyundai in Malaysia, this unit has remained in the custody of the distributor all these years. So yeah I guess it's as rare as a Ferrari F50 or a Maserati MC12 here in Malaysia. :D


Pic 2: Interior shot

So how does it drive? Hmmm.... where do I begin?

Lets start with the 'feel'. Stepping into the car, one would notice the low seating position, you sit really close to the ground which is a plus. In the cockpit, the instruments are safe and predictable. Illuminated in red, it oozes out European style. The semi-bucket seats are a joy to be in and the availability of a sunroof is great. The visibility out could be better though. The high waistline and wedge shape of the vehicle makes parking judgments an art to master. :P

The six speeder transmission is something one would expect only to find in performance vehicles out of Japan or exotics from Italy buuuuuut hey, it exists in a Korean marque. Not too bad eh? The only issues I have with the tranny is that it's too heavy; requiring effort to row the gears. It could also be slicker and feels less notchy. On the plus side, the throws are really short. Much better than the ER34 I must admit. :O

Pic 3: The six speed tranny


Pic 4: Nice supportive semi-bucket seats

I do find difficulty in performing heel-and-toe with the pedals as compared to the ER34, but maybe because I suck. LOL :D

The steering is more weighted than the ER34 giving out more feel. The ceiling height is very low, I only have perhaps 2 inches or so of ceiling space. With a helmet on, I think there will be friction.

Driving the V6 engine brings me nostalgia as I reminiscence of my time with the Proton Perdana V6's 6A12 engine. Smooth revving and gave out a nice purr to it. The Coupe's Delta V6 engine could do with a higher rev limit than 6,500 though. It also sounds pretty quiet; nothing a bigger and freer aftermarket exhaust can't fix. :)


Pic 5: The 2,700 cc Delta V6 heart

Is it fast? Well it's not all looks and no go. Doing the century sprint in 7.2 seconds and all the way to a top speed of 233km/h, it's more than fast enough for a lot of drivers out there.

Overall somehow I feel the Coupe is more 'sportscar-like' in feel than the ER34. Think about it; a cramped interior, poor visibility and a car that requires effort to shift it's gears are traits of supercars of yesteryears. The ER34? It feels and drives just as easy as any decent Japanese sedans out there.

Ok, you guys can shoot me now. LOL :D

The most interesting comment I got driving the Coupe/Tuscani is this, "Did you change car or sprayed your car red?". I was stunned at first but it was kind of hilarious actually. And yes, it's a girl who asked that. Hahahahaha

Pic 6: The meter cluster

Pic 7: The centre fascia

Here are some pictures of the GK with the ER34. Enjoy!

Pic 8: Side-by-side with the ER34

Pic 9: Front view with the ER34

Pic 10: Comparing the rear view with the ER34

COMMENTS ANYONE?

12 comments:

  1. There are many here but I don't think it looks attractive enough for the price they are selling :P I'm so cheapskate...I like comparing with other cars..

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  2. well interior and the rear of the tuscani is alrite..but the front look of the car...like abit weird..need to mod abit..den look cool ady..haha

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  3. Bro, r u promoting Tuscani in your blog? I do agree wit u that the Tuscani look more "sportier" than the ER34. Might consider to get one if I give up my S15. :)

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  4. wow, so is the coupe aka tuscani your 'other' ride? (besides your ER34, that is)...

    not sure bout this GK model...

    but the latest coupe does look quite good unfortunately they only bring in the 2 liter auto models...

    ReplyDelete
  5. nicwan8, yea I suppose over in Aussie there should be quite a bit of 'em GKs running around.

    da devil, the new GK facelift rectified that. Looks much better in the front. :)

    Jason, give up your S15 for a Tuscani? Sure or not? LOL :D

    nwb, no la bro. I just 'borrowed' it over the weekend. Yea the latest facelift looks good. Really doubt there are market for the 2.7 litre version here in Malaysia.

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  6. for the same price as the coupe, im sure u could get a dc5 at the same price too. plus its more fuel efficient and no doubt cheaper road tax.

    i think the new coupe facelift looks awesome compared to this one

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  7. Hi Kev, the new facelift coupe is cheaper than the DC5 and at the same time it's brand new! :P

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  8. yes the new facelift is good. but surely the 2.7 v6 has an unwelcoming tax structure. if it were below 2.5 it would be even better. they should have sourced the GEMA 4b11 engine, so that we could mod it like the evo X :D

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  9. Hyundai uses its own engine for its models now. No longer are they using other manufacturer's power plant.

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  10. Nice R34 dudes....like It...
    and look great On Ur GK...
    cek out diz Blog
    www.tiburonbrunei.blogspot.com

    ehhehe Give some comment n vote~
    5star 4 ur car dudes.

    ReplyDelete
  11. PlayeRz104, nice club you have going on there. I have some good friends in Setia Motors. Good to know they are supporting the Hyundai Coupe club in Brunei. :)

    ReplyDelete

Your comments on this post appreciated.

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