All Hyundai Coupe reviews

"Even if you've sampled the V6 version of the Hyundai Coupe, the 1.6S will come as something of a pleasant surprise."

You've got to hand it to Hyundai, they've pulled a real rabbit out of the hat with the Coupe. If the first generation one was interesting, the current facelifted MK2 car is a stunner. If the slinky shape seduces you, the £15,145 1.6-litre S version is the most cost-effective way to put one on your driveway.

The compact coupe market always has been relatively easy t...

"The overall effect is far more cohesive and mature than anything the company has yet produced?"

Read almost any road tests of South East Asian cars and somewhere it's sure to appear. Any praise is rendered faint by the killer caveat, the rider that states that however competent the car is, it's only judged in terms of a cheapie. Much as we strive to avoid such a patronising attitude, it's invariably been warranted. Yes, South Korean cars are getting better but name one you'd choose if ...

"The concept of less being more isn't always an easy one to swallow, but in this case, it makes sense?"

Let's say this right up front. This Hyundai Coupe has surprised even us. From being a cut-price alternative to frankly better mainstream models, it's now arguably a class leader, even though prices are still tightly pitched. Not only does the restyled version still look great, it also handles sharply and is beautifully built. Read that again ' and remember that we're talking about a H...

"The overall effect is far more cohesive and mature than anything the company has yet produced?"

For the many happy Hyundai Coupe owners dotted around the UK, the news of a restyle for their favoured car must have been greeted with some trepidation. After all, when the Koreans did the same thing to the pretty original version of the previous generation Coupe model, the result was, to put it politely, less than appealing. Fortunately, things have proved to be rather different this time a...

How quickly we forget. Look at a Rover Coupe now and it seems like a product of a bygone era, an eighties throwback that could serve up a bit of cheap fun. What's hard to believe is that these cars were produced right through to early 1999 and were refined to the point where the final Coupe models were surprisingly good cars. Forget the torque-steering antics of the old 220 Turbo, the later models, having done away with the numericals, were surprisingly urbane. If you can get over the slightl...

The Hyundai Coupe was the first genuinely desirable Korean car, its swoopy styling reminiscent of something far more expensive. Indeed an independent survey rated the Coupe as one of Britain's sexiest cars. Priced at a level which includes rival offerings such as the Ford Puma and Renault Megane Coupe, the Hyundai always had a hard task on its hands, but like so many other things in life, looks count. The facelift that the car received in 1999 was, by and large, not well received, taking many...

Beauty may be only skin deep but Hyundai's Coupe has long majored on some serious skin deep success. In its original form it found favour as a quirkily styled budget coupe that looked a good deal more expensive than it was. The driving characteristics weren't bad either, but as soon as you clocked the interior, it was apparent the little Korean was, in fact, nothing exotic. A facelift in 1999 somewhat spoiled the looks but it wasn't until 2002 when the second generation Coupe was launched tha...