The power rack-and-pinion steering feels fine. It's precise with just enough feedback for fast driving. With the power of the V6 torque steer is inevitable but it's controllable and actually kind of fun when you're driving round town. On the highway it's barely noticeable. Not unexpectedly the car tends to understeer, what with the weight of the aluminum V6 engine mounted transversely between the front wheels.
During a brief test drive among pylons laid out in the infield of Las Vegas Speedway we found the Tiburon easy to throw around. Like all front-drive cars, it tended to understeer (the front wheels lose grip before the rear wheels), but it was easy to compensate by using the throttle, brakes, and steering wheel.
Overall, the handling is good, with little body roll. Up front are MacPherson struts, with lower links isolated by a subframe. A multi-link suspension with Chapman struts holds up the rear. All models get anti-roll bars and gas-filled shock absorbers. The sport-tuned suspension on the GT V6 has 10-percent stiffer spring rates, stiffer compression in the gas-charged shocks and thicker anti roll bars front (23mm vs. 20mm) and rear (19mm vs. 18mm).
Out on the highway, and on smooth roads, the Tiburon rides well; but the sports suspension and low-profile tires tend to transmit excessive harshness into the cockpit on rough road surfaces. The four-wheel disc brakes worked well and stopped the car quickly. Next Page