January 2007 - Interview with the Owner

	Vital Statistics:	2006/55 1.6 gen3.5 S Ocean Blue owned for 10 months
	Not-so Vital Statistics:	Alex Chung (alx_chung) , 29 Glasgow, Scotland

What made you first want a Hyundai Coupe?

The first time I saw a Hyundai Coupe was the F2 Evo when it first came out. That was one gorgeous looking car and I have wanted a Coupe since. So by the time I could afford one I went for the Gen 3.5 that was sitting in my local dealer.

Now that you own one what would you say is the Coupes best feature?

Looks and a reasonable price. I have a lot of people asking me what kind of car it is and them being surprised to learn that it's a Hyundai :-)

How would you rate the car - out of 5 - on the following:

Reliability
Exterior Styling
Interior Styling
Economy
Cost of ownership

In the next model what would you like to see added or changed?

Not much really, the looks of the SIII are growing on me but we are yet to see what Hyundai have up their sleeves for the next Gen (Gen 4??) The looks are good but in terms of engine choices I would like to see the 1.6 dropped in favour of a 1.8 (if that was possible), the power outputs on the engines to be increased (I am sure that they could tune the engines to give more power, the 2.0 litre and the V6 are underpowered compared to others) Also how about a 2.0 or 2.2 litre Turbo Diesel??? I am sure that could sell. Also I want the side gills/fins back in the next model

If your Coupe was edible, what food would it be and why?

Chocolate...(I am a chocoholic) :-)

Have you modified your Coupe? If so, why?

Yes. The main reason for modifying the Coupe was so that I wanted it to be more 'mine' and make it stand out a bit more. I am more into subtle modifications rather than out and out 'in your face' modifications.

1) 17" BSA 328 Alloys with Pirelli PZero Neros I didn't like the look of the standard 16" Hyundai alloys that came with the car. They looked a bit plain to me and with the 17" (with a bigger offset) I find that the car sits a lot more squat and looks a whole lot better (alloys can make or break the look of a car) The wheel arches are filled out a lot better with the wider offset (the wheels protrude out more to the edge of the arches)

2) Tuscani Spoiler The 'Tuscani' spoiler always looked better to my eye than the standard low spoiler. One of the things that attracted me to the Gen 3.5 was the brochure pictures of the Tuscani from Korea.

3) Ark Racing Aerial (Black) I almost poked my eye out with the standard one...that seemed reason enough :-) Suspension

4) PCM (Performance Coupe) Front Strut Brace I wanted to improve the handling a bit and the front strut brace seemed the way to go. The handling at the front is certainly tighter and more responsive now.

5) Alpine CDE-9850Ri I wanted to have a better Head Unit on the car and wanted to use my iPod when I was listening to music. The sound has improved a lot and with Alpine's high speed connection to the iPod it means that I can use the iPod fully and can control it via the Head Unit. A very good bit of kit.

Do you have any plans to modify your car / modify it further?

Nothing big really as I like the car as it is. There are a few things that I would still like to do though:
1) Painting Brake Calipers (Red) Just waiting for a sunny and dry day!!!
2) PiperCross Induction Kit Again this has fallen by the wayside. A bit undecided on whether it's worth putting it on or not (I have the kit already) as the performance increase will not be much and this could end up increasing fuel consumption so not really sure. I might mate it with a CAI if I do end up doing it.

Should you ever part with your beloved Coupe what car would you buy next?

I have looked a few likely replacements for the Coupe should I ever
a) Win the lottery or
b) Get fed up with the Coupe (not looking likely) or
c) Finances/Personal Circumstances dictate a change
The likely choices would be:
1) Seat Leon FR TDI
2) Skoda Octavia vRS TDI The only reasons why I am looking at Turbo Diesels is that I do a 35 mile commute everyday so getting more Miles to the gallon would be good!! Also practicality is a big issue too. My other choice would be the Gen 3.75 SIII V6 in Gunmetal Grey of course ;-)

What is the most annoying thing about your Coupe?

The most annoying thing about my Couple would be that it squeaks!! Sometimes it sounds as if there is an old bed in the back of the car with duff springs...:-(

Do you regularly (read / look at the pictures in / ring the dodgy numbers in the back of) modified car magazines?

Nope, I was never part of the 'Max Power' Generation of magazine readers. I was more of a 'What Car', 'AutoCar' and 'Autosport' reader...boring I know!!! :-)

Any other personal details, or comments that you would like to share with the world?

That is for me to know and you to find out ;-)

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