BY ALAN VONDERHAAR
The Cincinnati Enquirer

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Tiburon is a word you had better learn early on if you mean to go frolicking in the waters off Mexico. Loosely translated, it means ''Get out of the water right now, Gringo.''

A stricter translation would be ''shark.''

Pretty good name for an emotive, highly-styled sporty coupe.

Wonder why Hyundai translated it into Spanish? Probably because somebody else has first dibs on the English version. People go around patenting names on spec, which is why there are so many weird computer-generated handles these days.

Nothing weird about the Tiburon - the little mite is one of the delightful surprises of the current season, from a maker better know for its econoboxes.

Start with the exterior - bulging corners and pronounced accent creases give it a stand-apart, roguish demeanor. Squat and crouching, with a well-integrated rear spoiler and ellipsoidal, projector-style headlamps, it looks like it means business - an aggressive aspect that would appeal more to boys than girls, I'd venture. It's a bit overcooked for those who have silvery highlights on top, but for the intended youth market, it's right on.

The Tiburon comes in two series, separated by about three grand: base and FX. Either can be fitted with a five-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic transmission. Hyundai sent a five-speed FX for evaluation.

The FX differs from its spare brother in certain important details. It has a 2-liter engine instead of a 1.8; it has better seats all around, and an adjustable driver's throne; it alone can be fitted with leather appointments; it alone can be given antilock brakes; the rear spoiler and front fog lamps are standard; it alone has a rear wiper/washer, and it has alloy wheels instead of the base steel.

Both series DO have dual airbags, power steering, windows and brakes, AM/FM/cassette multi-speaker stereo (the FX also has a CD player) and a rear window defroster. So even the base car is what a certain competitor calls ''nicely equipped,'' but for air.

And I'd have to add, nicely realized. Fit and finish were generally quite good, and the engineering was creditable, too. Hyundai is a quick study.

Technically a subcompact, the Tiburon affords what might be kindly referred to as cozy accommodations for driver and passenger and the usual mythical ''2+2''-style space in the rear. The rear seats are divided 50/50 (no pretense of holding even three munchkins) and both fold down. Even with the seats in the locked, upright position, there's 12.8 cubic feet for gear under the decklid. The thigh-high liftover is a bit much, but kids won't care.

I had a sufficiency of legroom and a bare adequacy of headroom, even though the optional sunroof is of the goofy slide-over-the-top variety and doesn't steal vertical space. The car is low - 51 inches - and there's a price to be paid for those sporty-coupe swoopy looks. Getting in and out was surprisingly easy, however.

Once I was settled in with the seat and steering wheel tilted to my satisfaction, I found the controls and instruments well laid out and highly legible. I liked the boldly assertive knobs used for the air conditioner controls, although I would probably switch the location of that unit and the radio, which is now beneath it. The bezel of the electronically-tuned radio is smoked glass, which is fine when light doesn't fall on it, but with the sunroof open on a sunny day, I found it utterly illegible. It needs to be recessed.

Both series of Tiburon use Hyundai's own ''Beta'' engine, an iron block, aluminum head mill with four cylinders, twin camshafts, electronic fuel injection and 16 valves. The standard engine displaces 1.8 liters and makes 130 hp and 122 foot-pounds of torque. Power peak is at a racer-like 6,000 rpm and the twisting force maxxes at 5,000. The FX series engine has a longer stroke for a displacement of 2 liters and a slightly higher compression ratio. For all that, it only makes modestly more power - 140 horses, 133 foot-pounds. I wouldn't adjudge that to be a compelling reason to opt for the pricier series.

Keep that engine cookin'

The 2-liter, as the numbers above would suggest, wasn't too enthusiastic below 3,000 rpm and really came into its own above 4,000, with a couple of perceptible bumps on the way to the 6,500 redline. It bumbled around all right at 2,000, but much preferred to spin. It went all the way to ignition cutoff as if there were no tomorrow. Given the state of tune, I'd imagine it would be a lot happier with the manual transmission than the available automatic.

Both the transmission and clutch action were quite fine - positive acting, but not too sudden. Fun quotient was high, so long as the rev counter was kept at a low boil.

Both series have what Hyundai calls a ''sport-tuned'' suspension. Often that's a red flag for those with loose fillings, but not so here. MacPherson struts up front, trailing arms rear, stabilizer bars fore and aft and nicely complementary springs and shock valving conspire to produce good ride with good control - within limits.

It was possible to bottom the rear suspension by driving 30 mph faster than recommended over a stretch of what even the county concedes is a ''rough road,'' but there was no problem when I behaved like less of a lunatic. Harshness is kept at bay pretty well, and the car stayed on course decently even over rough, off-camber stretches.

Predictable out at the edge

The steering may have been a tad over-assisted for such a short (97 inches) wheelbase, but that must be looked at in the context of boy-racer gyrations, not ordinary motoring. At the limit, the Tiburon runs wide in a gradual, predictable fashion. Remember it's a sporty car and not a sports car and you'll do all right.

You can get antilock brakes on the FX only, but the tester did not have them. It DID have discs in the rear, unlike the poor relation. I found it stopped quite well on streets both wet and dry, thanks in part to some very grippy Michelin rubber. The standard 195/60/14 setup did not seem to constrain the car, but I wouldn't hesitate for an instant to upgrade to the available 195/55/15 package.

The upgraded radio was above-average in sensitivity and about average in tonality, lacking a bit in presence, but with enough power to satisfy youths, I would judge, who have not yet damaged their auditory acuity.

Base price on the Tiburon FX is $14,899. The tester had a $2,425 package consisting of air conditioning, cruise control, power sunroof and upgraded radio with CD player. Floor mats were another $75. Total, with freight, was $17,914.

With antilock and the bigger tires/wheels, you'd have not much change from a $20K bill. At that point, you start looking around a very crowded marketplace. Hyundai has yet to prove itself the equal of Japan's boys in build quality and long-term reliability.

Alan Vonderhaar welcomes email: alanv@bigfoot.com