Peachtree Street runs rings around Hotlanta, but is not an easy place for the new Hyundai Genesis Coupe to stretch its legs. Dealing with pedestrians, gawkers and people who just plain don’t know how to drive has gotten on our last raw nerve. But this fraternal twin, as Hyundai’s ad agency would like you to believe, is an opportunist, taking advantage of every gap in traffic as a means of getting onto I-75. A few minutes later, we leave the big Peach behind to really get a chance to see what this coupe has got.
Spiritual successor
The new Hyundai Genesis Coupe is the chance for the Korean manufacturer to really get out and show its muscle in the performance field. We had a brief opportunity to drive the coupe through the red clay of Georgia’s capital city and its surrounds, and came away with a better feel for what Hyundai is calling the spiritual successor to the Nissan 240 SX. (No comment from Nissan yet.)
The look is all new. Don’t think of the Genesis Coupe as the replacement for the aging Tiburon, either. Entirely new and much fresher than the sometimes bulbous shapes coming out of the Korean design studios, it features a very sophisticated silhouette with interesting facets at all corners. Starting with an arrowhead-like shape from the front and leading over the side edges into a set of “Z-creases,” the Genesis coupe takes a quantum leap into the arena that is currently occupied by the Infiniti G37, Mazda RX8 and even the BMW 335i. It is available in Base, Premium and Track packages, with an R-Spec (de-contented) version available later in the year.
The headlights have the appearance of a demonic anime character, but after that, the cartoon characteristics seem to disappear. Overall, we think it’s a satisfying design. We especially like details such as the drop-beltline side glass. If we were to find fault, it would be in the grille area itself: We think it could stand a touch more bling, either around the edge of the sheetmetal opening, or on the two cross pieces that the Hyundai logo floats above.
It’s what’s inside that counts
The interior is constructed of extremely high-grade materials that some likened to being equivalent to the big brother Genesis sedan. We won’t go that far, but will say we were pleased with what we saw. From the steering wheel with redundant controls to the twin gauge binnacle, to the center console with audio, climate, and shifter controls, everything was well thought out and scored extremely high in the fit and finish department. Don’t go looking for in-dash navigation quite just yet, however: Hyundai officials say it will be here in the fall.
The seats offer excellent support for extended stints behind the wheel, and were attractive in the all leather or leather with performance fabric inserts that we sampled. The rear seat offers sufficient legroom for runs to a local restaurant or movie theater, or any trip of five minutes or less. Beyond that your head will tire of tilting one way or another thanks to the limited head room.
Powered by the Theta 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine architecture that was a collaboration between Hyundai, Chrysler and Mitsubishi, the coupe joins the sedan’s 3.8-liter V6 to give the company a one-two punch in the sports car arena. Triva fact: the 2.0-liter has the same DNA as the Mitsu 4B11 engine that powers the Lancer Evo X. (Repeat: It is not the same engine, it just shares a similar architecture.) Both the I4 and V6 incorporate a variable valve timing setup to maximize the powerband. For the record, the 3.8 shows up to the party with 306 horsepower and 266 lb-ft. of torque while the 2.0T has 210 horsepower and 223 lb-ft. of twist. Hyundai officials are so that stoked they have signed Rhys Millen Motorsports to campaign the Coupe in Formula D drifting, time attack and even an attempt at Pikes Peak hill climb.
We had a chance to try both engine packages, with Hyundai-built six-speed manual transmissions. Smooth in operation, and with proper gearing, we feel they could both benefit with the addition of a short throw shifter. We were hoping for better pull from the turbo’d four-cylinder. It would be a great thing if Hyundai offered an up-tuned version, complete with the “Holy Grail of Warranties,” their 10-year, 100,000 mile offering to cover such a package. We know the engine can take it. We also know “if you build it, they (the buyers) will come.”
With authority
Silky smooth from the get-go, the V6 has the power to keep pulling in fifth or sixith gear and keep going. It also has a great exhaust note that in the words of Nuke LaLoosh in the movie Bull Durham, manages to announce its presence with authority.
The 2.0T weighs in at 3,294-pounds, with EPA estimates of 21 mpg city and 30 mpg highway, while the 3.8 shows up to the ring boasting of 3,389 pounds and mileage of 17 mpg city and 26 mpg highway.
The Shiftronic automatic trannies were in short supply so we’ll have to wait our turn until they show up in the press fleet. The 2.0T’s slushbox will have five cogs; the 3.8-equipped car will have six. The Track package that we drove in both four- and six-cylinder models, were equally capable of cruising all day on their 19-inch alloys with summer compounds in the 80-mph range. Firm but not overly so, they exhibited nice road handling manners without jarring the dental fillings on those who were so equipped. Over the base suspension, which also includes a strut brace, the Track model featured Sport-tuned MacPherson struts, with gas charged shocks all around and a 25mm front stabilizer bar. The rear featured a five-link setup with a 22mm stab-bar replacing the normal 18mm version.
The steering was biased towards understeer, where we like it, and the suspension seemed to thrive challenging roads. The result was a car that liked to be pushed through the turns while showing good manners in the process. Credit should also go to the four-pot Brembos at all four corners for bringing the car back to earth again. Through it all, we were very impressed with how quiet the Genesis Coupe was under power. It was a though we were still in the Genesis sedan.
Leftlane’s bottom line
Riding through the Georgia countryside, made us realize the state is not all peaches and pecans. There are some serious ranches and rolling hills throughout the Atlanta suburbs and for just a brief moment we had a chance to sample a car, which although not perfect, still manages to put a smile on our faces – and at a great price point to boot. But then, with Hyundai, you already expected that. Didn’t you?
2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T base price, $22,000.
2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 base price, $25,000.
Words and photos by Mark Elias
05/28, 10:37 AM
posted by:
tob
Drove past one on the lost and it looked pretty good. Not that I’m in the market for a car but I was disappointed when they said no V8.The V6 puts out some good number though.
05/28, 11:14 AM
posted by:
Fletch
The question is how tunable the 2.0L turbo motor will be. This car looks somewhat decent, but it’s a porker at 3300lbs. If somebody comes up with the right turbo swap it could be pretty fun to drive and making 350Z owners eat your dust.
05/28, 11:26 AM
posted by:
Borat
Based on Road and truck article this will not make Nissan/Infinity eating dust anytime soon with any engine.
05/28, 11:37 AM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
Mark, love the Nuke Laloosh reference even if I’m more of a Major League guy.
I have to take exception with your perception of the styling as being that much of a departure from the Tiburon and I think that’s my problem with this car. It looks exactly like what one might have expected a next generation Tiburon to be. From the upswept crease on the sides, the same rear window curvature (minus the ‘dip’) to a very similar front end theme- I just don’t think they went near far enough to separate the two. Hopefully enough people realize that underneath they are two very different creatures.
Just for comparisons sake and I know people will think I’m biased but I had a chance to look at several ‘10 Mustangs on a lot yesterday. If you don’t think Ford did enough to distinguish the new one from the last generation go see for yourself. The last one which is by no means weak in the visuals department looks like a slab compared to the latest. And the new one definitely does look smaller even though it really isn’t.
05/28, 11:43 AM
posted by:
anyclearer
Fletch this car inside and out was made for tuners.
05/28, 11:47 AM
posted by:
DB9
The dealer where I buy my VW’s/Audis, old family friend, also has a Hyundai franchise. Last week while the CC was in for maintenance they gave me a 2.0 turbo base Automatic to drive for the day. For the price I give it a 4 out of 5, performance 3 out of 5 for the engine, suspension 3.5 (ride 4) and fuel economy a 4. Given that it’s rear wheel drive and will be very tuneable this car represents a modern incarnation of the 240 and Celica. It changed my opinion of Hyundai and for what it’s worth that says a lot.
The interior was excellent – for the price – I liked the seats, since the car I had was a base model, only option being the 5spd auto, they were cloth.
DB9
PS. If I was interested in a coupe at this price point this would make the shortlist as everything else is FWD:-((
05/28, 12:25 PM
posted by:
Payton Byrd
I just bought the 2.0T Premium Auto a couple of weeks ago. This review is pretty much on target. I sampled both the auto and manual versions of the 3.8 Grand Touring and though the power was great, the manual has a horrible clutch setup combined with rev-hanging that is intentionally added for emissions control and thus is impossible to drive smoothly without roasting the clutch in the process. The 3.8 with automatic felt more sluggish and less connected to the engine than the 2.0T auto did, so I went with the 2.0T as it just felt more fun than the 3.8 auto. The 2.0T is also a hot item for the tuners and there are already intercooler and exhaust kits available that push the car up to 2.0T to 340HP at the wheels. I’m looking forward to adding some of these goodies and getting power up around 300HP, then I won’t miss the V6 at all.
05/28, 1:16 PM
posted by:
PerformanceGuy
Seems like a nice car. Should do well against the Eclipse, Soltice, etc and do well with the high school to college age market.
05/28, 1:23 PM
posted by:
A4
A 2.0T RWD coupe thats cheaper than a GTI? …sh!t
oh wait its hideous and will probably look more dated than a box of raisins in 5 years? …phew.
This is the first car Hyundai has built I can honestly approve of
05/28, 1:41 PM
posted by:
dracolnyte
I went to my local dealer to test drive one of these bad boys in the 3.8 model with the brembo brakes. We drove past the corporate office and the salesman said Hyundai is undergoing tests for a new 4.0L V8 under the hood of the genesis coupe, cranking out over 400HP. That should put it in the league of BMW M, Lexus F and Audi (R)S, well at least horsepower wise.
05/28, 2:08 PM
posted by:
leftwingagenda
slightly off topic, but my co-worker drove her 2010 Camaro to work today and we all had a good look at it…she has the V6, but with the RS package…the interior, with the extra gauge cluster, looked pretty nice, albeit a bit spartan…i was impressed…that car definitely has a fat rear end, though, making it look pretty chunky (although some would probably say “substantial” instead)…i’ll beg her to let me drive it in a few weeks after she’s had a chance to break it in…i got a brief ride in it and it felt pretty tight…kudos to gm for putting out something with some style, even in a crap economy…
i think the reviewer of the genesis coupe really nailed something that bothers me about the styling of this car, the front end isn’t nearly distinctive enough…it looks like a very generic swoopy asian design, and the matte grill with no border is too understated…the rear end and profile views are fine, though, and the interior looks pretty good…
personally, i’m more likely to blow 25k on a 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 rather than one of these, but that’s just because i want to go fast and still be able to buy a mop at target and not having it dangling out the windows…
05/28, 3:01 PM
posted by:
JakeK66
Touche A4 and Leftwing, you both got it right. The Coupe’s interior still looks Hyundaish to me, maybe well-built, but VW/Audi won’t be fearing them anytime soon as far as interiors are concerned.
I’d just like to see this and/or the sedan be advertised with some Genesis tunes, I’m a fan.
05/28, 3:20 PM
posted by:
Ring-Taxi
The 4 banger is basically the same Evo motor, with a few different components here and there. There’s no problem with parts swapping and compatibility. The tuning base is already there.
05/28, 3:28 PM
posted by:
Payton Byrd
@leftie
A mop will fit just fine in there. The rear seats fold down easily and the trunk is surprisingly big, both deep and wide. I’ve driven many Hyundai products and the interior is NOTHING like what Hyundai does in lesser autos.
As for the grill and other black trim: They are all unpainted and can be easily primed and finished by anybody. I’m having the black inserts painted pearlescant white to go along with the blue paint on the car. It’ll be bad ass. I’ve also received suggestions of having them painted the same color as the rims, which would also look good. I may get the rims painted the same shade of blue as the car with the spokes painted white to match the inserts.
I’m having a car PC installed into it today (should have it back tomorrow). I’m going to post some pictures soon.
05/28, 4:27 PM
posted by:
Mark Elias
^Johnnycanuck,
Here’s my take on Tiburon vs Genesis coupe:
I think they went the right way design wise. Yes this was probably what the next Tib would have been. But having said that I am glad they did not go further in the extreme. Go too far and you get a design that everyone remembers for the wrong reason (original santa fe); or if it’s too radically out there, it looks dated by the end of the month.
So in going where they did with this design, Hyundai has what I think is an instant classic that has legs to grow on.
Again, thanks for reading!
mark
05/28, 4:35 PM
posted by:
ahnuconun
So far I have driven all the engine-tanny combos in the Coupe. I’m not a big fan of the 2.0T, it’s not as sweet as a VAG 2.0T, plus it has hanging revs – extremely annoying in the manual transmission version since you have to time the gas-off before clutching for the next gear. Also, one of the big three car mags (can’t remember which one) said the 3.8 with the auto was choice because the manual sucks – I have to disagree: the paddles on the auto are soft pliable plastic (ick) and the transmission is slow to respond.
05/28, 5:20 PM
posted by:
abu4y8
bang for the buck the best sports coupe on the market! oh yea, thats why i sell em!
05/28, 5:49 PM
posted by:
Payton Byrd
I don’t like the auto on the V6, it’s about as connected to the engine as Obama is to reality. Like I said, after driving several I decided the 2.0T Auto was the best combination. Rumor has it that Hyundai has a TSB out that allows the ECU to be reflashed with less aggressive rev hanging. If you live in an area with stringent emissions controls then you may not want to go this route long term, but if you live in a freedom loving part of the country, go for it! I’ll be getting the flash done as soon as my dealer validates the rumors.
05/28, 6:14 PM
posted by:
dracolnyte
^Payton Byrd
why is rev hanging bad in terms of performance?
05/28, 6:20 PM
posted by:
Payton Byrd
The rev hanging makes it impossible to shift smoothly when combined with the very high and abrupt clutch takeup that the car has. Since the rev hanging is controlled by computer, it’s a lot easier to fix than the clutch’s pressure plate (which is what sucks about the clutch).
05/28, 6:35 PM
posted by:
leftwingagenda
yeah, i can see sprucing the look up with some after market mods or paint schemes like you’re talking about, it’ll be interesting to see the pics…i may be rationalizing, but if they left it like a plain canvas that’ll let folks do what they want with it, rather than making it so uber-styled that any change you make spoils the look…but who knows, really, it’s just that to me from the front the thing has a bland look, at least fresh from the factory…
i’m sure a mop would fit, i was being a bit flippant there…i’d be nabbing a 4 door hatch for easier moving of boxes and larger gear that wouldn’t fit in a trunk so well…in a perfect world i’d have a used truck for that, and a fun car for around town, but my personal economic stimulus hasn’t kicked in to the level where i can sport two vehicles ;P
05/28, 7:13 PM
posted by:
Hyperion
I’m waiting for the R-Spec to show up.
05/28, 7:19 PM
posted by:
aggie531
next step: make a drop top V8. that’ll be a seller
05/28, 7:47 PM
posted by:
shane train
“demonic anime character”
Unable to read beyond this point.
aggie531: no.
05/28, 8:41 PM
posted by:
idrinorbarsaku
I like this car a LOT!! And the weird thing is that it’s a HYUNDAI!!! I’m shocked! Definitely better than the similar offerings of camaro/mustang/challanger. However, the g35/37 is better, but also a lot more.
I give Hyundai HUGE props!!
05/29, 12:05 AM
posted by:
zfenderguy
I’ll be taking my wife’s Tiburon SE 6 speed out to Deal’s Gap this weekend. Kind of wish I had that Genesis instead. Looks like a nice car.
05/29, 12:17 AM
posted by:
Mark Elias
^zfender,
Be sure to stop by the Orange Peel afterwards for some adult beverages!
05/29, 2:16 PM
posted by:
Payton Byrd
I’ve been over to my audio installer a couple of times to check progress, and the more of the car I get to see the more obvious it is that Hyundai went out of their way to keep things simple and very easy to customize. For example, the underside of the rear deck of most cars looks like a Byzantine maze, but in the Genesis it’s flat with the back wall at a right angle. This means it’s beyond simple to add more speakers, mount amps (a computer in my case), even NOS tanks. The trim pieces of the center console have a very simple but effective mounting scheme that makes it very easy to modify and replace pieces while maintaining the stock mounting points so that it’s easy to standardize how each custom piece attaches to the car. I’m thoroughly, thoroughly impressed and my installer says it’s one of the easiest cars to work on he’s ever seen.
05/30, 1:05 PM
posted by:
jackjimturkey
LLN: never use the non=word “Hotlanta” again.
good call on “the spiritual successor to the Nissan 240 SX.” had a GF that drove one. Pretty sweet.
This is indeed no Tiburon; i can do without that, AND the Scoupe.
The G37 and 3 are unequaled, except maybe by each other.
lack of in-dash navigation is not a demerit for me.
haw about “turboed” or better yet, “turbocharged,” LLN.
tob: “Not that I’m in the market for a car but I was disappointed when they said no V8.” The bay was designed, according to MT, specifically not to fit the Genesis V8 in there. This car should have another name. I like Symphony.
DB9: I thought the Celica was the worst car ever …. until i owned a Civic.
“It changed my opinion of Hyundai.” that’s happening a lot these days.
dracolnyte: BMW and Audi are not in the same league with Toyota’s faux-luxury division.
07/06, 9:32 PM
posted by:
Arvin@PowerAXEL.kr
We’re ECU tuners for the Genesis Coup 2.0 T, and currently under development on the BK 3.8L Lamda V6 engine.
We’re located in SoCal, please let me know if anyone’s interested!