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 I
expected a lot from the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe. After all, the
Genesis
sedan is a marvelous automobile, almost as good as Hyundai's claim
to "an unprecedented combination of performance, luxury, and fuel
efficiency." The Genesis sedan was selected as North American car
of the year by a panel of auto writers and broadcasters.
And now we get the
two-door version, the Genesis Coupe. Expectations are high. And unmet.
Seems this coupe is a Genesis in name only.
Oh, sure, both the
sedan and the coupe offer a 3.8-liter V6 engine and puts power to the
road via the rear wheels. But except for the drivetrain layout, we don't
find much link between the vehicles.
The cars are different
look and feel. The sedan is, indeed, a nice combination of performance,
luxury and fuel efficiency. The coupe looks and feels not like a two-door
version of the new sedan more like an updated version of the old Tiburon,
albeit one driven by its rear rather than front wheels.
Funny, had this 2010
model been presented as a new Tiburon, we'd have been thrilled at the
changes and would extol Hyundai's wisdom at switching from front- to rear-wheel
drive, and thus offering a challenge for Detroit's modern muscle cars
- the Mustang, Camaro and Challenger. But we were told this wasn't any
sort of new Tiburon, but a coupe version of the marvelous Genesis, and
thus we brought a very different set of expectations.
And those expectations
were whetted by Hyundai's advertising for the Genesis coupe, a commercial
that showed the car in what was considered its natural setting, a tire-smoking
drift around a racetrack.
Indeed, even the
coupe's exterior paint colors are named for racetracks or famous turns
on racetracks, thus Karussell white, Bathurst black, Silverstone, Nordschleife
gray, Acqua Minerale blue, Mirabeau blue, Lime Rock green, Interlagos
yellow and Tsukuba red.
Wow, this Genesis
Coupe must be a street-legal racecar, right?
Well, the car we
were sent for a test drive was the 2010 Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track A/T model,
which comes at a $4,500 premium over the standard Genesis Coupe with the
V6 and six-speed automatic transmission.
Say what? Automatic
transmission! In a racecar? Well, as it turns out, a six-speed manual
is available.
Anyway, what do you
get for that extra $4,500?
From what we can
tell from the Hyundai specifications sheet, you get dual powered and body-colored
mirrors, high-intensity discharge headlamps, aerodynamic windshield wipers,
a body-colored front spoiler, a sunroof with glass that tilts and slides,
19-inch wheels with high-performance tires of staggered size - 225/40
up front and 245/40 in the rear - Brembo brakes, track-tuned suspension,
limited-slip differential, rear spoiler, heated front seats, a 10-speaker
Infinity audio system, auto-dimming interior rearview mirror and keyless
push-button starting
Hmmm, if this is
the "Track" version of a car that is to be at home on a racetrack,
or at least an autocross circuit, why do we need the extra weight from
that sunroof up over our heads, or such luxuries as heated leather seats
and upgraded audio?
Also on the standard
equipment list are electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes (which
were not standard on the Tiburon we drove a few years ago), and front,
side and curtain airbags.
That's all fine,
though we were surprised when we noticed that $31,000 base price for a
coupe with a V6 engine (our test car totaled $31,875 when you included
destination charges, carpeted floor mats and an iPod cable). Although
Hyundai doesn't list it among the Genesis Coupe's direct competitors,
you can buy a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS with a 426-horsepower V8 for $31,595.
Enthusiasts will
eagerly opt for the Camaro. And those on a tighter budget likely will
want to consider the basic Genesis Coupe equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged
four-banger and six-speed shifter. That one's priced at $22,000.
We suspect that version,
which provides 210 horsepower and 223 pound-feet of torque and weighs
less than 3300 pounds, would be a lot more fun to drive than the "Track"
version, and if you want you could take some of that $9,000 you've saved
to modify the car into a autocrosser cone-carver or even a track-day car.
 
Actually, Hyundai
offers an R-Spec Track version of that basic Coupe for $4,750 over the
basic sticker. That car comes with a six-speed manual - in fact, the automatic
is not available in the R-Spec Track - plus you get the 19-inch wheels,
Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tires, Brembo brakes, track-tuned suspension,
Torsen-type LSD, quick-ratio steering, projector-beam headlamps and a
leather-wrapped steering wheel, as well as air conditioning, an AM/FM/satellite
radio system, power windows/locks/mirrors and the six airbags.
That turbo 2.0-liter
also is rated at 21 miles per gallon in city driving and at 30 on the
highway, while the 3.8-liter V6, when linked to an automatic, provides
17 city/27 highway numbers.
The 3.8-liter V6
also provides 306 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque.
While it might have
been well suited to a smooth racetrack, we found the V6 Track version
to be both stiff and loud on public roads, with the gearbox either trying
to quick-shift to fuel-saving sixth gear or lagging behind when we nailed
the accelerator. Yes, there are paddle shifters if you want to use them.
But if you want to shift for yourself, wouldn't you just buy the manual?
The coupe's interior
felt almost as small as the Tiburon's, and not nearly up to the luxury
standards of the Genesis sedan or the luxury models that Hyundai lists
a the coupe's direct competitors. Hyundai claims the Genesis Coupe 3.8's
direct competitors are the Infiniti G37, BMW 335i, Ford Mustang GT, Mazda
RX-8 and Mitsubishi Eclipse GT.
But does anyone actually
cross-shop the Eclipse, 335i and Mustang? Or the Infiniti and RX-8? We
doubt it.
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