Hyundai Genesis Coupe

I had to put a post on the upcoming Genesis Coupe (GC).  This has been a long anticipated car for me and a step in the right direction for Hyundai.  There are simply not enough affordable rear-wheel-drive sport coupes on the market today. Plus, if Hyundai can make one why can’t other companies like Toyota (That is my shameless request for Toyota to come out with a new sports car.)

The Genesis Coupe has the combination of looks that are reminiscent of Hyundai’s no longer produced 2008 Tiburon,  but the GC has a more ominous feel.  It has the looks of a bee.  They look cool but you really don’t want to be messing with it our you might get stung.  Stung by what though?  Hyundai is know for economic cars and low horsepower engines.

Well Hyundai has put some “buzz” under their hood with two engine choices.  The first variant is 3.8 liter V-6 producing 306 HP and 266 ft-lbs of torque that can be equipped with a six speed automatic with paddle shifters or a six speed manual transmission.  The other far more interesting engine is a turbocharged 2.0 liter four-cylinder that produces a decent 210 hp and 233 ft-lbs of torque and can be mated to a six speed manual transmission.   Here is the comment I pulled from Hyundai’s press release about its four-cylinder engine.

“While some turbochargers sacrifice smooth drive-ability with high operating boost pressures in the 20 psi range, Genesis Coupe uses a refined, low-boost calibration for smoothness and efficiency,” said Derek Joyce, Genesis Coupe product manager. “We could have opted solely for big performance numbers, but our focus for the 2.0T was a more balanced package.”

Let me tell you what this means to me.  Did you catch the “low-boost calibration” and “We could have opted solely for big boost performance numbers” comments”?  Well that means this engine can be tuned.  Hyundai is reaching out to the tuner crowd saying “Take it.  Make it faster, that’s why we built it, for you…”   But that isn’t the only thing that struck me about the four-cylinder engine.  Take a look at the pictures below, looks like a mirror image, right?

Some of you might recognize the 2.0 liter engine on the right, it’s an SR20DET found in the Nissan Silvia in Japan.  Its a common swap in the Nissan 240sx in the states.  Coincidentally, it is the exact same bore and stroke (86mm x 86mm) as the Hyundai Genesis Coupe’s new power plant.  Well if Hyundai built it even remotely like Nissan’s SR20 then the Hyundai’s engine is going to be killer.  And if you don’t think there is going to be an aftermarket for the engine, you’re wrong.  Hyundai has already provided HKS a Genesis Coupe to tune.

Guess what else is great about this car?  If you’re not the do-it-yourself tuner or like having a warranty on your car then Hyundai is going to be releasing track models with 13.4″ front  and 13″ rear Brembo brakes with stiffer suspension, and even a R-spec model for the die hard.  You can get the track model with either engine as well. Plus with both track and non-track models, you have the option of a Torsen Limited Slip Differential.

Well, I’m sold. Of course I’m not sure what the price is yet because that hasn’t been release.  With the loss of the Tiburon, and the fact that the Genesis Sedan starts at $32,000 and the high model of the Tiburon was $22,700, I would guess the base model coupe will be starting between 25K and 26K which would make it quite comparable to the Ford Mustang GT.  But I’m hoping that Hyundai will come in under the 25K mark.  We’ll just have to wait a few more months until spring to find out.