In recent years, Hyundai has surged toward the top of the sales charts
because it plays so strongly to value-minded shoppers. It’s done well in
sensible metrics like reliability, resale value, and satisfaction;
achieved good safety ratings; and offers a strong list of features for
the money on all its cars.
That’s all fine and dandy. But the 348-horsepower Genesis Coupe is in some respects positioned as a true sports car; and for sports cars the priorities are a bit different.
With its current Genesis Coupe it's shown that it understands that;
but with the substantially refreshed 2013 Genesis Coupe, it’s truly put
the right game face on. And just a couple of hours on the road, combined
with several more hours on the track, was enough to reconfirm,
emphatically, that the Genesis Coupe is not only a completely different
beast—in a good way—than Hyundai’s sensible sedans, but also a serious contender for those who love to drive.
To sum how the Gen Coupe drives—at least for those who've been around
sporty cars for a long time: Extrapolate how classic Japanese
sports-car models like the Nissan 240SX or Toyota Supra might drive if they were still made today, and you won't be far off the mark.
Thankfully, very few of the front-wheel drive Hyundai driving
characteristics from the Elantra or Tucson or Sonata carry over into the
Genesis Coupe. The shift action is clean and precise, clutch takeup is
neat (both are improved for 2013) and, most importantly, the steering is
a tried-and-true hydraulic system, tuned just right.
And then there are the engines. Just as in the 2012 Genesis Coupe,
the 2013 model offers a choice of turbocharged four-cylinder or
naturally aspirated V-6 engines. While they’re the same displacement as
last year’s engines (2.0 and 3.8-liter), that’s about where the
similarities end. The 2.0T engine now gets a twin-scroll turbocharger
and larger intercooler, so that it makes 274 horsepower and 275
pound-feet of torque, with peak torque reached at just 2,000 rpm, and a
new Lambda direct-injection V-6 in the 3.8 models makes 348 horsepower
and 295 pound-feet of torque.
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