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Review: Hundai Genesis Coupe is tough to beat

The Hyundai Genesis Coupe has only been with us for a few short years and already it is getting major facelift and power updates.
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The redesigned Hyundai Genesis Coupe has a more aggressive stance and a brand-new front end.

The Hyundai Genesis Coupe has only been with us for a few short years and already it is getting major facelift and power updates. Not to be confused with the Genesis sedan, this coupe shares the name only; this is a driver’s car, where the sedan is a luxury cruiser. Hyundai has done very well with this affordable coupe, when other makers are shying away from sporty cars. Where is the Toyota Celica or Supra, the Honda S2000 or Nissan 240SX? Yes, there are some hot new entries like the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ but it has been the domestic makers, for the most part, who have championed coupes with their ‘’pony’’ cars. As we have seen with the introduction of the Veloster hatchback from Hyundai, they are not shy about trying new things and even inventing their own categories.

Over the past few years, Hyundai has adopted a design architecture it calls ‘’fluidic sculpture.” Their cars have a flowing shape that is said to mimic a stone that has been polished by water of thousands of years. The Hyundai Sonata sedan and even their Tucson crossover have used this approach successfully. It is interesting that the Genesis Coupe is signalling a slight shift away from the delicate and refined look to a more powerful and aggressive stance. The pointy nose has been squashed, providing a blunt, and now blackened, front bumper. The hood has more accent lines and two faux air intakes. The car looks wider and is accentuated by large 18 or 19-inch wheels that fill the sexy fenders. The wheels are staggered, meaning the back wheels are wider than the fronts for a more powerful stance. The coupe is sold as a 2.0L base model, then an R-Spec, which is only sold with a manual transmission and comes with Brembo brakes, and topping the range is this car, the 3.8L V-6 GT.

The original Genesis Coupe was a great car considering the price, but the interior needed to be updated. Mission accomplished. The centre stack now comes with a three-dial cluster to show engine stats and is framed by a brushed charcoal material that looks first-rate. There is a large amount of soft-touch materials throughout the cabin and the leather seats look and feel great. The doors are high and the passengers sit low, which can make the cabin feel closed-in. It is easy to get a good seating position due to standard tilt and telescopic steering but heated seats are only available on the 2.0L premium trim or this top model. Bluetooth, auxiliary jack come standard but satellite radio and navigation are extra. With a starting price of $26,499, the base car comes with cloth seats and it will take $29,899 to get leather in the premium trim, where it is standard on the $36,999 V-6 model.

While most car companies are happy to refresh the styling of a car halfway through its model cycle, Hyundai went to town on a horsepower fiesta is both the four-cylinder and V-6 model. The 2.0L motor is now rated at a whopping 274 hp, the same unit that is used in the Sonata turbo. Having only driven this motor in the sedan, I can only imagine how lively it will make this Coupe feel. The 3.8L V-6 seen in this test car is updated with direct injection technology for an increase of 42hp, to 348. Hyundai has also moved to a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic in both the four- and six-cylinder offering, which provides a lot of combinations for potential buyers. The six-speed is a slick-shifting unit, but I found the clutch uptake to be a bit grabby, not as progressive as I would like. In addition, the 348 hp number sounds great, but the V-6 just doesn’t feel as fast as I thought it would. The lighter four-cylinder might be the way to go.

This Genesis Coupe is a perfect example of how Hyundai is always pushing — they never stop. With two new engines and two new transmissions, updated styling and better interior, this would constitute a whole new model for many other car companies. For a mid-cycle refresh, it is nothing short of amazing. The Coupe has been a big seller and that doesn’t look like it will stop any time soon. The less-powerful Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ might have the whole lightweight, stripped-down market excited, but for people who want a comfortable commuter car with a bit of an edge, the Genesis Coupe is pretty hard to beat.