2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe: Making Folks Take a Second Look

What's New About the Hyundai Genesis Coupe:
It’s all-new for the 2010 model year. The Genesis Coupe replaces the Tiburon, with a more sophisticated and suave design, which are defined by racy and curvaceous exterior lines. The vehicle also moves from a front-wheel drive to a rear-wheel drive platform. At first glance, it was easy to mistake Hyundai’s latest arrival as a high-end import.

Must Have Goodies:
If you’re considering the Genesis Coupe, it’s available with eleven (11) different trim packages. The vehicle we reviewed was equipped with a 2.0 -liter, 4-cylinder turbo with a 6-speed manual transmission. Our Hyundai was equipped with 19-inch wheels, a sporty looking rear spoiler, a power roof, dual color sports looking red and black cloth heated racing seats, a power driver’s seat, aluminum sports looking gas and brake pedals, steering wheel audio controls, sexy looking Xenon headlights, keyless push start button, Bluetooth and Ipod capabilities and a premium class 360-watt Infinity AM/FM/CD changer/MP3 player with 10 speakers (in 8 locations), including DVC subwoofer, 8-channel external digital amplifier and diversity antenna and XM satellite radio.

What Rocked:
The sporty and extremely stylish interior surrounded by the cockpit looking exterior design of the coupe rocked. The Genesis Coupe looked similar to Infiniti’s more upscale and pricier G37. We also love the red and black two tone sports seats, which matched the fire engine red exterior of the vehicle we reviewed.

What We Hated:
The unique sport-tuned suspension on our Genesis Coupe was quite harsh, with the 19-inch high-performance summer tires, on short-to-mid-range trips around the city. Possibly the Genesis Coupe with the McSport-tuned MacPherson strut dual-link front suspension and the 18-inch wheels, which is available in other trim packages, would have provided us with a less jarring ride.

In addition to the ride, Hyundai’s signature blue instrument panel gauge lighting also faded in the midst of Georgia’s bright sunlight. And while we realize this is a sports coupe, it is virtually impossible for adults to fit in the rear seats due to the sloping hatchback like roofline. Furthermore, we were surprised Hyundai has delayed adding a navigational system until later on in the production year.

Any Juice:
The Genesis Coupe is available with a 3.8-liter non-turbo, producing 306 horsepower underneath the hood.

Verdict:
Wow, is all we can say. It’s hard to believe we were seated behind the wheel of a Hyundai. Like Hyundai’s new Genesis Sedan, the coupe will also be a winner for the Hyundai brand, helping to enhance the Korean automaker image. The coupe is available in 11 trim packages, as either a 4-cylinder turbo or a 6-cylinder non-turbo, with either a manual or automatic transmission. The vehicle starts out at $22,000 and can easily run up to a respectable $31, 875. Besides the extremely firm ride in our unique tracked sports-tuned vehicle, the all-new Genesis Coupe will give the competition a run for its money. The interior layout has a more upscale high-end import like interior than all of its American competitors.

Competition: Dodge Challenger SE, Chevy Camaro, Ford Mustang and Infiniti G37