2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe New Car Review

By Bob Plunkett

A craving for test driving through zigzag curves brings us to the slalom esses on Valley of Fire Highway, a ribbon of blacktop snaking through scarlet sandstone canyons in the Nevada desert. So we hitch our seatbelt and get a grip on a leather-bound steering wheel of the 2013 Genesis 3.6 Track,  Hyundai's low-slung sports coupe now in its fourth year of production but wearing a fresh face and offering two juiced-up powertrains, a shift-it-yourself 6-speed manual stick or new 8-speed automatic with paddle-shift capability, and way more standard content.

Then we plant a foot on each aluminum pedal -- one on the go pad and the other on the stopper -- to set the rear pair of Potenzas to smoke-n-screech mode.

Now stomp that throttle but brace for a neck-snapping launch:  That sleek Genesis scoots down the twisty road to whip us dizzy in a serious pavement performance.

A chiseled body marks Hyundai's 2-door sports coupe for the editions of 2013, as Genesis acquires a redesigned front hood with broad-grin new fascia and grille, and revised angular projector beam halogen headlamps plus LED DRLs.

The body looks quick and keen in shape with aero-slick edgework and a severe rake to the windshield, two wide doors on wavy flanks of the 2+2 cockpit, and the tail with new LED lamps, a blackout rear diffuser and two chrome-tipped exhaust pipes.

Genesis as a sports coupe sets the engine up front with all power directed to big rear rollers in classic sporty arrangement with even distribution of the weight on front and rear wheels.

It also looks rather expensive in the mold of exotic gran turismo sports cars.

But, to confirm some comfortable price points, the 2013 Genesis coupe ranks as an anomaly among pricy sportsters.

The top trim edition Genesis 3.8 Track -- packing an enhanced V6 engine and the new 8-speed automatic transmission with Shiftronic paddle shifters plus leather hides covering form-fitting sport bucket seats and aluminum foot pedals -- tallies to $34,250 as the max MSRP figure.

The base issue Genesis 2.0T -- stocking a way-zippy new twin-scroll turbocharger 4-cylinder engine tied to a 6-speed manual shifter, 6-speaker multi-media audio kit plus disc brakes with electronic stability control (ESC) and traction control system (TCS) -- comes home for less than $25,000.

Hyundai also pins the Genesis nameplate on a luxury sport sedan, and the sports coupe shares the sedan's rear-wheel-drive (RWD) platform but with 4.6 inches pared from the wheelbase length.

For Genesis as a sports coupe, the wheelbase measures to 111 inches and the track width of the wheels runs to 63.0/63.6 inches (front/rear).

The coupe employs a MacPherson strut dual-link front suspension mounted on a solid subframe and an advanced 5-link design in the rear plus stabilizer bars front and rear.

Standard 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels roll with staggered Bridgestone Potenza RE92A tires -- 225/45VR18 in front and 245/45VR18 in the rear.

The high-performance R-Spec and Track models get 19-inch alloy wheels with staggered high-performance summer-compound Bridgestone Potenza RE050A rubber -- 225/40YR19 up front and 245/40YR19 in back.

R-Spec and Track models also share unique track-tuned suspension calibrations with firmer coil springs and matched damper rates, a front strut brace added and thicker front and rear stabilizer bars (24mm front/20mm rear).

Further, brakes for R-Spec and Track models upgrade to a Brembo braking system with 13.4-inch ventilated front rotors and 42-mm four-piston fixed front calipers, and 13.0-inch ventilated rear rotors with 32-mm and 28-mm four-piston rear calipers.

Genesis 2.0T models carry a four-cylinder turbo plant.

Genesis 3.8 models draw from Hyundai's Lambda V6.

For Genesis 2.0T the twin-cam 4-cylinder engine displaces 2.0 liters and is fitted with a more precise twin-scroll turbocharger and larger air-to-air intercooler, plus Hyundai's dual continuously variable valve timing (DCVVT) equipment.

It bumps up now to 274 hp at 6000 rpm with torque of 275 lb-ft at 2000 rpm, and propels the vehicle to a top speed (electronically limited) of 146 mph.

For Genesis 3.8 the twin-cam 3.8-liter V6 also employs DCVVT valve controls plus direct-injection technology. It rips -- pumping 348 hp at 6400 rpm and 295 lb-ft of torque at 5100 rpm.

Top speed for the top Genesis coupe clicks to 149 mph, and the 0-to-60 acceleration time dips below five seconds.

Federal EPA fuel consumption numbers for the 2013 Genesis engines look favorable -- up to 31 miles per gallon for highway travel with the 4-cylinder plant and 28 mpg for the V6.

Hyundai fills each Genesis coupe with a heap of equipment for safety. Both 2.0T and 3.8 editions stock passive safety systems like frontal air bags and seat-mounted side-impact air bags up front plus curtain-style air bags above outboard seats on the two rows and electronic active head restraints for the front seatbacks.

Hyundai produces three versions of Genesis 2.0T -- the 2.0T base edition, a 2.0T R-Spec and deluxe 2.0T Premium.

Three V6 versions include Genesis 3.8 R-Spec, the 3.8 Grand Touring and 3.8 Track.

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