2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
| The Good: – Exotic exterior styling – Practical cabin features – Ride and handling |
The Bad: – Manual-mode gear response – Awkward rear accommodations – Some hard cabin plastics |
For whatever reason, we had completely forgotten about the Hyundai Genesis Coupe as a legitimate sports-car contender, what will all the hype over rivals from Japan. Introduced a few years ago, it has already undergone a facelift, and when we were offered the chance to drive the 2013 edition, we accepted the offer without much expectations. But boy were we surprised.
The Genesis Coupe is quite a looker. It is probably the closest thing you can get to Maserati style in this price range. We even dig that controversial downward kink on the rear-side windows. The new face is also attractive in person, although we wish those bonnet “vents” were real openings. But topped off with 19-inch alloys and stylised exhaust tips, this car looks like a trillion dollars.
Inside, the interior shows no signs of major cost-cutting, unlike the cheap plasticky tub in the Chevy Camaro. The redesigned dash has a stitched soft-touch top that extends to the sides of the centre-console and upper door sills, while the headliner cloth extends down the front A-pillars. Padded leatherette door inserts and armrests add to the cushiness. Only the bottom half of the dash and other below-the-waist areas are scratchy hard plastics, but the cabin materials almost rival that of the much-pricier Nissan 370Z. Aside from one small slightly-misaligned panel covering the USB/AUX ports, everything else was put together perfectly.
The leather-upholstered sports seats are thickly bolstered, and space up front is excellent, with none of that bath-tub feeling which afflicts other sports cars. The back seats can actually fit average-sized adults, astoundingly enough, but it’s tight and your scalp will be a few millimetres from the rear glass, baking in the sun. Even more surprising is how long the boot floor is, constrained only by a small opening. Very spacious, but it should’ve had a liftback lid instead.
Our top-spec Genesis Coupe came with a great CD/MP3 stereo, USB/AUX ports, working Bluetooth, and a very good single-zone auto a/c with some sort of built-in ioniser. Further features included a sunroof, HID headlights with fogs and LEDs, front-side airbags, keyless start and a partially-powered driver’s seat alongside the usual power accessories. Two uncovered cup-holders, an armrest cubby and door pockets make the cabin practical. There were even three vestigial gauges under the stereo, showing the percentage of acceleration, the torque level and the oil temperature. Go figure.
The meat of the matter is in the 3.8-litre “MPI” V6, carried over from the previous version, and tuned to grunt just like a Porsche sixer. Capable of sending 306 hp at 6300 rpm and 361 Nm of torque at 4700 rpm to the rear wheels, the motor is now mated to a new paddle-shiftable 8-speed automatic. The engine offers beautiful low-end kick with that roar, and decent power always, but our timed 0-100 kph test gave us a time of 7.3 seconds. The Coupe is heavy, at 1610 kg, but we’d put down the unimpressive time to the fresh engine that hadn’t cracked even 1000 km yet, compounded by the hot July weather. It’ll probably be quicker once broken in. We also got 14.5 litres/100 km of overall fuel consumption thanks to our pounding, but on regular driving around the city, it was returning as low as 11.5 litres/100 km.
It rides rather comfortably for a sports car. It feels as compliant as a firm Porsche 911 on the highway, but without the use of gimmicky adaptive suspension setups. Wind and road noises reach moderate levels beyond 100 kph, and the engine isn’t entirely quiet, but it is still a more comfortable daily driver than a Ford Mustang GT. Reverse-parking isn’t too tough either, thanks to rear sensors.
It behaves like a proper sports car on the bends, with solid grip from the Bridgestone Potenzas, 225/40 up front and 245/40 in the rear. Body roll is very limited, but it is still somewhat there, especially on tighter manoeuvres, likely a consequence of keeping the ride so comfortable. It even becomes easier to swing the car into little drifts, helped by that juicy torque, so it is tremendously fun with ESP off. The steering isn’t as sharp or communicative as more hardcore sports cars, but it offers just enough to make it easy to catch those drifts. So while it doesn’t corner as flat or as sharply as a Honda S2000, the benefits are far more palatable. We’ve yet to figure out how to safely drift the Honda S2000.
But while we are fine with the steering and love the Brembo brakes, we weren’t too impressed by the automatic gearbox. It does fine if left on its own about town, but in spirited driving, switching to manual mode using the paddles only results in delayed responses and automatic upshifts at redline. Better manual control would be preferred, or indeed, a proper manual gearbox for the GCC-spec model.
And yet, we still love this car. Who would’ve thunk that Hyundai could create such an involving grand tourer. It looks like a Maserati, sounds like a Porsche, rides like a BMW, and drifts like a Mustang, all for the price of a Toyota 86. It has its niggling quirks, but hell, they aren’t that big of a deal beyond the racetrack, and this car is easily going on our recommended list.
| Price Range: Dh 123,000-125,000 Current Model Introduced in: Body Styles: Engines: Transmissions: Setup: Suspension: |
Brakes: Front: discs Rear: discs Curb Weight: Length: Wheelbase: Top Speed: Test Acceleration 0-100 kph: Observed Test Fuel Economy: |
Comments
GenCoupeDude
Interesting review. A fresh look on the new Genesis Coupe: Instead of endless comparisons with other cars, it was evaluated for what it is… and this a good thing since it kind of is in its own little category.
Weird that Hyundai sells a 2013 Genesis Coupe with the engine specs of the 2011 model year though. The new direct injected 3.8L V6 now produces close to 350hp. Maybe that was a simple typo on the reviewer’s part??? Then again, there could be a reason to continue selling the less advanced engine in some markets (although I can’t see what it would be)…
samer
It is not a typo, the direct injected engine requires high quality fuel that is not available here and by here i mean Middle East, fuel quality could be relatively good in UAE but any major company deals with the region as Middle East and many countries here suffer from bad quality fuel (away from number of octane) because you may get 98 octane fuel but still its quality would be poor without other chemicals and additives … that is sad though because the new Genesis with the direct injected engine would eat up all other cars in its category including the G37
Umesh
@ Samer – “the direct injected engine requires high quality fuel that is not available here”. But there are many high quality engines like ferraris, Bimmers, Merc etc here with many high power direct injection engines. How do they sell ?
samer
@Umesh
Yes they sell, but they are tuned to cope with the fuel here; this is first, and second, you can tell that they are suffering from the fuel here if you take a glance at the reliability of the cars you mentioned.
Anil
Now we all know why the Toyota 86 is overrated
Niloy
Who paid for the last paragraph?
Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
You?
lucid
“…sounds like a Porsche, rides like a BMW, and drifts like a Mustang, all for the price of a Toyota 86.”
Except for the Maserati looks, I can imagine the rest being as Mash described it. But, I never took Mash for someone who would ‘thunk’.
GenCoupeDude
@samer: Thanks! I didn’t know that. It’s a shame… the new engines (both the turbo 2.0L and DI 3.8L) are very near the top of current engine technology. I hope you eventually get the same car we do (in North-America).
@Anil: After driving both the new Genesis Coupe and the Scion FR-S (aka Toyota 86), I cannot agree with that. But they are very different cars though. The Toyota is like a Go Kart: Light, handles really well, is not very powerful, comes with a bad interior and a useless back seat.
The Genesis Coupe on the other hand is a much heavier, larger car, but with plenty of power (and torque!), a nice interior and a backseat that can at least be used by children and teenagers… and that also doubles as a nice additional cargo space (when the seats are down). Apart from a small resemblance from the outside, those are two VERY different cars…
Toyota/Subaru would really have a great product on their hands… if only its little engine came with a twin-scroll turbo bolted on. And since Subaru knows a thing or two about turbocharging engines, I’m at a loss as to why they didn’t.
ROJ
I still liked the smaller and better handling 86..
To be honest the Gen Coupe has more luxuries and power but the 86 does what you expect out of a sports car..
ROJ
The gen coupe beats the 86 in luxuries n power but the 86 got this proper driving feel of a proper sports car. I find the base 86 a great bargain for the money regardless. Those wanting a cruiser would take the gen coupe while the 86 for dedicated enthusiasts.
GenCoupeDude
I can only concur. In the end I decided on the Genesis Coupe though. It’s got more of what I’m looking for… including a decent interior. And since I went for the R-spec trim, it doesn’t handle that bad either. Now the hard part: Waiting a month and a half for the car to get here! (Hyundai clearly underestimated demand for their upgraded coupe)
Shahzad Haider
While reading all comments from @ROJ and @GenCoupDude i can suggest like this
Hyundai Genesis Coupe requirements are
======================================
Age 25+, Car maintained by him self, Married
Toyota 86 requirements are
==========================
Age 15-25, Car must be sponsored by DAD, Unmarried with limited friends.
if not agree just ignore Thanks.
Shahzad Haider
Fortunately or unfortunately i have read the comments from @ROJ, Where as i have clearly mentioned
[ IF NOT AGREE JUST IGNORE ]
even after that i have to read so many ****. any way i an not replying @ROJ your 5 points. Just Ignoring all ****.
Thanks 😉
ROJ
Hyundai dealer did a very poor job in marketing the gen coupe.. thats why..
Joe
BTW the official 0-100KPH time is 5.9s for the manual, I’m not sure about the automatic but for 2009-2012 the automatic was a bit faster than the manual.
Also by driving in July weather (40C-43C) you lose about %9 (~27hp) of the engine power according to SAE specs, so a 0-100KPH time of 7.3 is justifiable.
ROJ
Dont post provocative comments if you dont want to get a provocative reply..
Joe
Stating the facts are considered a provocation?? Since when?? Do you even know what this word means??
The first part was a reply to the GC2013 page on this site that lists the 0-100KM time as 6.3s instead of around 5.9s, the second is an explanation why the car did a lot worse than the official time !!
ROJ
@ Joe, sorry this was posted for Shahzad Haider.. It came in as a reply to your post
also,
“Hyundai dealer did a very poor job in marketing the gen coupe.. thats why..” – was a post for gencoupedude..
Faisal Khatib
For the limited time I had behind the wheel of this car all I can say is if I was in the market for such a car, I’d completely consider it. Good visibility, decent power, comfortable seats, nice interior, 2+2 seating, good boot space were all a plus for me. The things I didn’t like was the slightly heavy steering, jerky manual shifting, acceleration lag and you can feel the weight around corners.
ROJ
Such driving and handling dynamics are not top notch for Hyundai as they dont really have a history or heritage in motorsport and racing so you will have to admire the formidable effort they managed to do in building such their first proper RWD sports car..
Though they manage to always lead the way in offering more luxuries, space and practicality for less money compared to rivals..
I was seriously considering a gencoupe long before the 86 was out but my heart went for the more agile 86.. The 86 still surprises in-terms of lightness, handling and control even though its tires are pretty skinny basic road tires.
Shibu Daniel
Speaking of motorsport heritage, Lamborghini is another brand that doesn’t have one. :p
REZA
the 2011 version were faster than the new one plus who will pay for this car when the are lots of other more practical and faster cars like mustang, comarors, challenger,….
ROJ
Depends on what you are looking for.
Those wanting a fully dedicated sports car take the 86.
Those looking for a reliable car with more kit for the price take the gen coupe.
Those wanting an american muscle experience take all of the above stangs, challenger, etc.
Imad
Who says the older model was faster? The 7.3 sec run achieved by these guys should not be considered.
Spark
wow guys Ive been missing out on stuff until I saw this site
I was going to buy the GC2012 until I saw this site
the info shocked me.
i asked the car-dealer about the car specs and all he knew was engine size & price nothing else and after some research I bumped into several sites including yours & then I knew that the car I was going to buy had the MPI 3.8L engine 306hp & a5speed auto , am guessing the 0-100km time would be really shocking & slow as the old model.
am referring your site to my friends & I am sure they will be surprised once they check their car specs.
samer
Get your info right, in fact genesis coup never came with 5 speed auto, the old model had 6 speed auto and the new one comes with 8 speed
ROJ
0-100 in 6 or 7 seconds is very good… I dont know why would anybody complain if their car achieves such 0-100 timings?
Shahzad Haider
Wow today I saw first Toyota 86, the sports car on road in white color looking great even I was at the speed 140+ than I just moved to second lane and reduced my speed upto 100. But unfortunately this boy or man cannot bring his car near to me. Don’t know why maybe he don’t want to enjoy his ride fully in 3rd lane at the speed less than 100 or 80.
May Be he has no idea that what he had bought.
Mark
Please calm yourself.. Its not like you are getting paid to give yourself all this room to sound like an idiot..
I have been reading your dumb comments for a long-time.. If you expect people to ignore a jackass like you then make no mistake, we will do what it takes to enlighten you and show you how much of an idiot you actually are..
Why didnt you pull him over and ask him why he bought it? if you really want to know.. Or you were scared he will show you the finger and make you look like your big & powerful ride compensates for that small idiotic brain of yours..
Shahzad Haider
Sorry for my childish behaviour or Idiotic comments (according to you) which are irritating to you but My point was very simple about the mentality or common mindset of the people, when you buy something called sports car than just give a push to race Paddle, enjoy it and if people has to drive with decency than people should go for a simple sedan car.
People buy sports cars just to satisfy them selves or as status symbol. They don’t know even what they have…
And frankly I agree with your second comment something you said about fin_ _ _ 😉
Shahzad Haider
And please don’t get angry again over this reply I just wanted to explain about common mindset of consumers. And you can find this in any Marketing Book about consumer behaviour. Thanks.
Mark
I took it too far. I really dont want to argue with you if you are that impulsive. I might have provoked you to being aggressive, that i apologize for but seriously man dont you take a minute to reflect upon what you are actually saying??
People drive whatever they enjoy driving. I dont go around insulting their choice. If somebody drives a go kart, I dont go poke fun of them. Because there is something called mutual respect, fyi.
Didnt even cross your mind that the kid in the white 86 recently got it out of the dealership and its still in its break in period, so he cannot drive it fast??
Or you simply have a passion for hating??
Shahzad Haider
Closed and chill man.
I just need an experts opinion or need a comparison between 120k to 135k coupe cars here in UAE.
Already requested to Mr. MASH.
Thanks.
Xalan Mustafa
how is it compared to Toyota 86 ? there should be a comparo out soon.
Spark
well samer that’s what the dealer said , he said latterly we got the V6 MPI engine & the 5 speed auto & according to Wikipedia he might be right.
so am guessing that the 0-100 time would be so ugly like the old model
Yamen Dannan
I Own this car now 😀 a Yellow 2013 Genesis Coupe 🙂
Its great, and btw, it does 5.5 0-100 kph 🙂 i tested it a lot.
If you have any questions about the car, Dun hesitate asking.
Imad
You actually got 5.5 secs? Stock? How did you launch? I have a 2013 Genny Coupe too.
Andy
Hi ALL
6, 7, 5.5 secs?
305, 350bhp??
5 speed, 6 speed, 8 speed???
I’m in the market for a new car, like the looks of the GenCoupe but can someone tell me what I’m actually buying if I choose a 2013 model??
I’d ask the dealer but last time I was there I left they didn’t seem to know much and didn’t have any in stock..
thanks
Syed Fasiuddin
I was in the Hyundai showroom today and i sat in the Genesis and i got to say every word about the Interior is true! I love those materials they used and the seats are comfy too.
I tried telling my friends that its 300 BHP yet they had this bland expression though.
I heart Hyundai!(Only for the Genesis and Accent Though)
Erfan Devil
genesis coupe is wonderful car with this price
GenOwner
The outgoing (e.g.’11) model had the German made ZF 6-speed auto which gear ratios were shorter than the manual and therefore provided for a slightly quicker 0-100 times of 5.4-5.5 (check out various internet sources).
Apparently Hyundai decided to use for ’13 their in-house built 8-speed auto for whatever reasons (better fuel economy, cost saving, etc).
On a side note – GDI being more powerful has its disadvantages as well. It’s a well known fact in the industry that GDI engines (VW, Audi, Mercedes and so on manufacturers are driven by the ever increasing environmental requirements to fit the new technology) build up a carbon plaque that requires expensive clean up procedure every now and then (please google the topic).
Considering the increased popularity of the GC in recent years there’s an equally big aftermarket support (US mainly) which puts a lot of available customization options (including turbo for the 3.8 MPI).
Kenshinrs
I’ve been in the showroom today and for those who are interested in this car, hyundai has a promo going on until may 15 2014. You can now get this car for aed108k.
Flukemaster
I’m considering buying the GC 2014. Any ideas?? How good is it as an everyday car. Appreciate feedback on resale value as well. Thanks.
Ratty
Hi all,
Nissan 370Z, or Hyundai genesis coupe, or Kia cadenza.
I Read the comments. I’m not an expert. Got a Mitsubishi 2009 lancer ex GT that I am now giving to the wife. Need a car just for to drive to work and back. When out with the kids, will use the lancer.
I want a 2015 370z. Am also looking at the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, and was considering the Kia Cadenza. All are V6, with different characteristics.
I just want a daily driver, my heart says 370z, my brain says genesis.
I’ll buy brand new. In the UK I had a fiesta XR2, 2003 civic type r, then an M3. I loved the civic, was so easy to move in and out of traffic. I want a boy racer again in dubai.
Any thoughts? Is the 370z easy to live with everyday or is it really harsh in a day to day basis with annoying road noise going down Al Khail road?
Shall I just wait for the 2016 z35 to come out or buy something now. It’s rent, or buy a crapoy Yaris for a year (I don’t want that).
Was even thinking of a 2015 charger R/T when it comes out, but am afraid of American car reliability in the long run.
I love driving these types of cars.
Lastly, I have always had manuals in the UK. Last 8 years in dubai have been automatics. I’d love the 370z in manual but am afraid that after a couple of months, I’d regret not getting the automatic.
Any thoughts would be appreciated. I’d want to keep it for 5 years unless I become a millionaire and then can give self a headache about what super car to buy!
Thanks in advance.
Ratty