First and second drive 2010 Genesis Coupe 2.0T (5AT) $23,250


Total: 70/100

Lb/hp & Torq./hp ratio: 15.68/14.76

Combined hp/torq. avg: 15.22

Summary:

Positives...

- Sexy sheet metal, plenty of turbo power, exhilarating exhaust, handling brought to you by the sports car Gods, good steering wheel controls of radio/phone/cruise, fantastic manu-matic and paddle shifters, good fuel economy vs. performance compromise


Downers...

- Engine drone at interstate speeds could get old, lots of engine vibration under normal acceleration or at sustained 65 MPH transferred through steering wheel, tires can't be rotated front to rear due to mismatched sizes, rear headroom an issue if you're over about 5'2, sports car handling is a double edged sword


I can't say enough about how beautifully designed the exterior of this car is. Again pictures do not do it justice as it is by far the best looking contemporary sports coupe on the road today. The one I drove was a black on black 2.0T with the Hyundai 5 speed auto. The cars stance it unmatched, it is more akin to an all out sports car than a sport coupe. Rides fairly low to the ground, seat position is very close to the floor, suspension is clearly designed for track days. It reminds me quite a bit of my Rx-7s from years ago. I haven’t driven the new Mustang yet which is supposed to handle VERY well but I doubt it will be as good as this car is. You can tell Hyundai has come a long way in the last 5 years, both with quality and vehicle design. This car is a genuine sports car.

Interior impressions:

The interior is nicely laid out in a contemporary style, with beautifully sculpted sports seats and large side bolsters. There is a high mounted blue backlit LCD screen for the radio display. The system sound quality is not anything special but does have decent base. I think some upgraded speakers would do a lot to improve the midrange and even the clarity of the treble. The controls are pretty intuitive and the steering wheel volume control and channel up/down for the presets is well designed as is the positioning on the wheel. The function and feel of the buttons and toggle switches is easily the best I've seen yet. The car comes with complimentary XM radio too which is a nice bonus. HVAC controls are well laid out and use large rotating dials for the fan speed and cold/hot mix control.

One of the concerns I had noticed was that the door pockets are very narrow and small. I use my door pockets in most of my cars to store CD wallets, sunglasses, bottled drinks etc and this just isn't possible. Granted there are two cup holders in the center console and the under armrest compartment is decent sized with a nice 12v outlet and USB/Aux audio input which would nicely hold your IPOD or MP3 player. The glove box was pretty standard sized which is decent for most things you'd need to keep there. Unlike the Altima Coupe & Golf TDI coupe there is no significant extra storage in the center console so in a GC you'll have to travel light. There was however an overhead center console with a sunglasses drop down holder.

One oddity is that Hyundai included vanity mirrors on the visors but they are not lighted...? The (small and dim) light is actually mounted to the headliner and requires a separate rocker switch to illuminate them. The problem is that the light won't be hitting you or your girlfriend/wife’s face directly from the visor but from above it. It wasn't dark when I drove the car so I can't say for sure but my gut says this wouldn't be very useful. The other oddity was the omission of a turbo boost gauge on the cluster or "A" pillar. This seems like it should be standard on any turbo or supercharged car. The trunk is much larger than what you would expect, by the numbers it’s only 12 cu ft (compared to the Altima’s 8…) but it is long and shallow. Very good for golf bags and small to medium sized suitcases. I noticed that the trunk could have easily been shortened by two or three inches and the rear seat pushed back to give more leg room, not sure what the Hyundai engineers were thinking on that one.

Driving impressions:

One thing I have to say is you won't be disappointed with the turbo 2.0's power, there's a slight lag upon pressing down the pedal but it wakes up quickly and has a very strong pull above 2-3k rpm. The exhaust sound that accompanies spirited driving and even cruising around town is excellent. You can tell by listening to this that the Hyundai team was focused on making sure the 2.0T sounded bold and there is no sign at all of the bees in a can effect we see with many sport compacts today. It was engineered just right in my opinion, not too loud at cruise and plenty of bark under hard acceleration. Other sport coupe manufacturers take notice....this is how you tune your 4 cylinder dual exhaust systems.

Driving around at parking lot and low speeds you notice the steering is pretty heavy, seems under-boosted to me but I don’t really mind it. At 30 MPH and above it’s a non issue and at highway speeds it feels just right. The car tracks well and stays on center. The ride quality is sports car firm but won’t punish you. I have to admit the paddle shifters are FANTASTIC and are easily on a par or better than the VW system. The blue LCD read out of the gear selection is large enough to see easily while glancing down at the speedo or tach. This car does spirited driving very, very well, and the chassis is tuned beautifully. The car is totally flat and planted through the curves, with strong predictable brakes. The convenience of having two hands on the wheel and paddle shifting simultaneously is very gratifying. On one particular winding S-curve on ramp (taken under turbo boost in 3rd gear) was thrilling to say the least. This car will really make you smile if enjoy performance oriented driving.

One unfortunate observation here is that the most noise generated is actually coming from the engine itself. I noticed while on the highway cruising at 70 MPH that the road noise is very nicely dampened by the car (drop the car in neutral at 70 and it's quite quiet), but the engine itself has a drone that could get pretty annoying on anything more than a 10 minute trip to the grocery store. Part of me thinks "shut up Grandpa it's a performance machine what do you expect?" but the other part of me thinks that perhaps Hyundai didn't do this on purpose. This may be something that can be fixed with liquid filled engine mounts or some other such NVH reducing concepts. I certainly don’t mind this when you get on it, but while just cruising it is a concern for me since I will be spending 2 hours a day commuting in this car.

Part of the problem with this may be due to the tall rear end gearing, which is great for maximizing acceleration but results in the engine running at quite high rpm's at highway cruising speeds. This was also a problem on my Rx-7 back in the day too with its 4:09 final drive axle. For example the 2.0T engine is running 2,500 rpm at just 60 MPH, when you’re on the interstate at 70-75 it's running 3,200 rpm. At this speed the drone and vibration is pretty strong and is translated through the steering wheel and cabin. There is no cabin buzz but you can feel it through the floor and the center console on your right armrest. In comparison the Altima's 2.5 was running only 1,800 rpm, my Pt Cruiser 2.4 runs 2,100 at 55 MPH and only 2,700 at 70 MPH. Under 65 MPH the engine noise is just a touch louder than a normal car but pretty acceptable in my book. We'll have to see how this compares in the 2011 Mustang V6.

On the fuel economy front I can confirm the window sticker rating of 30 MPG highway is quite easily attainable. I found even with the car in 5th gear at 60 MPH (2,500 rpm) with A/C on the avg. mileage settled between 30-32 MPG. Turing off the A/C and running at 65 (3k rpm) resulted in the avg. mileage settling at 33-34 MPG which is quite good considering the relatively high rpm the motor cruises at. I did notice though that the application of turbo power dropped the MPG by 10 even for only short acceleration bursts. If you put your foot into this car too often it may prove challenging to get over 30 MPG consistently. I also took notice the Bridgestone Potenza’s are not able to be rotated front to rear which could mean you're likely wear out the rear tires fast. At 225/45/R18 F and 245/45/R18 R that could get pricy in a hurry.

Overall the Genesis Coupe isn’t a home run, but it’s a very solid triple. The scores reflect my observations and comparisons to the other cars on my list, but if you’re looking for a solid sports coupe with drop dead gorgeous styling and all the right moves and sound to back it up you can’t go wrong with the GC. Special thanks to Sean at Rosen Hyundai (Algonquin IL) for letting me get a second look/drive on this car to sort this all out.

Tommeter:

Comfort - 5
Design Interior - 5
Design exterior - 8
Powertrain - 8
Handling - 9
Fuel economy - 7
Electronics/convenience - 8
Engine note - 6
Fit & function - 6
Must have factor - 8

Total: 70/100


Want more pictures? Go here:
http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/gallery.aspx?year=2010&make=Hyundai&model=Genesis%20Coupe&trimid=-1

Want full specs.? Go here:
http://www.edmunds.com/new/2010/hyundai/genesiscoupe/101147002/specs.html