Greetings all,
I was able to pop by the Hyundai dealership yesterday for a quick spin in the new Genesis Coupe 3.8.
Bottom line: This Thing Is NIIIICE!
I had hoped to try a 2.0T model for a drive, but none were available. On the up side, a demo model with the 3.8l engine and 6 sp. manual transmission was sitting there looking very curvy and ready to play. And since I had a salesman that encouraged all manner of hooliganism behind the wheel, I think I was able to get a pretty good feel for the car over what was a fairly extensive test drive (slow afternoon and a gorgeous day -I think he was happy to get the heck out of the showroom). Anyway, this was not the GT version (or Track package as it is known down south) - so no 19" rims, no Brembo brakes, but rear limited slip diff is standard.
EXTERIOR
Overall, it's a pretty good looking car most of the time - but I still find it odd-looking from some angles. I've identified two areas of concern: 1) that window kink looks contrived and simply does nothing for the car; 2) visually, the car looks wider in front than it does in back, which is a bit counterintuitive and aesthetically backasswards. But the rest of it I quite like.
INTERIOR
Pretty darned good. Not spectacular, not great, but not cheap, either. Overall quality and fit of materials is solidly mainstream Japan Inc. Not Lexus, not Infiniti - but safely in the Nisshondayota stream. The one bit of fromage might have been the leather-wrapped steering wheel - which did a very convincing impersonation of a vinyl-wrapped steering wheel - but at least was grippy and comfortable in use. I think some of the criticism of the interior of the Coupe arises from the fact that it is a it of a let-down as compared with the Sedan - the latter of which is clearly aimed at a higher target. But then, it must be kept in mind that the Sedan can't be had for a mid-twenties price tag, as the turbo model of the Coupe can. And the interior design is solid - clean, functional and free of overt techno-gimmicks, cornball retro foolishness or rampant buttonitis. No nav on any models - which was a suprise - but not an issue for me. Smartkey and start button were welcome features.
Back seat - I sure as hell wasn't folding my bones to get back there, but it looked to be enough room for a pair of grade-school kids. Trunk did not look golf-club friendly.
Engine and Transmission
The 3.8 gives up a nice aggressive growl on startup and sings a pretty nice song up and down the rev range. They have struck a commendable balance between delivering a sporty sound that enhances the legitimate sporting ablities of the vehicle, and yet one that doesn't become an intrusive distraction all the damn time.
The shifter and clutch are both a bit on the heavy side - not objectionably so, but noticeably so. The shifter moves readily through well-defined gates, but it does not want to be rushed. Throws are commendably short. Overall, it's an easy car to drive smoothly after a very short period of time. By the end of the drive, it felt completely natural.
Throttle response off the line felt just a bit underwhelming. Not slow - just not quite like three hundred horses straining to be freed. Once underway, though, it picked up speed in a real grin-enducing fashion, with glances at the speedo revealing that I was going even faster than I thought. Even in 6th gear on the highway, throttle response was very good indeed. You could drop a gear to really lunge ahead, but you don't have to.
Ride and Handling
I got to attack a few ramps and some twisty bits of road (all the time being egged on by the wonderfully irresponsible salesman) and was VERY impressed by the quick turn-in, strong grip and flat cornering posture. I suspect that the handling advantages of the GT would not be discernable at even remotely appropriate street speeds. And the real surprise - the ride. NOT punishing in the least. Firm, buttoned down, but just not harsh at all. Small bumps and expansion joints simply could not make themselves felt. If the GT package caused any reduction in ride quality (which it must) it would be a very hard sell for me as an agreeable tradeoff - at least if the car were meant to be a daily driver. And I would have absolutely NO problem piloting this thing around on a daily basis.
Steering feel was very good - precise, with good feedback. Neither heavy nor over-boosted. Just liberating the front wheels from having to pull the car around makes yields substantial benefits, I'm sure.
If I were to pick two words to sum up the way this car handles "balanced" and "poised" would likely be the ones.
OVERALL
Colour me impressed. The version that I drove came to just under 33k - that's with 18" rims, leather, sunroof, self-levelling HIDs, XM radio and all the mod-cons this side of Nav. All aspects of the driving experience made it feel like a LOT of automotive virtue for the dollar. It felt for all the world like a more spacious G35 Coupe (I have not driven the G37). Hyundai has a winner on its hands.
Jaeger
