Thursday, May 7, 2009

2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8

SOOOO.... I decided to test drive a Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 this beautiful afternoon and although my expectations for this car weren't much, I was definitely impressed.

This is going to be my mini-review of this little BEAST and it probably won't be spot on accurate since I only drove it for a short 20 minutes.

Pros:
  • Awesome exhaust note at low revs
  • Comfortable yet supportive seats
  • Great driving position
  • Very good handling

Cons:
  • Manual transmission gearbox was pretty craptacular

Performance

The model I test drove was powered by a 3.8 litre V6 which was rated at 306hp and 266 pound-feet of torque. Within a few seconds of pulling out of the dealership lot, I could hear the exhaust note which was actually very nice sounding. It produced a very low grumble at low revs which sounds pretty beastly, and in turn, I REALLY wanted to get on the throttle. My oh my, it was pretty damn quick but not "holy-shit-it-felt-like-i-got-punched-in-the-stomach" quick. The suspension was also set up pretty well. It wasn't back-breaking stiff but it wasn't soft around the corners either. It definitely provides confidence around tight bends.

The brakes were nothing special. Actually, probably a bit on the soft side. However, there is a 3.8 GT model that offers BREMBO brakes and I'm pretty sure that it would make a SIGNIFICANT difference.

The thing that annoyed me the most was the piece of crap gearbox. It's actually pretty sharp and accurate under normal driving but when hitting redline up-shifts, it cuts the power for a bit which makes you feel like you just hit a brick wall. I did some research and the reason why the power cuts is because Hyundai decided to be retarded and fitted a transmission that could not handle all the power produced by the 3.8 litre V6 engine. And thus, THE POWER CUTTT to prevent any damage!!!! Stupid.

Comfort

The Genesis Coupe 3.8 had a pretty decent interior. The finish didn't feel cheap like the rest of the cars in their line-up. The seats were well-bolstered which provided a snug fit during spirited driving. They were also very comfortable. It offered lumbar support to reduce back fatigue.

That's pretty much all I have to say in this section of my review since I didn't pay much attention to anything else other than performance. 20 minutes is not enough.

Function

Function? What function? I didn't even bother playing around with the buttons on the center console. Again, didn't have time. If you want to find out, go visit a Hyundai dealership yourself. :)

The only other button I touched was the... TRACTION CONTROL OFF BUTTON...!!! Feels great when the stupid onboard computers don't cut your power. I'm pretty sure that this car would drive quite nice sideways.

Design/Fit and Finish

I don't have much of an opinion towards the exterior styling. I didn't hate it nor did I love it. It was just "Meh!". It definitely carries the lines from the Tiburon and I think it resembles a bit of the Infiniti G37 Coupe.

Interior styling was not bad. Everything was pretty driver-oriented except for a few things. The window open/close switches were placed in the weirdest position ever. It felt like I had to break my wrist to push the buttons properly. The hand brake position was pretty bad as well. Seemed like I had to pivot out of my seat to grab it. If a fat man was in the driver seat, the blubber probably would have covered the handbrake lever. Other than that, it's good.

So... Who Should Buy This Car?

A driving enthusiast on a budget. It can definitely give the new Nissan 370Z a run for its money.