2007 Hyundai Genesis Coupe Concept Review

Specifications

Wow. For all the spy shots, the rumors and the speculations, we couldn’t help but be stunned when the covers were pulled off of Hyundai’s new Genesis Coupe Concept. By far one of the biggest highlights of this year’s LA auto show, this new, affordable 2+2 rear wheel drive coupe promises everything that a sports car enthusiast could want, but what’s more is that it is foreshadowing the production car that’s slated to arrive in 2009.

The Genesis Coupe is one of two vehicles that will replace the current Tiburon. Hyundai sees that there’s a viable market in the two-door segment in compact, affordable vehicles, as well as coupes for a slightly wealthier audience. The entry level car will be front wheel drive, and styled in the image of the HND-3 Veloster concept vehicle, while the latter will be the production version of the car you see here, sans the visual dress-up.

You’re going to be hearing a lot of comparisons between the Genesis Coupe and cars like the Infiniti G37 in terms of design, plus the adjectives “stylish”, “sexy”, and “beautiful”. Hyundai’s interpretation of the sporty coupe sees a neat, flowing shape with detail work that isn’t too finicky or complicated. The coupe features a narrow grille and cat’s eye headlamps, which give it the most aggressive look for a Hyundai to date. One of the defining features of the Genesis Coupe’s design is of style and practicality. Where BMW coupes are known for their Hoffmeister Kink (of which the Genesis sort of incorporates), the Hyundai Concept’s waistline dips downwards past the B-pillar. This subtle little detail adds to the sleek profile of the car, not to mention that it gives those riding in back a better viewpoint. Despite a more grown up shape and appearance, the link to the current generation Tiburon is inescapable, which is a good thing since it was the vehicle that put Hyundai on the map in the sports car world, and many of the new car’s customers will come from Hyundai’s many Tiburon faithful, also now grown up.

While the car shown at Hyundai’s stands isn’t what will be produced, a few quick changes should reveal what it will look like. Remove the slatted, carbon fiber hood, the freshly-squeezed orange paint, the 20-inch wheels and some of the intricacies such as the carbon fiber lip on the body kit and the grille surrounds, and this is what you’ll be able to purchase at Hyundai stores in 2009. As for the concept car, it’s no surprise that Hyundai chose to display a coupe that appeals to tuner and drifter types. We could easily see this car being the next darling of the street scene.

With tinted windows as dark as these, it was all but impossible to get a glimpse inside of the Genesis Coupe, but from what spy photos have captured and from Hyundai’s recent cabins, including the recently redesigned domestic market Sonata sedan plus Santa Fe and Veracruz crossovers, we’ve got high expectations for quality and fit and finish.

The Genesis Coupe is gunning for the Ford Mustang in terms of size and price, but has a completely different set of priorities when it comes to its driving dynamics. With a projected 50:50 weight distribution, a limited slip rear differential and a goal of matching the previous-generation BMW M3 for chassis rigidity, you can bet your bottom dollar that this car will handle as well as it looks. Like the Genesis sedan, the Coupe model will feature a MacPherson strut front suspension layout with a five-link rear axle. The two-door won’t be as long as its four-door sibling, mind you, as Hyundai has excised a large amount of space between the wheel wells bringing the wheelbase length down to 111.0 inches, which is still quite generous for a midsize coupe. Overall, the sports model is also smaller by 4.5 inches than the big, full-size sedan.

The deal gets even sweeter when you consider the engines that Hyundai is preparing to slot under its hood. The entry level car will be powered by a four-cylinder that will be 2.0-liters in displacement, much the same size as what’s being used in the entry-level Tiburon. It might sound small and particularly underwhelming for a vehicle like this, but the caveat is that it’s turbocharged. Rumor has it that output will be rated at 200 horsepower (if not more) with more than 200 lb-ft of torque, putting it on par with Volkswagen’s 2.0T. The other engine that Hyundai will be offering is a high-output V6. At 3.8-liters and generating more than 300 horsepower and 250 lb-ft of torque, it’s well up to the job of terrorizing the Infiniti G37 and BMW 335i. A pair of six-speed transmissions will be the intermediaries for the powertrain and rear wheels, in either shift-it-yourself guise or automatic with paddles. Both of these engines will demonstrate Hyundai’s latest technologies, including dual overhead camshafts and variable valve timing.

Hyundai has already hinted at what we can expect with regards to pricing for the production version, with a confident answer that it’ll start at under $17,000. As tantalizing as this sounds - a turbocharged, 200+ horsepower rear wheel drive coupe - we’re a bit skeptical that Hyundai can pack all the key features into this car at such a price, but we won’t complain if they somehow manage to do it! Naturally, the V6 model will set buyers back more, with pricing rising to about the $25,000 mark, which is thoroughly reasonable for such a package. As of right now, Hyundai has no plans to offer the Tau-series V8 engine, which will be featured in the sedan. Given that the two cars share the same roots, we don’t see why Hyundai wouldn’t consider this as an alternative down the road. Still, whatever the price tag might read, the fact that Hyundai has evolved so much and is prepared to put this car into production is priceless.