VxDesigns

For too long the American market has lacked an affordable, accessible, fast, responsive, fun, communicative, good-looking rear-wheel-drive sports coupe. The Hyundai Genesis Coupe is that car. Finally.

Full Disclosure: Hyundai wanted me to drive the new Genesis Coupe so badly they flew me out and put me up in a Casino to make sure I wrote about it. Also, they fed me sliders. I’m more of a vegetables kind of guy.

Late last summer I drove a Hyundai Sonata and couldn’t have been more horrified with the experience. It didn’t so much accelerate as whine about being asked to do so, corners were best avoided and the thing was straight nasty inside in the way we’ve come to expect cars from Korea to be.

The Genesis Coupe couldn’t be any more different.Down into second and the rear wheels squeal as they lose traction, the rear end getting loose as I turn into the 180-degree right-hander. Floor the throttle before the apex, lift a bit to slow the rotation, counter steer to the left and the Coupe is drifting across the track, making full use of the width added by the pit exit. Straighten things up, into third gear and then floor the throttle. Straight over a crest as the wheels temporarily lose purchase, then keep that throttle pinned through an off-camber sweeper. This isn’t a Sonata. A glance at the spec sheet and you know this is going to be an impressive car. There’s two engines: a 3.8-liter V6 with 306 HP and 266 Lb-Ft of torque or a 2.0 turbo with 210 HP and 223 Lb-Ft. The 3.8 will run 0-to-60 MPH in 5.5 seconds and top out at 149 MPH. The 2.0T takes 6.8 seconds to reach 60 and tops out at 137 MPH. It’s lighter than an E46 BMW M3 (3,294 Lbs for the 2.0T, 3,389 for the 3.8; the M3 is 3,415 Lbs), yet its chassis is 24% stiffer. Suspension is MacPherson front, five-link rear. Roll bars are 24mm front, 19mm rear. At 2.7 turns lock-to-lock the rack-and-pinion is quick and accurate.