Do you remember Hyundai’s first sporty car? No, it wasn’t the Tiburon that appeared in 1996.
It was actually the Scoupe, a two-door variant of the Excel subcompact. The first models had a breathtaking 81-hp engine, but a 115-hp Scoupe Turbo appeared for a couple of years and offered interesting performance at an affordable price.
Fifteen years later, the new Genesis Coupe with the turbo 2.0-litre engine also offers interesting performance at an affordable price. But an important distinction between it and its predecessor is that Hyundai builds much better cars now.
And with the arrival of the Genesis Sedan and Genesis Coupe comes rear-wheel drive. The last Hyundai that was offered to us Canadians with that powered its rear wheels was the Stellar. Ok, I won’t go there.
Base engine, but room to grow
The Genesis Coupe comes standard with a new 4-cylinder engine that displaces 2.0 litres and includes both a turbocharger and an intercooler. With 210 horsepower and 223 lb-ft on tap, the 2.0T is good for 0 to 100 km/h blasts of 7.8 seconds and rings through the quarter mile in 15.6 seconds at 142 km/h, which isn’t bad.
But for those who are into tuning, a notable horsepower gain can be found within the base engine of the Genesis. One major horse provider is HKS, which offers a variety of aftermarket bits and pieces. An overboosted 2.0-litre unit could be better than the V6, though, as the lighter engine block on the front wheels translates into a better balanced car. But remember, this stuff voids the warranty and probably nullifies the possibility of fuelling with regular unleaded.
Compared to Volkswagen’s 2.0 TSI engine that’s found in various products including the GTI, Hyundai’s 2.0T feels a little less muscular in its low-rpm range, and isn’t quite as good on gas; our test car is averaging 10.5 L/100 km, still nothing to be ashamed of.
Our only complaint about the powertrain is the 6-speed manual’s lack of precision. Downshifting from 3rd to 2nd must be executed flawlessly, or you’ll get stuck in the reverse gear’s shift gate.
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| The Genesis Coupe with the turbo 2.0-litre engine also offers interesting performance at an affordable price. |
It was actually the Scoupe, a two-door variant of the Excel subcompact. The first models had a breathtaking 81-hp engine, but a 115-hp Scoupe Turbo appeared for a couple of years and offered interesting performance at an affordable price.
Fifteen years later, the new Genesis Coupe with the turbo 2.0-litre engine also offers interesting performance at an affordable price. But an important distinction between it and its predecessor is that Hyundai builds much better cars now.
And with the arrival of the Genesis Sedan and Genesis Coupe comes rear-wheel drive. The last Hyundai that was offered to us Canadians with that powered its rear wheels was the Stellar. Ok, I won’t go there.
Base engine, but room to grow
The Genesis Coupe comes standard with a new 4-cylinder engine that displaces 2.0 litres and includes both a turbocharger and an intercooler. With 210 horsepower and 223 lb-ft on tap, the 2.0T is good for 0 to 100 km/h blasts of 7.8 seconds and rings through the quarter mile in 15.6 seconds at 142 km/h, which isn’t bad.
But for those who are into tuning, a notable horsepower gain can be found within the base engine of the Genesis. One major horse provider is HKS, which offers a variety of aftermarket bits and pieces. An overboosted 2.0-litre unit could be better than the V6, though, as the lighter engine block on the front wheels translates into a better balanced car. But remember, this stuff voids the warranty and probably nullifies the possibility of fuelling with regular unleaded.
Compared to Volkswagen’s 2.0 TSI engine that’s found in various products including the GTI, Hyundai’s 2.0T feels a little less muscular in its low-rpm range, and isn’t quite as good on gas; our test car is averaging 10.5 L/100 km, still nothing to be ashamed of.
Our only complaint about the powertrain is the 6-speed manual’s lack of precision. Downshifting from 3rd to 2nd must be executed flawlessly, or you’ll get stuck in the reverse gear’s shift gate.
 |
| With 210 horsepower and 223 lb-ft on tap, the 2.0T is good for 0 to 100 km/h blasts of 7.8 seconds. |