kenstyle

[QUOTE]Our 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track is painted Bathurst Black. That's Bathurst as in Bathurst 1000, a 620-mile (1,000-km) race on Australia's Mount Panorama Circuit, a 3.9-mile road course with 23 turns, grades of up to 16 percent and a 1.2-mile-long straightaway named Conrod Straight after a spectacular engine failure endured by racer Frank Kleinig in 1939.

Only heavily modified Ford Falcons and Holden Commodores in the V8 Supercar series (Australia's take on NASCAR) race at Bathurst today, so there's no obvious connection to the unassuming black clearcoat on our V6-equipped 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track.

But as we drive the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe, we can imagine Hyundai's chassis engineers fine-tuning the ride and handling of their first rear-wheel-drive coupe on the demanding Bathurst circuit. Probably the cost constraints of building a $30,000 car don't allow for working holidays Down Under. Yet the 2010 Genesis Coupe isn't some soggy two-door version of the Hyundai Genesis luxury sedan.

Instead you'll find a very capable chassis underneath the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track's arresting bodywork. Hyundai's sport coupe might not be track-ready out of the box, but it doesn't wither when we pitch it into Bathurst-like turns on lumpy two-lane roads.

More GT Than Track
Of course, with "Track" in its name, you expect the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track to have an edge to it, as if its chassis has been tuned to the limits of its potential.

But on back roads and at our test track, our Bathurst Black coupe is easygoing almost to a fault. Perhaps Hyundai executives weren't quite comfortable with the idea of sending a true track-day weapon down the assembly line. After all, even in basic trim, the 2010 Genesis Coupe is the highest-performance car the company has ever built.

So think of the Track, which is the top trim level on U.S.-market 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupes, as a sport package. For a starting price of $30,250, our 3.8 Track comes with higher-rate springs, firmer dampers and stiffer antiroll bars than the base Genesis 3.8 and 3.8 Grand Touring models. And then there are the 19-inch wheels with 225/40R19 front and 245/40R19 rear Bridgestone Potenza RE050A summer tires, a Brembo brake kit with fixed four-piston calipers at each corner, a Torsen limited-slip rear differential, and a front strut-tower brace.

Come late March, you'll also be able to get the 2.0T Track, which combines all of the above with the turbocharged four-cylinder engine, or the Genesis R-Spec coupe ($24,500), which is a 2.0T Track, less trivialities like a sunroof, spoiler, foglights, Bluetooth, cruise control, trip computer and metallic interior trim.

Poking Its Soft Underbelly
The R-Spec will be the lightest of the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupes and as such, likely the best starting point for track use.

Yet the first thing we notice about our 3.8 Track coupe is just how light and unencumbered it feels transitioning through turns on Lake Hughes Road. Remember we're talking about a rear-drive V6 coupe with a 111-inch wheelbase, a 63-inch front track and a 63.6-inch rear track.

It tips Inside Line's scales at 3,488 pounds versus the 3,549 pounds we quoted for the Korean-market version. The similarly sized Infiniti G37 weighs 3,715, while the Nissan 370Z, which is 15 inches shorter, weighs 3,359 pounds.

Compared to not only these coupes but also the similarly priced BMW 128i, the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track reacts to your inputs in slower, softer fashion. Although decently weighted for most situations, the steering feels a bit dull and overboosted when you're running hard. And although the Genesis coupe's 68.2-mph slalom speed is respectable, the others range from 1 mph faster through the cones (128i) to a full 3 mph faster (G37).

Similarly, the 3.8 Track coupe's Brembo brakes are effective, stopping the coupe in 111 feet from 60 mph at our test track. However, pedal bite is less immediate than we'd like on a car with those famous red calipers.

Can't Keep a Good Car Down
Still, there's no denying that this 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe turns in like no other Hyundai before it, and does so with far less body roll besides.

There's also no denying that the Genesis coupe is simply a fun car. From the laterally supportive driver seat, you can tell there's ample front-tire grip, so you get back on the throttle early to tease out the tail. Certainly, you can throttle-steer any rear-wheel-drive car, but not many make it feel this accessible and safe.

We think of Bathurst as the Genesis coupe stays composed over midcorner bumps. Our test car doesn't fidget much over the grooved concrete slabs of L.A. freeways, either

S2Krence

Thanks!

JonBoy

Boy, that seems really slow for that much power. Otherwise, it sounds like the car is what most anticipated - a moderately sporty car that will appeal to the masses while still offer tuners a chance to strut their stuff.

Onehots2k

I cant think for the life for me why we keep comparing it to the 370Z. As weird as it sounds, a 135i vs 370Z makes more sense. Their base prices are 5k apart. The price diff is about 10k in the case of 370 v Genesis.

dparm

Ugh. This thing is sounding like a disappointment. Not that fast in a straight line, inaccurate tach, stupid torque-cut "feature", and too heavy.

Sounds like we may need to wait a year or two for this thing to get tweaked.

Chris Stack

Eh? It says here the Genesis 3.8 Track bases at $30k. The 370Z bases right around there, plus $2-3k for the Sport pack (LSD, downshift function, 19" wheels, etc.) So their prices are more or less on top of each other.

dparm

I don't think the G37 is a fair comparison, that car is around $38k, and much much more if you want nav and the other options. G37 is a luxury car.

vader1

Car and Driver just posted their review and got a faster time than Edmunds (no surprise) and clocked it at 5.6 to 60.

Now many may say thats great, but its well behind the Z and comparable to even slower than some times they have had for the S2000 which everyone bitches is such a slow POS that we can hardly stand anymore, and Honda people should be shot for having the shame to even offer it for sale in this day and age.

My reading of the C&D article is basically "ITs a nice, inexpensive first effort, but not a game changer."

Their first drive of the turbo version clocks it to sixty in 7 seconds flat. Whoopty do.

DouglaS2000

How about comparing apples to apples, the Z and S2000 are both significantly smaller and lighter than the Genesis coupe. Most people looking for 4 seater coupes won't be cross shopping a 2 place Z with a 4 place coupe of whatever make.

For a 4 seater RWD sport coupe under $30k, it is a game changer.

vader1

Ever heard of a Mustang?