Face-Lifted 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe: 271-hp Four, 345-hp V6, Eight-Speed Auto

Hyundai revealed its updated Genesis coupe on Facebook last week, but the cosmetics are just sizzle. The new fascia looks, uh, new, but the red meat is under the sheetmetal. At a relatively small event in Korea today, the company confirmed big updates to both the four- and six-cylinder powertrains.

The base 2.0-liter turbocharged four, an uncharismatic, gruff engine that previously offered just 210 hp and 223 lb-ft, is now good for 271 hp and 275 lb-ft. The change comes by way of a larger intercooler and a new twin-scroll turbocharger.

More exciting, the optional 3.8-liter V-6 gets a shot of steroids. This engine uses direct injection—its now functionally the same engine as in the 2012 Genesis sedan—and boasts 345 hp and 295 lb-ft. (These are increases of 39 and 29, respectively, over the coupe’s outgoing V-6.) Hyundai also claims it’s addressed one of our many complaints about the Genesis coupe: the gruff, unpleasant cacophony of the six. “In order to raise the emotional quality in the Lambda 3.8 GDi model, a sound generator is applied to replace the rough engine sound with a classy and sporty sound.” It’s a little unusual for an automaker to be so candid about a shortcoming like this, but the acknowledgement good news and we’re eager to see whether the “sound generator” is a special exhaust baffle or a set of Infinity speakers.

Both cars are now available with an eight-speed automatic transmission, a unit designed in-house by Hyundai. We hope it’s quicker-reacting in this application than it is in the Genesis sedan. Also on the gearbox front: The Korean-market press release for the new Genesis coupe makes no mention of manual transmissions, but we’d bank mortgage money on the company continuing to offer sticks in both cars here.

On paper, these are good, necessary updates. The engines always needed work, and the upgrades create more separation between this rear-driver and the upcoming 200-plus-hp turbo Veloster, which is FWD. But the biggest problem with the Genesis coupe, regardless of powerplant, is the punishing ride. We’ll have to wait until we can get behind the wheel to report on whether that’s been addressed. In the meantime, more pics should be coming from Korea soon. The U.S. debut is set for January’s Detroit auto show.

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Peek-a-Boo: Hyundai Posts Full Images of 2013 Genesis Coupe on Facebook

Yesterday we brought you a few “teaser” images of the 2013 Genesis Coupe that Hyundai posted on its Korean blog. Today, the automaker released three full pics on its Facebook page. Between all of the spy photos and sneak peeks we’ve gotten of the 2013 Coupe, we already knew what it would look like—kinda the same, but with a weird front end—and what kind of changes to expect beneath the skin. The freshened Coupe will make its North American debut at the 2012 Detroit auto show in January, by which point we should have all the details.

Tags: Hyundai, Hyundai Genesis coupe |

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Hyundai Shows Teasers of 2013 Genesis Coupe, Announces Korean-Market Model to Debut November 12th

It looks like we are close to seeing the refreshed 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe in the buff. Hyundai announced the updated Coupe would debut November 12th in Korea and released a few teaser images of the car on its Korean blog. Spy photos of the 2013 Coupe taken this past summer showed the car wearing Hyundai’s new familial front-end styling, which integrates various elements from the latest Elantra, Accent, and Veloster. None of that appears to have changed in these official photos, but the shots reveal a few more details that we hadn’t seen before.

The spy photos we ran a few months ago were dark, blurry, and grainy, which made it difficult to pick out the new Genesis Coupe’s stylistic nuances. Hyundai’s (much clearer) photos show off a lot of subtle creasing on the Genesis Coupe’s hood and fascia. The hood strakes, specifically, look a lot like those on the outgoing BMW 3-series and toughen up the Genesis’s front view noticeably. The wheels on this Korean-market “380 GT” model—which is roughly equivalent to the 3.8 R-Spec trim we get here—look like larger versions of the up-level rims available on the Veloster. Finally, the shape of the taillights is unchanged, but the detailing is new and matches the upscale headlight elements. We think the updates make for an even better-looking Genesis Coupe, but we hope that rear spoiler is optional.

The cosmetic tweaks likely won’t be the only updates the 2013 Hyundai Genesis receives; the interior will be mostly new (you can see for yourself here) and a few mechanical updates also are in the cards. We expect the coupe’s current 3.8-liter V-6 engine will be replaced by the 333-hp, direct-injected 3.8-liter that was recently added to the Genesis sedan’s engine lineup. It’s not yet clear whether the Genesis Coupe also will poach Hyundai’s new eight-speed automatic from the Genesis sedan, or keep its current six-speed unit. Interestingly, the November 12th debut listed on Hyundai’s Korean blog is nearly two months ahead of the 2013 Genesis Coupe’s anticipated North American unveil at January’s Detroit auto show.

Tags: Hyundai, Hyundai Genesis coupe |

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RMR RM500: Rhys Millen and Hyundai Stuff Tau V8 in Genesis Coupe

Hyundai and drifting/rally driver Rhys Millen have an established history of creating crazy, lampshade-on-the-head hooligan rides, including a 550-hp Genesis coupe drift racer, a 500-hp, rear-engined V-8 Genesis coupe, and even a purpose-built, 750-hp Pikes Peak racer.

For the 2011 SEMA show, Millen’s company, RMR, and Hyundai once again dropped a V-8 into a Genesis coupe, but this time, they’ve “kept it real,” so to speak—i.e., drivable, recognizable, and actually somewhat plausible. How plausible is cramming Hyundai’s largest and most powerful mill into the snug confines of the Genesis coupe’s engine bay? Well, according to Hyundai spokesman Miles Johnson, the 5.0-liter Tau V-8 “fits right in,” saying that modifications included the engine mounts but little else. Based on conversations we’ve had with Hyundai engineers in the past about this exact subject, however, there may be more than a few other things that need to be changed, and a production V-8 Genesis coupe remains forbidden fruit. (A supercharged V-6 continues to tantalize, however; another 2011 SEMA car called the Genesis Hurricane SC featured such a powertrain, and blown Genesis mules have been spotted.)

Other RMR contributions to this one-off include a custom stainless-steel exhaust system, plus a new oil cooler, a rear differential cooler, an RMR lightweight clutch and flywheel, and an RMR adapter plate. In the process, RMR unlocked another 21 horsepower for a total of 450, compared with the 429 hp of the Genesis 5.0 R-spec sedan. Considering that the coupe’s top-dog mill soon will be a naturally aspirated, direct-injected 3.8-liter V-6 making 333 hp, 450 hp would vault the sports coupe into the Mustang GT and Camaro SS’s league.

Still, Millen and Hyundai might have slapped some turbos on the Tau and received 600-plus ponies for the effort, but they didn’t. While the RM500 isn’t exactly a snooze to look at, a similar sort of judiciousness characterizes most of its other modifications. These include Brembo-sourced carbon-ceramic front brakes, 19-inch HRE wheels, Hankook Ventus tires, Sparco seats, and RMR-designed carbon-fiber body addenda (front lip, rear diffuser, decklid spoiler, side skirts, roof overlay, grille, and fog-lamp inserts). RMR also provided yellow fog-lamp lenses, a one-inch steering-column extension, new seat brackets, and suede upholstery.

Floating It Out There, But Don’t Hold Your Breath

The chief reasons for building the RM500, according to Johnson, are to showcase how the Genesis coupe can perform with Hyundai’s new Tau V-8 under the hood, and more significantly, to gauge customer interest in such a package. We’re pretty confident that the RM500 is riotously fun to drive, but even if Hyundai somehow found a way to make Tau installation work in the coupe, we know that it will then have to federalize the car according to emissions and crash regulations. And then sell enough of them to pay for that. And hopefully then make a profit. Good luck.

In any case, the RM500 represents Hyundai’s most visible effort yet to explore fiercely loyal V-8 sports coupe segment. We’re no more optimistic than before that a V-8-powered Genesis coupe will happen, and even if it does, there’s no guarantee it will succeed in winning over any members of the muscle-car crowd. We’ll admit we wouldn’t mind seeing Hyundai try.

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