Spent a Little Time in Her this Morning - Genesis Forum: GenCoupe Hyundai Genesis Forums

Tufast · 02-28-2009, 07:58 AM

Get your minds out of the gutter, I'm talking about the red 3.8 GT. Now that I've had a day to get over the price tag, I figured I would sit and familiarize myself more with the car. This is my review w/o test driving yet. That will come at a later date & will focus only on the performance of the vehicle.

Beware long, detailed, but excellent read:

1st off, the car really does look that good in person. Each time I see it, the more I realize, this was the next logical sequential step for the Tiburon. If it wasn't for the platform layout & size, it would be a Tib. This car looks WAY more like a TIburon than a G37. So far since it's arrival yesterday, 3 Hyundai salesmen, 2 Hyundai techs, my Hyundai parts & svc coordinator, the computer wizard that works in our building, along w/a number of other employees from the other dealerships here, as well as, detail etc. all thought it was a Tiburon at 1st glance & admitted it. So, if you're not a fan of the Tiburon, you may be a little disappointed. The best description I can give is it looks like a Tiburon screwed a G37 & out came a bouncing baby GenCoupe.

Alright, about the car. Entering & exiting the vehicle is pleasant due to the solidity of feel for opening & shutting the door. What I mean is the door doesn't feel flemsy upon opening & closes with a solid thud. Since the door glass is frameless, another nice feature is the windows let down an inch or so upon opening & go back up once the door is closed. Speaking of windows, both the driver's & passenger's side windows let all the way up or down with a touch of the button. The sunroof also open & shuts with one touch of the switch. The tilt mechanism for the sunroof does not though, allowing you to tilt the sunroof at whatever angle pleases you. The switches for the windows are near the top of the arm rest, along with the door lock & mirror switches. The switches have a nice solid feel when used. The positioning is at about the right height, but is at an awkward angle if your hand is lying on the arm rest. I know it may seem like I'm picking, but since my review will be as unbiased & detailed as possible, I will mention anything that catches my attention good or bad.

On the drivers door panel, there are 2 buttons about 1/3 of the way up for the fuel door & trunk release. Once again, the switches feel solid enough, but there is very little weight to the fuel door, which is to be expected. The placement of these switches makes it impossible to use them with the left arm & instead you have to reach over with the right or have the door open. This is not a problem since most of the time when using either one of these switches, you will be getting out of the vehicle anyway. The door panel is made of a solid plastic that feels of high quality & does not look cheap. The textured look almost appears to made of another substance. The arm rest is positioned perfectly for your arm to relax, as is the one in the rear seating area. The leather insert is of decent quality leather & has enough give to not feel cheap either. The brown on this particular model is butt ugly & in my opinion Hyundai would of done much better with a camel color. The speaker placement is ideal, with the midrange speaker at the lower front section of the door panel & the tweeter located approximately 9 inches above. I also like how the hard plastic pocket on the door panel that the speaker petrudes through has its own casing, closing in the rear of the speaker to provide better sound. However, I don't like the fact that the plastic pocket does not have some sort of liner to lessen rattle noises from objects lying in the pocket. The door panel trim includes chrome door handle & mirror switch trim ring, aluminum colored plastic pull handle, & red door ajar lamp.

Once sitting in the seat you notice right off that there is plenty of support for spirited driving w/o being uncomfortable like some racing seats tend to be after extended periods of time. To be honest, most weekend warrior types will be plenty happy with these seats, I imagine I will. There is plenty of leg room in the drivers & passengers front floor boards for those that are long of leg. The drivers power seat gives you adjustment up/down, forward/backward, & tilt, but does not control the seat back. To lean the back of the seat or adjust the lumbar support, you must do this manually. The passengers seat is completely manual & only allows adjustment back/forth & the ability to adjust the angle of the seat back. Both front seats are heated on this particular model. The head rest is ajustable up & down, as well as, forward & back. This is a big plus in my book allowing you to lean your head against it to rest while driving on long highway stents on smooth road surfaces. The seats are very asthetically pleasing, were it not for the chosen shade of brown. Both the front & back of the seats have an almost artistic look about them, but not over done in my opinion. The backside of the front seat is a solid hard black plastic that is tastefully textured & is a nice contrast to the rest of the seat color. The leather is of good quality & looks to about the same as what is offered in the V/6 Genesis sedan. The V/8 sedan leather is a little nicer & has a slightly better feel. The rear seat bottom & back are just as comfortable & as supportive as the front. But, if you are more than child or hobbit height, stay up front because your head will be banging against the rear glass. There is a fair amount of room for your legs when in the rear seat, even when the front seat is most of the way back.

While sitting in the seats & you begin looking around, you notice that the view is fairly unobstructed considering that this is a sports car & they are not usually known for a large greenhouse. The rear dropped quarter glass actually does help, especially when compared to the 370Zs micro-portal. The front windshield is at such an angle that it gives you a lot of visibility, yet is not overtly upright causing additional drag. The door windows are fairly large & allow a large radius of sight. The back glass allows a suprising view through the rear view mirror, considering the rake of the glass. The door mirrors look suprisingly large when viewing the glass from inside of the vehicle. But, when you step out of the car, they don't look like the donkey ears they appear to be within. Continue glancing about inside & you notice that the interior has a warmth about it. It doesn't feel plasticky like alot of American made cars & lower end Japanese/Korean vehicles. It feels a little more upscale like the sedan it's named after. Don't get me wrong, there is alot of plastic used on the interior, but it just doesn't feel cheap. This is possibly due to the solid construction and maybe the nice textured look it has. The fit & finish is nearly perfect with very small gaps between panels like the glove box door. The headliner is soft to the touch, but returns back to its original shape once you remove your fingers. The A-pillars are textured in gray plastic to match the gray headliner giving an overall fluid feel. The black carpet is run of the mill, not to hard or soft, & looks fairly durable. The dash top crash pad is covered in black leather that is harder than the seats & door inserts, but still pliable. The black console is at a nice height for resting your arm. The console lid is covered in black leather similar to the dash, thank goodness, because I wasn't wanting any additional brown leather stuck in odd places. The plastic is like the rest of the interior, solid & textured. It's actually hard to tell, if you are not in the car, the difference in the leather console lid & the rest of the console. For that matter, if you stand back with the door open, same goes for the dash & door panels. The gear shifter bezel is made of the aluminum colored plastic, like that used on the door panel grab handles. It's not as cheap as it looks in the pictures, but not my favorite material all the same. The top of the shifter, gear indicator surrounds, & cup holder trim are all in chrome, like what is used on the inside door handles & mirror switch trim rings. The only other placement of chrome inside the car is the Hyundai emblem on the steering wheel & the trim on the knobs for the A/C & heat. The rest of the center facia is the aluminum colored plastic used on the door panel grab handles & the shifter bezel. It also surrounds the cruise & stereo controls on the steering wheel.

Tufast · 02-28-2009, 07:59 AM

Open the console & you will find a generous well for storage, a power source plug, & a connection for USB, ipod, or Aux. In front of the console is a dual cup holder of 2 different sizes, along side the E-brake handle. A little further up is the A/T gear shifter with a manual gate for those spirited sprints. To each side of the front edge of the shifter is the left & right heated seat switches. Right in front of the shifter bezel is an aluminum colored flip up door with the cigarette lighter & storage spot for the keyless entry remote/transmitter. Go beyond that storage door & you reach a vertical rise in the aluminum colored facia taking you to a single knob controlled A/C head. Above that is a single knob controlled radio tuner assembly, topped off by a cd player & the hazard switch. The dash is overall asthetically pleasing, except the A/C vents looked mis-shapen, if that makes any sense. They just don't flow as well as the rest of the interior. I sat there for a little while & tried to figure out how I would improve them, but couldn't come with anything better at the time. The display above the center facia flows well with the rest of the dash. The display shows the clock, AM/FM/XM, Aux/ipod/USB, radio station, ambient temp, & seat defrost. I also like the fact that there is a center stage speaker giving that additional little bit of sound quality a lot of manufacturers overlook. It's nice to be able to hear those vocals in songs that you normally would not even realize are there. Another neat feature of the dash is the hooded gauges, helping to keep the glare of the sun out. The angle of the gauge surrounds also helps keep the sunlight at bay, due to the fact that it's deeper on the outer edges & opens up more toward the center. The gauges are a very cool blue that I like a lot. The 165mph speedo is on the left with a smaller temp gauge below it. The 8,000 rpm tach is on the right with a smaller fuel gauge below it. The tripometer reset button is easy to access to the left of the gauges, as is the traction control defeat switch below it & toward the left. By the way, the ETC defeat switch is a large button about 5 times the size of the one in my BMW, which is hidden amongst a plethra of other buttons in my bimmer. To the right of the ETC defeat is the dimmer switch for the dash lamps. On the other side of the steering wheel is a silver button with a glowing blue led in the center begging to be pressed to start the vehicle.

The steering wheel is similar in size & feel of my BMWs which is a very good thing. The aluminum colored plastic takes away from the otherwise great design. The switches on the left operate the stereo, giving control of volume, mode, & tuning. On the right side of the steering wheel is the cruise controls that allow you to switch on/off, cancel, & set. On the lower end of the steering wheel is the cell phone controls enabling bluetooth hands free phone usage. The overhead console includes 2 map lights, sunroof controls, & a spring loaded sunglass holder. The light sensing rear view mirror also has 3 programmable home links & a compass. The back deck is covered in finer weave black carpet than that of the floor. The rear deck contains a 3rd brake light visible from outside the glass, 2 child safety tethers shrouded in plastic, & an 8" subwoofer to give a little bass to the overall good sounding Infiniti stereo. Most will not need to upgrade this stereo, unless they are audiophiles.

The trunk is not spacious, but is adequate for a sports car. The deck lid portal opening is not very large, though bigger than some I've seen. I would definately opt for the sedan if golfing was my forte. The rear seat can be let down as a whole unit via a pull handle on the right side of the portal in the trunk, allowing more storage space for larger belongings, in case you want the sports car & still want to golf. The deck lid is supported by 2 hinges, one on each side. Each of these hinges has a seperate strut giving the necessary force for opening the trunk with ease & allowing the necessary resistance to keep the trunk from slamming shut. It actually has a very fluid motion. Beneath the black trunk liner is a 17" temporary spare tire. To the left of the spare is the jack storage & to the right is the tool storage, with the necessary tools needed for changing the tire. Although, with 5yrs/unlimited miles roadside assistance, you don't need to get your hands dirty. The emergency fuel door release is on the drivers side of trunk above the jack. The area around the spare tire & tools has 4 plastic tethers for a trunk net for groceries or what not. Toward the front of the spare, near the back seat, is a block of styrofoam giving support to the rest of the trunk liner. This styrofoam is hinged, so that if you let the seat down & enter the vehicle, you can let the styrofoam up to access the metal plate to the fuel pump. This access plate is held down with ten 10mm screws. The rest of the trunk is also lined in this same material, except for the rear deck. I was a little disappointed to see the lack of material covering the deck underside, considering the upscale clientale that Hyundai is trying to attract here. I believe a sub enclosure along with matching material over the the underside of the rear deck would improve asthetics, as well as, protect that subwoofer from belongings of any size being placed in the trunk & causing damage to the speaker. The access points to rear tail lamps are ridiculously easy to get to. So, anyone paying someone to replace a bulb should be shot. The trunk lamp bulb & 3rd brake lamp bulb are just as easily accessed.

Under the hood the 1st thing that you notice is no engine cover. I want to take a second to say thank you Hyundai for giving us enthusiasts an engine that looks like an engine. Which brings me to my 2nd point, w/o that cover, the engine compartement looks much more open & easier to work on. It actually is fairly easy to access all the sensors & switches. The pics don't do it justice, because everything is right there in front of you. If the V/6 looks this open, I can't wait to see what kind of room the 2.0t has. Above the radiator is a ram air intake that routes the cold outside air into the airbox. In addtion, the front of the airbox has 2 more inlets to allow air in from around the passengers headlamp. Honestly, this looks like a good setup with cold air being forced in from more than one point & hot engine air kept out. I've seen the Korean aftermarket CAIs & all I can think is they would have a negative effect compared to just replacing the factory filter with a highflow aFe or the like. Which brings me to my next point, the airbox does not seem very restrictive, but the filters are. You heard me right, filters. The 1st filter is a white normal style filter with deep folds & a elongated front edge to filter out that air coming in those 2 ports behind the passenger's side headlamp. This filter resides in the box doing the intial filtrating, but above it, stuck to the underside of the airfilter box lid is a 2nd filter that looks like a microfilter or HEPA cabin filter for the A/C system. Ain't no dirt getting in that intake, LoL. The intake hose is rather short w/a built in airflow meter. My understanding is the 2.0t gets 2 map sensors in lieu of the airflow sensor. The air hose attaches to an aluminum intake plenum that sits pretty on top of the motor. Behind the airbox, is the power steering reservoir, mounted on the fender well. Beside the P/S reservoir next to the edge of the fender is the windshield washer bottle. On the apex of the passenger's side fender well is one of the underhood main fuse distribution blocks. This fuse box has the main ECU, fuel pump, ign coil, injector, B+, & sensor fuses within. Beyond that against the firewall is the battery. A strut tower brace runs across the engine compartment a few inches in front of the firewall. On the drivers side of the firewall is the brake fluid reservoir. In the corner, between the firewall & fender, sits the Delphi ECU. Mounted to the driver's fender well apex is the main engine wiring harness coming from the computer. It runs into the other main blow underhood junction block. This fuse box contains lamps, horn, vaccuum pump, A/C, cooling fans, start, ESCL, ignition, blower, & battery fuses. In front of that fuse box is the brake distribution block behind the driver's head lamp. Next to it closer to the radiator is the overflow reservoir. Between the brake distribution block & overflow bottle is the A/C lines & access to recharge the system. The upper & lower radiator hoses each run to tube that goes to the back of the engine, but are not in the way. The driver's side valve cover toward the front has the access point for adding oil. This engine is tuner friendly, if for no other reason, than it will be easy to work on. I do however have 2 complaints. First, the head lamp bulbs are not accessable from the engine compartment. My guess is that you will have to remove the assemblies to access them. But, they look like they come out in a manner similar to my BMW, which is rather easy, with just 4 screws holding them in place. Second complaint, there is only one hood strut located on the driver's side fender well holding the hood up. So, you will have to be careful not to apply pressure on just the passengers side of the hood when closing it & pay attention when ever you do close it to make sure the hood is not in a bind causing it to deform. But, you can get to everything fairly easily & I'm loving it, though I'm not even getting the 6cyl.

Tufast · 02-28-2009, 07:59 AM

I'm not going to spend too much time on the exterior due to the amount of pics available, there really is no need. I will address a few points I noticed though. The suspension on the non-track version with 18" wheels leaves too much gap in the fender wells for my tastes. The overall height off the ground is not that bad & it sits fairly low for a stock car. I'm hoping the Track version, and even more so, the R-Spec version, will sit even lower, considering they have tuned suspension. In addition, the larger 19" wheel/tire combo on those versions will hopefully help as well. Otherwise, lowering it will be a much earlier mod for me than anticipated. The brakes are really bigger than I expected. The rotors appear bigger than those offered on the Genesis 4.6 sedan, as well as, my 540iMspt at a glance. Remember these are not even the bigger upgraded Brembos. The 18" wheels actually look really good in person & the pics truely don't do them justice. The rear dip quarter glass really sets the car off & now other cars w/o it just look boring in my opinion. The Z style body lines really give this beautiful red paint the ability to create shadows enhancing the car's full-figured look. Squat & look directly at the front or rear of the vehicle & you can tell how wide the car really is. It looks low & wide, like it will really handle. I like the color matched mirrors & door handles which create a smooth fluid flow. The chrome emblems & accents look good, even the whiskers in the lower vents. They are not cheap chrome, but look like they are made of a heavy gauge piece of metal. The only badge that looks out of place is the coupe badge on the rear deck lid. It's similar to the R-Spec badge, it's just a black rectangle. The headlamps & tails look way better in person, especially the headlamps. The headlamps are not the same chrome as the center sections of the tails. Instead, they are a black chrome or if you will hyper-black, like you would find on some wheel finishes. In my opinion it doesn't make repainting them as necessary as I originally thought. I believe I may just tint the tails & call it a day, but will have to see. This model has the backup sensor, which I guess requires the positioning of these 4 little indented dots across the center of the bumper. I'm hoping these are not on any of the other models, because it takes away from the overall smoothness of the car. I am terribly disappointed that Hyundai took the time to have a blacked out lower rear facia that can't be disassembled from the rest of the rear bumper. One of my mods was going to be replacing that facia w/a functional rear diffuser. Now it looks like I will have to replace the rear bumper as well. The front bumper doesn't look as bad in person as in the pictures & it actually flows nicely with the rest of the hood & fenders. The grille isn't as bad in person either, but I'm still replacing both all the same.

That's all I have right now, until I get this thing up in the air on a rack to give you the underbelly details & have a chance to get to drive them, once a couple more arrive. I want to compare & contrast the 3.8L M/T, 3.8L A/T, & the 2.0t M/T. Until then, thanks for listening, I mean reading. Whew!

Guppy · 02-28-2009, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tufast

Tiburon screwed a G37 & out came a bouncing baby GenCoupe.

My favorite part

Very nice read Thank you for starting my morning off it it.

**FlesHBoX** · 02-28-2009, 08:22 AM

thank you.

I noticed the wheel gap as well on the non-track models. It was a lot more noticeable, despite only being slightly higher. I think that the extra rubber plays it up a lot.

I did not even notice the rear apron was not a separate piece from the bumper

that stinks... Though I noticed that the reverse sensors were not nearly as noticeable in person as they were in photos. Well, that may be that I was looking at a Mirabeau Blue as well. Though they are only there on the Touring IIRC, so nothing to worry about since you are going R-Spec right?

From behind I thought it almost had a Porsche feel to it, only more angular... I love the ass on this car... and it's got HIIIIIPS!!!

mklaro · 02-28-2009, 08:24 AM

holy long review....but a damn good one. Thanks for all the info!

**brandon1987** · 02-28-2009, 08:31 AM

I have not yet finished reading, but do have one correction to make, but so far so good! The dash is not covered in leather but is instead covered in a soft touch vinyl/plastic. I would say the quality and feel of this piece is similar to that used on the tops of BMW's dashes.

Galbi · 02-28-2009, 10:52 AM

You must've taken some technical writing course before in college. That is truely one of the most detailed description I've yet seen on this car. Thanks for the write up.

I'm really glad that Hyundai aced the visibility part with this car. I've sat in the Camaro and my god the rear blind spot is absolutely horrid. Squating down at the drivers level in the 3/4 blind area, you can not see the driver or his rearview mirror AT ALL.

After getting into the Coupe, I've felt confident that highspeed collisions will be minimized due to the drop in that functional rear quarter panel window.

ER101160 · 02-28-2009, 11:46 AM

Excellent write up.

You should get a job for one of those car magazines,you put some of those guys to shame.

Tufast · 02-28-2009, 12:27 PM

Thanks for the complements guys/gals & you're welcome for the write-up. I was so worried that the length would throw many off, but I proof read & tried to trim as much as possible w/o losing any of the material. In the end, I just had to make it a good read so that it didn't seem like it was dragging on & you would stay interested.

Well, since both sites took so well to the review, I will follow with a part 2, that will include an inspection of the underside, as well as, a test drive of 2.0t M/T, 3.8 A/T, & 3.8 M/T, comparing & contrasting each against the others. The magazines will do enough comparisons against the competition (G37 etc) to help people determine if they want a GenCoupe. I'm going to try to help those that decide they do want one, which one to get.

Tufast · 02-28-2009, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandon1987

I have not yet finished reading, but do have one correction to make, but so far so good! The dash is not covered in leather but is instead covered in a soft touch vinyl/plastic. I would say the quality and feel of this piece is similar to that used on the tops of BMW's dashes.

Thanks Brandon, I guess that's some pretty nice pleather, because it fooled me. It actually has a little more give than my BMW dash.

diddiyo · 02-28-2009, 12:48 PM

tl;dr

AdR · 02-28-2009, 12:59 PM

Very very nice, thank you for being so descriptive and attentive to detail. I unfortunately won't be able to get my hands on one until late march because of where I live but this has almost put me on the dealership floor and described everything I would look at. Thank you!

rich_hobo94 · 02-28-2009, 01:34 PM

wow. best review... ever.

Tufast · 02-28-2009, 01:42 PM

Thanks guys, I spent a 15hr span gathering, detailing, & writing that review. Now I feel it was worth every minute of it, knowing that you've gotten ao much out of it.

**FlesHBoX** · 02-28-2009, 01:49 PM

Now just spell check it

hehe I keed I keed

SUB-GEN · 02-28-2009, 02:18 PM

So Tufast are you thinking about getting the V6 instead?

Galbi · 02-28-2009, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tufast

Thanks guys, I spent a 15hr span gathering, detailing, & writing that review. Now I feel it was worth every minute of it, knowing that you've gotten ao much out of it.

Normally, I would ask for a picture. However, your descriptions were so vivid that I felt I was reading a novel. I could follow along in my imagination like I was right there next to you. GREAT WRITE UP!

eurokidlt · 02-28-2009, 03:55 PM

Tufast,. great job on the write up and making it easy to read.
I agree with most, but have to disagree with few. "Devils Advocate" here, i sat in the green 3.8 Base today and was quite disappointed in the structure of the interior. To me, <--- to me, it felt average but i will not say cheap, i will say average and here is why. When i looked at it all, it looked good, well placed, and attractive. But when i touched the gauge cluster and wiggled the dashboard it was creaky, plasticy, and of "average" quality. My fiances 07 scion tc does not produce as many noises or "give" as much with manual contact. I would not go comparing this interior to that of a recent BMW though, older models yes, current models no way. Oh and one more thing. Under the hood i found a few bolts loose on the head lights, air filter box, and battery connectors. Dealer laughed with me and went off to get a 10mm socket wrench. Both fog lights had around 1/4" give sideways with minimal perturbation, which would probably shake when driving.
So here is what im saying. After literally getting my hands on the Coupe today it does not feel solid to me while stationary. It did feel plasticky and "thrown together" (loose bolts). Maybe this was just a single model with discussed issues (hope so) or this might be a trend (really hope not). How much can we overlook these types of things before saying to ourselves "its a really hot car with great potential but there are these little things..."?
The way i see it is this, its my 25K+ for 2.0T Track, and i will get to know it before i buy it, but i also keep in mind that this money can buy a used G35, Evo 9 MR, STI, or E46 M3 all of which are serious performers.

please reply if you Actually sat and touched a Coupe.

Polaren · 02-28-2009, 05:23 PM

Know exactly what you mean, I felt nearly the exact same way.
Since I drive one of the cars above you have listed, I have a hard time feeling that my interior is downgrading going to a GenCoupe.

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