Was the Hyundai Genesis Coupe a Flop?
I recently bought a 2015 Hyundai Genesis Coupe. Mine happens to be the 3.8-liter Ultimate model in which are included all the goodies of the R-Spec plus extras which make the car a pleasure to drive for hours at a time. The car is fast, comfortable, and livable on a day-to-day basis. There are also a good amount of people on the road that ask what exactly it is. Even hard-core “car guys” give me looks of approval as I drive down the street on a warm Friday evening. There is a feeling I get whenever that happens. It’s almost as if they are allowing me into another world; one that I have wished to be a part of ever since I was a young boy. The Genesis Coupe is not perfect though. As great as the car is, there are some flaws large enough for many to wonder if the car is not just confused about its own identity. Allow me to explain.
The Genesis Coupe was introduced as a 2010 model. It was the first real attempt at a sports car for Hyundai. Sure, the Tiburon had been around for years, and quite honestly, it was a great little sporty car; however, there is a large difference between a “sporty” car and a “sports” car. The Genesis Coupe replaced the Tiburon as Hyundai tried to flex its muscles in the, “we have a sports car too” game that has been taking place between Ford, Chevy, and Nissan for years.
The resulting new car was really quite good. The new Genesis Coupe was a rear wheel drive two-plus-two sports car offered with a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine or an excellent, 3.8-liter V-6. The car felt, and still does feel like a hybrid of an American muscle car and a Japanese sports car, although the car’s weight more resembled a Ford Mustang than a Subaru BRZ. Meant to compete with the likes of the Nissan 370Z, the car was generally a success though not wildly popular, and quite frankly, a bit underrated. The largest problem with the car has always been its identity. Is it a muscle car or pony car? Is it more of a pure Japanese sports car, or is it a genuine, upscale touring car? Most certainly, there are elements of all three categories that could pull the car in any of these three directions. The big question then is what exactly Hyundai had designed.
As the car matured over its life cycle, the performance was boosted in both its four and six cylinder variants. The car was further refined as years passed and a refresh came in 2013. 2014 saw the end of the 2.0-liter engine offering. Both of these “life events” gave the car more of an edge and a character. The last model year of the Genesis Coupe was 2016, and Hyundai had developed the Genesis Coupe into a true force with which to be reckoned and respected.
There are many who disagree. Many experts have recognized that the Genesis Coupe has never known what it was trying to be, and therefore, the car let itself down. It didn’t have a clear design direction, and that is what made the car not ever as good as it could be. As true as this actually is, there is one giant reason to believe the car was built exactly as intended, and therefore, really doesn’t suffer any identity crisis at all.
There is one thing able to be stated with certainty as far as the Genesis Coupe is concerned. It is a true steal in terms of value. This is always what Hyundai has been about. As much as the Genesis Coupe can’t really be called a luxury grand tourer or a true-to-form sports car, it certainly reaches to the sky. The car itself believes that it gives so much more than it really does to those who choose it. It is very much like the middle school student who goes out and tries to compete with the high school athletes. At the end of the day, the middle-schooler comes back home bloody and exhausted; however, everybody who witnessed the competitor’s ambition and drive comes away from the event knowing the potential and greatness that exists for the young athlete.
The conclusion therefore, is that Hyundai designed a car that was not necessary, but rather they took a shot at something new that was more fun than anything else. They wanted to see what they could achieve. The Genesis Coupe was a one-time experiment that worked out quite well, although nobody really noticed. Hyundai successfully created a car that followed the exact guidelines that they have always followed. The Genesis Coupe may have been a first-time experience for a car company who has never dabbled in the extreme; however, they really didn’t stray from the same template they have always used on each car they have ever built: Value. They built precisely what they meant to build with an identity that will never be lost or changed. The answer about what exactly the Genesis Coupe is can easily be answered. The Genesis Coupe is well… a Hyundai.
–SWF
