The 2011 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 R-Spec was easily one of my favorite cars of last year. With a great blend of power, handling, and most importantly value, the last-generation Genesis was a fantastic alternative to the more established sports car choices.
This year, the 2013 Genesis Coupe 3.8 R-Spec rolls on to the scene with even more power, more efficiency, and healthy dose of refinement. Whether you consider its new Veloster-esque front fascia, boy racer hood vents, and more organic tail lights improvements or not is subjective, but the new horsepower and torque numbers speak for themselves. At least on paper they do, but how does she ride?
Transmission fixes and handling upgrades
The R-Spec is only available with a six-speed manual transmission, keeping in line with the "everyday track car" message of this trim level. The EPA estimates that that Coupe's 3.8-liter engine and gearbox combo will average 18 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway, up a single mpg on both cycles despite offering more power across the board. I ended up near the top of that range with a combined average of 25.9 mpg on a test cycle that skewed probably too heavily toward highway cruising for a car that tackles corners like this one does.
I loved the first-generation Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 R-Spec (2011 MY), but ran into a few issues with the gearbox, which occasionally ground its gears on the 4-5 shift. I'm happy to report that transmission issue appears to have been sorted out since that last test. The Coupe's shifter still has the mechanical feel that I raved about almost a year ago to the day, only without the occasional bouts of grinding and swearing.
The single-option six-speed shifter has been improved for the 2013 model year. Gone is the dreaded 4-5 grind.
(Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CNET)The shifter is only half of the shifting experience; the other is the clutch pedal. I found the Genesis Coupe's clutch takeup to be immediate and direct. It's a bit like an on-off switch once you hit the take-up point in the pedals travel without much room for slipping gears. Don't be surprised if you accidentally chirp the tires as you attempt to ease out of your parking spot on your first trip 'round the block in the Coupe 3.8 R-Spec. Quickly, however, tickling the Coupe's clutch became second nature and I was blipping downshifts and locking in upshifts with the greatest of ease.
There is one situation where the almost digital clutch becomes an annoyance: in stop-and-go city traffic, where the slightest bit of hesitance with the left pedal or not enough of the right one will cause the engine to lug or stall. Perhaps it's just me. Perhaps it's the bizarre driving habits of my fellow S.F. Bay Area drivers and pedestrians, but I found it rather difficult to drive this car slowly without stalling out at least once daily during the first few days of my testing. This is compounded by the fact that the Coupe's quieter cabin makes it difficult to hear the 3.8-liter engine over the stereo to gauge its revs by ear, even at moderate volumes. My solution? I simply stopped driving slowly.
However, the Genesis Coupe R-Spec's native environment isn't crawling among family sedans, econoboxes, and minivans during rush hour or droning down the freeway at a steady 70 mph clip (although it is perfectly capable of both). No, one chooses the R-Spec trim level for tackling the twisties, either on your favorite back road or, better still, your local racetrack.
Straight-line speed is good, but to tackle corners you need to be able to shave off speed just as quickly and grip around the bend. The Genesis Coupe 3.8 R-Spec steps up to the plate by wrapping its 19-inch wheels with sticky summer tires (225 width up front, 245 out back) and putting big Brembo brakes at all four corners. Up front four-piston calipers grab 13.4-inch rotors and out back single-piston grabbers clamp down on 13-inch rotors.
The springs and dampers of the R-Spec have been calibrated to be firmer than the Grand Touring trim's and are matched with thicker stabilizer bars on the front and rear axles. Because Hyundai knows that many prospective R-Spec owners will be looking to take their car to the track or to an autocross event, the automaker has built in a bit of adjustment into its suspension. Users with the know how to do so tweak the front camber adjustment bolts to dial in up to 1.5 degrees of negative camber to the front wheels for a boost in responsiveness and reduction in understeer. On the other hand, if you don't actually know what "camber" is, you should probably just leave those bolts alone.
Even at its base setting, the Genesis Coupe R-Spec is just as grippy as it ever was. The hydraulic steering is still extremely communicative and the chassis is extremely rigid (the Coupe still slightly lifts a rear tire when entering the Car Tech garage, it's that stiff!) which allows the suspension components to work effectively. The wide tires offer loads of mechanical grip and the Torsen limited-slip differential maximizes the Coupe's ability to put power to the ground and adjust its midturn attitude during a fast sweeper with a slight finessing of the throttle.
More powerful than ever
That's all well and good, but I know that most prospective Genesis Coupe 3.8 buyers are interested in the power. For 2013, Hyundai has upped the power ante with a retune of its 3.8-liter gasoline direct injected V-6 engine that brings an additional 42 horsepower and 29 pound-feet of torque to the party. The result when burning premium grade fuel is 348 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. (Cheaping out and filling the tank with regular-grade gasoline drops those numbers to 344 horsepower and 292 pound-feet.)
The 2011 Coupe 3.8 R-Spec with its 306 horsepower was a great car. It was a sort of sharper alternative to the Mustang V-6 and low-cost alternative to the Nissan 370Z Track. The 2013 Coupe's 348 ponies transforms this car into much more than just an "alternative." It's now a genuine player. The R-Spec has a power-to-weight ratio (10 lbs/hp) slots right in between the the current 370Z (about 9 lbs/hp) and the Infiniti G37 Coupe Sport 6MT (a bit over 11 lbs/hp).
On the road, the 14 percent increase in power translates, predictably, into much more straight-line speed. I complained earlier about not being able to drive the 3.8 R-Spec smoothly at slow speeds, but who would want to when grin inducing velocities are just a quick blip of the throttle and bark of the engine away.
Reach down and give the Traction Control button a tap and the already rather unintrusive driver aid system backs off and gives you more freedom to slip the rear tires. Power oversteer is now at your command and is backed up by an extremely communicative chassis and responsive steering so you never really feel out of control. (At the very least, I didn't. Your mileage may vary.)
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