When the 2013 Genesis Coupe made its official world debut online thanks to Korean media embargo leaks at this year’s 2012 Detroit Auto Show it was met with mass approval from those of us in the press and public alike. Unfortunately, the 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe will probably be discounted by many mainstream luxury car buyers as little more than a boy-racer’s fantasy – but we really don’t care. Why? Even Hyundai recognize that this car won’t be for everyone, and that’s OK. With the bold, almost outrageous revised exterior styling, it’s obvious that Hyundai’s going after driving enthusiasts who want to express their automotive passion and enjoy doing it all without having to sell their organs on Craigslist.
For those not familiar with the old Genesis Coupe, let’s talk about what’s different this year. For starters, the whole front end is revised. The headlights are more distinctive, the grille is murdered-out and widened, and also new for 2013 are awesome available LED running lights just above the fog lamps. Out back it’s a similar story, the real stars here are the newly revised LED taillights that sport a clear lens rather than a red-tinted one, kind of like the old “Altezza” lights, only cooler.
Now, for what matters – the 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe receives a significant power upgrade whether you opt for the 2.0 inline 4-cylinder turbo or incredibly powerful 3.8 V6, which now make a staggering 274hp/348hp, respectively. Although if you want to make that much power, you’ll need to order your petro-coctail from the top shelf, but as always, you can snub your ‘Coupe and feed it regular if you need to. Thanks to gasoline-direct-injection (GDI) technology, Hyundai is able to squeeze a few more MPG than last year, thanks also in part to a new 8-speed Shiftronic® automatic transmission that Hyundai developed in house to replace to ZF-sourced unit. For the 2.0T, expect somewhere around 20 city/31 highway with the auto and 21 city/30 highway with the manual. What’s surprising is that the fuel economy for the 348 horsepower six-pot isn’t far off of those numbers: It comes in at 18 city (both A/T and M/T) and 28 highway with the automatic and 27 highway with the stick.
Inside the 2013 Genesis Coupe occupants will be treated to a similar design as before, but with a much more upmarket feel thanks to a revised instrumentation and telematics layout. The navigation/telematics screen has been significantly raised and slightly enlarged (from what we can tell, not like anyone’s actually measured it), and the appointments on the dash and upgraded trim really give the new Genesis Coupe a luxury car feel. Buying one may feel a little bit like stealing, it’s so nice.
We’ve not been given an official on-sale date for the new Genesis Coupe, but once we receive our first truckload you’ll be the first to know because we’ll do a video review on it to give you our impressions. Until then, enjoy the high-resolution gallery below.
Source – Hyundai Newsroom
Photos – Hyundai Newsroom
