Hyundai's Genesis coupe is a party animal.
From the moment you plop into the bucket seats and hit the start button, the coupe lets you know it's ready, willing and able.
The seats cosset but don't cramp. The engine — V-6 or turbocharged four-cylinder — yelps to life. Either one seems happy charging hard, yet both are steady performers at lower speeds, too. The turbo-four makes all its torque at a mere 2,000 rpm, good for slog-along traffic — and unusual among turbocharged engines, which usually require some horsewhipping to build steam. Still, the V-6 is an easier partner in sluggish going.
Hyundai says it's a low-pressure turbo. That means it sacrifices ultimate horsepower for smoothness. In the test car, in fact, there was none of the slam-bang personality of some turbos. Instead, the engine delivered sufficient, solid power at low speed as well as high. Worthwhile tradeoff.
The handling, ah. Spend a moment giving thanks that there still are rear-
wheel-drive cars in this front-drive world. Turn the
wheel and the rear-drive coupe turns. Just that much. Eagerly, precisely. Corners that you've found a bit intimidating become simply corners.
Little of this seems to matter, though, when you wind the Genesis coupe into a tight, fast bend accompanied by the engine's song and smooth-as-silk automatic up- or downshifts — or your own snappy gear changes by manipulating the automatic gear lever or slapping the manual shifter.
The relief when you realize the yippee coupe also behaves well in public is palpable. It doesn't demand your racer game face to be a deeply satisfying way to go.
You can argue in favor of your Mustangs, Camaros, Altima coupes and the like. They can be rewarding to drive and, in the case of Mustang and Camaro, bring a cachet and legacy to the sporty car experience that this newcomer coupe can't match.
Even so,
Genesis coupe doesn't have a sweet spot — it is a sweet spot.
