2010 HYUNDAI GENESIS COUPE 3.8 TRACK vs. 2009
INFINITI G37 JOURNEY COUPE.
EXTERIOR:
I'd rate it about a tie. Both cars, IMO, are handsome, have reasonably solid sheet metal, solid-closing doors, nice paint jobs, and (generally) nice trim/hardware. Neither one is outlandish in the style department. The Hyundai, though, loses a couple of points for its tacky, plastic, rear
spoiler, and the G37 loses a few points for its cheaply-done mirrors. Still about a tie.
UNDERHOOD:
No contest. The Genesis coupe, with its uncovered V6 engine, room to work on things, uncovered battery/hardware, and easily acccessable dipsticks/reservoirs, simply blows the G37 out of the water. True, the Genesis hood lacks an insulation pad, and has only one wobbly gas strut to the G37's two, but everything else under the G37's hood is a disgrace.
INTERIOR:
The G37 clearly wins here. The Genesis Coupe, as I pointed out in its review, lacks the interior ambience and quality materials of the Genesis sedan. While the silver-painted plastic and chrome in the Genesis Coupe is nicely-done, it can't compare with the G37's real aluminum and wood. The G37's control layouts, especially in the door panels, are far superior to the Genesis coupe. The leather used on the G37's seats is definitely nicer-feeling than on the Genesis Coupe. The G37's interior does lose a couple of points for tight headroom, a useless back seat, and narrow-bolstered seats......all worse than in the Genesis, but not enough to make a difference. The G37 wins inside.
CARGO AREA/ TRUNK.
The Genesis wins here, despite the fact that its trunk-lid hinges are not as well-designed as those in the G37, and it lacks the G37's first-aid kit. Both have nice carpeting on the floor and walls. Both have fold-down rear seats for added space. Both have a cheap temporary spare instead of a real one. But the Genesis has noticeably more cargo room, and the available room is taller, so more-upright bags and packages can be carried. The Genesis also has a handy remote-lever in the trunk for dropping the rear seats, while the G37 seems to lack that feature (maybe I just couldn't find it). The Genesis does have a slightly smaller trunk opening due to the rake-back of its roof, but not enough to make that big a difference. The Genesis wins here.
ON THE ROAD:
The Genesis narrowly wins, although keep in mind that this was the top-of-the line 3.8 Track model, which was clearly the most performance-oriented of the coupe line (Lesser Coupe models may not have the same spunk on the road).
The Genesis had noticeably better low-RPM torque, quicker-reacting manual-shifts, slightly flatter cornering, more feel, BMW-like, in the steering, slightly quicker steering response, and, overall, a more sporting feel. Both had excellent brakes....the Genesis's superlative Brembos winning by a nose. The G37 had slightly better noise control (except for the loud exhaust), with good wind/road noise dampening. The Genesis did lose some points for a poorly-designed brake pedal and a slightly stiffer ride, but, again, not enough to make a difference. The Genesis wins, again, here.
VERDICT:
If you want a classy interior, slightly less roadability/power, and more refinement, go with the G37. Otherwise, the Genesis is your choice. It wins, IMO, in all of the categories except interior design/ambience/materials. That Hyundai has managed to do this for a price that is some 10K less than the tested G37 Journey, IMO, makes the Genesis 3.8 Track coupe all that more remarkable.
