Test Drive: 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8L V6

Once in a while we get to test drive a new car for about a week. The latest one, the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, is most especially memorable — first, because it’s a sports car and second, because we get to use it for a little over 2 weeks.

I’ve been eyeing the Genesis Coupe since December last year and completely forgot about it until the opportunity came to review a unit early this month. It also comes in our favorite yellow color for a sports car (unfortunately, this color variant is no longer available).

So you can only imagine all the fun we had driving this sports coupe. Check out this little video we made from our test runs in Nuvali.

Since the slight re-design of the 2012 model, the Genesis Coupe was made to look more bad-ass. It gained more curves, an optional power-tilt and slide glass sunroof, and the hood scoops (which isn’t actually real but merely a cosmetic addition to the hood design).

The body looked small as what you’d expect from a sports coupe, almost the same size or a little smaller than the Hyundai Elantra, but the interior feels actually a little roomy.

The trunk or storage compartment is small and perhaps can only fit smaller bags or a carry-on luggage.

The two front seats have very large leg room, especially the passenger side. The 2 back seats is still usable for small-sized passengers and can still have enough leg room when you push the front seat rows a little bit further up.

The variant that was loaned to us was the Genesis Coupe FL 3.8L V6 8AT which comes with 19-inch Hyper silver alloy wheels, 24-valve, 8-speed automatic (introduced in the 2013 model) with appx. 345 horsepower. It has keyless entry, Push Button Start/Stop with Smart key, auto Cruise Control, Climate Control and Speed-Sensing Auto-Lock doors.

Here are some more photos we took during our test drive.

[fancygallery id=”63″ album=”66″]

The interior of the Genesis Coupe looks more streamlined, has that sporty look especially with the analog dials and knobs in the middle, comfortable sports bucket leather seats that hug the body of the passenger, manual 6-way power seat adjustments, and a luxurious finish.

There were USB ports and iPod connection (for the older iPhones and not the lightning cable) but the in-dash LCD monitor was smaller than we wanted (just 6 inches wide). Those are the only minor things that we could complain about as everything else looked great and beyond expectations.

Driving is very smooth in the highway but you’d certainly feel the bumps and unevenness of the road along the service roads and alleys. Our un-scientific speed test got us from 0-100kmph in about 6 seconds.

The prescribed maximum speed is about 245kmph but we could not go past 200kmph during our test runs (mainly due to traffic and road safety). The engine noise isn’t as noisy or scandalous as we thought it would be, which is nice since we didn’t want any more attention than what we’re already getting.

Needless to say, it’s a gas-guzzler — we’re only getting around 7km per liter.

On a side note, driving a sports car like the Genesis Coupe has its inherent benefits you don’t get compared to other types of cars — you’d certainly feel the special treatment, get to park right in front of restaurants, other cars tend to give way to you in road traffic (except for the jeepneys, because they really don’t care), and you can easily get off a driving ticket even in the very-strict BGC area.

The 2013 Genesis Coupe starts at Php1.518USD 0.03INR 2EUR 0.02CNY 0.19 million for the 2.0L variant, right up to Php1USD 0.02INR 1EUR 0.02CNY 0.12.988M for this 3.8L variant that we drove.

Story by @abeolandres. Photos, video and driving by @markclutario.

Abe Olandres

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

https://www.yugatech.com

11 Comments

wew says:

11 years ago

sa pagkakaalala ko eh parang may balak na bumili c abe nitong genesis last year?natuloy b un?anyway gawa kayu article ng faceoff nito vs toyota 86 para magkaalaman na :-)
- Reply

Abe Olandres says:

11 years ago

I did! But changed my mind and got a condo instead. Then, got an Subaru Forester. Hoping to get the Genesis Coupe next.
wew says:

11 years ago

mas maganda option nga may kotse+tirahan pa hahaha anyway why don’t you check out toyota 86/subaru brz…baka magbago isip mo sa genesis coupe hehehe
evollove says:

11 years ago

I second the 86/ BRZ suggestion. I know a lot of people who swear by it. And add a few hundred thousand more would get you a Mustang V6. RWD is the way to go!
wew says:

11 years ago

wew…mustang’s a different category but if he can afford it why not…hintayin n lng n lumabas ung bagong mustang nalapit n rin n magfaceout ung current mustang eh hahahaga excited to see the new mustang in person :-) imagine having an iconic car :-)
Abe Olandres says:

11 years ago

I checked on the BRZ but ended with the Forester. Don’t want to get the BRZ anymore, I would look too much of a Subaru fan.

Also looked into the GT86 but there’s a pretty long line from last I inquired.

As for the Mustang, I really want it also but the price difference is like Php800k.
evollove says:

11 years ago

If I’m in Jalopnik I’d say get Mazda Miata, but the current generation is about to be phased out and a new one will come out next year, sharing a platform with the next Alfa Romeo Spider (pogi!).

Yaman kasi ni Sir Abe, happy na ako makabili ng secondhand na Skyline pag magkapera.
wew says:

11 years ago

@abe yeah i agree with you mataas ang demand sa toyota 86 pero di sila makapagsupply ng enough units…