10 Things You Need To Know About The 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe

The 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe has become something of an outlier on the compact sports car scene, a two-door model that isn’t quite as powerful as it domestic muscle car competitors like the Ford Mustang at the high end, but which still offers more grunt than other import sports cars like the Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S twins.  The Hyundai Genesis Coupe also stands in stark contrast to the rest of the Korean automaker’s line-up, which doesn’t include any other track-oriented vehicles.  This in-between status, plus the car’s arresting looks and incredible warranty coverage, have attracted an unusual mix of buyers who want to walk a non-traditional path to performance.

Let’s take a look at 10 things you need to know about the 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe

01. The 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe Features Aggressive Styling

When the 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe first debuted several year ago it was somewhat of a shrinking violet, as it wore sheet metal that was relatively easy to ignore alongside flashier rivals like the Nissan 370Z.  That all changed last year when the Hyundai Genesis Coupe was given a mid-cycle refresh that brought all kinds of aggressive to the car, especially the front fascia which has sprouted the hard angles and air inlets required to be taken seriously when seen in a rearview mirror.  It’s a change that has helped to revitalize the two-door, which no longer suffers in styling comparisons to its closest competitors.

02. The 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe Sports Rear-Wheel Drive

It doesn’t seem like we should have to point this out, but we do: the 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe is one of the few affordable, rear-wheel drive performance cars on the market.  Although vehicles like the Ford Mustang and, recently, the Chevrolet Camaro have traditionally filled the rear-wheel drive niche, the presence of a this type of drivetrain layout in a Hyundai product is something special.  With a platform adapted from the larger, luxury-oriented Genesis sedan, the Hyundai Genesis Coupe provides purer driving dynamics than a front-wheel or all-wheel drive compact could, albeit at the expense of smoothness over rougher road due to its harsher suspension setup.

03. The 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe Offers Two Engine Choices

The 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe is initially offered with a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine that generates a respectable 274 horsepower and 275 lb-ft of torque.  While these figures would seem to put the entry-level Hyundai Genesis Coupe on par with similarly-priced models like the Subaru WRX, the not-insubstantial weight of the car’s platform indicates that selecting the optional 3.8-liter V-6 is a better bet for performance fans.  This larger unit is gifted with direct fuel injection and can churn out 348 horses and 295 lb-ft of twist, eclipsing the entry-level Mustang and Camaro and settling into a near dead heat with the 370Z.

04. The 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe Delivers A Standard Eight-Speed Automatic

One area where the 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe has most of its affordable performance contemporaries beat is in the transmission department.  The base Hyundai Genesis Coupe comes standard with an eight-speed automatic transmission that has been upgraded to offer automatic rev-matching when downshifted.  This eight-speed automatic transmission can also be paired with the 3.8-liter V-6, but traditionalists will be happy to know that a six-speed manual gearbox is available with either engine option.  Keep in mind that transmission choice is not a la carte with the Genesis Coupe: some trim levels require the manual, while others allow the autobox to be substituted in.

05. The 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe Is Reasonably Fuel Efficient

The 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe is a full member of the era we now live in where performance at the track and performance at the fuel pump no longer have to be mutually exclusive.  Logically, it’s when ordered with the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that the Hyundai Genesis Coupe displays its most frugal behavior, checking in with an EPA rating of 21-mpg in stop and go driving and an excellent 30-mpg on the highway.  Opting for the 3.8-liter V-6 does knock mileage down, but not as much as you might think: officially, the car is pegged at 18-mpg around town and 27-mpg during highway cruising.

06. The 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe Comes In Six Trim Levels

The 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe comes in six different trim levels, but don’t be daunted by that number, as they break down evenly based on what engine is sitting under the hood.  The base Hyundai Genesis 2.0T includes air conditioning, automatic headlights, a CD player, Bluetooth connectivity, power windows and door locks, 18-inch rims, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and cruise control, while the 2.0T R-Spec trades in several amenities in favor of performance gear like a locking rear differential, a stiffer suspension system, 19-inch rims, sport seats, and Brembo brakes.  The 2.0T Premium isn’t quite as hardcore mechanically, as it doesn’t feature any of the R-Spec’s performance hardware but instead tilts things more towards comfort by way of installing a navigation system, the Blue Link telematics system, a louder stereo system, automatic climate control, keyless entry and ignition, and power adjustments for the driver’s seat.

The V-6 keeps much the same trim structure, with a few name changes.  The entry-level 3.8 R-Spec represents the most affordable six-cylinder version of the Hyundai Genesis, and it’s almost a dead-ringer for its turbocharged counterpart in terms of equipment.  The 3.8 Grand Touring is analogous to the 2.0T Premium but with the added benefit of parking assistance, heated leather seats, and heated mirrors, while the 3.8 Ultimate keeps the R-Spec model’s performance equipment while also contributing a rear wing and HID headlights.

07. The 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe Is Intended To Take On Pricier Performance Cars

After reading the above equipment descriptions, you may have come to the conclusion that the 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe can be loaded for bear and aimed squarely at your nearest road course.  You would be right, as the Hyundai Genesis Coupe was intended from the start to provide a more affordable sports car option for those frozen out of the world of Porsche and BMW.  The turbocharged edition of the car can sprint to 60-mph in just a tick under six seconds, while the V-6 cuts more than a half-second off of that time.  On the track, R-Spec models are well-behaved and willing to tango, with the caveat that the car’s three-stage traction and stability control system be set to the ‘off’ position in order to avoid cooking the Brembo brakes.

08. The 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe Comes With A 10 Year Warranty

The 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe doesn’t get any special treatment from the mothership simply because it’s been designed to go faster, be driven harder, and take more overall abuse than any other vehicle in the Hyundai lineup.  This means that the Hyundai Genesis Coupe gets the full benefit of the brand’s 10 year drivetrain warranty, a guarantee that is not only by far the best that can be found on a sports car, but one that is also the longest in the entire industry.  The Genesis Coupe also comes with 7 years of comprehensive warranty protection and 5 years of anti-corrosion coverage.

09. The 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe Does Not Offer Any Active Safety Equipment

An area where the 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe comes up short in the face of some of its contemporaries is safety.  Specifically, active safety, as the Hyundai Genesis Coupe cannot be ordered with features such as a lane departure warning system, blind spot monitoring system, or forward collision warning system.  Parking assistance is about as active as it gets with the Genesis Coupe, which puts it behind domestic offerings with a more sophisticated safety bend.  That being said, when you purchase the two-door Hyundai you still get useful features such as dual forward airbags, seat-mounted side airbags up front, side curtain airbags front and rear, and the multi-stage electronic traction and stability control system mentioned earlier.

10. The 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe Is No Longer The Bargain It Once Was

The 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe starts at an MSRP of $26,350.  This isn’t expensive when considering its performance potential, but nor is it as affordable as it was when initially introduced in 2009.  This price jump has affected the entire line-up, with top-spec V-6 models now retailing in the neighborhood of $33,400 where they face an entirely different set of comparisons from shoppers who may be unwilling to divert funds away from a more ‘prestigious’ brand without Hyundai’s traditional value quotient coming into play.  Order carefully to get the features you want at the price you can afford.