theedge67

Here is some more info on the coupe.

http://www.hyundaiusa.com/vehicle/av...sis_Coupe.aspx

It does look interesting, but not my style. The HP numbers are promised to be 300+, but the torque is only said to be about 250ft/lbs. That is where the GT will still shine with 70ft/lbs extra.

HAMRS_gt

YOU COULDN'T "PAY" ME TO DRIVE ONE, Ill keep my little ol american V8

Mackitraz

I have to agree, there are definitely some intangibles that make you love certain cars.

I partially retract my statement that other comparisons would be better, and it's true, the concept has a lot in common in some ways with a Mustang and probably will be sliding into a similar area of the car segment. However the design in many ways speaks more of a G35-37 and 350Z as a direct comparison, which also have similar HP numbers, rear wheel drive, but are priced higher. I'm saying that because Hyundai's strategy has always been to undercut the Japanese markets and strategies, and in this repect they are delivering what is to my mind much closer to the Nissan product (styling, IRS, carbon fiber bits) for less. That's got Hyundai written all over it. But invariably, the Mustang will be in that mix too, because it competes with the Nissan and other products for your hard earned sporty car dollar. And since GM and Chrysler have taken their sweet time to put anything worth looking at into that segment lately, Japan and Europe are all the Mustang competes with (I don't consider the Charger, Cobalt or Corvette to be in direct competition with the Mustang in terms of class and segment).

Merry Christmas everybody!!

05fordgt

Yes, competition is a good thing, and I too retract my earlier statement that this car isn't really a competitor to the Mustang, but I wouldn't bet anything yet that Ford would bring out a 5.4L V8 in the new car. We have to see where the gas prices are heading. Some on here may not think its important, but its a reality that can't be overlooked. Just like the new government mandate that all cars have to get 35 mpg. Sooner or later, these types of cars will only be available to people who don't mind paying a large tax (much more than the current gas guzzler tax) on them due to the lack of good gas mileage. It could happen (but I sure as heck hope not).

06GT

It's a valid comparison but I think most of us are confused at how this is a Mustang "Beater" when it's nearly a full second slower 0-60, and costs the same as a GT Deluxe.

Burke0011

Its called snappy copywriting - how do you get people tp pick up the magazine and read the article? Do exactly what they did. the minute the car mags/reviewers find something that is new that is similar to an established existing car and the numbers are quite close, don't they always call the new car the <<fill in the blank>> killer?

Vette killer? Porsche killer? etc?.........

They say it on the cover but I don't believe in the whole article they actually use that phrase (although its been a while since I read it)

06GT

I look forward to recieving my monthly C&D in the mail, but that one seriously made me

And I think you confused "snappy" with "crappy"

wjones14

I subscribe to the magazine (and still like it, btw), and I have to admit when I first got it in the mail and saw that on the cover, I immediately went to the table of contents, found the article, and read it. So, if it was on a newstand and I wasn't subscribing, that cover page item would have intrigued me into buying the magazine. And I'm sure that's Car And Driver's intention. Of course they know those numbers aren't going to beat a Mustang GT, but they are close enough for them to use the headline to try and sell magazines. I don't blame 'em at all.

And yes, the Genesis is ricer and all, but I can see the appeal. The insurance is cheaper than on a Mustang GT automatically, because it only has 6 cylinders. It's rear wheel drive, independent rear suspension, and 300 hp. Doesn't that sound like fun?

Burke0011

Exactly.


[And snappy vs crappy is subjective - it did the job and made people read the article - that's good ad/marketing writing.]

Anyway, if the thing actually does hit the roads, think about how much fun it will be each time you put one in the rear view mirror

wjones14

They do in fact say "Mustang Killer" in the article. But they don't stick their necks out on a limb and say the Hyundai IS a Mustang Killer. Instead, they give you the car's specs, mention the options (including Brembo brakes!), and say "The numbers might shout "Mustang Killer!" but the Hyundai coupe aspires to knock off even bigger fish as well." They explain that the suspension setup is the same design as the BMW 335, and they're not saying the B should be worried, but the Infiniti [G35] engineers should be.

I know first-hand that a stock Mustang GT can take an Infiniti G35, because I caught and passed a G35 (twice) at Lime Rock track during an HPDE event in November. So, I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Hyundai Genesis could beat a G35 as well.

kevinb120

They mention a concept car's specs?? It doesn't even exist yet. Friggin stupid. I just made a concept Ford on my Post-it that has 4000hp and goes 0-100mph in 2.4 seconds(and seats 12), so eat that Hyundai.

EDIT: oh, and I've just released pricing, SEL $3600, Limited $4500.

Maverstang

Interestingly, I was part of a market research focus group just a few weeks ago where I had to evaluate this car compared with some others, including a current Mustang.

I have to say I was quite impressed with the Hyundai effort. It had all the correct credentials and the standard equipment list was very impressive for the price. I suspect it will be faster than stated in C&D. The interior was quite modern and stylish with reasonably good materials.

It is interesting to see how this car is being positioned from a marketing perspective. While the competitive target on paper is clearly the Mustang (RWD/power/performance/etc) when you see all the targets lined up together the Mustang clearly doesn't fit in. From a styling perspective it stands out about as much as a brick would compared to the other aerodynamic coupes.

The Mustang is a retro styled vehicle which invokes a strong nostalgic emotive response. Other retro styles have come and gone, but the 60's Mustang styling has an enduring quality. It is for this reason that I eventually ranked the Mustang highest. However, at the same time I also condemned it for things like cheap interior materials (hard plastics, poor leather quality) and limited features.

Had the Mustang not been there, the Hyundai would have been the top pick. It had great overall appeal and represented good value. In the real world I think the biggest problem with the Hyundai will be that it says Hyundai somewhere on the outside (the names were removed for the focus group). The brand still isn't out of the ditch, even with 10 year warranties.

So in retrospect, until Hyundai has a 40 year old style of enduring quality to reprise (not likely), it will be hard to say it competes with the Mustang audience. But Mitsubishi and Nissan should be worried in their segments.


BTW, I later learned this RWD platform will also be used for a new large luxury and high performance RWD car for the North Amercian market, so it's not going away. Too bad Ford can't seem to do the same (eg 427).

Enfynet

It looks like the Tiburon is trying to grow up.

rhumb

"Mustang Killer" might be a bit of a literary stretch, but it does look to be an intrigueing car and any RWD performance coupe is a welcome addition to the market in my book.

Seems like it will have very good power on a rough par with the Stang GT, if slightly lower torque but offset by a six speed cog-box to better leverage that torque. Suspension seems to be superior, so that aspect of its performance envelope may well be better than the Stang.

What would really be interesting is if they drop in the Genesis sedan's 4.6 V8 to finally create an oriental pony car of sorts, something Asian makers have seemed avid to avoid doing for some odd reason. My guess is that motor will probably have around 350 hp or so and would really make the Coupe a screamer and viable Mustang killer.

chrisc9867

Maybe a stock v6 mustang beater. But a bolt on v6 will be able to take it and an F/I v6 can for sure take it.... With bolt ons I was doing the 0-60 in almost exactly 5.9, and with F/I I am doing it in 4.8

AFBLUE

This Car & Driver article must be true, as they are the same folks that said the Shelby GT finished forth behind the RX-8, Audi TT, and Nissan 300ZX. An article that definitely impacted my future purchase

Forget C & D. Of the mainline car mags, I prefer MotorTrend.

05GT-O.C.D.

If you want the real facts, just go to consumer reports. After all, they're independent.

AFBLUE

This line from C&D's first drive of the Shelby GT says alot about their writers' perspective.
http://www.caranddriver.com/previews...shelby-gt.html

wjones14

I remember that article well, and remember being angry seeing the Shelby finishing fourth. But, if you read the whole article, they do give the Shelby its props, and they do sound like they know what they are talking about as far as auto enthusiasts. For instance, they said the Shelby was the most fun of the bunch when it came to "tire-smoking" power slides. They also said it sounded the best by far, "with a growl that sends shivers down your spine..." But their problem with it was that you could have the same fun in a $26K Mustang GT. And on the Spring Mountain Motorsports track, the Nissan 350Z's lap times were more than a second better than the Shelby, and the 350Z was almost $10K less than the Shelby. So bang-for-the-buck (usually the Mustang's strength) ruled in this test, and that hurt the $39K Shelby GT. Heck, the front-wheel drive Audi TT beat the Shelby on the race track...

The one thing I think C&D should have mentioned in the comparison test was the collectability aspect of the Shelby. None of the other cars in the test will ever be collectible, but it's possible that the Shelby will be fetching big bucks in a couple decades.

wjones14

Consumer Reports are independent, you're right, and that guarantees they won't be biased toward their bigger advertisers. But CR's focus seems to be reliability, value, economy, and safety, with performance lower on their priority list. Most people reading this forum prioritize with performance at the top of the list, then maybe styling/personality, and then whatever order you want to put the reliability, value, economy, safety factors somewhere lower on the list. Right?

So, yes CR is independent, but they are not necessarily auto enthusiasts. The editors at Car And Driver, Road & Track, Motor Trend, Automobile, etc. are enthusiasts - hence there is a much different focus in those magazines than Consumer Reports.