When Hyundai launched the Genesis Coupe in 2009 as a 2010 model, it immediately put the Korean automaker, known for its economical appliance type vehicles, on the radar of rear-wheel-drive sports-car enthusiasts for the first time. With the option of buying the Genesis Coupe equipped with a turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder or a 3.8L naturally aspirated V6, the rear-drive coupe ticked off many of the boxes for a budget bona fide sports car.

Styling-wise, the Genesis Coupe has aggressive body lines, a wide stance, an aggressive shark-like front end, and dual-tip dual exhausts. It’s unmistakably a car with sporty designs in mind. As far as the exterior goes, not much has changed since the 2013 update. While it doesn’t look bad at all, I don’t find the Genesis Coupe to be exciting looking. In fact, I find the front end of the 2010-2012 models far more attractive as they have more character and the sharper front end looks far more aggressive. I’m hoping that the next generation Genesis can find its own identity with its looks, rather than build another coupe that just kind of blends in with the sea of other cars, sports cars or not. Nothing about the Genesis Coupe screams Hyundai either, whether that’s what Hyundai intended or not, hopefully the next one will forge its own identity in the market as the Genesis Coupe has potential for being a great car in the years to come, and it’s important that Hyundai establishes the Genesis as its sports car brand early on.

When it was released in 2010, Genesis Coupe was available with no less than eight trim levels and two engine choices – Base model 2.0L, Premium 2.0L, R-Spec 2.0L, Grand Touring (GT) 2.0L, Base 3.8L, Base with Navi 3.8L, R-Spec 3.8L (for 2011) and Grand Touring (GT) 3.8L. The GT models were known as the Track models outside of Canada. Starting at $25,000 and topping out at close to $40,000, there was a Genesis Coupe to suit everyone’s budget. The 2.0L, with its low entry price, proved to be very popular with the tuner crowd as turbocharged vehicles tend to offer up a great bang for your buck when it comes to aftermarket upgrades.

For 2015, gone is the option of the 2.0L turbo and since the 2013 update, the 3.8L V6 now makes 348 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. The Genesis Coupe is available in the three trim levels, the R-Spec, Premium and Grand Touring (GT).

More on Autos.ca: Test Drive: 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 GT

As the owner of a daily-driven, track-prepped 2010 Genesis Coupe GT, hopping into the 2015 3.8L R-Spec felt like stepping into your neighbour’s freshly renovated condo. Upon stepping into the cabin, I was immediately struck with a sense of familiarity combined with no small amount of envy for the updated cabin’s materials and control layout (compared to my 2010).

My tester was an R-Spec and as you’ve probably gathered from the “R”, the R-Spec is the sportiest of the three trim levels. It’s a stripped down (well, stripped down as much as a 1,600-kg car gets) version of the Genesis Coupe without the bells and whistles of the Premium and GT models. You won’t find a back-up camera, navigation, HID headlights, heated power seats, a 10-speaker sound system with amplifier and subwoofer, a sunroof, proximity keyless entry or push-button start.

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