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We have established that the Genesis Coupe may not be the most practical sports car around, but for the most part, many looking at this type of vehicle really do not care. What they care about is how it drives and how it makes you feel when you are driving it and this is where the Genesis Coupe shines: on the road, where it should.
It starts with a the hefty six-speed manual transmission, which is just notchy enough to give you that connected-to-the-driveline feeling but not too much so to feel like it was not built correctly. Snapping from gear to gear is a joy, until you have to downshift from third gear to second — perhaps after more practice it would fall into place properly but I tend to push the lever too far to the left, resulting in a lot of grinding or nothing at all. Reverse gear is found over and up above first gear and I seem to be pushing the gear lever into that gate when attempting to hit second gear.
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On the road though, the 3.8-litre engine pulls and pulls. Get out of second gear at full throttle and you can say goodbye to your new Hyundai and hello to a huge fine, if you are in Ontario. Perhaps it doesn’t feel quick all the time, but the Genesis Coupe is a quick car and it begs you to drive it so.
On the highway in sixth gear the engine hums along at just over 2,000 rpm but with plenty of torque to accelerate easily for a pass without downshifting, and even around town I find myself constantly in fifth or sixth gear.
The entire Genesis driving experience is quite satisfying: the heavy clutch, weighty steering and the well-tuned exhaust make you feel like you are driving something special. The steering is a little darty due to the large sticky tires, but this is a good thing, as directional changes are nearly instant when asked for, and you can feel the Torsen limited-slip differential grabbing as you make tight turns in parking lots. On the highway, the Genesis Coupe isn’t whisper-quiet but it keeps the noise level low enough for comfortable cruising and isn’t so loud you need to crank the stereo.
But I have been cranking the stereo anyways, because it sounds pretty darn good.
