NAIAS 2012: Hyundai Veloster Turbo And Genesis Coupe

With spotty Internet coverage at Cobo, some of the photographs and stories created for TTAC’s readers during the day are just now making it our desk. So, here are some comments on the Veloster Turbo and Genesis Coupe from Speed:Sport:Life’s Byron Hurd:

Veloster:

To be honest, I had to remind myself more than once leading up to the conferences today what Hyundai actually had in store for us, and given the no-brainer that is the Veloster Turbo and the long lead on the mid-cycle refresh of the Genesis Coupe, can you blame me? In the mind of many enthusiasts, these cars already existed. We just needed Hyundai to validate that for us. And that they have.

The Veloster comes exactly as-expected. The 1.6L 4-cylinder engine in the base car gets a simple, non-sequential, single-vane turbocharger that bumps the horsepower from an unremarkable 138 to a healthy 201. From my experience in the NA model, more power will cure a great deal of its problems, but the key difference between the Veloster and Hyundai’s claimed competition is in the handling. While they’ve come a long way in ride quality, the chassis is only about 80% there. There’s only so much Hyundai can do with a twist-beam rear end, so I’m curious to get behind the wheel of the boosted version and see if they’ve buttoned it down to boot.

Hyundai also insists that the matte finish on the show car will be available on the production model, and for a “reasonable” price. What’s reasonable to you or me may not be such to a Hyundai buyer, so I suppose that remains to be seen as well.

Gen Coupe:

As for the Genesis Coupe, this refresh was a long time comin’. The base model gains a twin-scroll turbocharger and 64 horses, for a grand total of 274. Not to be outdone, the the V6 model adds direct injection to the list of the 3.8L’s tech specs, and between that and some additional tuning, now has 348hp (previously 306). Even without any chassis or transmission updates (Cliff’s notes on the press release: there are revisions), this should be enough to trounce a 370Z (don’t even ask about a G37) and put the V6 Mustang back in its place, if only just. Bigger game (your 5.0s and such) will still put the Genesis in weeds on a a track, provided you’re not planning to go more than a dozen laps, by which time a V8 pony’s brakes will be gasping for fresh air.

As for the styling, the front end refresh on the Genesis works surprisingly well. Early pictures emphasized the overwrought grille and hood, but they’re far better integrated than the photos let on. It may not be pretty, but it works.