Inside Line Dyno Test: Hyundai Genesis Coupe vs Infiniti G37 Coupe

I want a coupe I want a coupe I want a coupe I want a coupe I want a coupe I want a coupe I want a coupe I want a coupe I want a coupe I want a coupe I want a coupe I want a coupe I want a coupe I want a coupe I want a coupe I want a coupe I want a coupe I want a coupe I want a coupe I want a coupe I want a coupe I want a coupe I want a coupe

on a slightly more serious note though, you guys suck. The G is better at being a sports car on every single level(it even gets better fuel economy for crying out loud) yet you give the win to the genesis because it's cheaper. Well, why not also throw a Cobalt SS in there and give IT the first place since it's a coupe and even cheaper than the genesis. Or the civic si... In your philosophy a cheaper car always wins.

I saw the dealer have the cars last week, and IL finally got the video together. How come both the cars dyno seem on the high side? still pretty slow for 300hp rear wheel drive, slower than mazdaspeed 3 and old WRX.....Is it the tires? I don't remember the G37 that slow either....370z that much faster?

I guess these two cars are compared because they look so similar on the outside.

But the Genesis Coupe is a non-luxury all-plastic interior. Sure doesn't feel the same when you're just commuting instead of on the track.
Pretty much in the same class as the Chevy Camaro. A notch below the 370Z.

First off, the red-line throttle intervention is just not logical in its implementation, as you explained in the full test. I hope Hyundai sees the light and/or beefs up the drivetrain to the point where they rid the car of this feature...

With that out of the way, I think people need to go read the comparison again before commenting:

"The real story here is bigger than the numbers. Drive these cars back-to-back over the same section of road and you'll find them similarly capable."

Unless you're doing track days regularly, it seems like you'll have a similar experience in either car.

As for the interior, Josh thought that the materials were more than acceptable when comapred to cars in its price range, and there are some very respectable cars in that company. Also, don't forget one other important factor in a sports coupe interior - the seats, and that Josh thought they were superior to the G's in most every way.

On a personal note, I've had considerable seat time in every G series car since its inception, and while much improved in the current offering, it can be said the materials and fit/finish are not befitting a mid-$40k coupe.

Styling is subjective, so I don't think that should ever be a discussion point, unless the opinion is obviously universal.

Lest you forget we're in the middle of a recession, and the Hyundai's value proposition is even more important now than ever before, as it gives you most of the G's performance and capability at much less cost. This is especially true when you factor in the inevitable incentives that have helped Hyundai return positive sales numbers when other manufacturers are tanking...

You could say that the Hyundai makes an argument for "why spend more?" Unless you care about the badge on grill (and Hyundai realizes that a lot of people do, just look at the front grill on the Genesis Sedan), the Genesis Coupe looks like it has the basic formula to start luring some customers who might have been on the fence about which sport coupe to buy.

However, I still say that they should have thrown the 4.6L Tau V8 in there - at least for a limited run. Yeah, the balance would have been screwed up, and the performance might have not been much better than the 3.8L (or even the 2.0T Track), but it would have been one of a few V8 GT's out there for $30k (or less).

Oh, and by the way, did anyone else notice the nice, flat torque curve for the Hyundai 3.8L? That must be a pretty tractable engine in all gears...

Ok lol there isz no way a Hyundai is better than an Infiniti lol no way ya'll are crazy lol ok.

While styling is subjective, to my eyes, the G37 is light-years better looking than the Genesis. Also, the G37 coupe offers an AWD version (important to me).

It all comes down to you get what you pay for. The G37 is ultimately the better car, so it costs more. The question is: is being "better" worth the extra $$$? In this case, I think so.

I think Hyundai's cars have reached the point where they are nearly as good as anything else out there (for less money). The only thing that will take time to change is perception. In ten years, Hyundai will be like Toyota or Honda, another respected import brand.

"First off, the red-line throttle intervention is just not logical in its implementation, as you explained in the full test. I hope Hyundai sees the light and/or beefs up the drivetrain to the point where they rid the car of this feature..."

Side effect of a 10 year warranty I'm thinking...

Hopefully this will be fixed with a software reflash in the next couple months.

What does the G37 lack in its base form that top-of the line Genesis has?
It seems like the G37 tester had more (expensive) options that the Genesis does not have.
Under this circumstances, saying the G37 is much more expensive doesn't make much sense.

The Hyundai Genesis coupe is target to the Sport Tuning crowd not the Luxury Cushion Crowd (myself sometimes). Yes, you get more respect for the G-37 coupe which I love. But, do I want to modify a luxury car to become a street tuner? Nope. I'll choose the Hyundai for that.

Base price on the G37 is 6K more than a top of the line Gen Coupe, what's your point? The G37 is expensive next to the Genesis every way you slice it. The G37 Sport is 7.5K more than the Gen. Track and the Genesis still has stuff it lacks. Bring in the Premium Package and the G37 Sport is 41K=Expensive don't you think?

Compliance - That could be, however, what I meant was that the throttle retardation doesn't intervene until AFTER you initiate a shift (at least that's how Edmunds explained it). They go on to state that you can run it at redline all day, as long as you don't shift. It's just not logical, unless they anticipate an owner doing a redline downshift and over-reving the engine....

"Ok lol there isz no way a Hyundai is better than an Infiniti lol no way ya'll are crazy lol ok."

The resistance to a Hyundai being a competitor to an Infiniti was the same resistance recognizing that Infiniti was in equal footing or better than BMW.

I would have more faith in the time-tested G37 drivetrain, for long-term reliability. That engine is incredible, and has been tracked for the last 10 years in various iterations with strong results.

On the flipside, I was surprised to read that the Genesis 3.8 has a throatier, less shrill sound. Let's face it, sounding and feeling fast is important in a vanity coupe! Besides that, the superior torsen LSD may now find its way into the next G iteration with this new rivalry.

Lets judge which vehicle is better at what is suppose to do. Yes the Infiniti cost more, but you guys proofed it is a better performance and luxury car in almost every aspect. Does the 6 or so grand justify this? That is personal opinion, but don't let pricing conclude the outcome. How about an accurate point system when doing these comparisons? Something like an upgraded version of C&D's? Theirs is horrible.

Wow, the Genesis sounds incredible. I'd put that exhaust note as my ringtone if I could.

I think the 'value' factor is a waste of time in these comparos. The fact that you picked the cars to compete against each other determines that it's the empirical results that count. Otherwise pick different cars.
The Infiniti is the better car. The Hyundai is the cheaper car. It's as simple as that.

Almost as good does not equal as good or better.

"I think the 'value' factor is a waste of time in these comparos"

What a load of crap! For one thing, if Hyundai is going to name names, as a purveyor of consumer information, it's incumbent on Edmunds to investigate those claims. For another, America proves all the time that as group we love bargains. No one that's not a complete imbecile is going to expect for a second that a car that's 10G less is going to be as good or better. But most folks are very interested in knowing how much more car that much more money is going to buy. These comparos get to the heart of that issue. And in this case, the answer is: not all that much. Even if one really isn’t in the market for an Infinity, these types of tests provide a very good baseline for determining how much a car like the Hyundai worth. Rather than trying to deprive the rest of the world of the answers to meet your own selfish ideas, why don’t you instead just ask Edmunds to also do another test that would be of interest to you?

The hyundai genesis is one the best coupes to come out in a while. Since it has been introduced I have studied everything about it and find it to be right up there with the G37/370Z. Hyundai has stepped up their game in the last couple of years and i believe the Genesis to be the next greatest thing. Which other company offers a fully loaded coupe for barely over $30,000. The only thing missing from the Genesis is navigation and thats coming out mid-year. One more thing who else is gonna offer an r-spec version, a stripped down race ready model. Lastly the 2.0 turbo should be the one getting tested simply due to the fact it will probably the majority of sales. In the way of best buy for the money the Genesis wins hands down. For the $6,000 you save by buying a Genesis you can slap a turbo on it and maybe a couple of other mods, just enough for it to surpass the G37/350z.

cguarin87,
there's no way any one test can rank the competitors in general.
The tests have to specified for:
1. track performance
3. luxury and comfort
4. cushy ride
5. tech

Some of the "what are you looking for when you buy a car" are at opposite extremes.
In this test Edmunds focused on track performance, that's it. This test ranked the 2 cars based dominantly on track performance. And hence they ranked it correctly that you can get a lot of track performance for so little money.

You can read it and decide what's your #1 and #2.

I rank both coupes #2. I'd get the Genesis sedan with 17 lexicon speakers for $40,000 fully loaded.

billt9 - RE the Lexicon system in the Genesis Sedan, have you stopped into a Hyundai dealer to hear it? Incredible for a stock system...

I have to admit, I JUST watched the comparison video, and while usually the numbers only tell half the story, it's especially true in this case. Thr body control on the Genesis Coupe appears to be very good - even slightly better than the G37. That pays dividends in driver confidence when you're engaged in spirited driving on regular roads. I wonder if the consequence of this is increased noise in the cabin over irregularities....edmunds?

tryan,
They leave the feature cars plugged in at autoshows. It's awesome.

You can't get 7.1 surround aftermarket. Even 5.1 is hard to do aftermarket. You can try but those 5.1-7.1 amps are ludicrously expensive, and aftermarket head unit just looks ricer multi color glow stupid.

How you know the Genesis does not compete with the 370Z but to the G37

Nissan 370Z
Curb Weight 3,232 lb (1,466 kg) (base)
0 lb (0 kg) (Tour)
Wheelbase ::""100.4 in"":: (2,550 mm)
Length ::""167.1 in"":: (4,240 mm)
Width 72.8 in (1,850 mm)
Height 51.8 in (1,320 mm)

The Genesis has the same dimensions as the G37

What confuse me here is why all the attention to the G37. I understand Hyundai focusing their marketing attention on the G37 (in the same way the G37 targeted BMW), but I would expect to first see how the Genesis stacks up against the a particular class first.

I.e If your are going to target luxury sport sedan/coupe, compare the Genesis against the BMW 330i coupe, the Lexus IS and the Cadillac CTS (Though they are not a coupe). This was the same group the G37 was measure against.

This would give the reader the ability to better weight the value of this vehicle. If all things are equal the Genesis should beat or tie the BMW 330ci, Lexus and Cadillacas well.

I think this would give us a much better measurement of what Hyundai has deliver. Other than that, these seems to lead to the typical subjective reporting, which whether intended or not sounds like a paid commerical.

I personally own a G37 and have lost faith in the journalistic integrity of the magazines. When a new car comes out, it's the greatest think since slice bread, beats all the competition and then slowly show it's warts.

I'm not knocking the Hyundai, it seems like a phenomenal car for the price. I'm knocking the magazines. It's seem like their more concern with revenue that journalism.

g_nice, has your G37 lived up to your expectations and the hype surrounding its launch? Having owned a bullet-proof Maxima, I admire the expected dependability of the G37 and lower cost of maintenance compared to the 3-series or A4. However, I get the idea from long-term tests that journalists tire of the G37 faster than a 3-series, despite mounting bavarian maintenance costs and pieces falling apart and turbos overheating.

Hi Jederino, It's kind of hard for me to answer that as my car is 16 month older and I have put 7000 km (Canadian). That said, I got the car because I absolutely loved my G35 and upgrading was a no brainer. I have owed a G coupe since there inception and have done minimum maintenance (schedule service and oil change).

I have had many coworkers and friend that own BMW/A4 and few have kept them past a couple years. While the are excellent cars, as you have pointed out, maintenance can be an issue.

To best answer your question, I would say the G37 is a more refined, poised version of the G35.

It's interesting to me how much bottom and mid-range power Nissan gives up for top end power.

Around 2200rpm it is 75ft/lb.s of torque and 30hp.

Were does your tac spend most of it's time?

I would guess that ripple is from the change in the intake manifold from low to high speed.

Was regular or premium gasoline used in the Hyundai?

Are we going to see a test of the 2.0 Turbo?

g_nice, thanks for the response. Sounds quite positive for the G37. One more question, did you get the RWD, and how does it fare in the winter? Have you made any trips over the mountain passes with snow on the ground?

I have the 6sp fully loaded. I live in Toronto so unfortunately there are no mountains and I park the car in the winter. I could not give you a good review as my G35/G37 have never seen winter tires. I can tell it that the Z rated tires have no grip in the winter :-)

Although the G37S coupe and Genesis 3.8 coupe have a lot in common we all know a direct comparison is invalid.

We have to remember the G is a sport/LUXURY coupe while the Genesis is merely a sport coupe. That said, shouldnt the Genesis be put up against the new 370Z, Camaro 3.6 or the Mustang GT?

I would have thought with Inifinti bragging about its new VVEL technology, the VQ would have an advantage in overall torque production but the graph shows the Genesis absolutely slaughtering the VQ37 from 1300-3700 RPM. However Im curious as to why the power teh Genesis has doesnt translate to better acceleration numbers as it should at LEAST be neck and neck with the G37 given its lighter and produces more low/midrange torque vs the G.

Wow, I stopped at the dealer yesterday and they had a blue 3.8 premium model. Very nice.

I don't want to start anything nasty, but another magazine didn't seem to have trouble getting the coupe under 6 seconds. They didn't even seem to like it much. What is a reader to think? WTF???

Wonder if Nissan will come up with a smaller turbo for the coupe and Z car?