Photos by Ulysses Ang

We’re no stranger to the Hyundai Genesis Coupe. We’ve driven a modified “drift car” version before as well as the latest 3.8 V6 8AT. Now, we move on to the Car of the Year – Philippines’s sports car of the year, the Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T Brembo.

Normally, a driver’s best ally in a car is the transmission. More than just the brute horsepower of the engine, it’s the transmission that determines how that power is transferred onto the wheels. It can amplify and/or reduce acceleration, top speed, and even fuel economy depending on the specific tuning involved. Given the importance of the gearbox, a sports car should only warrant the best. That’s why you often hear things like ‘positive action’, easily modulated clutch’, and ‘short throw shifting’ alongside ‘powerful acceleration’ and ‘exhilarating handling’. Unfortunately, it seems Hyundai engineers didn’t get the memo with the Genesis Coupe 2.0T.

Photos by Ulysses Ang

We’ve driven the Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 V6 before (full test drive here), albeit stickered and sporting aftermarket rims (it was for an experimental factory-backed drift car project). Though highly sought-after and successful, Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI) has upgraded the Genesis Coupe for the 2013 model year. And that’s the subject of this Quick Spin.

Simply can't have enough of the 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe? Well, here's a feast for your eyes as Hyundai Automotive Resources, Inc. (HARI) has produced a video locally celebrating the Genesis Coupe going sideways.

If you are into high velocity action, chances are that the engine performance, precision handling and even the vehicle’s aerodynamic design and profile are at the top of the checklist when considering a sports car.  Luxuries like ample cabin space, impressive dashboard design and even a top-of-the-line entertainment system are easily sacrificed.  But it doesn’t always have to be this way.

So what do you get when you cross the best luxuries of a premium Hyundai sedan and the high performance engineering of a sports car?  You get the new 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe. 

Photo Courtesy of Hyundai Press

Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI) and Genesis Coupe Club Philippines (GCCP) celebrated the club’s third year anniversary with a Fun Run, the second one to be jointly organized by HARI and GCCP. Last August 26, thirty club members, headed by GCCP President Henrich Angderson and Vice President Tony Lombardo, took their Hyundai Genesis Coupes for a joyride to Subic. The group stopped over at Home Depot in San Fernando, Pampanga for a photo shoot plus a surprise demo drift by custom car wiz, Atoy Llave on his own custom-built Genesis Coupe.

C! Magazine, the Philippines's leading car enthusiast magazine has blown the covers off the 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe with an exclusive first test. The sport coupe is currently on the magazine's Facebook page cover photo and some digging reveals a July or August 2012 release date, raining a bit perhaps on the Toyota 86's parade. There will be a slight price increase, topping out at P 1,990,000.

Hyundai must be feeling a bit of pressure from the Scion FR-S/Toyota 86/Subaru BR-Z that it's chosen the 2012 North American International Auto Show to debut a mid-cycle refresh of its best-selling Genesis Coupe as well as its entry-level Veloster coupe.

The Hyundai Genesis Coupe, with its 300++ horsepower V6 engine and rear-wheel drive found its way to the heart of every car enthusiast. For the 2013 model year however, the love has grown. The same 3.8-liter V6 engine on the range-topping Genesis Coupe now makes 348 horsepower thanks to direct-injection technology. Meanwhile, the entry-level forced-induction 4-cylinder model sees a power bump to 274 horsepower from 201 thanks to a modified and improved turbo and intercooler set-up. Hyundai is retaining the 6-speed manual transmissions as standard on these two models while offering a new 8-speed automatic as an option.

This mid-cycle refresh also features a new front end, an improved interior with better materials and finishes, a revised and quicker steering rack, new front strut settings and a revised damper setting as well.

Meanwhile, the best-selling Veloster coupe gets an engine the looks deserved. While the 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine was okay, the sporty looks of the Veloster dictated that it needed more power under the hood. The result? Hyundai has shoehorned a twin-scroll turbocharger upping the output to 201 horsepower. According to Hyundai engineers, the overall power combined with the Veloster's light curb weight bests the likes of the Volkswagen GTI and Honda Civic Si in power-to-weight ratio. In fact, it's pretty darn close to that of the Mini Cooper S. Capping of the upgrades is a quicker steering rack.

The Veloster Turbo also gets unique exterior upgrades such as a revised grille, front and rear bumpers, tail lamps and center-exiting exhaust.

More photos after the break.

A decade ago, it would have been hard to imagine Hyundai as remotely ‘pulse quickening’. Though they had a pretty solid line-up then, they’re not exactly the sharpest knife in the cupboard. Then, Hyundai turned around 180-degrees and as quickly as Popeye would gulp down a can of spinach, suddenly churned out world-beating cars that are sexy and fun-to-drive as they are solid and reliable. And leading the charge is the Hyundai Genesis Coupe.