Next Hyundai Genesis Coupe Could Feature AWD, Twin Turbo Power

The Hyundai Genesis Coupe was originally introduced as a concept car that was intended to knock the American muscle cars off of the top of their hill, with a V8 engine giving the Genesis comparable punch to the V8 Mustang, Camaro and Challenger. The problem was that when the Genesis Coupe hit dealerships in the US, it didn’t have a V8, instead relying on a turbocharged 4-cylinder and a naturally aspirated V6.

Granted, with 348 horsepower, the Genesis Coupe was a formidable opponent for some of the American muscle cars from the early 2000s, but as power levels from the American V8s grew, the Genesis Coupe found itself competing with the base model, V6 muscle cars rather than the likes of the Mustang GT and the Camaro SS. If these rumors out of Korea are true, the Mustang, Camaro and Challenger could have a far tougher time picking on the little Hyundai coupe – thanks to a new 3.3L twin turbo V6, an 8-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.

The Spied Next Gen Gen Coupe
The folks at the Korean Car Blog got ahold of images of a Hyundai Genesis Coupe test mule out in the wild and sprawled on a piece of paper taped to the windshield was the information “3.3T, 8AT AWD”. It looked like a normal current iteration of the Genesis Coupe, except it had a huge front mount intercooler and that interesting note in the windshield that really leaves little to the imagination.

If you need any explanation, that information of 3.3T, 8AT AWD leads us to believe that this Hyundai Genesis Coupe has a 3.3L turbocharged engine, an 8 speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. When the Genesis Sedan was introduced last year, Hyundai engineers mentioned over drinks that they might be considering future high performance applications of their advanced all-wheel drive system, but at the time, they seemingly meant for the Genesis Sedan. This car leads us to believe that the high performance all-wheel drive system will be used in the Genesis Coupe and we already known for sure that the company has been working on a twin turbocharged 3.3L V6. As for the 8-speed automatic transmission – that is already in their lineup, so everything that might be on this Genesis Coupe test car makes sense, but would it compete with the American muscle cars this time around?

If not “yes”, then the answer might be “not quite, but the race is closer than ever”.

Next Genesis Coupe VS American V8 Muscle
The biggest question with the twin turbo 3.3L V6 in the Hyundai Genesis Coupe pertains to the power levels. We don’t have any concrete figures, but company execs have stated that the new boosted V6 could make comparable power to the current 5.0L Tau V8 in the Genesis Sedan and Equus. That mill produces 420 horsepower and should the next Genesis Coupe have 420hp from the twin turbo V6, it will almost certainly pose a challenge for the American muscle cars with V8 engines – or at least the Dodge Challenger R/T, the Ford Mustang GT and the Chevrolet Camaro SS.

When you add in the likelihood of a quick-shifting 8-speed automatic transmission and an advanced all-wheel drive system, it looks a little more like the next generation Genesis Coupe could finally be the Korean sports coupe that will knock off the American muscle cars with V8 engines. While slightly down on power compared to the Mustang GT and Camaro SS, the all-wheel drive could give the Genesis Coupe a traction advantage over the American rivals – and that could make the difference in a drag race between the three.

Source: The Korean Car Blog