Harnodi | The 2010 Genesis Coupe is the latest in a series of who-woulda-thunkit cars from Hyundai. First it was cheap wheels, then sensible family transportation, then high-end luxury; now Hyundai has designed a proper rear-wheel-drive sports car, and it's a good 'un. Hyundai invited me out on a press junket to sample the 2010 Genesis Coupe. Read on to find out why I'm so taken with this car. Price range $22,750 - $31,750, EPA fuel economy estimates 17-21 MPG city, 26-30 MPG highway.

A lot of car reviews are going to compare the Hyundai Genesis Coupe to other cars -- muscle cars (Challenger, Camaro, Mustang), rear-drive sports cars (370Z, G37, RX8), and front-drive sport compacts (Civic Si, Mazdaspeed 3, GLI). Chances are the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe won't fare well against any of them. This is grossly unfair to the Genesis Coupe, which is a brilliant little car. Truth is, there's nothing quite like the Genesis Coupe. It features a choice of 200+ hp turbo four-cylinder, like a Volkswagen GTI, or 300+ hp V6, like a Chevy Camaro; optional track-tuned suspension, like a Cobalt SS; high-end amenities, like an Infiniti G37; and a $23k-to-$32k price range, like a Honda Accord Coupe. It uses rear-wheel-drive, like a Nissan 370Z, and runs on cheap 87-octane gas, like a Honda Fit.

Before I go on, I should explain why rear-wheel-drive (RWD) is such a big deal. (Those in the know can skip this paragraph. Go on, I'll catch up to you in the next section.) For various reasons -- primarily economic -- most modern cars use front-wheel-drive (FWD). But FWD sports cars have three major problems. First, a tire can only generate so much grip, and with FWD the front tires must split that grip between acceleration and steering. Second, acceleration shifts weight backwards, off the drive wheels. Third is torque steer -- powerful front-drive cars tend to pull to one side under hard acceleration. RWD is immune to all of these problems, which is why a) most serious sports cars use RWD and b) you pay a premium for it. At least you used to, until the Genesis Coupe came along.

Now is as good a time as any to tell you that I think Hyundai made a mistake by calling this car Genesis, the same name they use for their lovely luxury sedan. (For more on why Hyundai did this, check out my interview with CEO John Krafcik.) After being spoiled by the leather-lined  Genesis Sedan, I was disappointed to get into the Genesis Coupe and find an interior dominated by black plastic...until I sat in an Infiniti G37, which Hyundai brought along for comparison, and found that its interior is lined with the same stuff, albeit not quite so much of it.

We could debate the merits of cabin plastics all day -- seriously, don't ever get me started on the subject, I will bore you to tears -- but the rest of the interior is actually pretty nice. The front seats are comfortable, the controls  are sensibly laid out, the blue lighting looks killer, and all-around visibility is unusually good for a coupe, thanks largely to a dip in the rear-side windows. My biggest complaint: The steering wheel is set too close to the driver. (I'm 5'6" with short arms, so if I think the wheel is too close, trust me, it's too close.) Why Hyundai didn't fit the steering column with a telescope (in-and-out) adjustment is beyond me.

The back seat is tiny and cramped; one Hyundai staffer offered to sit back there for a ride back to the hotel, then got in and promptly changed his mind. And the trunk is small, with a tiny opening -- fine for groceries or a weekend getaway, but useless for helping your brother Merle move (again -- can't he just pick one apartment and stay there?). Source:about.com

Harnodi | First Drive: 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid | Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid hails from a nation where Buddhism is one of the dominant religions. After all, this slippery sedan's design is the gas-electric's equivalent of The Middle Path a road that the company hopes is truly the way to automotive enlightenment. In the still-young history of the modern hybrid automobile, there have been two prevailing schools of thought on design: As the less costly path, The Low Road to hybridization is already a crowded one – it's a design route that basically calls for the electrification hardware to be buried beneath a familiar bodyshell that's shared with a conventional internal combustion-only model (see: Lexus LS 600h, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Chevrolet Silverado, etc.). The driving philosophy here is to keep production costs in check while also appealing to audiences that might be otherwise reluctant to embrace "new" technology.


While it shares its platform, doors, glass and roofline with the conventional gas-powered models, the Sonata Hybrid has a surprisingly assertive look all its own. Just check out its gaping hexagonal air inlet with a floating bumperette and license plate holder – it looks nothing like the controversial wavy slat assembly on the gas Sonata. The same goes for the piercing new headlamps with integrated light tube ribboning, as well as the wing-shaped chrome garnish on the hood's leading edge. The Sonata Hybrid's visuals are actually bold enough that one could be forgiven for thinking that Hyundai might have reserved it for the forced-induction 2.0T model. We wouldn't call it a pretty face, but it's clearly got aggression to spare.


Move along the Sonata Hybrid's profile, and you first notice the KitchenAid-spec 16-inch alloys and the subtle rocker panel extensions employed for better aerodynamics. Out back, the rear bumper cap has also been resculpted to more cleanly detach air (notice the harder-edged lines around the corners), and a blacked-out lower fascia helps to visually lighten the design. The Sonata Hybrid's coolest design element? Its clear rear lights, because the brake lamps appear to incorporate an atom symbol graphic when lit. All of those changes help drop the coefficient of drag from a slick 0.28 cD to a positively eel-like 0.25.