Today's spoiler comes from South Korea, not Japan. The 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe, with rear drive and turbo-four or V-6 power, is about eight inches shorter than the Camaro, or half a foot shorter than the Mustang. Although it shares components with the Genesis sedan, it's been designed specifically to be too small to take the sedan's optional 4.6-liter Tau V-8 in its engine bay. Like the Celica of a generation back, the Genesis Coupe is meant to dazzle musclecar fans with fancy footwork its bigger, heavier competitors can't match.
Nevertheless, Camaro and Genesis Coupe appeal to similar buyers, those who value style and the ability to drive stylishly fast over a useful back seat or trunk space, with gas mileage that won't embarrass those owners. The Genesis V-6 with six-speed manual gets a manufacturer's estimated 17/26 mpg, while the Camaro V-6/six-speed manual combo manages 17/29 mpg.
Asking for V-6/manuals landed us a Track Package version of the Genesis Coupe and a preproduction, non-RS Camaro with the 2LT package, shod with 19-inch all-season performance tires. The Camaro came with the Inferno Orange interior package, handsome polished five-spoke wheels, and a sticker a couple of grand off the Hyundai's.
Even on metro Detroit's war-zonelike roads, the Hyundai's track package suspension wasn't overly stiff. It's busy on expansion-strip pavement, but doesn't crash over bumps and potholes like some extreme sports cars. The two cars scored similar numbers for our track testing, but achieved them in very different ways.
"The Camaro feels way heavier," tester Markus writes. "It reached a higher top speed on the figure-eight, but clocked a slower overall time, thanks to the Genesis's slightly better transition cornering and the Camaro's stronger acceleration. Its 7000-rpm redline and taller gearing means no 2-3 upshift, or 3-2 downshift was necessary."
