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The Hyundai That Howls

R-spec_a

I have a problem in that, until very recently, the first thing that would come into my tiny, tortured mind when I saw the word Genesis would be the movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn. Sad, really. Although, it should be said the film had its moments: “I've hurt you. And I wish to go on . . . hurting you.” Ah, Mr. Montalban, you were a unique treasure.

Anyway, in this flick Genesis was of course a really wild torpedo-shaped technological miracle device that could create a live planet from a dead one, or something like that. These days, when I see Genesis I think of a really nice sedan from Hyundai that goes after the cream of the luxury car market (like Lexus, Infiniti, Mercedes-Benz, etc.) by offering similar features at a much lower price. It’s a very nice effort, and a pleasure to drive even equipped with the standard V6 which is a very refined engine. A V8 can also be had, but really isn’t that big a step up merely because the V6 really is that good.
But, as you no doubt are aware, car companies can’t ever leave well enough alone. There have been Korean elves at work, and they have been laboring really hard on something really surprising, and ultimately very cool. No, it’s not a torpedo-shaped miracle device than can create a live planet from a dead one. At least, I don’t think it can.

R-spec_c

No, this creation is a sedan. As if it wasn’t enough that Hyundai built a very decent luxury ride in their Genesis; now these upstarts have really poked their robotic finger in the eye of the other guys by building a performance version of the car that they call the R-Spec. This beautifully understated machine is powered by a lovely 5-liter ‘Tau” V8 that generates a very respectable 429 horsepower. This veritable herd of hosses gets to the rear wheels via an 8-speed automatic with a Shiftronic manual mode, and I was able to regularly get 0-60 runs in the sub-6 second range (with commendable smoothness, I should add). Larger brakes and clever Sachs Amplitude Selective Damping shock absorbers help keep all things chassis in control, and while the ride is still pretty soft (and the steering is a tad too light for my tastes), control remains good when you exploit some of the muscle. The car feels solid and leans more towards ride quality than all-out cornering competence (or more on the Lexus side than in BMW’s neighborhood), but it’s definitely more athletic than the “ordinary” Genesis. Lovely summer 19” performance Bridgestone Potenza Pole Position rubber helps all ‘round, and managed to just avoid the first snow of the season when the R left my possession which means they are very clever indeed.

R-spec_d

The interior is as brilliantly understated as the exterior, meaning it’s classy and well-finished without drawing undue attention to itself. All the latest bells and whistles are present (even one of those heinous control knobs similar to BMW’s iDrive or Audi’s MMI), but overall the controls are refreshingly logical and conventional. A great sound system, Smart cruise control, a Lane Departure Warning System and many of the latest tech is well represented, but again in an interior that is more conventional than many in this class these days and therefore (in my view) smarter.

R-spec_b

The R-Spec is also a bit of a screamer, what with nearly half a grand of horsepower under the superbly sculpted hood. It’s another case where (like the Boss 302 Mustang I talked about a week or two ago) the machine really turned out to be pretty much exactly what they, being the Hyundaites, wanted this car to be. It’s a very potent, pleasurable rocket ship that will pamper you and your passengers while undercutting a lot of the competition in terms of price. My guess is it will prove ideal for a lot of buyers, and that’s quite an achievement in a very demanding class of cars.