Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupes, Hyundai
Hyundai's new RWD coupe to get V6 power
Those rumors of a V8-powered, RWD coupe from Hyundai? Almost true. Winding Road talked with Hyundai Vice President John Krafcik who confirmed the RWD coupe part, but didn't stutter when he said "No V8." Winding Road's Reilly Brennan pressed Krafcik on the engine's setup, but the VP wouldn't give a straight answer on whether the coupe will be naturally aspirated or come with some kind of boost. But he did say the car's power to weight would be impressive. Winding Road also said the Hyundai executive had a good chuckle at the illustration on the right, commissioned by WR. Krafcik said the design isn't anything like the actual car's looks, but that buyers would find it to be even better. Krafcik gave a few hints that the final design could end up looking less like an Audified Tiburon and more like the Veloster concept, which is just fine with us.
[Source: Winding Road]
_opt_thumbnail.jpg)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Tyo 5:06PM (6/26/2007)
I wouldnt mind seeing some turbo action from hyundai. Remember they did have an SCoupe Turbo back in the early nineties, not too terrible a car for back then.
Reply
Max 5:10PM (6/26/2007)
If they stick one of their existing V6's into the new car, I will kill myself. The turbo 4 cylinder that was shown under the hood in the spy pics was the only engine this car should have had.
There was another story saying that North American Hyundai offerings would feature supercharged engines, with turbo units planned for other parts of the world.
Here goes the bet that it'll be a massaged supercharged version of a current V6. Way to under deliver again Hyundai.
Reply
Dr. Woo 5:10PM (6/26/2007)
Winding Road states that the Veloster concept will donate its design language to a Tiburon replacement, not the V6 RWD coupe.
And if this thing is gonna be based on their Genesis' platform...won't that make it heavy? The only things we have to go on are the Genesis' target segment (BMW 3 and Lexus IS) and a Hyundai exec who claims its power-to-weight will be "impressive."
I just want this thing to be Tiburon-sized and priced in the low-to-mid 20s. That would make it very, very fun and very, very successful.
Reply
1337 9:39PM (6/26/2007)
Isn't the Genisis concept closer in size to an E-class or 5-series?
Ark 5:16PM (6/26/2007)
lol a v6, huh? what, another one of their uber-underpowered v6's that make under 200hp?
Reply
Skhardra 5:29PM (6/26/2007)
Their current 3.8L V6 makes around 265HP.
KnightRider 6:00PM (6/26/2007)
Hyundai.....please please give me a 300HP rear wheel drive coupe, under 25k..
we waited too long for that...Only Hyundai can make it possible now....
Reply
epilonious 6:35PM (6/26/2007)
such a car would be un-insurable.
I'm sure that they'll give a 175 HP coupe with a 200-or-so premium model...
...and then you'll have to chip it and play with the wastegate/tuning to get 300 HP on your own.
Ark 6:09PM (6/26/2007)
Their current 3.8L V6 makes around 265HP.
so? we're talking about the tiburon here. the current tiburon v6 is a 170hp 2.7L V6, which is PATHETIC.
Reply
Thirty-Nine 6:21PM (6/26/2007)
Regardless of engine, that's a good-looking vehicle!
XJ 6:59PM (6/26/2007)
Huh? Yes, the current 5-year-old model makes only 170hp. But unless you've been under a rock for the past 3 years, you'd know they now have V6s with 240hp and 263hp. Why can't they use those?
I actually hope they don't use a V6. If the power/weight ratio is indeed "impressive" I'm hoping they'll use the 2.4L I-4 (161hp) and boost it up to 240-250hp.
Bp 7:50PM (6/26/2007)
This is exactly what Hyundai needs to win respect from enthusiasts. Did it even before Honda etc. BTW Hyundai 3.8L lambda V6 engine has 265 HP or more if modded and is a marval or torque to volume ratio! It would have more than enough power for this RWD coupe.
Reply
EnviroBob 9:04PM (6/26/2007)
Let's see:
Scion tC 161 HP / 2,965 lbs
GTI 200 HP / 3,150 lbs
Civic Si 197 HP / 2,886 lbs
So exactly where would the 265HP Hyundai V6 have trouble being competetive in a 3,000 lb car?
Reply
1337 9:49PM (6/26/2007)
With the Mazdaspeed3, which has 263hp and weighs 3153lbs. The Hyundai still slightly exceeds the power/weight ratio, but when you factor in the MS3's ~$23k starting price and the European Ford Focus platform, it starts to look very competitive indeed.
Also, sports car buyers tend to like sporty engines, and the 2.3L turbo is just that. A 3.8L V6 pulled from a Veracruz can hardly be expected to deliver the sporting nature or the efficiency of the Mazda engine.
vdubber 4:03PM (6/28/2007)
Just wanted to clarify that although VW says the GTI puts out 200HP, it is under-rated. The engine puts out closer to 230HP from factory.
Also with the aid of a little chip tuning, the engine easily matches the MS3's HP rating.
So if Hyundai wishes to compete well they'd do well to have at least 260HP under the hood of this rwd car; considering the added drive-train loss of a rwd platform they should aim for 280HP.
Barney 7:59PM (6/27/2007)
"So exactly where would the 265HP Hyundai V6 have trouble being competetive in a 3,000 lb car?"
One can't impress their equally idiotic friends?
Justin 9:43PM (6/26/2007)
Eh, I could've gotten excited about sound of a V8 in a hyundai rwd coupe. Too bad.
Reply
Bink 9:50PM (6/26/2007)
Hah, Hyundai - you wussed out! What could have been a legitimate V8 pony car contender from Asia and worth major cool points instead does nothing to distance itself from the rest of the pack.
Reply
EnviroBob 11:10PM (6/26/2007)
The difference is the power band on the Hyundai is much wider than the Mazdaspeed3's, making more available power in typical street driving- and that is in it's current state of tune.
Reply
Jason 11:21PM (6/26/2007)
Overstyled fender humps. It's a Model T. Ruinned.
Reply