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Red @ Mar 27th 2008 3:59PM
Higher spring rates don't mean better handling necessarily. Could just mean a poor handling, stiff riding car. Are they addressing the mushy brakes too? This all just seems like a cop-out. If you built a world car, that looks the same and feels the same everywhere in the world, I'm not sure I'm buying the "we swapped out a lot of suspension pieces to make the car the US gets much more sporty." It just makes no sense that instead of engineering the car to be the best car they could make ANYWHERE by doing the job right in the first place, they'd spend even more money on R&D. By this logic, they're probably saying, "Oh, we spent even more money on the Euro-spec gets different components from both the USDM and KDM-spec models, for even sportier tuning". Sounds as if they saw the video and had an "oh sh*t, we didn't tune this quite as well as we hyped it, so let's correct it before America gets it" moment.
Guess Hyundai's "have your cake and eat it too" car-building and advertising hasn't had the bugs worked out yet. Makes me wonder how "dynamic" the Genesis coupe will be. Or rather won't be.
thesvtautox @ Mar 27th 2008 4:06PM
"If you built a world car, that looks the same and feels the same everywhere in the world"
-if they can pull off specializing for different market to suit the local taste while keeping the cost to be the same/similar to producing all the same models, why not. no different from mcd and kfc offering localized menu items for overseas
"I'm not sure I'm buying the "we swapped out a lot of suspension pieces to make the car the US gets much more sporty." "
-so if swapping out suspension doesnt make the car more sporty, what does?
Xcountryflyer @ Mar 27th 2008 4:10PM
Plenty of carmarkers tailor cars to different markets. The platform is the same but the details are different. Look at the Ford Contour, a world car that was very Euro sport that did not do well because it was not well-tailored to the US market.
Victor @ Mar 27th 2008 5:21PM
US specced BMWs, VWs, Audis etc etc....typically have different suspension setups (usually softer) tuned for the US market. It's not uncommon.
RJ @ Mar 27th 2008 6:22PM
Actually, spring rates have EVERYTHING to fo with handling, especially when it is too soft to begin with. Everything else being equal, it's one of the main components that dictates weight transfer.
The tires could also be giving the illusion of soft springs though. Put some high profile, Walmart "touring" soft sidewalled tires on an M5, and it'll feel no better than a Camry.
XJ @ Mar 28th 2008 10:26AM
Cars in Korea have softer suspension because the roads there are not as smooth as U.S. roads...not even close. That's also why Hyundai's tend to have a softer ride. Their cars were meant to be for Koreans first, rest of the world second. I think their newer offerings are changing that paradigm. Starting with their I30 and now the Genesis (US spec) sedan.