Revisiting the Chevy Camaro and Hyundai Genesis Coupe
As we head into winter, I'm focusing on our upcoming Best New Cars of 2010 awards. I have a feeling it's going to be a long list -- 2010 may be shaping up to be a bad year for car sales, but it's a great year for new models. I've got contenders lined up two at a time for test drives right through the end of December, and I recently spent some time revisiting couple of hopefuls that I haven't driven for a while.
First was the Chevrolet Camaro. Now, you might recall that the folks at GM didn't react too kindly to my Camaro test drive. But we talked it out, and when I mentioned that the car was a hopeful for a Best New Cars award -- like it or not, it's a great looking car that delivers unbeatable bang-for-the-buck -- they kindly offered me more seat time. I spent a week driving a six-cylinder Camaro RS with an automatic transmission, including a run up the About.com Cars Top Secret Curvy Test RoadTM, and I have to say that I enjoyed my time with the car a good deal more than I expected. My chief complaints still hold true: You can't see out of it and it doesn't handle as well as a proper sports car. But that 304 hp V6 engine packs one heck of a punch -- on regular fuel, no less -- and the automatic transmission does a great job of picking the right gears for the curves, with no driver interaction required.
Next up was the Hyundai Genesis, another car that offers ridiculously good value-for-money. I asked Hyundai for a manual-transmission-equipped car, and I assumed they'd send me a low-end 2.0T model -- but instead the offered up a V6-powered Genesis Coupe 3.8 with all the trimmings except for an automatic transmission. That included the Track Pack, which adds a stiffer suspension and big Brembo brakes. I loved driving this car on the track, but a run on the Curvy Test Road showed one big weakness: With all that power, the GenCoupe tends to trip its own electronic stability control (ESC) system, which seems to be calibrated for a family car rather than a rear-drive sports car. At the slightest sign of slip, the ESC system cuts the power and then holds it back in a sort of two-second penalty. I can't tell you how many times I came out of a corner with the accelerator on the floor, waiting for the power to come on. I'd look in my rear view mirror and could just imagine a line of old ladies in Buicks riding my rear bumper. It was almost embarrassing.
Now, I'm sure some of you are wondering why I just didn't turn the ESC system off -- and the answer is because I'm a coward. That 300 hp V6 is eager to spin its rear wheels and fishtail (power-on oversteer, to use the technical term). That's a lot of fun... on a nice wide road with wide shoulders. But the Top Secret Curvy Test Road has a wall of rock on one side and a sheer cliff on the other. My wife told me that a guy once drove off the road, and they didn't find him until years later when a forest fire came though and burned the brush away.
Thing is, there is a way for us cowards to have fun. Lots of automakers have sport-tuned ESC systems, which will allow a little oversteer before cutting in gently with a correction. The Mazda Miata is a great example of this. I tried one on an autocross course a few months ago, and I was able to get the thing sideways with a flick of my left foot, but without worry of screwing up the correction and spinning out, and all this with the electronic nanny active and cheering me on from inside the dash. Even the Camaro has a Competitive Mode for its ESC system. Hyundai should follow suit.
Regardless, I have to reiterate that I still love the Genesis coupe. When you look at the price, the performance, and the amenities, it's not so much a car as a gift to car enthusiasts.
If you haven't seen my original reviews of the Camaro and the Genesis Coupe, please check 'em out:
Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a lot of driving to do. The Best New Cars of 2010 will be announced during the first week of January. -- Aaron Gold
Related:
First photo © General Motors; second photo © Aaron Gold
Yesterday I had the distinguished pleasure of having breakfast with our favorite car guru, Aaron Gold in the L.A. Metro area. He arrived in the Genny Coupe pictured above. All I have to say after checking it out rather closely was this:this car looks a whole lot better in person than it does in pictures. On my next day off I’m arranging for a test drive. I’ve driven the Camaro (Base) and the interior is weak, especially those ludicrous binnacles under the steering wheel. This Hyundai is very fast looking without having a “boy racer” aura about it. It is classy inside and out versus the Camaro which I find to be crass and “over the top”. Needless to say, as an owner of 4 Camaros in days past, I’m very disappointed.
Forget about the cars. You meet the infamous Aaron Gold??? Oh my god!!!
Just kidding Don, coming from a guy who has owned 4 camaros in the past helps prove the points you said. Espeacialy considering one of the main styling cues for the new car was the whole retro thing.
I’m sure the Hyundai is a very nice car. However, the Camaro to me is as uniquely American as the pickup truck. Yes, other manufacturer’s have made significant inroads in the truck market, but, given the choice between a Ford or Dodge pickup or a Toyota, I’ll take the Ford or Dodge.
Same with the muscle cars. Although the Hyundai is probably a very nice car, I’ll take the Camaro, Challenger or Mustang any day. It’s just what I like.
That’s right, folks… I do personal appearances!
What’s your fee for appearances? I have a birthday coming up.
Wait a second, you test cars but are scared to test a car’s potential with the ESC turned off? If you’re going to test cars, don’t you think you should try it’s full potential? There are owners that will turn the ESC off and a car review should cover how the car handles in all circumstances.
Madmax: I prefer to think of myself as being smart enough not to turn off ESC in a situation where I might hurt myself.
It’s true that many owners turn ESC off, but I would argue that doing so on public roads isn’t a particularly smart move. Having ESC on and active allows drivers to probe the cars limits with some degree of safety. I’m more interested in how a car performs with ESC on than what it will do with ESC off, because in most cases we *know* what it will do with ESC off — it will either spin out or understeer straight off the road. That’s why I’m an advocate of performance ESC programs — those that will let you have a little fun while keeping some semblance of a safety factor. I’ll turn ESC off on a closed racetrack, but I rarely do so on public roads.