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Budget Sports Car Comparison: The Best Bang for your Buck 
We tend to keep our focus on cars that run in excess of $100K and fly to 60 mph in sub-3-second times. What about those that can’t pull off a $2,000-per-month car payment and don’t need to get to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds? Well, this one’s for you. We are going to take a look at the top budget sports cars in the automotive realm today and tear them apart to find out what’s good about them and what’s not so hot about them. After that, we’ll input all of that data into the "patented" TopSpeed top-pick machine and spew out which of these cars offers the best bang for its customer’s buck. Keep in mind that we are looking at driving factors only, option and equipment have no bearing on making a budget sports car more fun in this competition. We’re only looking at new cars here, so that eliminates my personal favorite, the Mazdaspeed Miata. The Miata will, of course be in the competition, but its facing cars that are equally, if not more, powerful and that rival it in handling performance. So, who takes home the title? Click past the jump to find out. Full story 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Results and Highlights
After a huge wildfire delayed the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, it has finally had its day in the spotlight, and it did not disappoint. The entire PPIHC was chock-full of craziness and highlights, along with some low-lights worthy of mention. The biggest highlight of the day was seeing a record set at last year’s race fall. It fell not only once, but twice in only 10 starts. Switzerland’s Romain Dumas – a PPIHC rookie – fired up the hill, completing the course in just 9:46.18 in his 2012 Porsche GT3 RS. This demolished the 9:51.278 record set by Nobuniro Tajima In 2011. Just 10 starts later, Rhys Millen, an 18-year PPIHC veteran, beat Dumas’ time by 0.02 seconds in his 2012 Hyundai Genesis coupe. Yeah, figure that one out; a Hyundai beat a Porsche GT3 RS. Dejected, Dumas vowed never to race Pike’s Peak again, claiming it is unfair because he raced in rainy conditions, while Millen got a drier track to run on. In all honesty, though, 10 starts just doesn’t seem like a long enough time frame to cause a huge discrepancy in track conditions. We’re calling “Sore loser” on this one. That’s no way to get a good name in the racing world. A huge low-light in this year’s race is the fact that the 2011 champion and former record holder, Nobuniro Tajima, didn’t even get a shot at the title, as his electric motor burned up. Tajima had a pretty good chance to win the race in back-to-back years, but that was apparently not in the cards this year. We’re sure he’ll be back near the top next year. Let’s take a look at the top-3 in each class, plus the top-10 overall results. Click past the jump to see these results. Full story 2012 Hyundai Genesis Coupe Pikes Peak
With the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb set to begin next week, we are getting more details on the models that will fight the hill this year. Hyundai’s model for the race will be a Genesis Coupe specially customized for Pikes Peak. Last year’s RMR PM580 failed to climb the hill, so this year’s model is getting a little help from a new braking sponsor in Pulse to make it worthy of the ascent. As for power, Hyundai hasn’t revealed any details about the Genesis’ powertrain, leaving the standard 350 HP V6 engine as the likely power source. The Hyundai Genesis Coupe Pikes Peak will be driven by Rhys Millen who will be piloting the car in the Time Attack class, racing against 2011 champion Brianne Corn, Toshiki Yoshioka, and Denver teenager Savannah Rickli. More details about the new Hyundai Genesis Coupe Pikes Peak will be unveiled next week during the race, so stay tuned! Video: Forza Motorsports’ August Car Pack is muscle car heavyIt’s that time of the month again when fans of Forza 4 wait with breathless anticipation to see what new car pack the people from Turn 10 Studios will release for the game. Well, the August Car Pack has just been released and true to what has now become a monthly wait, the new DLC content comes with plenty of muscle...both new AND old. It’s also appropriate that the two faces of the August DLC pack are two muscle cars that certainly have no love lost for the other: the Ford Mustang Boss 302 and the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Joining in on the fun is the new Scion FR-S, the 1989 Mercedes-Benz #63 Team Sauber-Mecedes C9 racer, the Hyundai Genesis 3.8 Coupe, and the 1962 Lincoln Continental. Before you check out the full teaser and a batch of photos of the cars in the DLC, it was be mentioned that anybody looking to download the pack will have to shell out $7. Not a bad price to pay if it means you can bring your muscle car wars to Forza 4. Video: Scion FR-S vs. Hyundai Genesis CoupeThe brand new Scion FR-S is out to show the world (in it various automaker versions) just how spectacular of a sports car it can really be, but can it live to some of the veterans on the market? AutoGuide recently went searching for an answer to that question when it stacked the FR-S against the now famous Hyundai Genesis Coupe. Both models are priced under $30K and come with 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engines, but the Genesis Coupe delivers an extra 74 HP (274 HP vs. 200 HP). So, what does the FR-S bring to the table to try to overtake the Genesis Coupe? AutoGuide’s goal was to see which of the two models was the quickest around their 1.86-mile 11-turn test track. The results show that the Genesis Coupe earned a time of 1 minute and 25 seconds. The FR-S wasn’t too far behind as it posted a time of 1 minute and 26 seconds. With such close results, it would really come down to everything else. Which vehicle would you buy? Check out the video and let us know in the comments section below!/p> Photo of the Week: Rhys Millen and his Hyundai Genesis drifter in Brazil
With all of our past Photo of the Week images simply being pictures of stationary cars, we thought this week we’d bring you something even more special. The following picture taken by Bruno Terena definitely meets those prerequisites. The following image was captured in Serra do Rio do Rastro, Brazil back in 2010 where Rhys Millen took to the mountainous roads in one of many promotional activities for his sponsor, Red Bull. Now you may be asking yourself as to what separates this drifting photo from the thousands of others circling the net? Well, let me describe the reasons. First, it’s very rare that one will stumble upon a drifting photo actually captured out in the wilderness rather than a ‘drifting arena’ in the middle of a bustling city. Second, we absolutely adore how this image manages to capture both the Hyundai Genesis drifter and the stunning backdrop in one frame. Finally, the awesome smoke trail following the Genesis up the mountain and around the hairpin in the center of the photo also played a part in our selection for this weeks’ Photo of the Week. Be sure to check out Terena’s flickr account for more great photographs! Video: Hyundai Genesis Coupe takes on...an arrow?
We’ve seen automakers subject their sports cars to some pretty weird races, but we gotta say, this one is something we haven’t seen before. In its attempt to "discover new possibilities," Hyundai wants to find out if a car can go faster than an arrow. So they set out about and tried to answer that question by bringing in a Hyundai Genesis Coupe to go toe-to-toe with an arrow. The car 2013 Genesis Coupe is capable of producing 350 horsepower, which, of course, is pretty fast. But is it fast enough to beat an arrow? In this video, which Hyundai swears is 100% legit, we find out that the Genesis Coupe actually had a rolling start instead of starting on the block. From there, it appears that the Genesis Coupe did, in fact, beat the arrow to the target, something that we doubt it can accomplish without that rolling start. Nevertheless, it’s an answer to the question, although we’d like to see if it can hold up with the Genesis Coupe doing that 0-60. 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe Formula Drift CarThe flock of drift race cars scheduled to compete in the 2012 Formula Drift season just got a lot more interesting with the introduction of Rhys Millen’s prized steed. Over the past few years, Millen has competed in Formula Drift with a Hyundai Genesis Coupe and now that the latter has a refreshed 2013 model, it was only right for Millen to get his own race-tuned, drift-spec Genesis Coupe. “I’m pleased to have Hyundai’s ongoing support for the 2012 season,” Millen said. “This begins the fourth year of our racing relationship with Hyundai, and we want to continue to build upon our success in both developing and racing Hyundai’s race-proven products.” So here it is, fellas. Unbeknownst to a lot of folks, the car carries a 2013 Genesis Coupe body shell with all the mechanical components being modified by Rhys Millen Racing. The result is a pretty bad-ass Korean drifting machine capable of producing a very impressive 600 horsepower. How will Rhys Millen fare against the competition? With a car like this by his side, there’s no doubt RMR will be making some serious noise in the 2012 Formula Drift season. UPDATE 05/31/2012: Hyundai USA has unveiled a new video featuring Rhys Millen as he talks about the 2012 Formula Drift Race season and the preparations that lead up to the 2012 Formula Drift season. Enjoy! Subaru BRZ battles Mazda MX-5 Miata and Hyundai Genesis 2.0 Coupe
The Subaru BRZ may only be a few months old and despite the fact that deliveries to owners have yet to commence, this brand new rear-wheel drive out of Japan has already proven itself to be quite the performance car, even if it did get beaten around a Japanese racetrack by its twin-brother, the Toyota GT 86 recently. In Road & Track’s latest road test, they took the aforementioned Subaru BRZ out onto public roads to see how it would perform when pitted against its main rival, the Mazda MX-5 Miata as well as the Hyundai Genesis 2.0 Coupe. We won’t ruin the result for you, but keep in mind the following performance specifications when watching the video. The BRZ features a 2.0-liter four-cylinder boxer style engine which was developed in conjunction with Toyota to produce 200HP and 151lb-ft of torque, while the base Mazda MX-5 Miata produces significantly less at just 167HP but does turn out an impressive 158 lb-ft of torque. On the other hand, the Hyundai Genesis actually produces the most of the bunch with 217HP and 217lb-ft of torque; however, it does weigh significantly more than the other two due to its larger proportions.
2013 Hyundai Genesis CoupeThe current Hyundai Genesis Coupewent on sale in United States dealerships back on February 26, 2009. It was a pretty cool sports car powered by a 2.0-liter DOHC inline four-cylinder that delivered 212 HP and 217 lb.-ft. of torque, but in 2011, Hyundai tried making it even better by adding a new version: the Coupe 3.8 R-Spec. This new coupe is powered by a 3.8 liter V6 engine that delivers 306 HP, which is obviously better than the previous model, but apparently, that addition simply wasn’t enough for Hyundai. Now, they’ve brought the facelift version of the Genesis Coupe to the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, in its American version. The new 2013 Genesis Coupe sports more aggressive coupe styling, complemented by an improved interior and design. It will be available with 4-cylinder and V6 engines, both of which benefit from significant technology enhancements, a 3.8-liter V6 engine with sophisticated direct-injection technology, and a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that has been upgraded to a more precise twin-scroll turbocharger and larger intercooler. UPDATE 01/09/2012: This review has been updated with the official images and specs of the Hyundai Genesis Coupe. UPDATE 02/14/2012: Hyundai has announced today prices for the new Genesis Coupe that will go on sale this March. Prices will range from $24,250 for the 2.0T model to $34,250 for the 3.8 Track. The 3.8-liter R-Spec model is priced from $28,750. Hit the jump for the full pricing list. Hit the jump to read more about the future 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe. Full story | Find us on Facebook | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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