If you're looking for an affordable
coupe these days, you have a variety of options. If you
want something small and cheap, Honda, Kia, Mitsubishi, and Scion
have got you covered with their
Civic, Forte, Eclipse, and
tC. If you're into muscle cars,
there's three wonderful choices available now that the
muscle car revival is in full swing. But if you want
something more comfortable that can still raise your
heartbeat a little there's the Honda Accord and Hyundai
Genesis (along with the
Nissan Altima).
The Accord gets revised for the 2011 model year with a
new front bumper, headlights and taillights.
Honda could've left well enough alone
but since every model needs a mid-cycle update to stay
fresh and competitive, they've played with the design.
The changes are modest and might be unnoticed by some but they're enough to
be mentioned. Before the revision, the Accord Coupe looked
nearly flawless. There was no angle where it didn't look
good. But the 2011 model gets unnecessary design
elements like the extruding taillights and more bars in
the grilles. They've tweaked it ever so slightly
that it messes the flow of the design. It still looks
good but not as good as before and not as good as it
could have.
The Genesis doesn't get compared much to the Accord. On paper though, the Accord Coupe and Genesis
Coupe are evenly matched. They're priced about the same,
have the same performance, and both come well-equipped
if your option them out right. The one key difference
separating them is rear-wheel-drive for the Genesis
versus front-wheel-drive for the Accord.
Hyundai has made it clear who their target audience is
for the Genesis Coupe. The base model comes ready to be
modified by aftermarket tuners with a turbocharged
2.0-liter inline-four but if the aftermarket isn't your
thing, a 306 horsepower, 3.8-liter V6 is available. The
chassis is more than just a shortened version of the
Genesis sedan and visually, they share no similarities.
With all things considered, the Genesis is more sports
car than coupe but maintains a good level of refinement
inside.
The Accord makes more sense on a day-to-day basis.
There's more room inside, more comfortable on the roads,
and fairly practical with more space in the trunk. The
2.4-liter inline-four engine would probably be enough
for most people but Honda has stuffed a 271 horsepower,
3.5-liter V6 in as well. This is where things get
interesting and the Accord and Genesis start to become
rivals.
Despite a 35 horsepower deficit, the Accord Coupe will
easily keep up with the sportier Genesis and is one of
the fastest FWD coupes available. They both hit 60 in
about 5.5 seconds and go on to a quarter-mile in the low
14s. Despite
being front-wheel-drive, the Accord Coupe can also handle
fairly well around corners. It's only when you really
push both the Accord and Genesis on a track that you'll begin to notice
the FWD disadvantage. But that disadvantage becomes
advantageous for the average driver once you get on the main roads and it
starts to rain or snow.
Even though both seem to similar on paper, they have two
different personalities. The Accord has grown up (and
grown bigger) over the years and doesn't possess that
delinquent inner-being that some of its rivals have.
Sitting next to a Genesis, it looks more mature and
sophisticated. There's no line out of place and nothing
to cause controversy. The Genesis however, still gives
the boy-racer in you what he wants: swoopy styling,
sporty curves, and a fastback body. So deciding between
the Accord and Genesis is all a matter of how mature you
are (or think you are). |
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