It has been awhile, but here is the quick catch up!

First off, the two most anticipated cars in Hyundai's history have come to light. The 2013 Genesis coupe and the 2013 Veloster Turbo. Let us start with the Genesis coupe.


The Hotness!!


Ok so the styling of the coupe is well, different, but that is not stopping Hyundai from providing it with a fresh interior and some new motors. The basics for the interior are new gauges, softer materials, and a more upscale feel. The motors are of the same size, but the 3.8 is now a gdi motor making 350 hp and a copious amount of torque. The 2.0t motor did NOT get gdi, but rather a larger twin scroll turbo, larger injectors, and a new tune. Hyundai also says that fuel economy will go up as well. That is the basic jist for the coupe.  I will have to see it in person to make a final judgement about the car. The new taillights are a nice touch and are definitely more appealing then the older "chromed" ones. The hood on the other hand, it really needs to lose the fake hood scoops. Are we Ford? I think not. I have a feeling that most of the new buyers will be looking to replace the hood with a lighter and more appealingly styled carbon fiber rendition. I do not blame them one bit. I have also seen renderings of the front "black" bar being painted to body color and it looks like it might have some potential. I'm sure the guys over at Gencoupe.com will have no issues with more power and making the newer coupe look unique.

My next car...


The Veloster turbo. I have been waiting for this car for quite awhile now and now that I'm gainfully employed I can actually afford one. Work is also why I have not be able to any blogging and why some much awesome Hyundai news has gone under the radar. Back to the new Turbo. The 1.6 will get a stainless steel manifold with an integrated twin scroll turbo. What this means is that if you want to swap turbo's you will have to get an exhaust manifold to match it. Domed pistons that lower the compression down to 9.5:1 (just like the Gen coupe). It will also receive oil skirts for the bottom side of the piston to help control heat. The FMIC can easily be seen in the pics and it runs vertically just like the Sonata (probably the same FMIC). This also makes upgrading it easier as we will not/should not have to worry about the crash bar, like the Gen coupe guys do now. Also improved on the car is the steering. Hyundai has revamped the steering to a quicker ratio. This should make tracking or racing at your local SCCA event a little more interesting. Some things added to the Veloster over the N/A version are LED tailights, European spec'd projector headlights (yes they are different from the KDM ones) and signal mirrors. Obviously the front and rear bumpers are different as well. The turbo also gets full leather seats with the "Turbo" on the seats, they are also heated. I am not a of full leather seats, but I will deal, especially considering how comfy they are and the fact that they are heated is a definitely a plus!

The thing I found quite strange is how Hyundai tackled the torque steer issue. Essentially they give you a thicker passenger axle (just like the base Veloster) but then instead of adding an LSD they simply program the steering to sense the torque steer and keep the wheel straight. Essentially what it does is it over powers the wheels, and your hands from feeling it, instead of correcting the issue. I have a feeling that this is not going to be very good when it comes to tight corners and we will be burning up some inside tires. I guess this is where Quaife will come into view and make us an LSD. The transmission on the Veloster looks pretty simple to pull out and without the huge subframe the time it takes should also be shortened. The suspension, although rumored to change to an independent rear, has not. And that is fine with me. Its lighter, and will keep costs down. As one of our friends over at Veloster.org pointed out there are some major European touring teams that are using cars that have torsion beams and are winning their fair share of trophies. I'm not really too concerned. A nice set of coilovers and I'll be set. On the downside its the lack of adjustment that is worrisome. O'well. The good looks and function of this car will be fantastic for me and a whole host of others! I can not wait to get my hands on one!

More car news...

The Azera debut on the L.A auto show and will be hitting dealerships in the spring. It is going to be using the new 3.8 gdi motor that is now found in the Genesis sedan and will probably use a 6 speed auto. Unlike the Genesis that will use the new 8 speed auto. Interior looks 100x better then the older one and definitely more upscale.

Also coming out soon is the new Elantra coupe. This sporty rendition of the highly acclaimed and awarded four door will have two less doors and we should see a bump in power in the highest SE model. Hopefully, unlike the 4 door variant, we will see a manual in EVERY model not just the base. At least I hope so. The motors are still up in the air, but I suspect either a new gdi variant of the NU 1.8 or even the Gamma 1.6 turbo. I'm not sure if it will be too much competition for the Veloster turbo, but we will see in Chicago where it is slated to debut. Though shots of the car have been leaked and its pretty much what we would suspect the 4 door would look as a two door coupe. Must say that the built in lip spoiler is a nice touch! I like it! The interior should be almost identical to the current 4 door model. Same goes of the suspension. I would like to see the Veloster torsion bar with the integrated 23mm bar in the back of the coupe, or at least the sporty SE version. Did I mention that the 4 door version just received its FIRST ever Car of the Year?! We also have the 5 door variant known as the Touring, but for the rest of the world its the i30. Same basic thing as the Elantra except hatch form and some different fascias.

Also on the burner and almost ready for its debut will be the new Santa Fe. I have not seen too much about this other than it will be following the lines of other models. Interior should be too notch as well. I suspect that the 3.8 gdi motor or even a reworked 3.3 gdi motor will be the motor of choice. We should see this either at Chicago or even New York. (ninja edit....This will debut in NY!)


Other tidbits....


Hyundai is working on a 10 speed transmission. Really? My question is why? It is slated to go into the Equus and Genesis Sedan for 2014.

Also, Dodge will be using a Hyundai transmission in their new version of the old classic, the Dart. Hyundai hs been tight lipped about what tranny will be used, but I will venture a guess of Hyundai's dual clutch transmission that is currently in the Veloster or the new 6 speed auto that is in the Elantra. Either way its good news for Hyundai and better news for Dodge that has had their fair share of crappy trannies over the years.

I personally am really excited about getting to the NY auto show this year. It will be the first time in almost 7 years that I will be attending. Let me tell you the Orlando auto show was horrible! I want a REAL autoshow!

More tidbits from "All Things Hyundai"...Have a Hyundai? Want me to show it off??? send me pics and details! I'll be trying to pick ones for every month. I also am planning a spring/summer meet this year in Allentown PA. Dates are kinda in the air at the moment, I need to find out my work schedule first. Until then I will try to keep you guys up to date with my thoughts and the latest and greatest from Hyundai! you can PM the pics and details to Only1db on your respective forum. Thanks!


tip of the day...Z rated tires do NOT work in the snow!!! Ask me how I know. Haha