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Hyundai Genesis Coupe will drop 2.0T engine with next update

Hyundai's sports coupe is losing the smaller of its two engine options for the 2015 model year.

Antuan Goodwin Reviews Editor / Cars
Antuan Goodwin gained his automotive knowledge the old fashioned way, by turning wrenches in a driveway and picking up speeding tickets. From drivetrain tech and electrification to car audio installs and cabin tech, if it's on wheels, Antuan is knowledgeable.
Expertise Reviewing cars and car technology since 2008 focusing on electrification, driver assistance and infotainment Credentials
  • North American Car, Truck and SUV of the Year (NACTOY) Awards Juror
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Antuan Goodwin
Josh Miller/CNET


2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 R-Spec
Reports indicate that the Hyundai Genesis Coupe will only be offered with the 3.8-liter V-6 for the 2015 model year. Josh Miller/CNET

Hyundai will be discontinuing the 2.0-liter turbo trim level for its Genesis Coupe for the 2015 model year and going V-6-only, an odd revelation that seems counter to the industrywide trend favoring smaller, turbocharged engines.

Initial reports (which have been subsequently confirmed) show that the 274-horsepower, 2.0T trim levels will be no more, leaving the Genesis Coupe with its 348-horsepower, 3.8-liter V-6 engine at the entry point and the sole power plant available.

The Coupe drops its 2.0-liter GDI turbo even as one of its fiercest competitors, the Ford Mustang , prepares to offer drivers its first 2.3-liter turbo four-cylinder in decades.

Other changes that we can expect from the 2015-model-year Hyundai Genesis Coupe include:

  • discontinuing the 3.8 Grand Touring trim level
  • adding a new 3.8 Base trim level
  • a new eight-speed automatic transmission option
  • LED daytime running lights are now standard on the R-Spec trim level
  • a new Brown Leather interior option for the line-topping 3.8 Ultimate

This thinning of the ranks leaves me with more questions than answers regarding what else Hyundai has in store for the Coupe's future. And at the other end of the spectrum, does this now leave room at the top of the line for the Genesis R-Spec sedan's 5.0L V-8 to make an appearance under the Coupe's hood? It's unlikely, but I can dream.