DASH, NOT FLASH The Hyundai Genesis 5.0 R-Spec has 429 horses, but few boy-racer features.
TESTED 2012 Hyundai Genesis 5.0 R-Spec
WHAT IS IT? A Korean muscle sedan. Possibly the first-ever Korean muscle sedan.
HOW MUCH? $47,350 base; $47,385 as tested with one option, an iPod cable ($35).
WHAT’S UNDER THE HOOD? A 5-liter direct-injected V-8 (429 horsepower, 376 pound-feet of torque); 8-speed automatic transmission.
IS IT THIRSTY? The E.P.A. rating is 16 m.p.g. in town, 25 highway.
THE Hyundai Genesis 5.0 R-Spec looks good on paper. With 429 horsepower, the R-Spec’s Tau V-8 outguns even the 420-horsepower twin-turbocharged V-8 in the 2013 Audi S6. At $47,385, the R-Spec costs less than a V-6-powered Infiniti M37. And with four logos on the trunk, the Hyundai Genesis 5.0 R-Spec has 100 percent more trunk badges than a Cadillac CTS.
This thing beats Pep Boys at their own game.
There are a few subtle changes to augment the increased horsepower. The R-Spec wheels, at 19 inches, are one inch larger than the wheels on the Genesis 4.6 model. The rear antiroll bar is one millimeter thicker. The R-Spec suspension is treated to a “sport-tuned calibration,” according to Hyundai, but it still favors comfort over cornering velocity.
The only separate performance option is Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position summer tires, for $1,400. I’m not a member of the League for the Appreciation of All-Season Tires, but I’d skip the sticky summer tires simply because they’re a poor deal at that price. A glance at the Web site of Tire Rack, a large online retailer, shows the identical Potenzas selling for $249 each.
Other than R-Spec floor mats, the interior is devoid of the usual sport-sedan signifiers — no steering-wheel shift paddles or carbon-fiber trim here. On the hardware side, there’s no limited-slip differential, no huge brakes, no bellowing mufflers.
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