ER34 versus Genesis Coupe

Pic 1: ER34 versus Genesis Coupe - front

The Hyundai Genesis Coupe has been gaining headlines throughout the world since its launch end of 2008. This is the first rear wheel drive sports coupe from Korea. It was even slotted to be in Fast and Furious 4. :O

It didn't appear though, not too sure why..... *shrugs*

The Genesis Coupe is offered in two powerplants, a 2.0L turbocharged 4 cylinder engine producing 210hp and 302Nm of torque AND a 3.8L Lambda V6 engine producing 306hp and 361Nm of torque.

Pic 2: ER34 versus Genesis Coupe - rear

What do you think of the Genesis Coupe? Is it so much better than the ER34? Or is it the other way round? :P

The 3.8 V6 does the century sprint in less than 6 seconds while the smaller 4 pot engine does it in less than 7 seconds. Mighty impressive I must say. Interior wise is pretty well equipped too.

Pic 3: ER34 versus Genesis Coupe - front comparo


Pic 4: ER34 versus Genesis Coupe - rear comparo

Interestingly also, the aftermarket development is picking up for the Genesis Coupe. Rhys Millen is driving one on drift events in the United States. Great marketing/promotion I must say.

Pic 5: Rhys Millen's car

HKS USA also developed aftermarket support for the car. They did up a car with HKS GT2835R turbine, HKS Super Mega Flow Intake System, HKS intercooler, HKS super sequential blow-off valve, HKS stainless tubular manifold, HKS performance stainless cat-back exhaust, HKS carbon fiber air box and intake duct, HKS engine internals, HKS Engine Management, HKS CAMP2, HKS Super Fire spark plugs and HKS Hipermax III fully-adjustable suspension. The car also wears a neat looking bodykit by Ken Style.

So what do you think? ER34 or Genesis Coupe for the win? Hehehe

Pic 6: The HKS Genesis Coupe

Can't get any ricer than this?

Pic 1: Hyundai Accent with scissor/wing doors next to the ER34

I was driving a Hyundai Accent (LC) with Corazon bodykit and ....... are you ready for this ............ scissor/wing doors for the past whole week. Yeap, it's as riceboy as you can get (locally we term it, "Ah Beng"). Hahaha :D

Damn it was hilarious with the doors swinging upwards; not to mention super embarrassing doing it in public. If only I can find a Lamborghini Diablo or Murcielago to park alongside it with the doors up for comparison. Now that would have been a funny sight. :P

A BNR34 in the UK was done up the same, it's really sad to see a legend like that being riced-up. :(

Well, a week with the Accent means the ER34 was not driven, gonna be away to East Malaysia next week so I guess the ER34 would have a great 2 weeks of rest off the roads. :)

Pic 2: BNR34 with scissor/wing doors

DILYSI #13 time extension? LOL

Pic 1: 304km more to hit Kuala Lumpur

Quite a pity that I didn't get enough of my speed fix during DILYSI #13. Thus on the very next day I took the opportunity to combine work with a road trip. Drove down to Johor Bharu and back up again 2 days later; clocking in 900km in total in a Hyundai Coupe GK.

I must say it's so much more civilized barreling down the North-South Highway at 200km/h in this car compared to the ER34. Now that I am back, it's time to attend to the ER34's clutch issues. Sigh....

Pic 2: I've got to climb a couple of hundred steps to snap this pic &#@%$!

Hyundai Coupe GK F/L2

Pic 1: Front shot

Spend a weekend with the Hyundai Coupe GK facelifted version and I must say I'm quite impressed with the car. Also known as the Tiburon or Tuscani, this is the second facelift on the GK model. It is of course now replaced with the all new Genesis Coupe (BH) - some pictures here.

Comparing my experience with the pre-facelift GK (both the 2.0 and 2.7 litres version), I must say this facelifted GK provides a much more engaging driving experience. The 2.0 litres inline 4 cylinder Beta II CVVT powerplant produces 141hp @ 6000rpm and 184Nm of torque @ 4500rpm. Might not be much if compared to the ER34 but it's actually quite allright. The exhaust note is pretty good and the biggest improvement to me is the suspension and handling. It now rides firmer and tracks better. I drove it up to 200km/h and feel absolutely confident in the stability of the car.

Seems like I'm having a soft spot for the GK Coupe.

Hmmm......would be interesting to have a DILYSI session with all the Hyundai Coupes (Scoupe, RD1, RD2, and GK models). Anyone? *smirks* :P

Pic 2: Rear shot. Notice the ER34 carpark number? Know what it means? :P

A week in South Korea

Pic 1: Typical Korean food - had a meal here

Sorry for the lack of updates on the ER34 for the past week. I was away on an assignment in Seoul (서울), South Korea for the past 8 days. I must say it was a very interesting trip for me; however it was extremely stressful as well. In the 8 days I had to shift 4 times to different places in Korea. Gosh!

My last trip to Korea was about 2 years ago, so it was a welcome visit for me to be here again. What's good is the timing, it's now autumn; on it's transition time to winter. It's cold in the mornings and night around 10 degrees and about 20 degrees in the afternoon. Just perfect for me. How I wish weather was like this whole year round in Malaysia. That would be simply ideal......

Pic 2: Some procession as part of the "Seoul Fest 2008" festival

Anyway, I was in Seoul for a couple of days and the rest are spend in other locations about 2 hours down south from the city. Didn't get to see much of the scenery or tourists spots out of Seoul but that’s ok, I'm here for work anyway. :)

The vehicles here are amazing. Almost all of them are fitted with GPS systems with integrated TV tuners. Yes, the GPS monitor can tune to local TV stations as well. Amazing stuffs. Taxi fares here aren't exactly cheap thus the subway would be a good idea. Be warned though, the subway is one huge labyrinth of railway lines. I was totally overwhelmed by it. :O

They have dual purpose for the subway which I found out when I rode on the last train. When all lights are shut down, it's also shelter for the homeless at night! *shocked*

Pic 3: Packed Seoul subway train

Some of the sights I managed to see over my short time in Seoul was the famous market of Namdaemun, the fashion district of Dongdaemun, the cultural streets of Insadong, the party area of Itaewon, the amazing stream restoration of Cheong Gye Cheon and the majestic palaces of Gyeongbokgung and Deoksugung.

Pic 4: Streets of Insadong (인사동)

Pic 5: Cheong Gye Cheon (청계천) stream

Pic 6: Geoncheonggung pavillion and the Hyangwonjeong pond, Gyeongbokgung (경복궁)

Pic 7: Geoncheonggung pavillion, Gyeongbokgung (경복궁)

Pic 8: Geunjeongjeon, the throne hall of the king, Gyeongbokgung (경복궁)

Pic 9: Daehanmun gate, Deoksugung (덕수궁)

Pic 10: Junghwajeon hall, Deoksugung (덕수궁)

Pic 11: Deokhongjeon hall, Deoksugung (덕수궁)

Trying to keep things on the automotive perspective I did witness some very interesting developments in the industry in a location that I can't disclose. First up are fuel cell technologies to be introduced to the Korean market in 2009. Then in 2010, more advanced fuel cell technologies with lithium ion batteries that are reputed to be much more advanced than the ones used by the Japanese will penetrate the US market.

These are already installed in some cars for testing and further developments; and will hit the market with a loud bang. Now that's going to be interesting when the Korean cars start biting into the huge pie of the Hybrid market in the United States.

Pic 12: Active Chassis Control System

Another development that I find extremely interesting is the world's first Active Chassis Control System (AGCS) of low-cost, high-response and low-energy consuming type.

The AGCS is an active device whose objective is to improve vehicle transient response by modifying the level of toe angle variation of the rear suspension. It controls the active suspension link mounting by rotating a lever according to vehicle velocity and steering angle. So what does it means? Well to put it in short.......

In high speed straight driving, there will be a small toe-in which equates to straight line performance enhancement.

During high speed cornering, there will be a larger toe-in which enhances lateral stability.

Interesting indeed eh???

Pic 13: The Hyundai Genesis Coupe (pre-production model)

Pic 14: This RWD coupe comes in 2.0 turbo I4 and 3.8 V6 engines

Pic 15: The Hyundai i20 (pre-production model)

Pic 16: The Kia Forte (pre-production model)

Pic 17: The Kia Soul (pre-production model)

In another location, I saw some pre-production vehicles of some of the latest and ground breaking models to come out of Korea. There's the Hyundai i20, Genesis and Genesis Coupe; AND also the Kia Soul and Forte. Marvelous new age cars that will propel the image of the brands into the world arena. Look out....the Korean invasion is coming at ya.

Oh, a day before I left there were protests on the streets of Seoul over the massive rice subsidy fraud where the ministers’ applied for agricultural subsidy claiming they have farmed lands but is all a scam and gobbled up the taxpayers monies. Looks like not just Malaysian ministers are a corrupt bunch of folks.

Pic 18: The Police in preparation for protest by Korean farmers

Pic 19: Korean girl

Pic 20: Korean girl

Pic 21: The best Korean BBQ I've ever had

Pic 22: Can't leave soju and beer out of a typical Korean business dinner :P

Pic 23: Begger on the streets. Check out the number of soju bottles

Pic 24: Begger on the street of Insadong

Pic 25: Night scene in Gangnam

Pic 26: Night scene in a typical entertainment street

Bugatti EB110 spotted in Kuala Lumpur

Pic 1: The Bugatti EB110

Over here in Malaysia, there is a definite chance that we will never see some legendary cars on our soil. Cars like the McLaren F1, Ferrari F40, Noble M12, Venturi 300 Atlantique, Noble M12, Koenigsegg, etc...

Yesterday while driving, I spotted a car approaching mine fast from the rear. The frontal area is somewhat distinctive but I can't immediately pin point what car it was until it overtook me. It took me a while to finally realise that it's a Bugatti EB110.

Bloody hell!! There is a Bugatti EB110 in Kuala Lumpur! Who would have thought that someone in Malaysia actually owns a Bugatti? This Italian supercar was penned by the very same designers who gave us the legendary Lamborghini Miura and Lamborghini Countach.

I was in a little Inokom (Hyundai) Atos 1.1 GLA when I spotted the EB110 thus you can imagine the work I had to do to keep up with the EB110 to snap these pictures. Luckily the roads were not wide open, else this car would have gone in a flash.

This beast has a 3,500cc 60-valve, quad-turbo V12 powering all four wheels through a six-speed gearbox producing 542 hp, enough to propel the vehicle to 336 km/h!

Pic 2: Rear view of the Bugatti EB110

Pic 3: Stunning even after so many years.....

Pic 4: The Inokom Atos 1.1 GLA camera car. LOL :D

Hyundai Coupe GK 2.7 (Tuscani) with an ER34?

Pic 1: The Hyundai Coupe/Tuscani GK GT V6

A few people were surprised to see me pottering around in a Hyundai Coupe (GK) over the weekend, thus I've decided to write a 'lil bit about the car. The Hyundai Coupe (also known as the Tuscani) I was driving is the 2nd generation GK model GT V6. It has a 2,700 cc heart mated to a six-speed manual transmission. Producing 172bhp @ 6000 rpm and 245 Nm of torque @ 3800 rpm, it is more than adequate to potter around town and be one of the faster cars out there.

Interestingly, this particular Coupe/Tuscani is the ONLY unit in Malaysia. Bought into the country in the year 2002 by the distributors of Hyundai in Malaysia, this unit has remained in the custody of the distributor all these years. So yeah I guess it's as rare as a Ferrari F50 or a Maserati MC12 here in Malaysia. :D

Pic 2: Interior shot

So how does it drive? Hmmm.... where do I begin?

Lets start with the 'feel'. Stepping into the car, one would notice the low seating position, you sit really close to the ground which is a plus. In the cockpit, the instruments are safe and predictable. Illuminated in red, it oozes out European style. The semi-bucket seats are a joy to be in and the availability of a sunroof is great. The visibility out could be better though. The high waistline and wedge shape of the vehicle makes parking judgments an art to master. :P

The six speeder transmission is something one would expect only to find in performance vehicles out of Japan or exotics from Italy buuuuuut hey, it exists in a Korean marque. Not too bad eh? The only issues I have with the tranny is that it's too heavy; requiring effort to row the gears. It could also be slicker and feels less notchy. On the plus side, the throws are really short. Much better than the ER34 I must admit. :O

Pic 3: The six speed tranny

Pic 4: Nice supportive semi-bucket seats

I do find difficulty in performing heel-and-toe with the pedals as compared to the ER34, but maybe because I suck. LOL :D

The steering is more weighted than the ER34 giving out more feel. The ceiling height is very low, I only have perhaps 2 inches or so of ceiling space. With a helmet on, I think there will be friction.

Driving the V6 engine brings me nostalgia as I reminiscence of my time with the Proton Perdana V6's 6A12 engine. Smooth revving and gave out a nice purr to it. The Coupe's Delta V6 engine could do with a higher rev limit than 6,500 though. It also sounds pretty quiet; nothing a bigger and freer aftermarket exhaust can't fix. :)

Pic 5: The 2,700 cc Delta V6 heart

Is it fast? Well it's not all looks and no go. Doing the century sprint in 7.2 seconds and all the way to a top speed of 233km/h, it's more than fast enough for a lot of drivers out there.

Overall somehow I feel the Coupe is more 'sportscar-like' in feel than the ER34. Think about it; a cramped interior, poor visibility and a car that requires effort to shift it's gears are traits of supercars of yesteryears. The ER34? It feels and drives just as easy as any decent Japanese sedans out there.

Ok, you guys can shoot me now. LOL :D

The most interesting comment I got driving the Coupe/Tuscani is this, "Did you change car or sprayed your car red?". I was stunned at first but it was kind of hilarious actually. And yes, it's a girl who asked that. Hahahahaha

Pic 6: The meter cluster

Pic 7: The centre fascia

Here are some pictures of the GK with the ER34. Enjoy!

Pic 8: Side-by-side with the ER34

Pic 9: Front view with the ER34

Pic 10: Comparing the rear view with the ER34

COMMENTS ANYONE?