Until now, Hyundai had told us about two engines in the upcoming Genesis sedan: a 375 horsepower 4.6-liter V8 and a 3.8-liter V6 with 290 horses. But data mining on the EPA website tells us that the 2009 Hyundai Genesis will also feature the same 3.3-liter V6 that's in the Sonata. The 3.3-liter V6 is/was schedded for the Genesis overseas; until now there was no news that Hyundai was planning to offer it to us North Americans. In the 2009 Sonata, this engine makes 249hp– which sounds like a more than suitable number for an entry-level Genesis powerplant, considering that cars like the BMW 3-Series start with 230 ponies. Uh-oh. Hyundai's depending on the value equation for the Genesis to sell. When the new model clocks-in with 249 horses in base trim, and Infiniti's G35 offers 300+, they risk losing the stat-sheet buyers. Now I can hear the clicking already "But the Genesis doesn't compete with the G35." Yes, but– all cars that overlap in price can and do compete with one another. One last note on the smaller V6. The EPA ratings for the 3.3 are 19/27; the bigger 3.8-liter V6 is rated at 18/27.
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With such a small difference in fuel economy, no wonder they’ll probably leave the 3.3 out. There’s no need for another engine choice unless it offers something completely different from the other 2 powertrains (i.e. hybrid or diesel). 40 less horsepower, 1 more mpg city, and slightly less cost is not enough to warrant the choice.
Now how about turbocharging that V8 to take on the M5?
How much money would you save by throwing in the Sonata engine? 1 MPG ain’t much but if it shaves a grand off the MSRP then maybe you’re on to something.
Does anyone know about engine costs? Cause I certainly don’t.
The 3.3 has been mentioned in press material for the car before.
Three possibilities:
1. I’ve heard before that they initially planned to offer the 3.3, then changed their minds. But the EPA testing happened already.
2. I believe powertrains intended only for Canada are also tested by the EPA. Does Canada get the 3.3?
3. They’re holding the 3.3 in the wings in case they need a less expensive or more fuel efficient engine to meet their sales goals.
Where is the 1.6 SOHC 2-valver 4-banger? This is the one I will be able to afford!!
I wonder if the 3.3 will be sold in Canada only, and they just ran it through the EPA so it could be certified for sale in Canada? It may be easier than running the car through the hoops in Canada’s testing, and this way, if they choose to make a marketing decision to offer a lower-rent version with a slightly smaller engine, they can do the 3.3 in the states at the stroke of a key on keyboard – and the appropriate cars would be on the next boat with MPH speedos for the US.
Besides which, I suspect they’ll get 260-265 hp out of the 3.3 for the Genesis, since it is a higher line vehicle and they might be able to use a higher cost CPU and engine control system, perhaps tweak the engine with better breathing (since the car has the engine north-south and sits lower under the hood, it can make for less restrictive intake and exhaust manifolding), plus they can alter the cam lift, duration and timing for more power, too.
Ooops. The Korean Hyundai website actually gives details on the Korean specifications (no, I can’t read Korean, but I can read “PS” then convert it to “HP” online) but the web page is taking for bloody ever to load, if it will load.
I’ll let everyone know if I can find the actual PS of the Genesis 3.3 motor (though it’d be South Korean spec, so might not equate precisely to US spec).
Nope. Canadian information off the Hyundai website shows 3.8 V6 and V8, only.
http://www.hyundaigenesis.ca/media/Genesis_ProductCard_EN.pdf
It could also be that they have limited production capacity for the 3.8 and if sales take off they can offer the lower trims with the 3.3.
But that doesn’t make any sense. It’s almost like the Pontiac G8 in a way. The V8 offer’s pretty much the same mileage (or better) than the smaller V6. So why bother?
“So why bother?”
To hit multiple price points. In days of old there were often four to six engine/carb configurations available in run of the mill Galaxy 500s and Impalas. Profits on the low spec ones were much less than on the high spec ones, but you offer the widest range possible in order to attract the most customers. At least that is how things used to be done. Now in the US many cars have only one or two engine options.
I think that even though there is not much difference on paper, in the real work there may be a bigger difference. Play with those 290 horses and mileage will drop like a rock. Look at the G35. Anybody who plays with the loud pedal get atrocious mileage. And if you have the power, its hard not to play with it…