Hyundai’s Genesis sedan has been a critical success in the United States (though a V8-powered rear-wheel drive luxury sedan may not be a sales success in the current economic climate). But there’s another Genesis on the way, which has little in common with that car. The automotive press is just beginning to get its hands on the upcoming Genesis Coupe, and so far, the impression is equally good…maybe better.

The Genesis Coupe is a sporty two-door “Mustang-fighter,” to be offered in the U.S. for the 2010 model year. It will be available with a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four-cylinder engine making 223 horsepower, or a 3.8-liter V6 making 310 HP. Jalopnik notes that “Hyundai is promising that this will be the cheapest 300+ HP coupe in the world.”

Car Middle East magazine got the first chance to drive it. Testing a V6 edition equipped with an automatic transmission that can be shifted manually, they report, “For real sports car fun at rock-bottom prices, you can’t do much better.” They add, “Volkswagen and Toyota won’t be worrying about the Korean’s quality levels yet. But this is a car that isn’t just about functionality. It has soul to it, emotion — something we haven’t really seen from Korea before.”

According to Autoblog, the tested car “sprinted to 62 in 5.9-seconds,” and offered “more torsional rigidity than the E46 BMW M3.” They add, “The list of gripes is brief, including steering that’s a bit too light for the tester’s taste, some less-than-savory plastics, the lack of paddle shifters on the steering wheel and compromised trunk space on account of the hatch’s odd shape.”

U.S. News & World Report