Hyundai's all-new Genesis Coupe is one of the 2010 model year's more intriguing propositions. Sport coupes rarely are mainstream sellers, so the Genesis Coupe won't have a big impact on the industry's sales charts, but Hyundai has come up with an interesting car that is cleverly positioned.

The Genesis Coupe is unique because of its low price point and the fact its rear wheels do the driving. Affordable sport coupes almost always are derived from the basic structure of inexpensive economy cars -- and inexpensive economy cars typically are front-wheel drive.

There's nothing wrong with front-drive, really, but having propulsion going through the same wheels that do the steering isn't the favored layout for luxury or sport-oriented cars.

You usually don't get rear-wheel drive until you start talking about the more serious money it takes to get a coupe based on more-expensive underpinnings. That's why most rear-drive coupes these days (Ford's Mustang and Chevrolet's 2010 Camaro being noteworthy exceptions) are from the premium brands such as BMW, Lexus or Mercedes.

The 2010 Genesis Coupe can hit the market with a tempting entry price of just $22,750, because it makes use of the same platform as Hyundai's Genesis sedan, a car that's already shaken up the luxury-car establishment with its own blend of rear-drive handling and aggressively low prices.

The new Genesis Coupe's lithe responses -- the communicative steering is an unqualified treat -- exceed what even sport-coupe buyers might legitimately expect from a rear-drive chassis. And because it's based on a structure designed for a luxury car, there's an atypically generous 111-inch wheelbase that assures the car doesn't buck fore-and-aft like a carnival ride.

We had an energetic back-road fling or two and can report the Genesis Coupe generally handles superbly, so it can be considered a legitimate and less-expensive (and less lush, admittedly) alternative to pricier coupes such as the Nissan 370Z, Infiniti G37 or Lexus IS 250. Even the more-expensive Genesis Coupe powered by Hyundai's 306-horsepower 3.8-liter V-6 starts at still rock-bottom $25,750.

But the best money's probably spent at the bottom of the Genesis Coupe's lineup, where the models powered by the athletic 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder maximize the Coupe's combination of rear-drive and relatively light weight.

We'd recommend the 2.0T Premium trim as the best all-around model, but another $2,500 nets the Track trim, which gets you a bunch of fine mechanical upgrades, such as brakes from the Italian specialist Brembo, high-intensity discharge headlights and a useful limited-slip differential.

We're hoping Hyundai engineers do weed out our pre-production cars' distracting resonance that emanated through the shifter and migrated to the center console at certain engine speeds.

Beyond the entertaining -- if not overpowering -- performance, one of the best parts of the Genesis Coupe's portfolio is the styling. Some inexpensive coupes have a way of looking just that: inexpensive. Not so with the Genesis Coupe. There's lots of tension and tightness all over, but the car doesn't give off juvenile vibes; the shape is refined and there's plenty of visual interest, particularly with that deep cutline rising rearward from the door handles. There's no superfluous equipment, just good huggy seats and a straightforward driving environment that should be applauded for a minimalism that reminds you of a sport coupe's main purpose.

In replacing its front-drive Tiburon with the new Genesis Coupe, Hyundai took an impressive gamble on rear-wheel drive. Sport coupe aficionados should applaud the addition of such a unique choice in this thin slice of the market.