MANILA, Philippines — With the spiraling cost of fuel in the country, everyone thinks that the days of muscle-cars are numbered.

Gear heads say that sports machines with big engine displacements will soon evaporate in the air as practical-thinking motorists will opt for a fuel-efficient vehicle that give them longer kilometers of road to drive.

I had the same line of thinking, too.

Not until I drove the Hyundai Genesis sports coupe.

On its curvaceous rear end is a small, shiny silver emblem “3.8” that gives you a clue that this car is not on a diet on fuel.

But once I started to roll my eyes on the other angles of this two-door sports car, amnesia struck and in an instant, I can’t remember the price of gasoline.

The Genesis’ body contour is so magnetic that people from all ages kept feasting their eyes on it.

Long mean-looking bonnet, lowered body, sleek window design gives an impression that the Genesis is born to race in Super Grand Touring events vis-à-vis European and Japanese big-wigs.

Feel with your hand that flowing line that extends from the front wheel arch to the rear that appears like a leg muscle of David Beckham, the foot ball star.

Going back to the rear end, the small duck-tail rear spoiler on the trunk is a reminder of how Hyundai has advanced in terms of aerodynamics and body styling.

But the heart and soul of the Genesis are anchored more on its road performance.

If you agree that silent water runs deep, the quietness of the Genesis’ engine should be an indication of its enormous inner strength.

To my surprise, it possesses more power than an eager beaver like myself thought can handle.

Settled on the bucket seats, I revved the Genesis V6 power plant and felt the 306 hyperactive horses galloping, wanting to be unleashed. Put the shifter on the “D” mode and push the RPM to the 4,700 line to feel that 266 pounds per foot of maximum torque.

A rear-wheel driven beast, just switch off the traction control and the Genesis coupe is geared for an exciting drifting experience.

For me, driving is more fun with rear wheel drive.

With the combination of traction control and electronic stability control, the Genesis corners like a four-wheel-drive sports car. With a low ground-clearance, riding on the Genesis’ gas shock absorbers is like gliding on a wake board…smooth and flowing.

Just drive cautiously on bulging road humps to avoid the propeller shaft to bottom.

A four-seater sports car, surprisingly, the space for rear seat passengers is bit bigger than its counter parts. Although the seating position is low for both front and back and of course, a limited four-corner view.

If you need to breathe fresh air, push a button located overhead in the cockpit and the moon roof will automatically open.

The cockpit instrumentation speaks well of outstanding driver-car ergonomic design.

Take time out to play with the paddle shifter in manual gear mode.

After I became fully-accustomed to the features and driving characteristics of the Hyundai Genesis 3.8, the idea of pushing it to a race track to hone my racing lines came to my mind.

And why worry about crashing it on the barrier when its price tag is pegged P1,858,000?

The money you saved from buying high-end European or Japanese sports car will allow you to buy another brand-new Genesis.

It’s like a buy-one, take-one thing!