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Sedans Hyundai Genesis Hyundai Genesis Sedan 2009-
5696 messages, Last post on Dec 04, 2009 at 9:27 AM
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Good morning. Well, as I had mentioned previously, I got to drive the Genesis on the 24th. I thought that I would report my findings and I also have some new info that I got today that I wanted to pass along. Brief overview- I only got to drive the V6. The car is not a perfect "10" (in my opinion), but it is REALLY good. More details below. Okay, so like I said, I got to drive the V6 version only. The only V8 at the event that I attended was parked inside in a room with a E350 and A Lexus GS. I'm not sure which engine the Lexus had. Now, I want to make a distinction about the driving on this car. This is a car that has almost no body roll and it changes directions pretty well, however, it is not the corner-carving BMW fighter that Hyundai asked for. I was pretty impressed while driving the car, and since I was driving a $37000 car, it was outstanding, it just wasn't the equal of a 5-series. One other thing on handling. I tried my best to lose the back end on this car. I never got close. One time I got the front tires to bark while going around a curve, but I was going into the curve with the throttle floored and then straight onto the brake while turning hard. I never felt as though the car was out of control whatsoever. Also, the interior of the car is actually quieter that I had expected. This was just amazing. The outside world was almost nonexistent. I heard a few sounds when we went over some tire pieces laid out on the ground to simulate expansion joints, but even this was muted very well. Oh, and by the way, this car was preproduction with no sound deadening in the doors!! The engine is completely silent and there was zero wind noise. Braking is OUTSTANDING. Some of the best I have ever seen in a car of this type. My only complaint on driving was that the car weighs 3700 pounds and as such takes a moment to change directions. Also, I felt like the low end response was a little slow. Now again, this was the V6, and it was still decent, but just not a world beater. Bottom line on driving. Super quiet, fairly solid acceleration with V6 (assume that the V8 will rip!!), outstanding braking, pretty good handling with zero body roll. Always feels composed. On to the interior. The first thing that I noticed was how well done the leather is. If you are trying to compare this interior in your mind with any other Hyundai you have seen, well, just quit. The Lexus GS that I sat in was pretty similar. I was very pleased with the seat design. Also, there is a TON of room in this car. The reviewers are telling the truth about the back seat. Room for days. The DIS (I-drive) seems pretty intuitive. I played with it for a while after I drove the car and I think that after a couple of days of owning the car that one would have the hang of it. The sound system rocked. The one that I was playing with was the top end system. Now, I do have a couple of gripes on the interior. The driver's seat being the only one that is cooled is stupid. I know this has been covered, but good grief!! Also, the foot pedals are not power adjustable. Why not? Next, no power folding exterior mirrors. Uh, hello? Finally, a four way power passenger seat? How much does the extra functions really cost? On a positive note, there IS a trunk release on the outside just like the Azera. No need for an aftermarket kit afterall. Interior final thoughts-- Lots of room, VERY good fit and finish, MOST of the right buttons, completely on par (and better in may ways) with the E350 and GS that I sat in. Oh yeah, on the outside this thing is SHARP!! Better than in the pictures for sure. Alright, a few other notes. I was told two things on pricing. 1. The V6 tech pkg should be $37000, not $40000. 2. Expect a price jump in as little as 6 months. Also, the cars should be on the lot in 7-10 days. And lastly.........Drum roll please........ The south central region announced promo APR rates on the Genesis. I was pretty shocked. Anyway for 24-48mths there is 0.9%-6.9% for tiers 1-4. On 49-60mths there is 1.90%-6.9% for tiers 1-4. On 61-72mths there is 3.90%-8.50% for tiers 1-4. The credit tiers are based on a bunch of stuff, score, history, whatever. But hey, these make a bargain even more of a bargain. Final thoughts. Well, the car isn't spot on "perfect". However, for the price delta that I saw ($17k on a V6 Genesis to an E350) I think that this thing is an absolute steal. My wife, an avid M-B fan, even admitted that this thing was really "HOT". The car drives great, it looks good, and the interior is excellent. If you can overlook the few little omissions on the feature list, you will smile every time you start your car!! 
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Replying to: jeffreid (Jun 26, 2008 5:52 am) From what I got out of your posting, the car definitely exceeds, but I'd rather hear it from you as opposed to assuming. If that is the case, I think if enough folks complain about the little things that were left out (power folding mirrors, power pedals, cooled passenger seat, etc), I can see those as being upgrades for next year's Genesis. At least I would hope that is the case. Again, thanks for the posting, very, very informative!!!  P.S. On a scale of 1-10 (knowing you didn't give it a 10) how would you rate the car itself; and separately...how would you rate your initial experience with the car on the same scale?
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Replying to: jeffreid (Jun 26, 2008 5:52 am) And.. this is one little question i have. how do you feel about the suspensions of the Genesis. We heard that US version of Genesis would get stiffer suspensions than Korea domestic version has.
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Replying to: allthatblue (Jun 26, 2008 7:10 am) There is no truly perfect car, just some being better than others. Take for instance...the Azera, while being far from a perfect car, it has been the perfect car for me. The Genesis, while it could very well be a much better car than the Azera, doesn't necessarily make it the perfect car for me (at least at this time  ). I guess one way it could be looked at is...while not being a perfect 10 (as per jeffreid's earlier assessment), the Genesis could very well be the best offering for the money. While not being spot-on in terms of driving dynamics as compared to a BMW, is it close enough that it's seen as overachieving for a $35K, near 2-ton car?
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Replying to: jeffreid (Jun 26, 2008 5:52 am) As far as your gripes, I can live without the power foot pedals and folding mirrors. The 4-way passenger seat is a disappointment. Will the V8 be limited to 4-way as well? In the real world it probably does not make that much of a difference but it does cheapen the car or at least your perception of the car. I think once you get above 35K you have to go with at least an 8-way passenger seat.
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Replying to: allmet33 (Jun 26, 2008 6:04 am) Now to answer the questions that you have posed. I think that overall MOST people are not going to drive this car, or the 5-series, or any of the other cars in this set like I drove on Tuesday. I was in a test car that I did not own and wanted to try and find SOMETHING to bi**h about in the driving dynamics. With that being said, the car performed extremely well. I was doing my best to lose the back tires and never got close. The car always felt very balanced and composed. I just didn't feel like it was "on rails". Now as far as taking price into account when comparing the driving, you change things considerably. I am going to have to agree with the edmunds reviewer in that, for the price, this thing may be in a league of its own. The quiet interior, the balanced and composed handling, and the overall feel of a substantive automobile made me think that this car is just an absolute STEAL!! I surely say that the Genesis exceeds it's $37000 without breaking a sweat. As far as the little extras that were not available on the car go, Hyundai did something that I've never seen before. All through the session, there was a form that we were to fill out that asked for what things we thought were right and what things needed to be changed. I was told that HMA would be reviewing these forms and trying to make the changes that are needed. I used a lot of exclamation points on the features that should be in any "luxury" car. They used that phrase to the point that my ears were about to bleed. Now, to rate the car. I want to say two things in this rating. In comparison to the cars Hyundai says it wants to compete with (E-class, GS, 5-series) I can easily rate the car at a 8.5-9.0 without any talk of price. If you knew me personally, you would appreciate how hard it is for me to rate any auto from Hyundai that highly against that type of competitor. With that being said, I think that this car is THAT GOOD. Now, if you give me the HUGE price advantage then I can't help but move this car into the 9.5 range. I just keep going back to the thought in my mind of how I thought the Genesis was so much more comfortable than the E350 and, really, just as good looking. Then I think about the $18,000 that I would still have in my pocket with a V6, or the $13,000 with a V8 (not to mention all the extra power), and I just am amazed. It is just SO MUCH car for the money. It's crazy. Or maybe the competition is just way too high......... Bottom line is this. If you can buy/drive a car without the badge being your main concern, and you want a good (no, not GREAT) handling, quick, very well appointed, and really quiet 4 door sedan then you have GOT to go drive one of these. I mean good grief, save the extra money on price and gas mileage (and depreciation as I have mentioned earlier; it has less room to fall) and take an extra trip to Hawaii every year with the difference. Or pay off credit cards or whatever. Put this ride heads up against anything short of a M-B AMG, or a M series from BMW and you have a real competitor. But for lots less. No Hyundai dealer should have to say "Well, but it doesn't cost as much" to sell this car. Just let people drive the car, tell them about all of the places where the car meets or exceeds the competition, and then say "Did I mention that all of this costs $10,000-$20,000 less than its competitors?" 
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Replying to: allthatblue (Jun 26, 2008 7:10 am) There was virtually no body roll and through the tight turns the car was very easy to "toss around". I think that looking back it was even a bit more impressive now that I realize that I did not have a great feel for the course since it was only one run. Also, there was very little impact felt in the cabin from things on the course. Even the pieces of tire that we were running over, were seen, and then heard a little, but there was very little feeling of being bouced about. Again, the car was a solid performer even heads up with the M-B and the Lexus, but holy cow, for the difference in price, this thing was just incredible. |
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Replying to: allmet33 (Jun 26, 2008 7:23 am) There was a post I saw a week or two ago stating that the interior of the trunk was not lined or finished out. This must have been a test mule because the cars that I saw were fully lined and the hinges were covered as well. If you have seen the inside on the E350's trunk, then you have seen the Genesis trunk. Except the Genesis trunk is bigger. |
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Replying to: jeffreid (Jun 26, 2008 8:52 am) |
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Replying to: jeffreid (Jun 26, 2008 8:52 am) Thank you for the very informative review! In the past week, I have taken three months of interest in the Genesis and almost completely abandoned it in favor of the 2009 Maxima with Tech + Premium package. I am not sure; maybe it was a culmination of impatience with the lack of info on the Genesis mixed with very positive reviews of the '09 Maxima. Both cars should be on the lots in the next few weeks and I feel (based correctly or incorrectly on everything I have read to date) that it is going to be a difficult decision. I wish it were as easy as asking myself the question of whether I want a FWD, smaller, well appointed stylish vehicle from a reputable manufacturer vs. a RWD, larger, well appointed stylish vehicle from a manufacturer with less respect (but clearly increasing) -- but it is still going to be a tough decision... Your post is enough to get me excited about the Genesis again to the point where it will come down to what it always should have: a test drive in each car.
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