Can the Genesis Prestige Really (really) Compete?

To me, top tier luxury that's affordable to regular, every day middle class people comes in three colors: Mercedes S-Class, BMW 7-Series and Lexus LS. The Acura RL, Jaguar XJ, Audi A8 and Infiniti Q45 (of old) fall short of the Big Three (no, not GM, Ford and Chrysler). Close - but no cigar. They're all lacking one thing or another.

While the Hyundai Genesis made a big splash in 2008, it certainly falls short of the Big Three in various ways. It's not actually meant to compete head-on with those cars anyway - but it gives them a great run for their money. First of all, there's no extended wheel base version. There's no massaging seats. There's only ONE cooled seat. If you REALLY want to impress your passengers (your boss, CEO or some other executive), you're better off having them ride in the back of an S550, 750Li or LS460L. If you think otherwise, than you haven't been in the back of either of the aforementioned vehicles. Or, maybe you just like being frugal - but that's not what top tier luxury is all about.

Anyway. Is the Hyundai Genesis a great car? Certainly! In fact, it's a better deal than any of the Big Three UNLESS you need a tremendous amount of legroom, massaging seats, cooled seats in the rear, etc, etc, etc. But it's not "top tier" luxury.

So now we have the Genesis Prestige (aka Hyundai Equus). If the information I have is correct, than the Genesis Prestige will kick start a new luxury brand in America for either 2011 or 2012. The Prestige will take on the Big Three and cost a whole lot less - likely starting somewhere between $50,000 and $60,000. Until we actually see the Prestige, we'll have lots of questions.

First, does the Tau compare with the engines of the Big Three when it comes to NVH (noise, vibrations and harshness)? As more and more people buy and drive the Genesis, we'll find out how well this engine holds up.

Will the Prestige be as quiet as it's competitors? Will the build quality be on par? And most important - will the options and features be competitive? I do feel the Prestige will be as quiet as the Lexus LS460 - but we'll just have to wait and see. Build quality? I think there's a good possibility we'll see equal build quality. Power? It's already there in the Genesis Sedan.

I'm a bit of a brand snob - I like driving the best that's available to me - but I would gladly drive a Genesis Prestige (and be proud of it) if it's on par with my other options.

What do you think? Will the Genesis Prestige be competitive with the big guys? Can it really be as comfortable, luxurious, quiet and powerful as an S550, 750Li or LS460? The Hyundai Genesis is a great, great car and a far better value than anything on the road - if you don't mind sacrificing a bit. The Genesis Prestige should leave nothing to be desired.

What's your opinion? We'd like to know...

Genesis Prestige Pictures:

Click here to see the pictures in full size without having to open each one individually.

The Genesis and the Prestige will be competing for the same customers. The people who buy the big name luxury cars for the status will not even consider a Hyundai no matter how good it is. Hyundai dealers cannot handle the Genesis customers properly they sure can't handle an even more up market car customer. I think Hyundai is about to shoot its self in the foot.

Gold Z said:

The Genesis and the Prestige will be competing for the same customers. The people who buy the big name luxury cars for the status will not even consider a Hyundai no matter how good it is. Hyundai dealers cannot handle the Genesis customers properly they sure can't handle an even more up market car customer. I think Hyundai is about to shoot its self in the foot.

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No, the Genesis and Prestige will not compete for the same customers. The pricing difference will be too great. The Genesis sedan starts at $32,000 - a fully loaded one costs about $42,000.. The Genesis Prestige will start in the $50,000 range and move up to near $70,000 fully loaded.

It is also expected that the Prestige will start the new "Genesis" brand - it won't be called "Hyundai". There will be a different experience for buyers and people needing service.

People thought the same thing you did when the Genesis came about - and look at how many people traded in their BMW 7-Series, Infiniti Q45s and Lexus LSs to buy one. The same thing was said about Lexus in 1989.. *I* am one of those people who buy big name luxury cars for the status - and *I* will buy a Genesis Prestige. I am absolutely positive that I will not be the only one...

More pictures...

Hyundai Genesis said:

To me, top tier luxury that's affordable to regular, every day people comes in three colors: Mercedes S-Class, BMW 7-Series and Lexus LS.

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That's got to be the funniest line I've read so far this year and really made it clear the rest of the article wasn't worth reading.

Gimli said:

That's got to be the funniest line I've read so far this year and really made it clear the rest of the article wasn't worth reading.

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How would you have worded it? Top tier luxury to extraordinary people would be Rolls Royce, Bentley, Aston Martin, Maybach - maybe Maserati...

I see a lot of regular, every day people driving makes from Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, Chevy, Ford, Chrysler, Honda, Nissan, Toyota, etcetera...

I'm sorry but ordinary, every day people don't drive S-class or 7 series. These may not be extraordinary people but they are well above average.

Up here the average income for a household is a bit short of $70k, which definitely doesn't allow ordinary, every day people to afford an S-class or a 7-series which retails at over $100k. I can count on one hand the number of S-class and 7-series I see every month, they're definitely not common. They may be more common in WPB but even just their overall sales numbers definitely doesn't put them in the ordinary, every day people class.

You havent met my neighbors. They ball hard. Heck my neighbors daily is C55 AMG and his new car is a Bently GT. Also seems to me a lot of the neighbors daily is a S class and 7 series. Some other are the LS460.

I highly doubt they would drive a Hyundai though. Seems like they care about brand name more then bang for the buck. If you want to spend $250 on your oil change go for it and when the fuse is blown out hey have fun with an additional $500 on just to repair it.

LetsRoll said:

You havent met my neighbors. They ball hard. Heck my neighbors daily is C55 AMG and his new car is a Bently GT. Also seems to me a lot of the neighbors daily is a S class and 7 series. Some other are the LS460.

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Oh well, I stand corrected then. It's obvious if your neighbours, of all people, drive a C55 AMG and a Bentley GT they must be ordinary, every day people cars

Those thousands of cars I see all around me on the roads every day must be driven by aliens...

Maybe you just took what was said in the wrong way.. Or maybe you put too high a value (in dollars) on people who drive these types of cars. I drive a BMW 750Li and I'm an ordinary person. There's nothing special about me. I blend in with the crowd. I have a great career but I certainly don't consider myself extraordinary. I'm just some guy with a nice car. Oh and keep in mind that not everyone driving a $100,000.00 car bought it brand new. Many of these cars look brand new but cost less than half their original price. I honestly believe that plenty of people will buy a car as powerful, attractive and luxurious as the Genesis Prestige - brand new, rather than a two year old S550...

Maybe instead of "ordinary", "middle class" should have been used.

edit: I just added "middle class" to the original post. It probably makes more sense.

Gimli said:

I'm sorry but ordinary, every day people don't drive S-class or 7 series. These may not be extraordinary people but they are well above average.

Up here the average income for a household is a bit short of $70k, which definitely doesn't allow ordinary, every day people to afford an S-class or a 7-series which retails at over $100k. I can count on one hand the number of S-class and 7-series I see every month, they're definitely not common. They may be more common in WPB but even just their overall sales numbers definitely doesn't put them in the ordinary, every day people class.

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Lets put this in terms of apparel. Think about it as hyundai's Genesis line as being a $50 purse that you can buy at a Marshall's. Now think of Mercedes as a Luis Vuitton, BMW as a Channel, and Lexus as a Gucci. Suppose the $50 purse has far more leather and a lot more pockets than all of the others.

Do you think the people who are in the upper class care about more pockets or leather over brand name? The Benz, BMW, and Lexus would surely be the car of choice for the rich.

To rich people its not whether the car performs the best, although all of the expensive cars listed above do perform far better than the Genesis, and I'm sure will perform better than the Equus, its whether the car can take you to your destination in the most classy way possible.

Hyundai is in no means like Benz or BMW. Those two are top of the line imports. BMW used to make airplanes, check me on that, and Mercedes came to life as one of the first cars in 1886, and has had decades of racing experience. Both of these car companies started out geared toward the rich. Hyundai is quite the contrary, started in 1967 Hyundai is not all that old, or experienced. Toyota on the other hand started in the 1930s and has become the world's largest auto producer with exceptional quality and service.

To me it seems that Hyundai has a long way to go. Their first genesis coupe accident resulted in a tragedy when the airbags didn't deploy, and just look at the genesis airbag recall now. Hyundai doesnt seem to have the experience nor the service capabilities to be able to produce such high quality cars. Honda tried to create a luxury line with acura, and that didn't turn out to well.

You have to be all in when you decide to create a luxury line. You cant sell a $16,000 car in the same room as a $100,000 because lets face it, the rich don't want the same door knob or door screw as the poor. Toyota has done an incredible job separating Lexus from itself. My family has 2 Lexuses and you dont see one little symbol for Toyota. Acura had that problem, where the windows had Honda on them.

To me, it seems that Hyundai is going way to fast and not thinking critically. They are trying way to hard to compete with all the top brands, yet they cant even put a hood ornament, or even an emblem on their flagship Genesis.

There are 5 things they should do:

- Make a designated dealership
- Combat Mercedes, BMW, and Lexus directly in ALL fields
- Build better performing, more comfortable, and better looking cars (the Genesis looks way to generic)
- CHANGE THE NAME!!!
- and slow down the pace or do something extremely extraordinary

Mercedes, BMW, and Lexus own the luxury market today. They all made the right steps at the right times. But Hyundai is making a crucial flaw. Claiming to make luxury affordable kills you if your trying to sell to the rich. The rich don't want affordable luxury, they want exclusivity, something that only they can afford. Hyundai makes it so that everyone can afford luxury, that's why Lexus, BMW, and Mercedes are kings to the Luxurious throne.

When the Lexus LS came out in 1989, IT was affordable luxury. Hyundai is doing the same thing - NOT with "the" Genesis - but with the "Genesis" line. Yes, they are going to create a luxury division and likely name it "Genesis". The "Prestige" will sell for quite a bit of money. It's not going to be "cheap" or "affordable" to most people. If Hyundai follows in the same footsteps as Toyota did with Lexus - and they get it even 3/4 right, the brand will do at least as well as Acura and Infiniti (I predict better). Are they running with the big boys? No, not exactly - but they get far more respect than "Hyundai" does as a brand. And Infiniti is up and coming - Acura fell off the rails - but their vehicles are still quite impressive.

We're not talking about an expensive "Hyundai" here. We're talking about a new division that many people aren't even going to realize is owned by Hyundai. You'd be surprised to find how many people STILL don't realize Lexus is owned by Toyota...

I agree, but hyundai doesnt seem to be doing much to separate the luxury genesis side with the economical hyundai side. Suppose in a year hyundai creates the genesis dealerships. they cant sell genesis coupes and genesis sedans and claim the place to be a luxury dealership. the genesis coupe can barely compete with a nissan 370z, let alone an infiniti. what im saying is that hyundai is calling everything that they are taking out a genesis. The genesis sedan would do fine in a luxury dealership with suspension fixes and less recalls, but the coupe is a joke for luxury. You expect wood dash trimes and top of the line navigation systems in a luxury car, just look at the lexus IS. Hyundai is just shooting themselves in the foot. Toyota was big enough and ready enough to create Lexus, but hyundai is tiny and unprepared. Also their styl eis stolen from other cars. there is no originality. ANd whats up with the new emblem on the equus, do they plan on confusing everyone so that they will buy a hyundai without realizing it. All BMWs, Benzs, and Lexuss have one emblem for all of their cars. Hyundai is just confusing everyone with their emblems. But then again they were to ashamed to put their flying H on their flagship genesis.

What I'm trying to say is, what if tomorrow Isuzu came out and said that they would come out with a $40,000 luxury car, and in 2 years a $70,000 one. no one would consider it, because Isuzu is to small a company and creates only economical cars. Even if they followed toyota's steps in making lexus, they wouldnt make it up there. Hyundai is trying to plunge through and create its own space, even though its not even near nissan. And look at infiniti, its no where near Mercedes or BMW. What i think ultimately will happen is that hyundai will not be able to convince people to buy an equus. plus if you tell someone that you drive a $70,000 hyundai they will laugh in your face, you could buy a loaded Benz E550 for the same price. Ultimately people will not pay the same price to test a new branded product when their old branded product is perfect.

Hyundai is regurgitating what these top companies established 20 years ago. what hyundai is doing is making their cars look like a generic version of top cars like the s550, ls460, and 7series, and is claiming that it is as good as them. In reality, the car just looks like them, but should be compared to at least one model less than what it was compared to. Bu t all in all, they need a dedicated dealership, and a consistent image, not a different emblem per car.

kinetics said:

To me it seems that Hyundai has a long way to go. Their first genesis coupe accident resulted in a tragedy when the airbags didn't deploy, and just look at the genesis airbag recall now.

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WTF are you talking about? The only accident I've seen posted didn't "result in a tragedy" and the airbag didn't deploy because the driver wasn't wearing his seat belt, which is normal and is designed to prevent airbag-induced injuries. The recall has absolutely nothing to do with that as it is to address a very minor issue with the timing of airbag deployment on early Genesis SEDAN, not the coupe. If the airbags don't deploy altogether, why would they only adjust their timing?

Kinetics, while you do bring up some good points - like the lack of wood trim in the Genesis Coupe, I disagree with a lot of what you're saying - like Hyundai being a "little" company. That being said, you could be right about everything - I just don't know...

Let's get more input and opinions from the rest of the group...

kinetics said:

I agree, but hyundai doesnt seem to be doing much to separate the luxury genesis side with the economical hyundai side. Suppose in a year hyundai creates the genesis dealerships. they cant sell genesis coupes and genesis sedans and claim the place to be a luxury dealership. the genesis coupe can barely compete with a nissan 370z, let alone an infiniti. what im saying is that hyundai is calling everything that they are taking out a genesis. The genesis sedan would do fine in a luxury dealership with suspension fixes and less recalls, but the coupe is a joke for luxury. You expect wood dash trimes and top of the line navigation systems in a luxury car, just look at the lexus IS. Hyundai is just shooting themselves in the foot. Toyota was big enough and ready enough to create Lexus, but hyundai is tiny and unprepared. Also their styl eis stolen from other cars. there is no originality. ANd whats up with the new emblem on the equus, do they plan on confusing everyone so that they will buy a hyundai without realizing it. All BMWs, Benzs, and Lexuss have one emblem for all of their cars. Hyundai is just confusing everyone with their emblems. But then again they were to ashamed to put their flying H on their flagship genesis.

What I'm trying to say is, what if tomorrow Isuzu came out and said that they would come out with a $40,000 luxury car, and in 2 years a $70,000 one. no one would consider it, because Isuzu is to small a company and creates only economical cars. Even if they followed toyota's steps in making lexus, they wouldnt make it up there. Hyundai is trying to plunge through and create its own space, even though its not even near nissan. And look at infiniti, its no where near Mercedes or BMW. What i think ultimately will happen is that hyundai will not be able to convince people to buy an equus. plus if you tell someone that you drive a $70,000 hyundai they will laugh in your face, you could buy a loaded Benz E550 for the same price. Ultimately people will not pay the same price to test a new branded product when their old branded product is perfect.

Hyundai is regurgitating what these top companies established 20 years ago. what hyundai is doing is making their cars look like a generic version of top cars like the s550, ls460, and 7series, and is claiming that it is as good as them. In reality, the car just looks like them, but should be compared to at least one model less than what it was compared to. Bu t all in all, they need a dedicated dealership, and a consistent image, not a different emblem per car.

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jump off mercedes gonads for a minute..mercedes has the WORST RELIABILITY in the industry. none of their cars are recommended by consumer reports and so on..so before you pass judgement, thoroughly research please. lexus also has toyota on it, look under the hood and it all says toyota parts, do your research please, same with acura, says honda, audi (volkswagen), infiniti (nissan)..bmw's which i happen to own is a great car but dont fall asleep and think their not problematic or theirs not some things on it thats not cheap...these companies love those like yourself that pay thousands more for nothing. the parts that hyundai used are also shared and those same high line cars you mentioned, what you think their gonna say f-it im not gonna work because im in a hyundai. get a clue, do some research.

PriorityHyundaiVA said:

jump off mercedes gonads for a minute..mercedes has the WORST RELIABILITY in the industry. none of their cars are recommended by consumer reports and so on..so before you past judgement, thoroughly research please. lexus also has toyota on it, look under the hood and it all says toyota parts, do your research please, same with acura, says honda, audi (volkswagen), infiniti (nissan)..bmw's which i happen to own is a great car but dont fall asleep and think their not problematic or theirs not some things on it thats not cheap...these companies love those like yourself that pay thousands more for nothing. the parts that hyundai used are also shared and those same high line cars you mentioned, what you think their gonna say f-it im not gonna work because im in a hyundai. get a clue, do some research.

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Before trolling you might want to spend 30 seconds on Google to see if your points are easily destroyed. Just for starters here's the 2008 JD Powers initial quality survey which lists Mercedes as #4 (far from the worst as you claim): http://www.jdpower.com/autos/rating...rand/sortcolumn-1/ascending/page-#page-anchor. Incidentally Hyundai is #13.

ayasin said:

Before trolling you might want to spend 30 seconds on Google to see if your points are easily destroyed. Just for starters here's the 2008 JD Powers initial quality survey which lists Mercedes as #4 (far from the worst as you claim): http://www.jdpower.com/autos/rating...rand/sortcolumn-1/ascending/page-#page-anchor. Incidentally Hyundai is #13.

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Excuse me, but the JD Powers Initial Quality Study is for new-vehicle quality measured at 90 days of ownership. No one can possibly make a judgment about the reliability of a new car within the first 90 days.