- Joined
- Mar 25, 2008
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- 9,172
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- Location
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- Genesis Model Year
- 2015
- Genesis Model Type
- 2G Genesis Sedan (2015-2016)
By J.P. Vettraino
Is America ready for Korean-built luxury sedans? Beginning in the summer of 2009, we'll find out.
Probably by July, Hyundai will smash into new territory with launch of its 2009 Genesis. The company calls the Genesis a "premium sports sedan." When it unveiled the car at Detroit's North American International Auto Show in January 2008, Hyundai executives described Genesis as "a 60,000 luxury car for half the price."
The 2009 Hyundai Genesis will compete most directly with so-called near-luxury sedans from Detroit's Big Three automakers, including the Chrysler 300 and the new Pontiac G8. But Hyundai insists that its engineering benchmarks for the Genesis were higher up the automotive price chain, and focused on cars such as the Audi S6, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Lexus GS.
The Genesis is a substantial car, bigger and more powerful than any Hyundai previously sold in the United States. It also has rear-wheel drive, associated with high-end luxury sedans. Its exterior dimensions are slightly larger than just about every current mid-size luxury car, from the Mercedes E-Class to the Lexus GS to the BMW 5 Series. The Genesis unitbody is manufactured with a high percentage of high-tensile steel, and Hyundai claims that it's both lighter and more rigid than class benchmarks like the E-Class and 5 Series. If that's true, the Genesis should be a smooth, quiet car.
You've almost seen the Genesis before, even though you haven't. Its exterior styling is an amalgamation of lines and styling cues seen on more familiar European and Japanese luxury cars, and while it might be derivative, the Genesis is also quite appealing. Its various styling elements meld nicely into a fluid, handsome, if slightly conservative-looking sedan.
Just months before the Genesis's launch, Hyundai was still sorting some of its styling details. The company displayed the car in Detroit with two different grilles, hoping to gather consumer feedback on a preferred choice. One was a very traditional grille with a rectangular pattern and the familiar Hyundai H badge. The other had a more expressive, flowing chevron design without the badge. We'll wager that the chevron grille makes the cut.
The 2009 Genesis will be offered with three engine choices. All feature current state-of-the-art technologies to enhance fuel efficiency and reduce emissions, including fully variable valve timing and a variable intake system, and all three are quite powerful for their size. All the Genesis engines will come with a six-speed automatic transmission with manual shift feature.
The choices include a 3.3-liter V6 (268 horsepower, 233 pound-feet of torque) and a 3.8-liter V6 (290 hp, 264 lb-ft). Yet the biggest engine news is Hyundai's first V8, which it calls the Tau V8. This 4.6-liter engine will develop at least 375 horsepower, according to Hyundai, making it more powerful for its size than the V8s in any of the Genesis's potential competitors.
Underneath, the Genesis's fully independent suspension applies an unusual five-link design front and rear. This layout is more complicated than familiar struts and control arms, and it's likely more expensive to build. The Genesis will also offer Hyundai's first active, variable-rate shock absorbers, which the company calls Amplitude Selective Dampers, or ASD.
While the Genesis comes closer to mid-size luxury cars like BMW's 5 Series in exterior dimensions, Hyundai claims that the space inside matches full-size models, with more room than BMW's big 7 Series. The Genesis dashboard is relatively simple and uncluttered, with big knobs and a point-and-click, mouse-type device on the center console. Even the dash and door panels are covered with double-stitched leather.
The standard-feature list will be expansive, including items such as heated and cooled seats, proximity key, a rear power sunshade and a 600-watt Harman Lexicon audio system with CD changer, Bluetooth mobile phone interface, and USB/iPod auxiliary inputs. For more Wow! factor, the Genesis offers options like a navigations system with eight-inch screen, a back-up camera, radar-guided Smart Cruise Control and an Automatic Front Lighting System that swivels the headlights for better visibility when cornering.
Read more...
Is America ready for Korean-built luxury sedans? Beginning in the summer of 2009, we'll find out.
Probably by July, Hyundai will smash into new territory with launch of its 2009 Genesis. The company calls the Genesis a "premium sports sedan." When it unveiled the car at Detroit's North American International Auto Show in January 2008, Hyundai executives described Genesis as "a 60,000 luxury car for half the price."
The 2009 Hyundai Genesis will compete most directly with so-called near-luxury sedans from Detroit's Big Three automakers, including the Chrysler 300 and the new Pontiac G8. But Hyundai insists that its engineering benchmarks for the Genesis were higher up the automotive price chain, and focused on cars such as the Audi S6, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Lexus GS.
The Genesis is a substantial car, bigger and more powerful than any Hyundai previously sold in the United States. It also has rear-wheel drive, associated with high-end luxury sedans. Its exterior dimensions are slightly larger than just about every current mid-size luxury car, from the Mercedes E-Class to the Lexus GS to the BMW 5 Series. The Genesis unitbody is manufactured with a high percentage of high-tensile steel, and Hyundai claims that it's both lighter and more rigid than class benchmarks like the E-Class and 5 Series. If that's true, the Genesis should be a smooth, quiet car.
You've almost seen the Genesis before, even though you haven't. Its exterior styling is an amalgamation of lines and styling cues seen on more familiar European and Japanese luxury cars, and while it might be derivative, the Genesis is also quite appealing. Its various styling elements meld nicely into a fluid, handsome, if slightly conservative-looking sedan.
Just months before the Genesis's launch, Hyundai was still sorting some of its styling details. The company displayed the car in Detroit with two different grilles, hoping to gather consumer feedback on a preferred choice. One was a very traditional grille with a rectangular pattern and the familiar Hyundai H badge. The other had a more expressive, flowing chevron design without the badge. We'll wager that the chevron grille makes the cut.
The 2009 Genesis will be offered with three engine choices. All feature current state-of-the-art technologies to enhance fuel efficiency and reduce emissions, including fully variable valve timing and a variable intake system, and all three are quite powerful for their size. All the Genesis engines will come with a six-speed automatic transmission with manual shift feature.
The choices include a 3.3-liter V6 (268 horsepower, 233 pound-feet of torque) and a 3.8-liter V6 (290 hp, 264 lb-ft). Yet the biggest engine news is Hyundai's first V8, which it calls the Tau V8. This 4.6-liter engine will develop at least 375 horsepower, according to Hyundai, making it more powerful for its size than the V8s in any of the Genesis's potential competitors.
Underneath, the Genesis's fully independent suspension applies an unusual five-link design front and rear. This layout is more complicated than familiar struts and control arms, and it's likely more expensive to build. The Genesis will also offer Hyundai's first active, variable-rate shock absorbers, which the company calls Amplitude Selective Dampers, or ASD.
While the Genesis comes closer to mid-size luxury cars like BMW's 5 Series in exterior dimensions, Hyundai claims that the space inside matches full-size models, with more room than BMW's big 7 Series. The Genesis dashboard is relatively simple and uncluttered, with big knobs and a point-and-click, mouse-type device on the center console. Even the dash and door panels are covered with double-stitched leather.
The standard-feature list will be expansive, including items such as heated and cooled seats, proximity key, a rear power sunshade and a 600-watt Harman Lexicon audio system with CD changer, Bluetooth mobile phone interface, and USB/iPod auxiliary inputs. For more Wow! factor, the Genesis offers options like a navigations system with eight-inch screen, a back-up camera, radar-guided Smart Cruise Control and an Automatic Front Lighting System that swivels the headlights for better visibility when cornering.
Read more...
