1100 miles, and more observations

[Aquineas]

The quibbles should be taken in context. There are so many things I love about this car; I joked with my buddies that I'm going to marry it. We all have a group of two-three "car guy" buddies that we want to like our stuff. Every one of mine has seriously good things to say about it. Now in my list, I'm doing my best to be as objective as I can.

• This car really is a rocket. If you haven't kicked that autostick into manual mode and kicked it down a couple of notches for a high-speed pass of a left-lane hoarding bandit, you are missing out on some visceral satisfaction. The V8 engine is much much smoother than the recent Nissan VQ engines I've driven and owned, and in fact is smoother than my last Acura V6 (the original 3.0l Nissan VQ, before they moved to 3.5l, was sewing-machine smooth however and is still the smoothest engine I've ever experienced)
• It is much more stable in the rain than my last several front-wheel drive cars I've owned. Maybe it's the vehicle weight, but it tends to hydroplane a lot less and in general feels more "planted"
• Minor quibble: The steering is a bit light. I'm not sure why, but I feel like I make a lot of little corrections. It's been a bit windy here lately as well, so that could be part of it.
• Minor quibble: there is no vertical adjustment lock on the headrest at it's lowest level (flush with the seat). I'm 6'1, but I still like to be able to see over the headrest without contorting my neck
• The shift program is definitely optimized for mileage. My car is into second (and often 3rd) gear almost immediately off the line. That definitely isn't a smooth transition. I don't mind though; 99 percent of the time I want the best mileage I can get
• Minor quibble: I really wish there were a way of making song title and artist permanent visible on the DIS
• Minor quibble: Because I'm used to the voice control on my Acura TL, that little delay that you get after you press the "talk" button always messes me up. I have to remind myself, "Remember to wait for the beep."
• I love how solid it is and how it doesn't squeak when I'm making a turn into an uneven driveway.
• I love that the same bumps that used to make me cringe in my TL this just calmly absorbs.
• I feel like the Koreans did so much right with this car. For the price, it really is amazing. It's not perfect, but there are no perfect cars, certainly not many 40k cars that are. I think Hyundai would seriously benefit by selling this car in Europe, because it would require them to tune it for higher speeds, perhaps even hiring a German suspension engineer

 

[Sayantsi]

This car really is a rocket. If you haven't kicked that autostick into manual mode and kicked it down a couple of notches for a high-speed pass of a left-lane hoarding bandit, you are missing out on some visceral satisfaction. The V8 engine is much much smoother than the recent Nissan VQ engines I've driven and owned, and in fact is smoother than my last Acura V6 (the original 3.0l Nissan VQ, before they moved to 3.5l, was sewing-machine smooth however and is still the smoothest engine I've ever experienced)

The engines in this car are great imo - great power and gearing! V8s have a natural balance which makes them so smooth in operation.

It is much more stable in the rain than my last several front-wheel drive cars I've owned. Maybe it's the vehicle weight, but it tends to hydroplane a lot less and in general feels more "planted"

Fyi, the Genesis is a rwd car. Some of that stability is in the inherent balance of rwd chassis.

The shift program is definitely optimized for mileage. My car is into second (and often 3rd) gear almost immediately off the line. That definitely isn't a smooth transition. I don't mind though; 99 percent of the time I want the best mileage I can get

I agree - I'm hopeful an ECU flash will come out that makes the car operate more aggressively.

# I love that the same bumps that used to make me cringe in my TL this just calmly absorbs.

:x !

I feel like the Koreans did so much right with this car. For the price, it really is amazing. It's not perfect, but there are no perfect cars, certainly not many 40k cars that are. I think Hyundai would seriously benefit by selling this car in Europe, because it would require them to tune it for higher speeds, perhaps even hiring a German suspension engineer

I can't agree with you more! I paid closer to $30k, so I'm coming from a slightly different perspective, for the money, the Genesis just blows away the competition on what you get. Its a great overall package. Fwiw, Hyundai DID work with German suspension engineers from ZF SACHS to tune the car. Imo what the Genesis is missing is that fine tuning to give it real high-speed stability and tune out some of the nervousness in the system. Right now its more brittle than syrup-y, if that makes any sense.

 

[TJPark01]

The car isn't perfect. The update that most companies usually bust out 3 years or so into production, usually addresses a lot of these things. The next generation is going to be unbelievable. The car is still best in class, but it's hard to know what class this car is in, because price wise it runs with a lot of FWD cars, but performance wise it's more in line with RWD "luxury" models. The fact that we're even having this conversation is really amazing considering where Hyundai has been in the auto world in the past. Things change, that's part of life, but it's the accelerated rate of change that's surprising. Things that took years, now take months.

 

[nearwater]

Aquineas,
Very well put, and thanks for sharing your experience.
One thing I find odd is that my '09 V8 has a rather heavy steering wheel. I wonder if it's a problem with mine.

I was out of the country for about 2 weeks and after returning last night, I noticed how heavy the steering wheel is on my 4.6
Not up to the point where it's uncomfortable, but heavy enough to make it feel... sporty(?).

Dan

 

[Aquineas]

Aquineas,
Very well put, and thanks for sharing your experience.
One thing I find odd is that my '09 V8 has a rather heavy steering wheel. I wonder if it's a problem with mine.

I was out of the country for about 2 weeks and after returning last night, I noticed how heavy the steering wheel is on my 4.6
Not up to the point where it's uncomfortable, but heavy enough to make it feel... sporty(?).

Dan

Dan, has it always been this way or is it recent? I noted again today on my drive in that I wish mine were a bit stiffer.

 

[nearwater]

Dan, has it always been this way or is it recent? I noted again today on my drive in that I wish mine were a bit stiffer.

Aquineas,
I think it has been stiff all along.
Coming from a Corvette, I never thought the steering was light.
It's just... right. Not too stiff, not too light.
I wish I could let you drive mine and see the difference for yourself.

Dan

 

[Aquineas]

Aquineas,
I think it has been stiff all along.
Coming from a Corvette, I never thought the steering was light.
It's just... right. Not too stiff, not too light.
I wish I could let you drive mine and see the difference for yourself.

Dan

Me too; I'm wondering more and more about my first-second gear shift transition.