Disappointment

[rover]

For the last few weeks I have been researching and driving what my next car will be. Presently I have a 2000 Infiniti Q45 and hence thought that a 4.6 liter Genesis would be a good replacement. I also considered the following

1. Fully loaded Buick Lacrosse CSX
2. Used Lincoln MKS
3. Used Lexus LS430

I have now test driven all of them with the Genesis being the the most recent drive (today in fact) and here are my conclusions

1. Buick - too small, does not have the ride comfort as my Infiniti although noise suppression is very good

2. Lincoln MKS - Engine very noisy, wind and road noise too high, ride is quite good and similar to my Q45

3. Lexus LS430 - Extremely quiet and superb ride. Seems in another class which is to be expected

4. Genesis 2010 model year 4.6 with Technology package - Noise levels good, better than Lincoln, similar to Buick but noticeably louder than Lexus 430. Ride was very poor, the worst of all of these cars. Seems very bouncy over bumps with lots of vertical movement. My wife who rode in the back seat said it was "terrible". Over single large bumps it transmitted a lot of road shock.

Overall I was very disappointed as I would have been ready to buy this car. But I cannot live with the ride. I thought this had been fixed for the 2010 model year. I verified it was definitely a 2010 and it had the 18 wheels. What gives?

 

[mikec]

It may be correct/normal for the car. The 2010 Genesis sedans do have suspension tweaks relative to the original 2009 models but the tuning is still firm, aiming for the sport side of the equation... not a pillow-soft ride. I have an early 2009 model, impact harshness on it is definitely an area Hyundai could improve though the rest of the suspension qualities seem okay. I haven't driven mine over lousy roads or undulating roads that can excite porpoising problems though which others have experienced.

My one suggestion: check the tire pressures on the vehicle. Hyundai ships the cars with way over-inflated tires; dealers are supposed to lower them to 36psi or so. Many owners find 32psi improves the ride quite a bit. 40+ "factory" psi makes the tires hard as rocks which just magnifies impact harshness.

Test drive a Genesis that you know has only 32psi in the tires.

I recently drove an older friend of mine and his wife several hundred miles (SoCal to the SanFran area, posted in a different thread) and they both praised the car and the ride comfort... and mine is the original (aka "worst of all") 2009 suspension. They are used to Buicks too.

mike c.

 

[Cut-Throat]

I think you are comparing apples to oranges. All of the cars that you drove are large lumbering sedans except the Genesis, which is a sports sedan. It is going to ride rougher than the 'floaters'. Most folks call them 'old people's cars'.

I drive a Lexus GS350 which is much firmer than a Genesis.

 

[dg_moore]

From all of the discussion of this topic on the forum it seems to me that the perception of ride quality is highly individual. Some people think the Genesis has a "rough ride", while others think it's quite smooth. I guess it depends on what you're accustomed to - I learned to drive in a 1946 Willys Jeep, and that has always been my benchmark (plus a couple of MG's and a Triumph), followed by lots of other cars. I like the ride of my Genesis better than any car I've ever owned and have never encountered a road surface that causes any undue handling problems.

 

[Ron Veenker]

Didn't someone also suggest increasing the lumbar support adjustment? I mean he claimed it changed how he felt the ride in the 4.6! Maybe I'm making this up, but I don't think so. There have been SOOOOOOOOO many discussions about the ride and suspension issues.

It is highly subjective as D.G. has pointed out above. I have a 2009 3.8 manufactured 10/29/08 and I have never been disappointed in the ride. I traded a 2001 Mercedes E320 for the Genesis.

Ron

 

[hazelwood7]

For the last few weeks I have been researching and driving what my next car will be. Presently I have a 2000 Infiniti Q45 and hence thought that a 4.6 liter Genesis would be a good replacement. I also considered the following

1. Fully loaded Buick Lacrosse CSX
2. Used Lincoln MKS
3. Used Lexus LS430

I have now test driven all of them with the Genesis being the the most recent drive (today in fact) and here are my conclusions

1. Buick - too small, does not have the ride comfort as my Infiniti although noise suppression is very good

2. Lincoln MKS - Engine very noisy, wind and road noise too high, ride is quite good and similar to my Q45

3. Lexus LS430 - Extremely quiet and superb ride. Seems in another class which is to be expected

4. Genesis 2010 model year 4.6 with Technology package - Noise levels good, better than Lincoln, similar to Buick but noticeably louder than Lexus 430. Ride was very poor, the worst of all of these cars. Seems very bouncy over bumps with lots of vertical movement. My wife who rode in the back seat said it was "terrible". Over single large bumps it transmitted a lot of road shock.

Overall I was very disappointed as I would have been ready to buy this car. But I cannot live with the ride. I thought this had been fixed for the 2010 model year. I verified it was definitely a 2010 and it had the 18 wheels. What gives?

Rover,

It seems you already made up your mind and you like the Lexus LS430. Enjoy your new car. The Genesis is not the car for you because that is how it rides but of course the Lexus will cost you more.
Chris

 

[OneShot]

Rover,

It seems you already made up your mind and you like the Lexus LS430. Enjoy your new car. The Genesis is not the car for you because that is how it rides but of course the Lexus will cost you more.
Chris

Actually a used LS430 would be substantially less than a new Genesis. In fact the newest LS430, a 2006. with 40k miles can be had for $28k. In 2007 the LS430 was replaced with the LS460. A nicely equipped 2007 LS460 w/40k miles can be had for $35k.

The LS430/460's and the Genesis are all excellent cars. If you do value comfort and quietness over sportiness, the LS's are the way to go. Buying used is probably a better financial decision also!

 

[nearwater]

For the last few weeks I have been researching and driving what my next car will be. Presently I have a 2000 Infiniti Q45 and hence thought that a 4.6 liter Genesis would be a good replacement. I also considered the following

1. Fully loaded Buick Lacrosse CSX
2. Used Lincoln MKS
3. Used Lexus LS430

I have now test driven all of them with the Genesis being the the most recent drive (today in fact) and here are my conclusions

1. Buick - too small, does not have the ride comfort as my Infiniti although noise suppression is very good

2. Lincoln MKS - Engine very noisy, wind and road noise too high, ride is quite good and similar to my Q45

3. Lexus LS430 - Extremely quiet and superb ride. Seems in another class which is to be expected

4. Genesis 2010 model year 4.6 with Technology package - Noise levels good, better than Lincoln, similar to Buick but noticeably louder than Lexus 430. Ride was very poor, the worst of all of these cars. Seems very bouncy over bumps with lots of vertical movement. My wife who rode in the back seat said it was "terrible". Over single large bumps it transmitted a lot of road shock.

Overall I was very disappointed as I would have been ready to buy this car. But I cannot live with the ride. I thought this had been fixed for the 2010 model year. I verified it was definitely a 2010 and it had the 18 wheels. What gives?

I assume you're talking about the new 2010 Buick LaCrosse CXS.
We have a fully loaded MY10 in our test fleet, and it probably has as much, if not more, cabin space than the Genesis.
Not sure why you thought it's "too small".
If you're talking about the trunk space, yes I agree. It's tiny.
Or if you meant a used older generation LaCrosse, I see how it can be considered small, but the new 2010 is a pretty decently sized sedan, IMO.


The more driving I do with my Genesis, I do agree that the ride is on the bouncier side of the spectrum.
It's not the stiffness that's the problem. It's the bouncing after-effect that's not absorbed properly.
Overall, it's still a decent ride and the bounciness is just a small pet peeve of mine that I can deal with.

OP, hope you find the car you like.
Good luck.

Dan

 

[Mark_888]

But I cannot live with the ride. I thought this had been fixed for the 2010 model year. I verified it was definitely a 2010 and it had the 18 wheels. What gives?

Nobody said the Genesis has a cushy ride. But it is much worse on the early 2009 models, with slight improvement mid-year 2009, and more improvement in 2010.

The Korean domestic version of the Genesis with optional air suspension would probably be what you want, but that is not available in North America. Equus will have air suspension as standard equipment.

 

[MrB0462]

Rover

Buy the Lexus

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[cschuler]

Overall I was very disappointed as I would have been ready to buy this car. But I cannot live with the ride. I thought this had been fixed for the 2010 model year. I verified it was definitely a 2010 and it had the 18 wheels. What gives?[/QUOTE]

You cannot live with the ride, so move on.

 

[rover]

Wow thanks for the kind words:-( I have no affiliation to any car company and am a technical manager at a plastics company. I have owned Infiniti Q45's since the 1994 active suspension model and two of the second generation models, a 1998 and a 2000 anniversary edition with the selectable suspension.

For months now I have coveted a Genesis as its body style almost seems to look as how the second generation Q45 could have evolved. The horizontal bars on the grill are similar to the Nissan Cima on which my Q45 is based.

As I mentioned I put a short list of cars together, have done my road test review research and have now test drove each of them. The reason for my post was to try to understand what I experienced in terms of the ride. At first I thought that the dealership may have been offering a 2009 as a 2010 but I checked the vin number and it is definitely a 2010. It had 18 inch wheels which are not too aggressive and so I was at a loss to understand why the ride was so strange. Let me elaborate.

Over sharp single bumps due to two mismatched sections of concrete pavement, the rear end seemed to crash with a very sudden thump which was easily felt. Over a series of bumps the rear end seemed to almost bounce in that it had a lot of what I consider to be excess vertical movement.

Given that this was a 2010, I was trying to understand by posting whether this is normal for the vehicle or maybe the one I test drove was faulty. I guess I can try another dealership and find out. In my road test reviews, although the ride did not get top marks, I did not find any mention of the 2010's having the characteristics I observed.

I apologize if I offended anyone with my post, as that was unintentional and I am still considering the Genesis but will need to carry out some additional test drives.

Can anyone advise if the 2010 3.8's and 4.6's have the same suspension set up or are there differences

Regards,

David

 

[ctrcbob]

Hey Rover (David),

Don't mind the things guys are saying about your post. You called them as you see them.

Although I am mostly pleased with my 09, had I taken a better test ride, and felt just how bad (read HARSH) the suspension was, I probably would not have purchased either.
This is the only thing I hate about the car.

Although my wife is getting to like the car more, now that we have owned it for 18 months or so, whenever we go over bumps, she states words something like "what the heck is wrong with this car"? She hates the suspension even more than me.

 

[cschuler]

The ride is harsh. Some like it and some hate it and some don't care. It is what it is.

Same thing in my family ... I like the feel of the road and my wife hates feeling the bumps. She loves the Lincoln Town Car (our former cars) boat-like ride. I like that as a passenger but hate it as a driver ... go figure.

I drive on mostly very smooth and many new roads (Naples, FL) and other than the speed bumps, the Genesis sedan is smooth enough. On a recent trip to Pgh., Pa., I have to admit that a smoother ride would have been better there. So, here we go again: 1/ What you are used to; 2/ What you prefer; 3/ Where you drive; 4/How fast you drive; ad nauseum.

 

[MrB0462]

Rover/David

Since you decided that you can't live with it, why ask us about a car we bought and certainly like? What did you expect us to say?

My response to "buy the Lexus" was not harsh just stating reality based on your comments.

You are just one of many who come on this type of forum and say I am disappointed after a test ride or something else. No car is perfect all have deficiencies. We have learned to live with ours.

 

[ellsworth007]

Joy and a car payment are in the eyes of the beholder .
Cars I have had - 69 Chevelle Malibu , 70 Camero , Chev luv truck, nissan truck , 2 toyoyta trucks and the last 11 years a Camery.

All my cars and trucks with the exception of the camery probably have a similar ride . The Camery was very quick to rip around town and floated along nicely. But I think I would throw up if I had to sit in the interior of another Toyota , not that their bad just Toyota overload.

a year ago I pulled up the Genesis and did the build your own , you know with all the stuff I wanted and would wish, dream and marvel - I could see my self in that beautiful car .

In may of this last year , I went to the dealer and picked out the top of the line and said - wrap that one up , its mine.

I haven't felt this obsessed about a car since my Chevelle or the Camaro - both rear wheel drive and my Chevelle had wide 60 tires on the rear in all jacked up.

I guess its what alot of people have been saying , its easy to find a few flaws in the ride but overall I love this car and everthing about it .

I read some one said the bounce , that does describe it ..I do slow down more on bumpy roads or gravel - but thats more an adjustment to the car vs the ride.

My husband who has had ohhh 20 cars thinks the genesis ride is great just a few bumps now and then ....and yes he drives a toyota van ha

 

[michaeldallen]

I agree with Mikec (about 13 posts back)... do another test drive making sure the tire pressure is 32 psi. I drove mine off the lot and found out days later that each tire varried from 36 to 40. Dropping it down made a big difference. Later I went another step further and got higher profile tires (Bridgestone Teranza 'Serenity') making the ride sooooo much nicer, expecially on hi impact bumps / pot holes, and solved that 'nervous' character trait the Dunlops have... like riding on top of a beach ball. Taking another test drive will insure you hit all the bases before any purchase. Good luck.

 

[cheez]

4. Genesis 2010 model year 4.6 with Technology package - Noise levels good, better than Lincoln, similar to Buick but noticeably louder than Lexus 430. Ride was very poor, the worst of all of these cars. Seems very bouncy over bumps with lots of vertical movement. My wife who rode in the back seat said it was "terrible". Over single large bumps it transmitted a lot of road shock.

Overall I was very disappointed as I would have been ready to buy this car. But I cannot live with the ride. I thought this had been fixed for the 2010 model year. I verified it was definitely a 2010 and it had the 18 wheels. What gives?

When you say bouncy are you implying that the car doesn't absorb bumps well when you go over them?

It's funny people (hyundai haters and ignorants) complained about the Hyundai Genesis Sedan handling being too soft and floaty causing the car to be not stable at cornering at high speeds now we see people complaining because the ride is too hard or harsh. Like the other guy said the 1st released Genesis Sedan may have softer more cushy ride especially the one with 17" wheels. The newer model (like 2010) has improved on the suspension (firmer shocks and springs + 18" wheels) to make the ride more firm and responsive. You want a soft ass ride go get an Equus. It has two modes "Cushy floaty ride" and "Stiff Ride". Or fly over to Korea and pick one up as most cars there have very soft cushy ride.

Really... soft cushy ride is old stuff. In my standard it is embarrassing to drive one with it. I don't want to be a grand pa. it's sickening.

It may be correct/normal for the car. The 2010 Genesis sedans do have suspension tweaks relative to the original 2009 models but the tuning is still firm, aiming for the sport side of the equation... not a pillow-soft ride. I have an early 2009 model, impact harshness on it is definitely an area Hyundai could improve though the rest of the suspension qualities seem okay. I haven't driven mine over lousy roads or undulating roads that can excite porpoising problems though which others have experienced.

My one suggestion: check the tire pressures on the vehicle. Hyundai ships the cars with way over-inflated tires; dealers are supposed to lower them to 36psi or so. Many owners find 32psi improves the ride quite a bit. 40+ "factory" psi makes the tires hard as rocks which just magnifies impact harshness.

Test drive a Genesis that you know has only 32psi in the tires.

I recently drove an older friend of mine and his wife several hundred miles (SoCal to the SanFran area, posted in a different thread) and they both praised the car and the ride comfort... and mine is the original (aka "worst of all") 2009 suspension. They are used to Buicks too.

mike c.

Good post. I love high PSI. 40 is bare minimum for me. Lately I have been getting a lot of interest in the Genesis Sedan and hoping to get one 2011 5.0 model this fall if available. I would like to do a suspension upgrade + a light set of 19" wheels w/ low profile tires (not fatty like the stock ones) for ultra-rock-hard-ride.



.

 

[cheez]

Although my wife is getting to like the car more, now that we have owned it for 18 months or so, whenever we go over bumps, she states words something like "what the heck is wrong with this car"? She hates the suspension even more than me.

If you check the hyundaiusa website you will see that the Genesis Sedan is in the "Premium / Performance" section. When we say performance we mean performance such as improved handling, cornering, acceleration, etc. It appears Hyundai is tuning the Genesis Sedan more Sport Luxury Sedan for the U.S. market... In Korea this isn't the case. It is highly geared for comfort which is why they come with softer suspension with 16 or 17" wheels and insanely ugly and fat tires.

So I guess we could say KDM version is for Grand Pa's and USDM version for sport enthusiasts. Go try the Equus and it will absorb bumps better or go get something else like buick or cadillac or lincoln.


btw, are you guys Korean??? usually Koreans and Grand Pa and Grand ma's in America like cushy rides.... these days a lot of people find hard / firm ride better and more fun.. it's the trend.


.

 

[dg_moore]

... usually Koreans and Grand Pa and Grand ma's in America like cushy rides.... these days a lot of people find hard / firm ride better and more fun.

Hold it, sport! I'm a grandpa (for the third time just yesterday) and I hate the buick/lincoln/avalon ride. I want to feel the road just as much as somebody younger!