Ford Taurus Limited AWD vs Toyota Avalon vs Hyundai Genesis 3.8

[TJPark01]

Full Article:
Comparison: 2010 Ford Taurus Limited AWD vs 2011 Toyota Avalon Limited vs 2010 Hyundai Genesis 3.8

DO NOT attempt to buy one of the three large sedans seen on these pages unless you are (A) ready to retire, (B) on this earth to serve as a highway chicane, (C) allowed to use blue-lined parking spots. Okay, we kid. But not about choice A, which is absolutely true. From August 2009 through July 2010, median-age buyers of the Toyota Avalon (64 years old), Ford Taurus (58), and Hyundai Genesis (58) were all on the verge of enjoying senior discounts. Truth be told, folks who purchase these full-size sedans do tend to be, um, mature, but not drastically more so than the average car buyer; in fact, 49 years is the median age of purchasers industrywide.

 

[darrell]

These are the exact 3 vehicles I was considering and comparing back in Feb/May prior to making my decision to purchase a 2010 Genesis V6.

TJ, Thanks for sharing the article.

 

[RLREILLY81]

F%$# that! I am 29 and in no way do I feel that because I own this car its a reflection on me being old! But I do see where they are coming from with the average age.

 

[TJPark01]

F%$# that! I am 29 and in no way do I feel that because I own this car its a reflection on me being old! But I do see where they are coming from with the average age.

Funny you mention that. A woman asked me what I drive, and I said Hyundai Genesis and she said, "Isn't that an old man car?" I'm in my mid 30's.

 

[sandy]

Old man's car. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard

 

[TJPark01]

Old man's car. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard

Maybe I should have said Kia Soul

 

[MrB0462]

What is the average age of sedan owners on this Forum?

 

[Pahaska]

I'm 77, but I bought the Tau because it is NOT an old man's car. A close friend drives an Avalon and that is definitely an old man's car.

 

[MrB0462]

Reviewed the following thread on average age of driver: http://genesisowners.com/hyundai-genesis-forum/showthread.php?t=5652

50+ years actually seems reasonable and there are a significant number of owners over 60 and 70 years old. I'm bring-up the average age at 69. Yes there are some younger drivers but there still many older drivers/owners.

I live in a senior community in NJ and it is loaded with Lexi (especially the ES 300), C Class Mercs and Avalons. Only 2 Gennys although many people have inquired about my car.

 

[RLREILLY81]

Maybe I should have said Kia Soul

TJ maybe we should... then I can give back my masters degree and job and go work at a fast food joint for the rest of my life!

God I hate those commercials! Really who are you trying to appeal to?

______________________________

Help support this site so it can continue supporting you!

 

[tjc78]

I must be an old man @32 .... I own a Genesis and have owned 2 Avalons, and a Taurus. Guess I shouldn't bring up the Town Cars and Grand Marquis I've had as well....

It is such BS about cars being for "old men" etc. Aside from something like a VW Cabrio (which is obviously a chick car) drive what makes you happy.

 

[nearwater]

Maybe I should have said Kia Soul

Love those commercials with the hamsters.

I do agree that I've usually seen older gentlemen driving the Genesis, but never do I feel like I'm driving an "old man's car".
I just love the creature comforts and quiet ride of the luxury sedans.
I've had my own share of sports cars in the past, and I decided to take a break for a while until I can afford better ones like Porsche, etc.
I'm 31 btw.

Dan

 

[jkohn]

Funny you mention that. A woman asked me what I drive, and I said Hyundai Genesis and she said, "Isn't that an old man car?" I'm in my mid 30's.

My wife occasionally teases my about driving an old-man's car (I'm 37). I don't really see it, I mean sure it's a little bigger and a little less sporty than my previous car, but to me "old man's car" means larger Caddies, Lincoln, Lexus LS, etc. I don't really see the Avalon as an old-mans car, more like little-old-lady's car.

As for the comparison review. On the one hand Hyundai is probably happy to see the Genesis winning these reviews. On the other hand I wonder how they feel about what the auto press feels is the "competition" for the Genesis in these reviews. Hyundai has been pretty intent on marketing the the Genesis as a sports sedan (even if that's a little bit of a stretch). They have the likes of Infiniti, BMW, and Mercedes as target; but the press seems intent on comparing the Genesis to FWD cruisers from Toyata, Ford, and Buick. I can't help but think that the Genesis "halo" effect is somewhat diminished if people start associating it with the same market segment as the Taurus and Avalon.

Part of the problem is that these comparisons usually strive for some equivalence in price and size. Maybe they feel the Genesis is too cheap to go up against the 5-series, E-Class, or Infiniti M, and too big to go up against the 3-series, C-Class, or G37. The Genesis is sort of a "tweener" (which is actually part of what appealed to me, along with the ridiculous value).

 

[ASHDUMP]

I never once considered the Genesis as an old mans car, but rather a professional contributors vehicle. Probably, the reason why you see older people driving this car is because of two factors. Price and Brand

Price: It is still around 40K and most people I know who are around the age of 20 to 35 don't have that to spend on a car.

Brand: Young people are too caught up in brand recognition. So if they have the money to spend it would most likely go to Audi/BMW/Infinity. While older people have the "been there and done that" kind of attitude and just looking for the best bang for the buck.

Am I wrong?... This coming from a 28yo.

 

[TJPark01]

I never once considered the Genesis as an old mans car, but rather a professional contributors vehicle. Probably, the reason why you see older people driving this car is because of two factors. Price and Brand

Price: It is still around 40K and most people I know who are around the age of 20 to 35 don't have that to spend on a car.

Brand: Young people are too caught up in brand recognition. So if they have the money to spend it would most likely go to Audi/BMW/Infinity. While older people have the "been there and done that" kind of attitude and just looking for the best bang for the buck.

Am I wrong?... This coming from a 28yo.

True, but the accessibility of leasing can get people into cars, they have no business driving. As an unscientific survey, I asked the BMW salesperson that I bought my other car from and asked him what the breakdown was of their most popular brands:
3 series: 70% lease 30% buy
5 series: 50% lease
7 series: 30% lease

So when I hear things like, everyone in LA has a BMW, I'm inclined to say, you mean everyone rents a BMW. They don't have s**t.

 

[sandy]

My wife occasionally teases my about driving an old-man's car (I'm 37). I don't really see it, I mean sure it's a little bigger and a little less sporty than my previous car, but to me "old man's car" means larger Caddies, Lincoln, Lexus LS, etc. I don't really see the Avalon as an old-mans car, more like little-old-lady's car.

As for the comparison review. On the one hand Hyundai is probably happy to see the Genesis winning these reviews. On the other hand I wonder how they feel about what the auto press feels is the "competition" for the Genesis in these reviews. Hyundai has been pretty intent on marketing the the Genesis as a sports sedan (even if that's a little bit of a stretch). They have the likes of Infiniti, BMW, and Mercedes as target; but the press seems intent on comparing the Genesis to FWD cruisers from Toyata, Ford, and Buick. I can't help but think that the Genesis "halo" effect is somewhat diminished if people start associating it with the same market segment as the Taurus and Avalon.

Part of the problem is that these comparisons usually strive for some equivalence in price and size. Maybe they feel the Genesis is too cheap to go up against the 5-series, E-Class, or Infiniti M, and too big to go up against the 3-series, C-Class, or G37. The Genesis is sort of a "tweener" (which is actually part of what appealed to me, along with the ridiculous value).

I agree with your analysis. On balance, I think it is a big positive for Hyundai despite not appearing to follow the Hyundai party line. As an "old" ad man, let me make a distinction between who Hyundai is "targeting" and the "brand image" they are trying to project for the Genesis. Targeting means who's customers are sales going to come from. Realistically, at this point in the brand's evolution, I believe Hyundal thinks they will come, for the most part, from the Avalons, Taurus, etc. One way to do this is to position yourself as a 5-series, E class etc. This does not mean you expect a whole bunch of 5-series owners to flock to you, but the association will influence the owners you are really after. So while this magazine review may not help in that respect, it does speak directly to the customers most likely to buy a Genesis.

 

[TJPark01]

I agree with your analysis. On balance, I think it is a big positive for Hyundai despite not appearing to follow the Hyundai party line. As an "old" ad man, let me make a distinction between who Hyundai is "targeting" and the "brand image" they are trying to project for the Genesis. Targeting means who's customers are sales going to come from. Realistically, at this point in the brand's evolution, I believe Hyundal thinks they will come, for the most part, from the Avalons, Taurus, etc. One way to do this is to position yourself as a 5-series, E class etc. This does not mean you expect a whole bunch of 5-series owners to flock to you, but the association will influence the owners you are really after. So while this magazine review may not help in that respect, it does speak directly to the customers most likely to buy a Genesis.

Avalons,ES350,Chrysler C300, Caddy CTS, are the price competitors, but the engineering benchmarks and performance numbers are in line with InfinitM, Acura TL, Lexus GS, Mercedes E, BMW 5. That is why it's such a compelling argument and value.

Interesting article about the success of the ES350 (sound familiar?):
The entry-level luxury sedan segment doesn't command the enthusiast attention of, say, the ultra-premium luxury sports sedan. But if you ask automakers to choose between the two, we'd wager that most would rather have a best-in-class $35,000 sedan than a world-beating $70,000 sports tourer.
The reason? Very few fortunes are made selling a few thousand highfalutin' rocket launchers, but bottom lines can easily be bolstered or crippled based on the success or failure of a plush, high-volume cruiser. Luxury marques from Acura to Volvo have experienced varied levels of success at the low end of the luxury market, but few have enjoyed the consistent sales dominance of the Lexus ES. In the past decade, Toyota has cranked out over 600,000 copies in the U.S. alone, with another 650,000 units shipped around the world. And those sales have traditionally been overwhelmingly of the retail variety with little or no incentives. Not bad for what many consider a glorified Toyota Camry. Enthusiasts take note: Lexus didn't reach such lofty sales levels with a rear-wheel-drive architecture or pavement-punishing quantities of horsepower. The road map to success for the ES has been simple: a soft, compliant ride; a pampering interior; and unmatched quality. The fifth-generation ES350 has built nicely on those attributes with smoother power, a quieter cabin and more technology. But the competition is still striving to overtake the ES in sales, so Lexus has gone and given its top-selling sedan a mid-cycle refresh for 2010.

Full Article

 

[sandy]

Avalons,ES350,Chrysler C300, Caddy CTS, are the price competitors, but the engineering benchmarks and performance numbers are in line with InfinitM, Acura TL, Lexus GS, Mercedes E, BMW 5. That is why it's such a compelling argument and value.

Interesting article about the success of the ES350 (sound familiar?):
The entry-level luxury sedan segment doesn't command the enthusiast attention of, say, the ultra-premium luxury sports sedan. But if you ask automakers to choose between the two, we'd wager that most would rather have a best-in-class $35,000 sedan than a world-beating $70,000 sports tourer.
The reason? Very few fortunes are made selling a few thousand highfalutin' rocket launchers, but bottom lines can easily be bolstered or crippled based on the success or failure of a plush, high-volume cruiser. Luxury marques from Acura to Volvo have experienced varied levels of success at the low end of the luxury market, but few have enjoyed the consistent sales dominance of the Lexus ES. In the past decade, Toyota has cranked out over 600,000 copies in the U.S. alone, with another 650,000 units shipped around the world. And those sales have traditionally been overwhelmingly of the retail variety with little or no incentives. Not bad for what many consider a glorified Toyota Camry. Enthusiasts take note: Lexus didn't reach such lofty sales levels with a rear-wheel-drive architecture or pavement-punishing quantities of horsepower. The road map to success for the ES has been simple: a soft, compliant ride; a pampering interior; and unmatched quality. The fifth-generation ES350 has built nicely on those attributes with smoother power, a quieter cabin and more technology. But the competition is still striving to overtake the ES in sales, so Lexus has gone and given its top-selling sedan a mid-cycle refresh for 2010.

Full Article

Yes, there is a powerful and compelling argument to use against the price competitors, of which there are a great number. A much weaker argument exists for the performance brands because the critical "prestige" factor isn't there...yet.

 

[PINGGOLF]

True, but the accessibility of leasing can get people into cars, they have no business driving. As an unscientific survey, I asked the BMW salesperson that I bought my other car from and asked him what the breakdown was of their most popular brands:
3 series: 70% lease 30% buy
5 series: 50% lease
7 series: 30% lease

So when I hear things like, everyone in LA has a BMW, I'm inclined to say, you mean everyone rents a BMW. They don't have s**t.

HA! Thats funny! I never thought that many people actually leased cars...I mean what ever happend to an ROI (return on investment)?? BMW is soaking all that up and people walk away with absolutely nothing. Ha, they may as well go down to HERTZ and just rent a car everyday.

I mean...think of the money used to put down on a lease. That same money plus a few more months of savings can equal out to a HECK of a down payment on a finance...and you get to KEEP YOUR CAR and sell it if you want too.

Sorry, I just dont understand it. I guess its supposed to be "Look at me, I pay $750 a month lease for this BMW 750 so I am RICH. But hey, dont follow me to my 900 sq. ft. home where I raise my 4 kids, 3 dogs and a wife that is a homemaker."

Just doesnt make sense to me.

With that being said, I know there are several Genesisleasers here and I did not mean to step on your toes...at all. I have just never even thought twice about leasing a car. I guess it would be fine if you just want a new ride every couple of years or so...but even then, at the end of it you walk away with nothing.

Oh well, Ill shut up now. Sorry

 

[TJPark01]

I mean...think of the money used to put down on a lease. That same money plus a few more months of savings can equal out to a HECK of a down payment on a finance...and you get to KEEP YOUR CAR and sell it if you want too.
Just doesnt make sense to me.

If you are talking about personal use here is a simple explanation as to why it makes no sense:
*If you lease a V6 Genesis for $500 a month for 36 months, no money down. (which is about what it costs), you would have spent 18 grand at the end of the lease terms.
* Now you return the car, you have to lease again. Say you do the same thing, 500 a month 36 months and get the same results. Well now it's 6 years later and you have spent 36k to lease two cars, and you still are left with no car, so you have to lease another one. Endless cycle....
*If you took that same 500 a month and financed (at basically 0% now)a car, you would have it paid off after 6-7 years, effectively ending payments. Now you have the option of selling the car, and getting some money back or driving the car with no more payments. With the lease you have no option. It either lease again, or take the bus.

**One of the few ways it makes sense is if you can write off the cost of the lease as a business expense (assuming you use the car primarily for business). Or if you're a millionaire playboy who tosses cars out like cigarettes.