I got to fiddle with a real live Genesis. First impressions...

[EdVoylesHyundai]

I went to a Genesis training course today and had the opportunity to learn some things about it as well as fiddle with a couple of them. Alas, we were not allowed to drive them at all. There were 3 cars present, but only 2 were available for playing with. The third was just present. All 3 had different wheels. One had 17's and 2 had 18's. They all had a "pre-production" grille which I was promised was not the one we will see on the production model. According to our instructor, we will not see Adaptive Cruise Control or Electronic Parking Brake for awhile as there are some quirks to the system that make them bothersome to operate. The "feel" of the car is similar to the Azera. The steering wheel felt a little plasticky, but the rest of the interior is top notch.

Both cars had the Nav system, but one car had the Tech Package and the other didn't. The "iDrive" system is easier to operate than I anticipated, but I still prefer a touch-screen style setup. The Nav in the Genesis is NOT touch-screen at this point. That is what the knob is for. The voice-recognition stuff is neat, but it is quicker to hit the button for me. I guess if there are some functions which require several button-pushes but only a single voice command, it would be worth it saying it.

The cooled driver seat is going to be a very nice touch in the South or anywhere it gets hot. The seat gets nice and frosty in a fairly short period of time.

The Adaptive Front Lighting System is neat. It does auto-level when the vehicle is started, which looks cool in the garage. I am sure it will look even better in the dark of night. A replacement headlight (not bulb, but whole unit) is rumored to be $1500-1800. The AFLS uses 2 vehicle height sensors (one front, one rear) to determine how high or low to aim the headlights upon startup. The headlamps use inputs from the wheel speed sensors, steering angle sensors and transmission sensors, among others, to determine the angle they need to rotate when cornering. The inside headlight will rotate up to 15deg and the outside headlight will rotate up to 7.5deg. Its a neat system.

The 3.8 V6 is dubbed the "Lambda II" and "no parts are interchangeable" between the Lambda and Lambda II engines. The 30 extra hp come from the Dual CVVT vs the Intake-only CVVT. Compression ratios, bore, stroke, etc are the same between both engines. Redline (IIRC) was 6500 on the two cars I sat in today.

There are no adjustable pedals available on the Genesis, per our intructor.

Battery is in the trunk for numerous reasons and there is a handy-dandy jump-start hook-up under the hood.

The plastic engine cover is hugely huge and the valve covers and intake mani are both plastic.

Electro-hydraulic Power Steering to be used on the V8 only. V6 gets traditional Hydraulic system. The Electro-system in the Genesis is completely different from the fully electric assist system in the Elantra.

The A/C and Charging systems are unique. The A/C compressor does not have a clutch. It is always turning. It uses an Electronic Control Variable Swash Plate to control the compressor pumping. The charging system has a bettery tester built in and will let the alternator free-wheel when the battery is more than 95% charged and the system load is low. This saves fuel.

I could go on and on about this car. I have the training materials here. If you have questions, let them fly. I will do my best to answer them. I'll post some pics I took in a bit.

 

[EdVoylesHyundai]

Pics:

 

[EdVoylesHyundai]

More pics:

 

[Duaine]

To EdVoyleshyundai

Hi, I have some questions that perhaps you can answer. The electric parking brake doesn't mean much to me but after reading all the information on the car I just figured that the adaptive cruise control would be available on day one. You would assume with all the hours and hours of testing at this stage of the game, the car you would think should be all ready to go. What exactly were the problems and how long of a delay are they looking at?

The second thing is why didn't they make the passenger seat cooled as well? Is there an option for that? The Korean version seems to have both seats cooled from the close up pictures of the console on the Hyundai Korean Website.

Also, why in the world would they offer adjustable pedals on the Azera but not the much more luxurious Genesis? I don't get that one???

Is plastic intakes and valve covers very common? Even so, if your talking about how much money this Hyundai is going to cost isn't that cutting corners? How durable will this plastic be to extreme temp. changes?

About the AC compressor always turning...........is that a good thing? It seems like possibly more wear and tear.

Finally, did they talk about the V-8 engine much? Oh and you said that you couldn't drive them but did they allow you to start one up while you were inside it? If so what did you think as far as smoothness and quiteness? And what is your own overall impression of the car thus far?

Thanks,
Duaine

 

[EdVoylesHyundai]

To EdVoyleshyundai

Hi, I have some questions that perhaps you can answer. The electric parking brake doesn't mean much to me but after reading all the information on the car I just figured that the adaptive cruise control would be available on day one. You would assume with all the hours and hours of testing at this stage of the game, the car you would think should be all ready to go. What exactly were the problems and how long of a delay are they looking at?

What I could pry out of the instructor was that the adaptive cruise control still had some issues with decelerating when passing or when another car passes you in close proximity to the right or left. He drove one over the weekend and said it was most frustrating. I guess they are trying to work that out. Delay unknown.

The second thing is why didn't they make the passenger seat cooled as well? Is there an option for that? The Korean version seems to have both seats cooled from the close up pictures of the console on the Hyundai Korean Website.

I have no idea. The decision was made up high somewhere where cost vs benefit is a major factor.

Also, why in the world would they offer adjustable pedals on the Azera but not the much more luxurious Genesis? I don't get that one???

Again, no idea. It seems counter-intuitive. Only thing I can think of is that they were not all that popular in the Azera and/or they felt that the range of adjustment offered by the tilt/telescopic steering and power adjustable driver seat would accommodate a high enough % of the target market. Again, cost vs benefit?

Is plastic intakes and valve covers very common? Even so, if your talking about how much money this Hyundai is going to cost isn't that cutting corners? How durable will this plastic be to extreme temp. changes?

Yes, they are very common. They conduct less heat and therefore do not get as hot as the metal parts they replace. Yes, they have been known to crack on occassion, but then again, aluminum manifolds have been known to have/develop pinholes that leak air. They are significantly lighter and since they conduct less heat, they allow for more horsepower.

About the AC compressor always turning...........is that a good thing? It seems like possibly more wear and tear.

I am not sure how to best explain this one as I do not fully understand it myself. Time will tell about the durability. Apparently the elimination of the compressor clutch reduces inertia in the system and results in a more efficient system?

Finally, did they talk about the V-8 engine much? Oh and you said that you couldn't drive them but did they allow you to start one up while you were inside it? If so what did you think as far as smoothness and quiteness? And what is your own overall impression of the car thus far?

The V8 was touched on. It was mentioned that we would see it in the Coupe about a year after the V6 debuts. Not sure if that is true or not b/c it goes contrary to everything I have heard. Other than that, not much. The only vehicle to get the electro-hydraulic power steering will be the V8 Genesis. V6 has to make due with regular ps. As far as the smoothness of the engine, I was not in awe. It was comparable to the Azera, in my opinion. It has a heavy "flywheel" or something as seemed slow to rev when I gave it a little goose. But it was a cold-start and the engine was completely cold. And it was a pre-production model. Motor mounts, etc are all under evaluation still. As for my overall impression with the car, I will have to reserve that until I get some seat time in a production model. The cars I looked at today were #351, 352 and one with no VIN at all (the red one). It was not quite as nice as the last LS430 I sat in. But we are talking about a $35k car vs a $55k car, too. It people expect this to be Lexus quality at half the price, I think they will be disappointed. I think it is 90% of the quality for about 50% of the price. I'll take that kind of trade on most days. I gotta have the V8, though, with an intake and a nice mellow exhaust system. I am sure it will sound like heaven. Speaking of, the exhaust note on the V6 is very muted, much like the Azera. No G35 comparisons here. Maybe in the coupe...

A couple of other things that I found interesting are the transmissions. Both are spec'd with "forever fluid" and there is no provision for flushing them at this point. The solenoids and speed sensors are replaceable, but apart from that, both trans are designed to be "unserviceable" and are to be replaced with a reman unit if anything internally fails. This isn't as bad as it may sound considering that in the whole US, Hyundai has had to replace a grand total of 3 (three) Azera transmissions since the car was introduced. That is outstanding. All 3 were up north in snow country. Those trans are made by Aisin-Warner. They expect the same sort of durability with the Genesis trans.

 

[Mishka]

Any thoughts/impressions on the Lexicon audio system?
What exactly does the "Discrete" part mean?
And, finally, any more info on when the V-8 is due to come out?!?!?
Thanks for the info!

 

[rweintraub]

Thanks for the update. I am sure my Dad is getting even itchier.

By the way, although this has nothing to do with the Genesis, I was in Graceland yesterday. I am sure that, if the King were still alive, a Genesis would soon end up in his car museum.

Thank ya very much!

 

[EdVoylesHyundai]

Any thoughts/impressions on the Lexicon audio system?
What exactly does the "Discrete" part mean?
And, finally, any more info on when the V-8 is due to come out?!?!?
Thanks for the info!

The Lexicon system is crystal clear. I didn't crank it loud enough to really test it out, but at the levels that I would listen to it day in and day out, it sounded fantastic. The HD radio : regular radio like CD : tape. You'll have to reach back to your SAT days for that one.

I think the "Discreet" part means your wife will never find out. J/K. I am not sure. It certainly doesn't look like anything special in the car. When you look at it, you wouldn't guess that it is a $6k audio system. But when you turn it on, it returns the favor (if I may borrow a line from the recent Caddy commercial).

No "final" word on the availability of the V8. Best guess at this point is Sept -Oct.

 

[Mishka]

Thanks for the info!

 

[Genesis X]

Did they give you specs on MSRP and option prices?

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[Michael_S]

Okay, I have the family man questions:
1. How is the seat comfort in the front and back? How's the back support? How comfortable are your legs? How is the leg room?
2. How is the visibility around the car? From the pictures, it looks quite good, but sometimes they don't tell the whole story. Any blind spots?
3. Is the interior wide enough that you think you could fit three car seats (or in my case, 2 booster seats for preschoolers and one infant seat) across the back?
4. The trunk is spec'd at something like 17 cubic feet. Did it looks easy to get stuff in and out? 17 cubic feet is pretty big but I'm spoiled - my 2001 Impala had a number of flaws, but the 18.6 cubic foot trunk was absolutely fabulous. I was able to carry around all four snow tires in the trunk.
5. Did they talk about expected crash safety ratings? Hyundai has some 'Best Safety Picks' at the IIHS site, I was hoping the Genesis would make the list.

Thanks.

 

[gopack504]

Okay, I have the family man questions:
1. How is the seat comfort in the front and back? How's the back support? How comfortable are your legs? How is the leg room?
2. How is the visibility around the car? From the pictures, it looks quite good, but sometimes they don't tell the whole story. Any blind spots?
3. Is the interior wide enough that you think you could fit three car seats (or in my case, 2 booster seats for preschoolers and one infant seat) across the back?
4. The trunk is spec'd at something like 17 cubic feet. Did it looks easy to get stuff in and out? 17 cubic feet is pretty big but I'm spoiled - my 2001 Impala had a number of flaws, but the 18.6 cubic foot trunk was absolutely fabulous. I was able to carry around all four snow tires in the trunk.
5. Did they talk about expected crash safety ratings? Hyundai has some 'Best Safety Picks' at the IIHS site, I was hoping the Genesis would make the list.

Thanks.

Good questions. I have two kids in car seats so I'm curious too.

 

[EdVoylesHyundai]

The only pricing discussed was very vague with the V6 being in the $32-38k range and the V8 adding about $5k to the price.

Okay, I have the family man questions:
1. How is the seat comfort in the front and back? How's the back support? How comfortable are your legs? How is the leg room?

Front seats are very comfortable to me. I did not sit in back. Car is bigger inside than Azera.

2. How is the visibility around the car? From the pictures, it looks quite good, but sometimes they don't tell the whole story. Any blind spots?

I didn't drive it, so I can't tell you. Its really difficult to tell until you are on the road.

3. Is the interior wide enough that you think you could fit three car seats (or in my case, 2 booster seats for preschoolers and one infant seat) across the back?

I am not sure. My speculation would be yes. If it will fit in the Azera, it will fit with room to spare in the Genesis.

4. The trunk is spec'd at something like 17 cubic feet. Did it looks easy to get stuff in and out? 17 cubic feet is pretty big but I'm spoiled - my 2001 Impala had a number of flaws, but the 18.6 cubic foot trunk was absolutely fabulous. I was able to carry around all four snow tires in the trunk.

Trunk is very big with a large opening. Looks easy to get stuff in and out. Spare tire was full-diameter skinny tire, but it looks like there is room for a full-size spare in there.

5. Did they talk about expected crash safety ratings? Hyundai has some 'Best Safety Picks' at the IIHS site, I was hoping the Genesis would make the list.

They expect the Genesis to perform as well or better than previous models. It has 8 airbags, like the Azera. The electronic headrests are touted as an improvement to the already good mechanical system that is currently in most new Hyundai's.

I hope that helps. I am still waiting on the chance to drive one. I hear that the main complaint is that it is too quiet in the cabin while driving. I hope that is the case as I think that is a good problem to have.

 

[Ted Weintraub]

I have a question. You mentioned in your informative article that the Genesis was about 90 % as good as a Lexus but for 50 % of the cost. Here comes the question, which model of the Lexus, the LS, the ES, the Is, or the GS are you refering to?

 

[EdVoylesHyundai]

I have a question. You mentioned in your informative article that the Genesis was about 90 % as good as a Lexus but for 50 % of the cost. Here comes the question, which model of the Lexus, the LS, the ES, the Is, or the GS are you refering to?

Ted, I guess I am comparing it to the last GS430 and LS430 that I was in. Remember, I didn't drive it so I am referring only to the "feel" of the vehicle. I guess it is that the controls don't feel as heavily dampened as the Lexus and the steering wheel feels and looks less expensive than the rest of the car. I hope that helps. Again, remember that this is just my initial impression after about 10-15mins in the car fiddling with the controls.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

Great post and pictures, Ed! Thank you! Too quiet inside? Who would/could complain about that?!

 

[Michael_S]

EdVoylesHyundai,

Thanks for the responses. I had been hoping for a base price under $30,000, but if they decided against the 3.3 liter low end engine then I guess that won't happen.

 

[Ted Weintraub]

Things are becoming more curious re: Genesis. Ed Voyles reports that while he was in training the instructor stated that they were having problems making the Cruise Control work properly, limited to that phase that will slow the car down without appying the brakes when the vehicle in front of the Genesis slows down. Thats not a major concern to me as I use my cars mostly in heavy urban driving and do not use my cruise control that often. What concerns me is that the Lexus for one, and I don't know how many others have that feature in a working mode. Is Genesis admiting they arn't as proficient as other luxury car manufacturers? Just tweaking noses. However, it seems to me that if they cannot refine their system quickly they better start thinking of adjusting their unknown car cost downward. There is one other concern. I have recently come into possession of a Genesis brochure and it states that car has a cooled and heated drivers seat. It is stated in the singular and doesn't say that the front passenger seat is also heated. It simply says "drivers seat ". Ed, did you learn whether the passenger seat is heated? If not I am concerned. My wife has gotten used to having her tush warmed up in our Caddy. She would vigorously object to a Genesis if it lacked that feature. It probably has the feature, therefore they should better edit their brochure so as to not mislead readers. By the way our local Hyundai dealer told me that these brochures are available at most dealers. It is a teaser that does not have nearly the information that this forum and the Hyundai web site have, but it is better than nothing.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

It better have a heated front passenger seat. That's all I have to say.

 

[gopack504]

It better have a heated front passenger seat. That's all I have to say.

Otherwise many wives will be telling their husbands to look somewhere else...