Genesis contender for COTY from motortrend

[puertorico]

2009 Motor Trend Car of the Year Contender: Hyundai Genesis
Posted Yesterday 03:45 PM by Kim Reynolds
Filed under: Car of the Year, Hyundai, Hatchbacks, Hyundai Genesis, Sedans, Luxury

Yogi Berra's great line, "deja vu all over again," has often been repurposed to automotive occasions, but it's hard to think of a better one than this case of the new Hyundai Genesis luxury sedan. Way back in 1989, Toyota introduced a big luxury sedan it called the Lexus LS 400 -- a car, Toyota declared, that would charge the imperial gates of M-B and BMW wearing nothing more than naked value, zenlike quality, and premium performance.


2009 Hyundai Genesis front three quarter view

Where Yogi's deja vu comes in is that, almost 20 years later, Hyundai is not only reenacting Lexus's yellowing battle plan, but using it to do to Lexus what Lexus did to those one-time fat and happy German luxocar builders.

No, Hyundai's Genesis isn't a separate brand as Lexus is. But it's a car so apart from anything the Korean firm is associated with that it might as well be. Like those early Lexi, the Genesis has that same many-luxury-cars-morphed- into-one appearance. The shape is more Andy Williams than Placido Domingo. And of all the Genesis's many impersonated Lexus qualities, the most notable is its steering feel, which replicates the LS's highly oiled, precision-bearing sensation spot on.
2009 Hyundai Genesis rear three quarter view

So, too, the car's silky yet quick acceleration. In V-8-guise (a 290-hp V-6 comes standard), 60 mph can be dialed up in as little as 5.0 sec. Yet, even in ordinary go-with-the-flow acceleration, the Genesis's all-new 4.6L, 368-hp V-8 (*using premium fuel raises output to 375 hp and 333 lb-ft) is such a refined sweetheart that Deutschland's and Japan's brightest engineers ought to be sensing the hot breath of their South Korean counterparts on their necks right about now.

Does the Genesis have what it takes to score the 2009 Motor Trend Car of the Year honors? Find out on Nov. 18
2009 Hyundai Genesis side view
2009 Hyundai Genesis engine
2009 Hyundai Genesis control knob
2009 Hyundai Genesis seat heater button

 

[BigElm]

Boricua - Fuego PNP

 

[Poopsicle]

HYundai has been working so hard all these years. They finally hit the spot with this Genesis; they deserve this award!!!!!

A luxury car on-par with the competitors that cost 10 to 20 grand less.

 

[GS300rich]

I sure hope the Genesis takes home the award, the only competition I can think it would have would be the GT-R

 

[ConceptVBS]

My Goodness, I wish Hyundai takes this award. They SOOOOO deserve it. The engineers worked their a$$es off to produce a STUNNING vehicle on the FIRST TRY. But yeah, that GT-R will be a formidable competition.

 

[mkaresh]

If gas prices are high when they make their decision, the Fit has a good shot.

But Motor Trend has an affinity for Hyundai--so the Genesis probably has the best shot. They like to make a statement with this award, and giving the award to the Genesis would signal that Hyundai has fully arrived.

The GT-R doesn't have a broad enough appeal. And it's not like Nissan will rely on a COTY award to market the car--no potential for ad dollars.

 

[BigElm]

Anything is possible!!!

Toyota iQ beats Nissan GT-R for 2008 Japan Car of the Year title

​

Coming in with a total of 526 votes from a panel of 65 jurors, the mini Toyota iQ claimed the title of Japan Car of the Year for 2008. 39 of the 65 jurors gave the iQ a perfect score of 10.
Second place went to the iQ’s closest rival, the Citroen C5 which came in with 223 vote. Surprisingly, the third-place title went to the Nissan GT-R which received a total of 201 votes. With that said, this is a pretty astonishing victory for the Toyota iQ.
iQ’s Chief Engineer Hiro Nakamura Hiroki Nakajima said: “I wish to thank my Toyota colleagues for giving me some slack and putting up with my one-track, head-strong mission to build a car like no other, the world’s smallest four-seater, and that some self-indulgence on my part was necessary to achieve such an epoch-making vehicle.”

The Toyota iQ will go on sale in Europe next year with a 6-speed manual gearbox and a choice of gasoline and diesel engines. The iQ is rumored to make its stateside debut at the 2008 LA Auto Show next week as a Scion.

http://www.egmcartech.com/2008/11/1...an-gt-r-for-2008-japan-car-of-the-year-title/

 

[njohnson]

The GT-R just won one, I think it was one of the major Canadian reviewers.

 

[ConceptVBS]

The GT-R just won one, I think it was one of the major Canadian reviewers.

It was automobile magazine.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

In V-8-guise (a 290-hp V-6 comes standard), 60 mph can be dialed up in as little as 5.0 sec.

That's my only problem with the article. 0-60 in 5.0 seconds is false. At any rate, I'm very happy to see the Hyundai Genesis up for this honor.

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[mkaresh]

I'm going to venture that voting for Japan's COTY took place when gas was expensive. Motor Trend's going to be voting with gas around $2.00. Could make a difference.

 

[ConceptVBS]

Looks like the GT-R won this won. However, the judge were impressed with the overall car of the Genesis. With some tweaks here and there, they said it might be possible to win the COTY award next time. :sigh: Good try though Hyundai.

 

[zedbyers]

GT-R!! WTF??? with all the stuff about launch control voiding the warranty, i am suprised...

 

[redrocks]

Well, the Genesis should have an excellent shot! Consider that the 2008 MT Car of the Year was the Cadillac CTS. How does it compare to the Genesis:


Price as tested: $45,105 vs $42,000
0 - 60: 6.3 vs 5.4 seconds
horsepower: 304 (V6) vs 375 (V8)
larger car and much more quiet

I think the odds are favor of the Genesis!

 

[redrocks]

Well, the Genesis should have an excellent shot! Consider that the 2008 MT Car of the Year was the Cadillac CTS. How does it compare to the Genesis:


Price as tested: $45,105 vs $42,000
0 - 60: 6.3 vs 5.4 seconds
horsepower: 304 (V6) vs 375 (V8)
larger car and much more quiet

I think the odds are favor of the Genesis!

Spoke too soon! Just read the article, it's the Nissan.

 

[puertorico]

I think that the COTY should be more a daily driver competition other than exotics cars.
I don't think that the majority of the people have the money to buy this car, and it's not a car that it's going to be build in mass production like the other competitors.
maybe the next year we get it.
I will have to call BSF on this one.

 

[GS300rich]

Yes the GT-R has tranny problems but it is still an amazing car, and the problems will be fixed. Just because it doesnt have a broad appeal and has a high price tag shouldnt exclude it from the competition, especially when it is blowing the doors off cars 4 times its price

 

[ConceptVBS]

The Genesis at least made the semi final list. Check it out here:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V_YMOzRiWE&feature=channel"]YouTube - 2009 Motor Trend Car of the Year - Testing[/ame]

P.S. It's quite ironic they tested these cars at the Hyundai-Kia Proving Ground in California.

 

[JOwest]

I think that the COTY should be more a daily driver competition other than exotics cars.
I don't think that the majority of the people have the money to buy this car, and it's not a car that it's going to be build in mass production like the other competitors.
maybe the next year we get it.
I will have to call BSF on this one.

Most car magazine types flavor "sporty" cars. Just look at all those comparison tests. If one car is 1 second faster on the track it gets their nods.

 

[gerryb]

Went to the article and guess what, if you add up the reviewer's ratings for each of the runner up autos, the Genesis had the highest overall of the 10 cars. That makes Genesis the runner-up to the GTR. Well done Hyundai. Runner-up for MT COTY isn't marketable, but it is a significant accomplishment. And wait until Consumer Reports' review on this car finally hits next month!