I’d like to provide a brief update about our 2nd trip from PA to NY.
My family and I made our 2nd journey on the Genesis from PA to NYC this past weekend. My wife and my daughter sat together in the back row during the whole trip. The good news is that my daughter didn't vomit this time around, but my wife still developed a headache by the end of the trip, and didn't feel well at all. On Saturday we went down to Plaza Hyundai in Brooklyn to test drive the Genesis, and were told they didn't have any available for test drive. Fine! We went to Giuffre Hyundai, and after the usual "Hyundai" treatment of "When do you plan on purchasing? Can I get all of your information?" approach typical of New York dealers, we took one for a spin. I've asked the salesperson to sit in the back if he wouldn't mind, and my wife asked him if she can take her cup of coffee with her for the test drive and put it in the rear
cup holder. The sales person didn't mind sitting in the back, but was hesitant to have "hot drinks" in the new car. After the initial hesitation and the fact that the coffee was covered with a lid, he agreed. The moment we pulled out of the dealership, I went straight onto BQE, heading towards the battery tunnel. The moment we hit the expressway the car was bouncing up and down, the uneven pavement caused the car to also sway from left to right, which I haven’t experienced before. Some of the coffee has managed to spill out of the cup into the
cup holder, seat, and some even leaked onto the carpeting. The sales person grabbed the cup out of the holder, and asked if I can slow down. Why? I was barely breaking 45 mph on a 55 mph road. I slowed down, and we exited right before the tunnel and went underneath BQE. The car was still bouncy, but not as severely as it had been on the expressway. The salesperson told us that it was because of the “state of the art sport suspension”. OK. When we pulled back into the dealership, the first thing the salesperson did was ask someone to get the car cleaned, as the cashmere interior had coffee stains on the back seat and carpeting. He then asked us to sit down, and wanted to take down our information so that "we can get the process started". I've told the salesperson that I was concerned about the ride quality that this luxury sedan offered, and wasn't about to purchase a vehicle that bounced so severely during the test drive. I got the usual response, that no car could guarantee a perfect ride on rough surfaces, and that had the pavement been normal, you wouldn't have experience this sort of behavior. My wife then stepped in, and asked the salesperson to identify a road in Brooklyn that could guarantee the quality of pavement the salesperson was referring to. The salesperson person switched gears, and offered us another Hyundai. What? As if offering some other vehicle was some sort of conciliation for the Genesis. I've asked the salesperson if they've sold a lot of Genesis sedans at their dealership. He said, of course, it's one of their best sellers, and NA car of the year. We thanked the salesperson for his time, and said that we were no longer interested in the Genesis sedan, and walked out. On the way out I checked the Genesis in the showroom, and Genesis that we took for a test drive still sitting on the lot for the manufacturing dates, and both had November of 2008. I'm not sure what that means, but it might indicate that they were unable to move the inventory of cars that were produced more than 7 months ago. This dealer had 6 other Genesis sedans sitting on the lot as well.
This leads me to believe that my Genesis isn't an isolated case. Anyone who drives through 5 boroughs knows the road quality in NYC. Although I find the ride bouncy when driving in Pennsylvania, I don’t consider it bad. When I drive in NY, the ride resembles the Coney Island Cyclone.
I never experienced such poor ride quality in my Subaru, or in any of my previous cars.
We also went down to Poconos on Sunday, and took I80 to get there. For the most part, I80 was recently paved, and has a nice and smooth surface. Along the 30 mile stretch of I80 there were “bump ahead” signs posted next to bridges that weren’t yet paved. Every time we would see “bump ahead” sign, we would brace ourselves, as the car would jump up and down when it hit the uneven surface. My daughter enjoyed this part of the trip, although my wife didn’t. I had to pull over as she started to feel sick from all the jumping we’ve done on I80. She switched to the front passenger seat, and said it was a little better upfront than in the back. For the next 20 or so minutes she had to drive with an open window; just in case.
So to make a long story short; how do I get out of a lease? Does Hyundai Lease Trust allow for lease transfers? Should I call the customer care department and complain? I can’t picture myself driving this sedan for the next 3 years, and my family wants nothing to do with it. This is my first and last Hyundai; pity, it was such a nice vehicle.