I was one of the early members of this board, purchasing my 2009 Genesis on August 8, 2008 – a black/black 3.8L with Tech package. I put 60,000 miles on it, then last month traded it in for a 2012, black/saddle 3.8L with Tech package. I have about 3500 miles on it now, and I thought I would share some of my thoughts and comparisons now that I’m on my second Genesis.
I love the Genesis. After about 20,000 miles on the 2009 I posted some of my impressions here http://www.genesisowners.com/hyundai-genesis-forum/showthread.php?t=2658. I would buy the 2009 all over again. It was a fabulous car. There is no perfect vehicle, and although there were a couple of things I would like them to improve, it didn’t diminish my enjoyment of this great car. I’m not one of the suspension haters, but I did acknowledge in my 20,000 mile post that when hitting a good size bump in the car, the 2009 delivered a way-too-hard blow to the driver’s seat. On smooth roads, however, it was such a silky smooth and quiet drive, that it was well worth it to me. My only other complaint about the 2009 was an occasional jerk I would get when the engine would hesitate after giving it some gas.
After driving a car every day for 3 years, you immediately notice differences when you get behind the wheel of a new model of the same car. There are also some new features on the 2012 I really like that the 2009 didn’t have. Some of them may have been on the 2010 or 11 models, but they are new to me, so I’ll mention some of them along with the differences I have noted.
First the suspension and transmission -- my two complaints from the 2009.
Suspension: The hard knocks from bumps in the road are much improved in the 2012. The suspension is still on the stiff side, but it never was intended to be a soft and floaty suspension, so don’t look for that in the Genesis. But to me, the big bumps have been dampened considerably, and I’m very happy about it. I think it is a great ride.
Transmission: The 2009 transmission was a 6-speed Aisin transmission while the 2012 has the new Hyundai-manufactured 8-speed transmission. I noticed some differences immediately. The new 8-speed shifts very smoothly and at good shift points—absolutely no complaints there. But it responds slowly when you need it to respond quickly. I do a lot of freeway driving. When you hit the gas because you need to accelerate quickly, it takes noticeably longer for the transmission to respond. The engine power is there; it just takes too long to kick down the gear and take off. My impressions were validated when I read the following in a Car and Driver magazine review linked in this forum: “Eight speeds allow for a fine balance of economy and zest, but the transmission is slow. Up- and downshifts drag, and we were able to count off full seconds before getting what we wanted after stomping through the kickdown switch. All cars have a gate for manual actuation, but when the transmission takes longer to respond than an estranged fourth wife, it’s hard to care.” I’ve gotten used to this, and it doesn’t affect my enjoyment of the car’s great ride, but I’d like to see Hyundai fix this.
New features
* The Smart Cruise Control is a fantastic feature. It works amazingly well, and I use it all the time. The system doesn’t just let off the gas if the car in front of you slows down, it will hit the brake if necessary. What’s cool is that if a car pulls in front of you but is moving faster than you, the system doesn’t slow down to create the required distance. It recognizes the faster accelerating car and keeps your speed.
* Lane Departure Warning System works OK. Sometimes it detects the lane lines and sometimes it doesn’t seem to. Also, it gives a soft tone when it activates, and I often don't hear it over the audio system. Maybe the volume can be adjusted, I’m not sure.
* Power folding rear view mirrors – love it. I used to have to fold them in manually when going through a car wash.
* Proximity approach lights. This is pretty cool, and the 2009 didn’t have it. When you approach the car at night, a light mounted inside the bottom of the exterior rear view mirror housing comes on and illuminates the area around the front doors.
* Heated rear seats—nice in the winter. 2009 had only heated front seats.
* Daytime running lights – nice feature
* Electronic parking brake. Seems to work well.
* Interior color: The 2009 “black” interior had the brown leather accent bands across the dash and the front doors. I really liked the combination--it is different from the typical blasé all-black interiors. So I wanted to get the same brown accents on the 2012, but now the “black” interior is all black. To get the brown accents you have to get the “saddle” interior. It turns out the saddle interior also has brown leather seats, but I like it.
Differences
* The audio system is one of the things I really enjoy about the car. I do have a complaint about my 2012 though. I can’t get some of the audio settings to stick. I check the surround sound box, for example, and then a couple of days later it is unchecked. I haven’t spoken with the dealer about this yet, but I have to keep resetting some audio system settings because it loses them. Has anyone else had this problem?
* When changing radio stations using the control on the steering wheel, it takes longer to respond than the 2009. No big deal, but noticeable when you have been doing it every day for 3 years.
* Trunk: It seems to me that less water runs into the trunk when you open the lid after it has rained, though some still does. This is a legacy complaint of Genesis owners.
* The front grill and tail lights have been redesigned. I prefer the originals, but it’s part of the refresh and updating I guess. The headlights have some funky LED swooping accents in them. I’m down with that.
All in all, I’m very pleased with the 2012 Genesis and I’m enjoying it a great deal. It’s a delight to drive, it's still roomy and quiet, and it's is still alot of great car for the price. Sorry for the long post!
I love the Genesis. After about 20,000 miles on the 2009 I posted some of my impressions here http://www.genesisowners.com/hyundai-genesis-forum/showthread.php?t=2658. I would buy the 2009 all over again. It was a fabulous car. There is no perfect vehicle, and although there were a couple of things I would like them to improve, it didn’t diminish my enjoyment of this great car. I’m not one of the suspension haters, but I did acknowledge in my 20,000 mile post that when hitting a good size bump in the car, the 2009 delivered a way-too-hard blow to the driver’s seat. On smooth roads, however, it was such a silky smooth and quiet drive, that it was well worth it to me. My only other complaint about the 2009 was an occasional jerk I would get when the engine would hesitate after giving it some gas.
After driving a car every day for 3 years, you immediately notice differences when you get behind the wheel of a new model of the same car. There are also some new features on the 2012 I really like that the 2009 didn’t have. Some of them may have been on the 2010 or 11 models, but they are new to me, so I’ll mention some of them along with the differences I have noted.
First the suspension and transmission -- my two complaints from the 2009.
Suspension: The hard knocks from bumps in the road are much improved in the 2012. The suspension is still on the stiff side, but it never was intended to be a soft and floaty suspension, so don’t look for that in the Genesis. But to me, the big bumps have been dampened considerably, and I’m very happy about it. I think it is a great ride.
Transmission: The 2009 transmission was a 6-speed Aisin transmission while the 2012 has the new Hyundai-manufactured 8-speed transmission. I noticed some differences immediately. The new 8-speed shifts very smoothly and at good shift points—absolutely no complaints there. But it responds slowly when you need it to respond quickly. I do a lot of freeway driving. When you hit the gas because you need to accelerate quickly, it takes noticeably longer for the transmission to respond. The engine power is there; it just takes too long to kick down the gear and take off. My impressions were validated when I read the following in a Car and Driver magazine review linked in this forum: “Eight speeds allow for a fine balance of economy and zest, but the transmission is slow. Up- and downshifts drag, and we were able to count off full seconds before getting what we wanted after stomping through the kickdown switch. All cars have a gate for manual actuation, but when the transmission takes longer to respond than an estranged fourth wife, it’s hard to care.” I’ve gotten used to this, and it doesn’t affect my enjoyment of the car’s great ride, but I’d like to see Hyundai fix this.
New features
* The Smart Cruise Control is a fantastic feature. It works amazingly well, and I use it all the time. The system doesn’t just let off the gas if the car in front of you slows down, it will hit the brake if necessary. What’s cool is that if a car pulls in front of you but is moving faster than you, the system doesn’t slow down to create the required distance. It recognizes the faster accelerating car and keeps your speed.
* Lane Departure Warning System works OK. Sometimes it detects the lane lines and sometimes it doesn’t seem to. Also, it gives a soft tone when it activates, and I often don't hear it over the audio system. Maybe the volume can be adjusted, I’m not sure.
* Power folding rear view mirrors – love it. I used to have to fold them in manually when going through a car wash.
* Proximity approach lights. This is pretty cool, and the 2009 didn’t have it. When you approach the car at night, a light mounted inside the bottom of the exterior rear view mirror housing comes on and illuminates the area around the front doors.
* Heated rear seats—nice in the winter. 2009 had only heated front seats.
* Daytime running lights – nice feature
* Electronic parking brake. Seems to work well.
* Interior color: The 2009 “black” interior had the brown leather accent bands across the dash and the front doors. I really liked the combination--it is different from the typical blasé all-black interiors. So I wanted to get the same brown accents on the 2012, but now the “black” interior is all black. To get the brown accents you have to get the “saddle” interior. It turns out the saddle interior also has brown leather seats, but I like it.
Differences
* The audio system is one of the things I really enjoy about the car. I do have a complaint about my 2012 though. I can’t get some of the audio settings to stick. I check the surround sound box, for example, and then a couple of days later it is unchecked. I haven’t spoken with the dealer about this yet, but I have to keep resetting some audio system settings because it loses them. Has anyone else had this problem?
* When changing radio stations using the control on the steering wheel, it takes longer to respond than the 2009. No big deal, but noticeable when you have been doing it every day for 3 years.
* Trunk: It seems to me that less water runs into the trunk when you open the lid after it has rained, though some still does. This is a legacy complaint of Genesis owners.
* The front grill and tail lights have been redesigned. I prefer the originals, but it’s part of the refresh and updating I guess. The headlights have some funky LED swooping accents in them. I’m down with that.
All in all, I’m very pleased with the 2012 Genesis and I’m enjoying it a great deal. It’s a delight to drive, it's still roomy and quiet, and it's is still alot of great car for the price. Sorry for the long post!
