Autoweek doing long-term test on 2015 3.8 H-trac

[jlew64]

Thought you'd all be interested in knowing that Autoweek magazine just added a 3.8 H-trac to it's long-term fleet. Here is a link to the introductory article where they pretty much had nothing but nice things to say about the car!

 

[Analog]

I agree with their one critique regarding the temp and volume dials - what was Hyundai thinking? However it's only something that mattered until I became accustomed to using the excellent dial on the steering wheel for volume.

I cannot understand their low 0-60 time. The 2012 3.8 was reported by many to be in the 5.5-5.6 range, and while the 2015 feels slower, it is not THAT much slower. Only a tiny bit. I would say 5.8-6.0, and that's not accounting for the traction AWD provides off the line. I wonder if they just matted it and didn't even bother doing a proper launch? I'll bet this car does run about a 6.8 if you just floored it from a stoplight with no other prep.

Also, not to be snide and I know I'm preaching to the choir, but in response to

Meantime, there’s a bigger ontological question at play: Is a Bimmer (or any other traditional luxury sedan) worth so much more than a Hyundai?

NOPE, not unless you care about a badge!

 

[Midnightsun]

I agree with their one critique regarding the temp and volume dials - what was Hyundai thinking? However it's only something that mattered until I became accustomed to using the excellent dial on the steering wheel for volume.

I cannot understand their low 0-60 time. The 2012 3.8 was reported by many to be in the 5.5-5.6 range, and while the 2015 feels slower, it is not THAT much slower. Only a tiny bit. I would say 5.8-6.0, and that's not accounting for the traction AWD provides off the line. I wonder if they just matted it and didn't even bother doing a proper launch? I'll bet this car does run about a 6.8 if you just floored it from a stoplight with no other prep.

Also, not to be snide and I know I'm preaching to the choir, but in response to NOPE, not unless you care about a badge!

Previous gen V6 never did 5.5 seconds 0-60 that was more the V8. As for the 2015 you will be lucky to break 7 and if you throw in awd take off even more. Here is a test that speaks volumes and is somewhat in line with the review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH67lNCuRAo

 

[Analog]

The 2012 v8 did it in 5.0 seconds, that was backed by other journalists and Hyundai themselves. The link provided was just a guy with an accelerometer who matted it. Notice he didn't even brake torque it. On at least one run you can see the car even starts rolling before he gets on the gas - terrible. The real journalists refer to this as a 5-60 or rolling start time. You'll notice those are always slower because the engine hasn't been built up to its power band, which has an especially large impact on an NA vehicle like the Genesis.

 

[Analog]

So I've now found two sources that are reporting 6.4 for the AWD 2015 3.8:
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/1408_2015_hyundai_genesis_38_awd_first_test/
and the slightly more questionable but reinforced by the matching time to a legit source:
http://www.zeroto60times.com/vehicle-make/hyundai-0-60-mph-times/

I found a couple other rags reporting higher times for the RWD 2015 (some even into the low 7s) so apparently they actually are launching them correctly.

Personally I've been in a good number of cars with 0-60 times in the 5-7 second range, this car feels faster than 6.4 but not by a huge amount. Wonder how much lack of launch control is hurting it? And before anyone says anything, yes I know it's quite a heavy vehicle! At the end of the day, it's fast enough to put a smile on my face and that's really all that matters.

 

[Monolith2001]

Previous gen V6 never did 5.5 seconds 0-60 that was more the V8. As for the 2015 you will be lucky to break 7 and if you throw in awd take off even more. Here is a test that speaks volumes and is somewhat in line with the review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH67lNCuRAo

I love Dave's (and Melissa's) reviews as they are very real world and down-to-earth BUT he does not do corrections for his 0-60 times (nor does he do launches) so his numbers are not what you can use to do comparisons to publications. From what I've seen, AWDs will do mid 6's and I suspect the RWD will be a tick or two faster just due to less weight. The V6 does not make enough power to overwhelm the tires enough to take advantage of the AWD traction on a dry road.