Current BMW owner looking at a Genesis?

[drew0020]

I currently lease a 2006 BMW 330i with manual transmission and love the car. I have been looking at a 335i and the V6 Genesis.

I test drove the Genesis and liked the car, but only had about 30 minutes with it compared to 3 years with my bimmer. Any former BMW owners have any driving likes/dislikes with the exception of no manual transmision option?

Any comments would be appreciated!

Thanks and Merry Christmas!
Andy

 

[DanTheMan]

I currently lease a 2006 BMW 330i with manual transmission and love the car. I have been looking at a 335i and the V6 Genesis.

I test drove the Genesis and liked the car, but only had about 30 minutes with it compared to 3 years with my bimmer. Any former BMW owners have any driving likes/dislikes with the exception of no manual transmision option?

Any comments would be appreciated!

Thanks and Merry Christmas!
Andy

I don't own (and haven't owned) a BMW, but my brother has. He traded earlier this year (Feb, I think) his '02 M3 for an '08 535. The M3 was very powerful (I had good fortune to drive it on a number of occasions), but small inside. Several reasons he traded, one was size of the car. He's about 6' tall, and I'm 6'2". He bought the M3 new--it was his third BMW, I think. He started having a lot of trouble w/it around 55K mles--trouble with an M3 costs $$$ as the warranty had run out. The engine has been under recall already a few years back and was concerning him as time went on. As he said once, he 'out-grew' the M3 (early on-set midlife crisis?? I dunno...) and went for comfort. His 535 is the same size as my Gen, and I like it much better....maybe a little prejudice in that comment??? Way more options, comfort and power for a lot less money.

Dan :>)

 

[drew0020]

I don't own (and haven't owned) a BMW, but my brother has. He traded earlier this year (Feb, I think) his '02 M3 for an '08 535. The M3 was very powerful (I had good fortune to drive it on a number of occasions), but small inside. Several reasons he traded, one was size of the car. He's about 6' tall, and I'm 6'2". He bought the M3 new--it was his third BMW, I think. He started having a lot of trouble w/it around 55K mles--trouble with an M3 costs $$$ as the warranty had run out. The engine has been under recall already a few years back and was concerning him as time went on. As he said once, he 'out-grew' the M3 (early on-set midlife crisis?? I dunno...) and went for comfort. His 535 is the same size as my Gen, and I like it much better....maybe a little prejudice in that comment??? Way more options, comfort and power for a lot less money.

Dan :>)

The Genesis technlogy is better in certain aspects although I do like the wider screen NAV on the bimmer and the 3D views.

I am most concerned with the drivability though. I love the way the 330i handles and drives. I think I could live with the Genesis because its only a 27 month lease and much cheaper as well.

Thanks for your comments!

 

[VaiFan]

The Genny will not handle as sharply as the Beemer without dropping in some Eibach springs or something similar, but it's not too bad stock.

I have always had a love affair with Beemers, but I have such a great car now with such a premium savings.
Also, the Genny really doesn't handle too badly.
I too am one of those drivers that places a premium on handling, and I really like driving this car.

 

[Richard Ft. Lauderdale]

I had a 1997 740 iL for a little more than seven years and I still own a 1996 850 ci. The Genesis is the best car I have ever had. The Genesis is extremely quiet. The sound system is unbelievable. If the front door to the house was a little larger I'd park it in the living room so I could listen to the sound system. The only car I ever had with a manual transmission was a 1968 Corvette while living in Los Angeles (most of the time I had it). No way do I miss holding my foot on the clutch for hours while stuck in traffic. I am now officially an old fart and I'll take an automatic any day. Every time I get in the Genesis I am amazed how comfortable it is.

 

[drew0020]

The Genny will not handle as sharply as the Beemer without dropping in some Eibach springs or something similar, but it's not too bad stock.

I have always had a love affair with Beemers, but I have such a great car now with such a premium savings.
Also, the Genny really doesn't handle too badly.
I too am one of those drivers that places a premium on handling, and I really like driving this car.

How is the auto transmission? Is the steptronic decent? Thanks for the great impressions. I am definitely leaning towards the Genesis as my next car!

 

[drew0020]

I had a 1997 740 iL for a little more than seven years and I still own a 1996 850 ci. The Genesis is the best car I have ever had. The Genesis is extremely quiet. The sound system is unbelievable. If the front door to the house was a little larger I'd park it in the living room so I could listen to the sound system. The only car I ever had with a manual transmission was a 1968 Corvette while living in Los Angeles (most of the time I had it). No way do I miss holding my foot on the clutch for hours while stuck in traffic. I am now officially an old fart and I'll take an automatic any day. Every time I get in the Genesis I am amazed how comfortable it is.

If the Genesis had a manual option it would be a no brainer decision for me, but this is the biggest concern. I love driving a manual transmission, but I do not have to deal with LA traffic Of course if you ask the people in Charlotte, NC they think 1) their city is the biggest thing yet and 2) the traffic is terrible. Both are incorrect!

 

[Richard Ft. Lauderdale]

How is the auto transmission? Is the steptronic decent? Thanks for the great impressions. I am definitely leaning towards the Genesis as my next car!

The first time I jumped on I-95 I couldn't believe the speedometer. The transmission went through the gears without me noticing it. No head jerk with each shift of the gears. Just an extremely smooth acceleration and up to speed in an instant. Combine that with no wind or road noise and you can't believe how fast you are going. I only have the V6. I can only imagine what the V8 does. I can't say it enough. This is the best car I have ever had.

 

[drew0020]

The first time I jumped on I-95 I couldn't believe the speedometer. The transmission went throught the gears without me noticing it. No head jerk with each shift of the gears. Just an extremely smooth acceleration and up to speed in an instant. Combine that with no wind or road noise and you can't believe how fast you are going. I only have the V6. I can only imagine what the V8 does. I can't say it enough. This is the best car I have ever had.

I test drove both and honestly the V6 felt better to me... I also hated the wood on the steering wheel on the v8. Didnt feel right. I wish Hyundai could mimic the BMW sports steering wheel. That is a thing of beauty!

 

[musher51]

If you spend some time test driving the Genesis, you'll quickly realize that comparing one to a BMW is largely an 'apples and oranges' kind of thing. I drove BMWs for eight years before buying a Genesis in August (100K+ miles in a 530 with sport & premium pkgs + 5-speed manual). There are a few things about the BMW that I miss, notably the manual transmission (I'm not in traffic often, either, and I've always felt more engaged in the act of driving when I'm shifting myself) and the extraordinary handling on twisty roads.

I'd have to say my requirements changed between the Bimmer and the Genesis. At this point in my life, I'm willing to sacrifice sporty handling for all the creature comforts that the Genesis provides. The quiet cabin, generally smooth ride (I also have problems with a bouncy ride on particular roadways), and affordable options are the key selling points of the Genesis, particularly the implicit value. I paid ~$20K less for the Genesis than the (six-year-old) 530i, and the Genesis has a LOT of features that the BMW did not.

As much as I enjoyed the BMW, I simply can't justify the cost delta, and nearly five months and 8500 miles later, I have no regrets about replacing a BMW with a Genesis. But I'd recommend analyzing this decision based on an honest assessment of what your requirements are from your car right now. If a manual transmission and flawless handling still dominate your priorities, another BMW may be best for you at this moment. That said, the Genesis has a lot to offer, and many current owners used to have the blue/white roundel in their garages!

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[VaiFan]

I too am a manual guy, and I do miss that.
Manually shifting the automatic is not exactly awe inspiring, but if you are driving a winding road it will give you that sense of control you need.
However, the handling (which is pretty good for a luxury car) has minimal body roll already, can be sharpened further with some good springs.

My plan is to mod the car some and make it an "M" or "AMG" style of a Genny.
Of course it will never have that hand assembled type of performance, but it will handle and go, and look better than stock once I'm done.

I don't think you will have any regrets if you end up getting the V6 either. It has plenty of oomph. In fact there is a video posted somewhere on the forum of a V6 hitting 161 mph.

 

[BigElm]

I agree with mostly everything everyone has mentioned but since we are comparing apples to oranges.... if you insist on getting a M/T, I'd look at the Pontiac G8 GXP. Since I also will be giving up my manual Speed6 for the Genesis, I'm at the point in my life that I don't mind it. I know I'll miss it, but creature comforts are favoring this time around

 

[Flex59]

Drew0020: I owned a 2003 BMW 525i and a 2006 530i and turned it in for a Genesis V6 with the Tech Pckg and haven't looked back. I love the look, the equipment per price ratio, comfort, quiet, LOOK! All-in-all, I personally wouldn't think twice. You could not get not even a 3 Series fully equipped as mine is for less than $44,000 and in size, looks and comfort, the Bimmer - NOT EVEN close!

Flex59

 

[BigTrace]

If you spend some time test driving the Genesis, you'll quickly realize that comparing one to a BMW is largely an 'apples and oranges' kind of thing. I drove BMWs for eight years before buying a Genesis in August (100K+ miles in a 530 with sport & premium pkgs + 5-speed manual). There are a few things about the BMW that I miss, notably the manual transmission (I'm not in traffic often, either, and I've always felt more engaged in the act of driving when I'm shifting myself) and the extraordinary handling on twisty roads.

I'd have to say my requirements changed between the Bimmer and the Genesis. At this point in my life, I'm willing to sacrifice sporty handling for all the creature comforts that the Genesis provides. The quiet cabin, generally smooth ride (I also have problems with a bouncy ride on particular roadways), and affordable options are the key selling points of the Genesis, particularly the implicit value. I paid ~$20K less for the Genesis than the (six-year-old) 530i, and the Genesis has a LOT of features that the BMW did not.

As much as I enjoyed the BMW, I simply can't justify the cost delta, and nearly five months and 8500 miles later, I have no regrets about replacing a BMW with a Genesis. But I'd recommend analyzing this decision based on an honest assessment of what your requirements are from your car right now. If a manual transmission and flawless handling still dominate your priorities, another BMW may be best for you at this moment. That said, the Genesis has a lot to offer, and many current owners used to have the blue/white roundel in their garages!

I completely agree with this and LOVE my Genesis. When people ask me what it is and sees the Hyundai Badge, they can't believe it. My neighbor drools everytime we take the Genesis out to dinner. He had a Lexus ES that he got rid of and regrets not having a nice car to go out in. He says the Genesis is way better than his ES with more room and a quieter / nicer ride.

When I had 4-5 people in the car (during the holiday's), not one complaint about room. Try that in a 330. I'm a taller guy and while I can fit into a 330, it's cramped to me. The Genesis makes me feel like I'm swimming in room. Combine that with the creature comforts and the very intuitive DIS (I-Drive in B-mer land) and I'm hooked.

Good luck to you with your soon to be purchase!!