first impression of the Genesis

[HarvesterUT]

Hi,

Lurking the forums for a week or so and decided to sign up. Honestly, I had barely heard of the Genesis Sedan until last week when I started browsing for new cars. I think the Coupe hype has overshadowed the sedan. Then again, I've been out of the market for some years...

Anyways, quick backstory, I currently drive a 2005 Nissan 350Z 6MT (and Kawi Ninja 650!)

Anyways, as I said up top, the Hyundai Genesis sedan was pretty unknown to me until last week. In fact, I think I've seen more new Camaros on the roads than Geneses (both sedan and coupe).

My interest was really piqued after reading so many positive reviews of the sedan. I am a little surprised to see Hyundai hanging up there with the likes of the more "established" American market players. Of course these accolades are well deserved, I am sure. It's always great to see the established completely turned on it's ear.

On a whim, I decided to visit my local Hyundai dealer. FYI, I live in Houston. Rolling up to the dealership, I was really fighting off my prejudices against Hyundai. I don't think they make horrible cars or eat babies. Nor do I think I am "above" buying a Korean car. The idea that Hyundai could, maybe, possibly have a vehicle I was interested in was very shocking to me.

Nevertheless, I walked up to the showroom, where a nice fellow greeted me before I hit the door. I assumed business might be a tad slow from the relative lack of shoppers. This was during the beginning of rush hour, so maybe people were saving their shopping time for later. Also, for those foreign to Houston rush hour, it's been linked to 2 hour long delays, malaria, and inflation. Nasty stuff.

The salesman asked me if I was there see anything specific. I told him the Genesis sedan. He paused, and mentioned something about the Coupe. I am mid 20s, after all. Target market, I figure.

They have a white 4.6 tech in the corner of the small showroom. My first impression is definitely positive. The damn thing looks absolutely stunning at first glance. It's also slightly larger than I imagined. The salesman is smart, he opens the door and motions me inside. I am too busy looking at the car for a full 360.

Clean lines, well proportioned, nothing seems tacked on. All good notions so far. The wheels, although not stellar, are handsome, and match the higher-class appeal of the sedan. Of course, I am picturing my staggered set of forged 18's on the car...

I climb inside the car, and do my best to take in the entire interior. It's slightly cluttered, but coming from the Z, that's probably not saying much. The leather is very nice. I can tell Hyundai did not spare money on the leather. The steering wheel felt appropritely sized, the gauges were clean, the buttons were functional and modern looking. I could see areas where Hyundai cut costs to keep the price down. Certain plastic parts were flimsy, especially the sun visors, the overhead light cluster, and the seat belt buckles. None of this is terribly important, but I could feel a disconnect between the "feel" of the car, and the small, hard to notice nooks of the car.

The interior was actually not quite as large as I had imagined. Funny, because the exterior felt very full sized. The front seats had good room, nothing spectacular here. The entire dash, including LCD screen, was within easy reach. The rear seats were very roomy and comfortable. Seating position was neutral, but only having 5 minutes to sit inside was no indicator of a 5 hour road trip. Twin cup-holders seated in the fold-out arm rest were nice. Large enough to have some space for your arm, even if you share. Overall, I felt the car was a good fit for humans of not gigantic proportions.

By this time I was speaking with a second sales rep, who was very jovial and talkative. He was also very serious about selling a car to me. He grabbed some keys and we went outside to a dark silver 4.6. He told me to get in and take us for a spin. I was a little surprised, as he did not even ask to see my DL. After figuring out the basic controls, we headed off the lot onto a well used back road. He told me to punch it, which I happily did. I didn't mash it, but the pickup was fluid and forceful. I also noticed a slight delay in engine responsiveness. I almost expected this after reading user comments on here. It was not unacceptable, but it was slightly annoying. After this delay the car really surges forward with a surprising ammount of oomph. Top speeds reached were 55 mph on this road. I wish I would have been able to really open her up.

I have read that some drivers are not fans of the current suspension. I would have to agree with these critics. The road was generally smooth, but had a few cracks and dips. The car is a little "floaty" and some of the larger jolts transferred to the cabin, although not in a "solid" way like my 350Z. It's not a sportscar, I know. The ride was acceptable, as long as one is not expecting a true sport-sedan.

Pros:

- Large, torquey engine
- great exterior
- loaded features
- above average interior
- low-ish price
- nice sound system (from what little i heard)

Cons:

- a few cheap-o interior features on an otherwise good interior
- soft suspension takes jolts poorly
- lazy engine response until you really get on it
- front seats about 2-3" too short in the seat
- no passenger cooled seat (nit-picky here)

Anyways, I was generally impressed with the vehicle, and it is definitely on my short list of potential vehicles.

Thanks!

 

[jwaters943]

Very nice writeup.

With that said, what's cheap about the seat belts, sun visors or center console lights? I can't say they feel any worse than any other $40k sedan on the market. I agree w/ your comments on the seats though. Not horrible, but the seat bottom cushion is a couple inches too short for taller drivers IMO.

 

[JPW]

I'm in Houston too. I find your comments interesting and the fact that you are in your mid-20's. I turn 40 in October and my thoughts regarding the Genesis are very close to yours. I feel younger already

I've been discussing the Genesis with some younger co-workers of mine (late 20's, early 30's) and their perspective is quite a bit different. They are mostly centered around the brand name and they believe the brand name reflects quality (i.e. BMW, Mercedes, Volvo, Audi, etc.). I can see their point but I still lean towards the Genesis for my own reasons.

Anyway, I continue to hope Hyundai takes a look at these forums because it would save them a considerable amount of time. My own additions to the list of things I would like to see updated that aren't mentioined above are:

- automated trunk so that it at least opens entirely
- get rid of the Dunlop tires! There is way too much talk about how poor they are to leave them on a luxury car.

The only item I might disagree with you on is the CON "lazy engine response..." I would have to think driving a 350Z and a Ninja motorcycle here has your reference point a little off. Personally, I think the response on the Genesis is perfect (specifically the V8). It can drive in a relaxed manner when you want to but tear up the interstate if you ask it to. Ask it to go 0-60, 30-60, or 60-90, for me it seems anywhere within the driving range this car can offer it in a predictable and responsive fashion. I guess what I mean is I don't feel like I'm fighting with the car or asking it to accomplish something it can't. This is one of the main things that attracts me to the Genesis (YMMV).

 

[HarvesterUT]

Very nice writeup.

With that said, what's cheap about the seat belts, sun visors or center console lights? I can't say they feel any worse than any other $40k sedan on the market

It's not the seatbelts, it's the seat belt...locks....holsters?... down by the seats. They have a very cheap plastic look and feel. This isnt a huge deal, but they look like they came from the same shared parts bin as other models. Again, not a major complaint, but I can see how Hyundai trimmed costs down.

The other things I mentioned were the sun visors (the mirror cover) and the ceiling light cluster all seem sort of....cheap. They felt flimsy when I was operating them. As above, nothing huge, but in my eyes were definitely a notch below the rest of the interior.

I've been discussing the Genesis with some younger co-workers of mine (late 20's, early 30's) and their perspective is quite a bit different. They are mostly centered around the brand name and they believe the brand name reflects quality...

The same is true of my friends. I mentioned to them I was interested in the Genesis. They basically laughed, even though 1 of them had heard good things about the sedan. One of my friends has a BMW and the other a new Acura. They are not "all about the image" per se, but they definitely won't shop "down", if you'll humor my adverb. They also make more than I do. I'm sure that has nothing to do with it!

get rid of the Dunlop tires! There is way too much talk about how poor they are to leave them on a luxury car.

Unfortunately, I feel this is not likely to happen. When the 350Z came out, it had some run of the mill Bridgestone "Craptenzas" which people generally lambasted. They were relatively poor for the "sportiness" of the car. Make sense to anyone? Apparently only to Nissan. This is true of most car manufs, especially in the sedan market. Yes, it might "have a hemi", or some big V8, but the rubber is usually an afterthought for these cars.

The only item I might disagree with you on is the CON "lazy engine response..." I would have to think driving a 350Z and a Ninja motorcycle here has your reference point a little off.

Ya know, it's true the Z and bike have very quick responses to user input. As they should, for what they are. However, my 5 min test drive showed that if I mash the pedal, it really doesn't seem to rev the engine, or downshift immediately. I've also owned 3 sedan, 2 of which were "sporty sedans", and those were very quick to downshift when I mashed it.

It seems like the tranny is trying to decide if it should just rev the engine, or downshift first, and it takes a brief second, and then downshifts. once it does, the power is quick. It's the lag that's killer.

 

[dataguy]

- automated trunk so that it at least opens entirely
- get rid of the Dunlop tires! There is way too much talk about how poor they are to leave them on a luxury car.

There was a post elsewhere on this forum that showed how a Korean Genesis club was retrofitting their trunks with an automatic opener, but the cost was pretty steep (like $600). If you look on the inside of the trunk lid, there is a depression for the automatic buttons; Hyundai didn't include a trunk opener though, probably to save on cost. The Equus demo I saw had the automated trunk, and I was much impressed (wife thought I was silly to make such a big deal out of testing that feature).

The Dunlops are V-rated tires, so that probably has something to do with their selection (and noise/ride). The Genesis is a bit of an odd-fish in that there's a lot of debate on whether it's trying to be a luxury sedan or a lux-sport.

 

[mikec]

It seems like the tranny is trying to decide if it should just rev the engine, or downshift first, and it takes a brief second, and then downshifts. once it does, the power is quick. It's the lag that's killer.

My feelings exactly - there is a significant delay while the tranny decides how far to downshift, and then it seems to re-think and downshifts yet again - before any real torque finally reaches the wheels. Too many gear choices for the tranny computer? It's worse than the turbo lag on one of my other cars. I've also wondered what the response/slew rate is for the "drive by wire" throttle actuators.

mike c.

 

[JPW]

There was a post elsewhere on this forum that showed how a Korean Genesis club was retrofitting their trunks with an automatic opener, but the cost was pretty steep (like $600). If you look on the inside of the trunk lid, there is a depression for the automatic buttons; Hyundai didn't include a trunk opener though, probably to save on cost. The Equus demo I saw had the automated trunk, and I was much impressed (wife thought I was silly to make such a big deal out of testing that feature).

Thanks. I remember that post. A cost savings here I can sort of understand eventhough I might not like it (Give me an inch and I want a mile). So as much as I would like to have it I do understand why they may have excluded it.

Where I do think Hyundai could have taken things a step further is with some of the items HarvesterUT mentioned like the buttons and console lights. You mentioned that they didn't seem any worse than any other $40K car on the market which I completely agree with but how much does it really cost to offer an improvement here? Is the better plastic in a Mercedes that much more expensive than what they have in the Genesis? See my point? I just think that more of these little details aren't a big cost to Hyundai but offer more value than they may realize to the consumer. Don't get me wrong though I do realize I'm nit-picking here quite a bit because there were so many things they got right: give us a BIG LCD screen, I like the leather-wrapped dash, give us real room for our back seat passengers, I could go on and on... I would just like to see the Genesis further improve if possible especially if it can be done for little or no cost to the consumer.

 

[dataguy]

Thanks. I remember that post. A cost savings here I can sort of understand eventhough I might not like it (Give me an inch and I want a mile). So as much as I would like to have it I do understand why they may have excluded it.

Where I do think Hyundai could have taken things a step further is with some of the items HarvesterUT mentioned like the buttons and console lights. You mentioned that they didn't seem any worse than any other $40K car on the market which I completely agree with but how much does it really cost to offer an improvement here? Is the better plastic in a Mercedes that much more expensive than what they have in the Genesis? See my point? I just think that more of these little details aren't a big cost to Hyundai but offer more value than they may realize to the consumer. Don't get me wrong though I do realize I'm nit-picking here quite a bit because there were so many things they got right: give us a BIG LCD screen, I like the leather-wrapped dash, give us real room for our back seat passengers, I could go on and on... I would just like to see the Genesis further improve if possible especially if it can be done for little or no cost to the consumer.

Amen, even if it wasn't me who commented back about the buttons

I have other concerns about little things along the lines that are not big deals in and of themselves but lend to the impression that they were trying to save on costs. For example, the exterior door handles. They just feel insubstantial. Or the steering wheel buttons: they look like they're surplus GM in both the font and construction.

The Lexicon system on the tech package is brilliant, but it lacks the A/V and nav features that are sometimes offered on other products and certainly offered on non-automotive systems. Given that the portion of the tech package invoice cost must be well over $1000 for the Lexicon system, I expect that it should be able to scroll song titles, read MP3 tags, speak street names, and so forth.

So while I think Hyundai got it mostly right, it's the sum of the little things that are exactly the reason why price is the main draw at this point. Other premium brand loyalists will never consider a switch when there's still a laundry list of things that are not polished, and certainly if the price was equal, the Genesis would probably lose.

Here's to hoping that they'll work on some these minor things. I'd start with an update to the map software that's now approaching 15 months old.

 

[JamesD]

Unfortunately, I feel this is not likely to happen. When the 350Z came out, it had some run of the mill Bridgestone "Craptenzas" which people generally lambasted. They were relatively poor for the "sportiness" of the car. Make sense to anyone? Apparently only to Nissan. This is true of most car manufs, especially in the sedan market. Yes, it might "have a hemi", or some big V8, but the rubber is usually an afterthought for these cars.

Actually, that's not really true, in general. There was a time when tires were purchased from the lowest bidder, and tire brands would change repeatedly throughout a model run. Today, tire selection is one of the most carefully-engineered aspects of suspension setup, which is why a given model typically stays with a particular tire throughout its model-year run. Car companies put a LOT of effort into tire selection, to get the ride/noise/handling/mileage balance they are looking for. Cost is actually a fairly minor consideration, because of the huge impact tire choice has on the vehicle.

While I have no particular love for Dunlop tires, the complaints they've received on this car are more an indication that the suspension team's priorities are different from yours, not that they're trying to "cheap out". This follows through the poor spring rate choices, about which a sizeable chunk of drivers have complained. One cannot simply say, "switch to Michelins and everything will be great." ...not if the car wasn't designed for a tire very much like the replacement.

 

[MarkF001]

Hi,

- lazy engine response until you really get on it

Thanks!

You are also used to a manual if in reading 6MT correctly. Try the Genesis in tiptronic mode. It's like a different car when it's alowed to rev over 2K. I find myself shifting around 2800, for "normal" acceleration, and usually have it a couple gears below where the tranny would have it; unless crusing at a steady state. It also corners better with the drivetrain loaded. Just my 2 cents.

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