I got a Genesis on Saturday!

[Seth]

Hi everyone, thank you for this site - i don't feel like my obsession about cars keeping me alone anymore!

So, on saturday, i went to shop for my next car. i have been acutely aware of the genesis for quite some time, but had no idea they were out. i went and drove the nissan murano, didn't really like it. i drove the altima and maxima - nice rides, but not really for me. the genesis has been my benchmark for a while. i've been saying that if it looks as good as it does in pictures and drives as good as it's being touted AND is priced in such a way that doesn't cause me to have to sell a kidney - then that will be my next car.

i read somewhere that hyundai estimates that some of the new owners will be honda accord owners who are looking for an upgrade. they were right. and what an upgrade it is!

i went to the hyundai dealership (Dean Team in St Louis) and asked if they came in. my salesman said, "yeah, three days ago." the dealership had two of them. the owner of the dealership was driving one - i drove his: black on black. i was hooked. what a ride.

the car i actually leased is the midnight blue with the blond interior and grey wood. it's the 3.8L V6 with the premium plus package. it's absolutely gorgeous.

there was one problem off the bat - the amplifier for the upgraded lexicon sound system was bad. (see other threads in this forum). according to the sales manager, over 1,500 were bad. they did a swap with the black car's amp and mine and it was done.

i have no complaints about the car at all. the dealer experience was quite good. i do agree that if hyundai wants to attract and keep more upscale customers, the dealerships will need upgrading. in fact, i think and upgraded dealership will do everyone some good, from used elantra buyers to new genesis buyers.

my only comment so far for hyundai has to do with the manual that accompanies the car. it is written so very poorly that it is almost illegible. my honda accord owner's manual was 1000x better. programming special features, if it's in the book at all, takes flipping pages to find. the index is totally useless. the sections are filled with ridiculous warnings like "dont open the trunk remotely unless you're sure it's clear, otherwise you can cause injury or death."

I adore my new genesis - and as soon as i can (my blackberry met a horrific death two weeks ago) i will post lots of pics.

happy genesising everyone!

 

[Sal Collaziano]

Welcome aboard, Seth! Thank you for signing up and congratulations on your new Genesis! I believe you are our 4th owner!

Thank you also for the review! Do post pictures when you can...

 

[sesame60]

Congrats on the new car Seth! Please post pics....would love to see what the Sapphire Blue Pearl looks like on the Genesis.

 

[Seth]

i think i am the first owner in the st louis area. i dont know about the other dealerships, but the one i went to hadn't sold any yet.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

i think i am the first owner in the st louis area. i dont know about the other dealerships, but the one i went to hadn't sold any yet.

Have you noticed any weird looks from people who've never seen the car before?

 

[jwaters943]

Congrats! Please post pics when you have time. Do you have any planned mods or are you going to keep it stock?

I completely agree with you on the manual. The section detailing the iPod connection is especially confusing. If you didn't already know, you need a special Hyundai iPod connector from your parts department. Did your dealership give you one with your car? Personally, I think the car should come w/ the cable, but that's just me.

 

[Seth]

I have gotten a couple of strange looks from people, but most people are too busy looking at their own stuff... One guy turning left in front of me stared the whole time he turned in his Accord.

The Shiftronic is an interesting thing, i wish that it was reversed, so that you move the gear shift left, toward the driver, to engage the "manual" shiftronic, rather than the opposite.

I am not currently planning any mods, as i have leased the Genesis. Investing in mods would be awesome, but i dont feel like losing that investment completely when i give them the car back in 24 months. if i had bought/financed the Genesis, I think i would exactly what you, JWaters have done - give the back windows some tint. it just makes it look more elegant. if you have some suggestions for some free (or near free) mods, i'm all ears!

i was not given the ipod unit, i saw it for sale on the sales manager's desk for an msrp of like $29 or $39. isn't just a combination of the ipod usb cable and a straight 1/8" stereo male cable on both ends, or is there more to that connection?

i would like the hood to have a badge. JWaters has a gorgeous one that should come standard along with the ipod cable.

As soon as i get my blackberry back (2+ weeks) i'll upload pics. my dealer owes me a detail - so i'll go and get it detailed out and the send the pics


have a great day!

 

[jwaters943]

You have to buy the Hyundai connection cable (although Ford's version of the same thing may work). I tried a USB connection coupled with the stereo cable and it didn't work. The problem is that the USB hooks up to the port on your iPod, and the stereo cable hooks up to the earphone jack, unlike the Hyundai cable which only plugs into your iPod port. The stereo cable will get your music to play from you iPod on the audio system, but you won't be able to view the artist/title and manage your playlists from the audio screen on the dash. You might want to try talking your dealer out of a free one or calling around. I got mine for $25.

Hyundai's iPod cable:

Ford's iPod cable:

 

[Seth]

Thanks for the ipod connector info... i am not sure i'm into it for another $30. the xm, cds and local radio stations might be enough. what about the usb port? could i plug a usb thumb drive with a slew of songs on it into the usb port and get sound? the documentation in the hyundai manual is totally unhelpful in this matter.

i am very thankful for this forum, and your expert advice.

 

[Seth]

J Waters:
I love your pictures. How do you power your aftermarket GPS unit, i didn't see any cables running from it?

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[jwaters943]

The GPS is rechargeable and is good for up to 3-4 hours. It's best left off unless needed IMO. It comes with a 12v cord, but no AC power cord. At home I charge it through a mini USB hooked up to my computer. I like the idea of being able to update the maps/points of interest at a reasonable cost as well. Some OEM GPS systems charge upwards of $150-200 for ONE update, whereas Navigon is offering up to 12 updates over the course of 3 years for $60. Not too bad IMO.

As for your question on the USB port/thumb drive, I'll have to look into that.

 

[Seth]

Thank you for your patience in waiting for these pics. Here is the V6 Pack 3, blue exterior with beige interior (brown leather dash)

 

[jwaters943]

Very classy color combo! Thanks for sharing your pics. I still can't believe I thought the dash was dark grey/black and not brown.

What kind of gas mileage have you been getting? I'd also like to hear more about what you like/don't like about your Genesis thus far if you have the time.

 

[GrandPrix08]

Great Pics. Thanx for sharing them.

 

[Seth]

Gas mileage, according to the car's tally is about 19.2.

When i have been getting into and starting the car in the last few days, when it's been particularly hot, when i start rolling, the upper part of the dash (near the center speaker) creaks from the heat. after the AC comes on and things begin to cool down (and they cool quickly) the creaking stops within a matter of less than 1 min.

I'm surprised by the lack of storage space for the driver. my 04 Accord had CD storage in front of the gear shift and a two "layer" center arm rest with a deep storage underneath a shallow unit.

I'd love a place to put my cell phone so that it doesn't slide around, like a sticky pad place - so that i dont have to use the cupholders. i'm surprised by the inclusion of the traditional ashtray - that's silly. i need a place for quarters for parking meters, not cigarette butts.

I LOVE driving the car - my wife LOVES it - my kids LOVE it. it's a great car, the lease $ was fabulous for 2 years. Kudos to Hyundai on a kick-ass first shot.

 

[GrandPrix08]

Something about the ashtray. I am not sure now, but when I was still growing up in Korea, and even when I went back about 10 or so years ago, ALL cars in Korea had it. Korean people simply smoke a lot. I guess that is why they put it in their cars for US as well.

As for the storage, I agree, there should be enough provided. I drive an 08 Grand Prix, and it has storages abound. When I open the center armrest, there is a DEEP, and I mean DEEP CD Storages, Map pockets on all 4 Doors, Small Cell-Phone Storage, 2 Huge Cup-Holders, and a gigantic storage compartment just before the gearshift. It even has 2 cup-holders and another storage on the back as well. About the only one it does not have is the kind that my 99 Grand Am had. Overhead storage that sits in between the sun-visors, but I can do without it, since the one before the shifter is big enough to carry about 10 CDs in there as well.

Perhaps, the 2010 Genesis may fix this issue?

 

[Sal Collaziano]

Thanks for posting the pictures, Seth! Your gas mileage should go up over time. I hear many people say how as the engine breaks in, the gas mileage improves quite a bit...

 

[Michael_S]

Congratulations on the purchase!

I love the color.