I got a Genesis today!

[gipp]

Cool, good job on update!

 

[Sal Collaziano]

I believe someone asked me if I had any unusual reactions to the Genesis. Well, yesterday I was having lunch with my friend and my car was parked out front (the entire front of the restaurant is windows and my car was clearly visible). Well, some guy was out jogging and literally stopped in his tracks once he saw the Genesis. He peaked in the window, looked at it from every angle and just generally oogled it for a good minute before moving along. It was quite the sight!

Cool.. Things like this are going to become commonplace for awhile - until these things are all over the road.

 

[mkaresh]

Sportier than the Lexus? Your evaluation plus the write-up today at ttac.com suggest that the magazines have been understating the sportiness of this car.

I'm especially eager to drive one myself now.

 

[jwaters943]

To be honest, the GS430 isn't all that sporty in spite of the claims to the contrary. It has a slightly stiff ride with fairly well controlled lean in corners, but it also has numb steering and non-linear electronically activated brakes. The engine is also quiet to a fault (GS430). Maybe the GS460 has a bit more "presence". It's a great car that unfortunately offers very little in the way of positive sensory feedback. What I find amazing is that the Genesis feels both more refined, and a tiny bit sportier than the Lexus. It's the best of both worlds IMO.

I think this quote from Motive in their comparison of a Sport-Package E550 & Genesis 4.6 sums it up nicely:

The two cars are almost dynamic opposites — in the Benz, every road irregularity, every crumbled bit of rock dropped from a cliff is transmitted to the driver. The Hyundai erases those small details completely, but when it comes to sweeps in the road and off-camber corners, the multi-link front and rear suspension can't quite keep up. The chassis is slow to respond to driver inputs and there's too much travel on rebound. Overall, it falls in somewhere between a non-sport package Mercedes and a Lexus GS.

http://www.motivemag.com/pub/feature/versus/Motive.shtml

The Genesis isn't going to put fear in the hearts of German car owners, but it offers a great balance of sportiness and refinement. It won't bore you to tears driving it, nor will it beat you up on rough pavement.

 

[mkaresh]

I'd somehow forgotten about the awful steering in the GS 460. I drove the 300 and 460 back-to-back when they first came out, in 2005, and found the steering in the 300 to be MUCH better. Though still hardly ideal.

I drive a GS 400 now myself. Quite soft. And yet I somehow expected the Genesis to be even softer, like the LS.

 

[xitrum]

I drive a GS 400 now myself. Quite soft. And yet I somehow expected the Genesis to be even softer, like the LS.

I'm not sure about the current generation LS460. But I've driven both the LS430 and the Genesis (V6 & V8). No, the Genesis is not as soft as the LS430.

 

[Simonwpb]

Where would you buy a KDM badge from...?

 

[jwaters943]

www.koreanautoimports.com

 

[mkaresh]

I'm not sure about the current generation LS460. But I've driven both the LS430 and the Genesis (V6 & V8). No, the Genesis is not as soft as the LS430.

The current LS isn't as soft as the 430 was. But the consensus seems to be that the Genesis isn't as soft as I thought it would be, and closer to Mercedes than Lexus.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

I would have liked to see the Genesis as soft as the Lexus LS430. However, too many "enthusiasts" feel otherwise. It's a shame how companies like Hyundai listen so closely to the enthusiasts because there are hardly ANY of them compared to regular non-enthusiast buyers. I, for one, would have preferred the softer Korean suspension. I bet most people would..

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[jwaters943]

I would have liked to see the Genesis as soft as the Lexus LS430. However, too many "enthusiasts" feel otherwise. It's a shame how companies like Hyundai listen so closely to the enthusiasts because there are hardly ANY of them compared to regular non-enthusiast buyers. I, for one, would have preferred the softer Korean suspension. I bet most people would..

I understand what you're saying, but I think that would be a bad move. Hyundai needs this to do well in comparison testing. If it were too floaty most of the major automotive publications would complain and compare it to a Buick. I think the ride/handling compromise is perfect. It's just firm/controlled enough to satisfy some enthusiasts, while soft and refined enough to keep the average buyer who prefers a cushy, quiet ride happy.

 

[mkaresh]

I would have liked to see the Genesis as soft as the Lexus LS430. However, too many "enthusiasts" feel otherwise. It's a shame how companies like Hyundai listen so closely to the enthusiasts because there are hardly ANY of them compared to regular non-enthusiast buyers. I, for one, would have preferred the softer Korean suspension. I bet most people would..

Have you driven the Genesis now? Impressions posted in another thread?

One thing they could have done is offered two suspensions. Lexus has done this in the past two generations of the LS.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

Good point about the magazine testers - they need to feel a firm suspension for marketing reasons.. The world works in funny ways...

Nope, I haven't driven the Genesis yet. Still none in my area. Actually, I'm in Nassau, Bahamas at the moment - since Friday morning - so maybe they're in West Palm Beach now. I'll check when I get back. I'm servicing one of my vehicles at a dealership a few blocks away.. Anyway, I'm just going by what I'm hearing at this point.

Otherwise, maybe in the future Hyundai will offer the South Korean suspension here. I would 100% opt for it if it were available. I don't need to turn corners at 45mph and/or speed up and down ramps without squealing the tires...

 

[skalrich]

I agree.. If a front plate isn't needed, don't mess with the front bumper..

What is it with the Hyundai dealers..... Rick Case in Sunrise, FL puts plates on all the front bumpers of the Tucsons, etc... When I bought mine there I made them send it to the body shop and re-do the front bumper so no holes show..... in Florida we don't need the front plate.

 

[skalrich]

Good point about the magazine testers - they need to feel a firm suspension for marketing reasons.. The world works in funny ways...

Nope, I haven't driven the Genesis yet. Still none in my area. Actually, I'm in Nassau, Bahamas at the moment - since Friday morning - so maybe they're in West Palm Beach now. I'll check when I get back. I'm servicing one of my vehicles at a dealership a few blocks away.. Anyway, I'm just going by what I'm hearing at this point.

Otherwise, maybe in the future Hyundai will offer the South Korean suspension here. I would 100% opt for it if it were available. I don't need to turn corners at 45mph and/or speed up and down ramps without squealing the tires...

I just drove a Genesis yesterday... pretty similar to a BMW 528i
wanted to do a lease deal, but they wanted to give me five thousand dollars under auction prices for my rx 350 Lexus... decided to pass.

 

[BigElm]

Hyundai hit it on the nose with where they wanted the Genesis to compete. To have it in the likes of BMW, Lexus, MB & Infiniti, it has alittle of each. I say the Genesis is very similar to the handling of the Infiniti M35, probably just a bit shy of it in terms of being exactly the same. The response throttle is very BMW and MB but all in all, they did a good job.

If it were too soft, it would've missed the mark and would've just been another Buick, Cadillac (except the CTS), Mercury, etc. That's not what the average consumer wants.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

I have no idea why they do that with the front plate in Florida. Even BMW does it - and they install a dealer plate on the front. Maybe it's for marketing... Probably, in fact...

So there's a Hyundai dealership in Boca Raton with a Genesis?? Let me know because I'm extremely anxious to go see one!

What is it with the Hyundai dealers..... Rick Case in Sunrise, FL puts plates on all the front bumpers of the Tucsons, etc... When I bought mine there I made them send it to the body shop and re-do the front bumper so no holes show..... in Florida we don't need the front plate.

I just drove a Genesis yesterday... pretty similar to a BMW 528i
wanted to do a lease deal, but they wanted to give me five thousand dollars under auction prices for my rx 350 Lexus... decided to pass.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

I'm very impressed by where Hyundai went with the Genesis - but I agree with another notion that Hyundai made the suspension a little tight to satisfy the enthusiasts - not the general public - who I'm I DO believe prefers a softer suspension. There are far more non-enthusiast/sporty drivers on the road.. Otherwise, Toyota Camry's wouldn't sell so well. They're looking to please the magazine writers for marketing purposes...

Hyundai hit it on the nose with where they wanted the Genesis to compete. To have it in the likes of BMW, Lexus, MB & Infiniti, it has alittle of each. I say the Genesis is very similar to the handling of the Infiniti M35, probably just a bit shy of it in terms of being exactly the same. The response throttle is very BMW and MB but all in all, they did a good job.

If it were too soft, it would've missed the mark and would've just been another Buick, Cadillac (except the CTS), Mercury, etc. That's not what the average consumer wants.

 

[hyundaiorbust]

I'm a non-enthusiast, would prefer a softer ride.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

I'm a non-enthusiast, would prefer a softer ride.

As would I. I've drive soft-riding luxury cars for a good portion of my life. Mainly Cadillacs. The Fleetwood Brougham was probably the softest Cadillac. The Lexus LS430 was the softest of all... Most people are not concerned with how well a car handles.