Impatiently awaiting AWD Genesis...

[Yanubis]

Some says awd vs. performance, but you know what?
awd doesn't have to hurt performance,
After all, GTR's performance is not diminished by its awd capability.
In contrast, awd can increase cornering capability without sacrificing safety.
Like the dude said, if hyundai want to sell their cars in northern states and canada and if they are really serious about increasing their brand-name value and become a premium brand, awd is the prerequisite.
Anybody let me know if there is single luxury brand car company without building awd sedan.
And Let's never forget the fact that both genesis and genesis coupe were aiming to BMW, Lexus, Mercedes, Audi and Infiniti.
(of course, I don't think hyundai is not there yet.)
but if hyundai is serious about being in the same level of BMW, Lexus, Mercedes, Audi and Infiniti, I highly recommand to offer awd in Genesis, Genesis coupe, Equus and Azera. (not expect on Sonata, though)

 

[Dimitry]

They'll get there. I give it a few years

 

[medhat]

Uhh, that hasn't stopped BMW from announcing that the 7 Series will get AWD (or Hyundai from going ahead w/ the Equus).

Had this exact conversation today at work. Didn't realize that there was not an AWD option currently with the 7 series, like the iX in both 3 and 5 series. While perhaps I might consider it next Genesis, I would be concerned with the added weight and potential negative impact on handling.

 

[Disaster]

Some says awd vs. performance, but you know what? awd doesn't have to hurt performance,
After all, GTR's performance is not diminished by its awd capability.

I'm not sure who ever said AWD hurts performance...or handling, as someone else wrote in this thread. It is always a plus for both of those. It is hard to be competitive with a Rally car without it. AWD, when used, has dominated other some other racing series as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-wheel_drive

However, AWD ALWAYS hurts economy. It adds friction, weight, cost and complexity. The friction can cause as much as a 10 to 15% drain on fuel economy. The friction comes from the meshing gears, the limited slip assembly and the tires that are being pushed...vs. freewheeling. For example, we drove two Volvo's on trips. They had the same powertrain but one was AWD. The AWD achieved 23.8mpg on the highway. The non AWD made 27.5mpg. The difference was partly due to the slightly higher stance of the AWD version, but mostly due to the AWD system's parasitic losses. In the gov'ts ratings of the Escape Hybrid the 2WD gets 36/31 mpg city/highway fuel economy, while the 4WD variant comes in at 33/29 mpg. Up until 1991 there were separate CAFE standards for 2WD and 4WD trucks (they are now combined.)

While the AWD system makes a difference when the car is pushed to the limit, most of the time it is just along for the ride...robbing fuel economy the entire time. Further more, it has been proven tires are a bigger contributer, in ice and snow, than AWD, to a car's handling ability. This is particularly true regarding braking, where the AWD system provides no benefits (it actually hurts because of the extra weight.) Of course the best case is AWD AND winter tires, but most drivers think that AWD is all they need, don't buy winter tires and actually drive worse with AWD cars than they do with RWD or FWD because of a false sense of security. Consider also, that modern traction control systems, which do not carry the weight and parasitic losses of AWD, are a factor in making cars less likely to get sideways in slippery conditions.

Hyundai is particularly sensitive to the fuel economy issue. They planned and have achieved the highest fuel economy of any manufacturer in the U.S. (as you might have seen in their advertising.) In 2012 the CAFE standard goes from the current 27.5 all the way up to 35.5...and the proposal is for it to be 39mpg by 2016. You might notice that few vehicles on the road, other than Hybrids meet this standard today. Companies achieve it by getting extra credits for their Hybrids and alternative fuel vehicles. With these new standards you will see more companies reducing or eliminating wasteful options in their vehicles.