Mercedes S600 ----> Hyundai Genesis

[ConceptVBS]

Read this mans (or wifes) purchasing decision and his review of the car:

http://blog.cardomain.com/2010/04/20/heaven-hell-or-hyundai/

April 20, 2010

Heaven, Hell or Hyundai

By Sam Barer

Apexstrategy.com

I wrote here a few months ago about my wife’s decision to replace her 1998 Olds Intrigue. I detailed my grand plan to give her the 2006 Toyota Avalon while I procured myself a slightly used Mercedes S550 as a new daily driver.

The interesting thing about the Mercedes S550 is that, without expensive and rarely-equipped options, it offers fewer bells and whistles than a minivan of half the price. Consequently, it was near impossible to find one with adaptive laser-guided cruise control and a back-up camera, at least one with a reasonable number of miles that wasn’t being sold by a dealer at a typical narcotics kingpin’s profit margin. I did finally find a low-mileds 2008 S600 (the model with all the bells and whistles as standard, powered by the fire-breathing bi-turbo V12 and usually purchased new by professional athletes and CEOs) offered at a sell-it-today price of $72,000, but getting it to my door and licensing it would have put it at $80,000. Still, at nine in the morning on one beautiful day I had the deal ready to go.

It’s funny how spouses have the ability to bring us back to ground-level. My wife reminded me that no matter how far under-value I could buy the S600, I was making a poor financial decision. She also pointed to the other cars in the garage and asked if I really needed another expensive car for myself. This was the point when I again got to swallow hard and use my signature line “you’re right, I’m wrong, I’m sorry, I’ll change!”

It had taken me months to get to nearly buying the S600, but thanks to my wife’s decisive nature, by 5pm that night she was at Titus-Will Hyundai signing for a brand new 2010 Genesis 4.6 Sedan–for her! A Hyundai? On my property? What the hell?

In all fairness, my wife knew I had talked about the Genesis ever since seeing a pre-production version years ago at Pebble Beach, and also was aware that I gave a stripped version just a passing test-drive before pursuing the Mercedes. For her it was a strictly rational decision to revisit a possibly overlooked option and jump on it when it met all the right criteria. I’m here to tell you, though, that as far as rational large sedan purchases go, the Hyundai Genesis is a surprisingly emotional hunk of metal.

It’s easy to have missed hearing about the Genesis Sedan, because Hyundai has opted to spend the bulk of its marketing dollars on the Mustang-fighting Genesis Coupe and its recently redone Accord-killer Sonata. The Genesis name was actually originally designed to be placed on a new luxury brand a la Toyota’s Lexus, Honda’s Acura and Nissan’s Infinity, but after realizing that a stand-alone brand added over $5,000 to the cost of each car, Hyundai elected to make the Genesis a new upscale rear-wheel-drive product line under its primary brand and dealerships.

At 196 inches, the Genesis sedan is a large vehicle sized to match the BMW 750i, Lexus LS and Audi A8. It is slightly smaller than the long-wheelbase versions of the aforementioned, as well as the Mercedes S550 and Toyota Avalon. Genesis Sedans are available with a 3.8-liter V6 or the 4.6-liter “Tau” V8 — and given the options on the 3.8 that come standard with a 4.6, a fully loaded V8 is only about $2000 more. With a real-world out-the-door price with tax and licensing of under $45,000 for this top-of-the-line Korean, it is a steal…and one that has already picked-off sales from prestige luxury brands.

At first glance, the Genesis is visually indistinguishable from the current crop of luxo-rides, and if you park one next to a same-colored Lexus ES350, you’ll find yourself looking for badges or the slightly longer car. With most of the lines stolen from Mercedes, BMW and Audi, it’s even more surprising how the overall design blends nicely into an outcome that is very muscular and handsome, especially in Black Noir Pearl paint.

The interior is very visually pleasing with contrasting leather (in this case, Cashmere,) and offers supple surfaces with nice stitching, Lexus-like panel gaps, and an uncluttered layout for buttons. Cost cutting is only noticeable to guys like me who recognize the plastic HVAC buttons as being from the same supplier as cheaper Toyotas.

Delivering niceties like a backup camera, parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, rear sunshade, iPod and USB connectivity, Bluetooth, and navigation system with a usable input device for forty-some-grand means cost cutting somewhere else. It didn’t take me long to find these areas. While the driver’s seat offers a basic level of cushion angle adjustment, lumbar support, heat and ventilation, the passenger seat is a fore-aft only deal with heat, but no ventilation, cushion height adjustment or lumbar support. Luckily, both seats are well bolstered and as comfortable as the base seats on the S550. As for rear seat room, it’s limo-like comfortable and offers almost as much space as the German long-wheelbase luxury players.

Push the starter button and the Tau 4.6 V8 comes to life. Like any modern overhead cam V8, it is as unobtrusive around town as Loggins & Messina over a department store Muzak system. Punch it, though, and it announces its presence with authority…and rear wheel spin. Gearing from the ZF six-speed automatic transmission plays well with the Tau’s 375 hp and 333 ft-lb of torque to deliver 0-60mph in 5.7 seconds. For a 4000+ pound sedan, this is quicker than a New Jersey mugging.

With minimal seat time, I still questioned if the Genesis V8 could blend all of its strengths under pressure, so I decided to take it with me to my friend’s house for our annual fantasy baseball draft. The trip has always proven a great test of cars, providing 70-plus miles of highway, a few miles of city traffic, and a final leg of a mile-long hillclimb of limited-access tight switchback road that looks like a special rally stage.

As I entered i5 North, I set the adaptive cruise control. Almost immediately I noticed the speedometer needle reading 2mph higher than the digital readout for the cruise control setting. Odd, indeed, and most certainly an unnoticed bug (or as product marketing guys say: “a feature”). With adaptive cruise control a new addition for the 2010 model and a part of the optional Technology Package, only a small percentage of Genesis owners have witnessed the different speed readouts competing for their attention. Luckily my trusty iPhone speedometer application determined that it was the cruise control display, not the speedo needle, that was correct.

On i5 the Genesis delivered a par-for-the-course 22 mpg on premium gas. A 20-and-change gallon gas tank meant the needle didn’t dip too far. During the trip the car’s easy to identify corners and lack of bad blind spots meant tightly contested lane changes were a breeze.

After the highway portion, my normally sore back was still in great shape. My ears, though, felt like I had been making the trip in my Corvette. Road noise was horrible, but can mostly be attributed to the deafening hum from Dunlop tires.

Through the stoplights and traffic the Genesis performed fine. The ZF transmission did have a tendency to hunt for gear, but this seems to be de rigueur as manufacturers use increasingly more complicated shift logic to maximize EPA fuel mileage ratings.

I made the turn-off onto the final mountain climb and punch the throttle. The Genesis built speed rapidly. With the shifter in manual mode, I prodded on the brakes, which instantly scrubbed enough speed to allow a downshift as I enter the first decreasing radius turn.

The Genesis followed steering inputs perfectly. The Tau V8’s torque enabled a little tail-steer to leave the corner, as well as to deliver a quick burst of speed before needing to slow for a hairpin.

Steering in the Genesis is heavy, but direct. There’s plenty of feedback, but with springs stiffer than moonshine and strong-sidewall Dunlop tires, the ride feels more 1984 Corvette than 2010 BMW. Brakes bite too quickly, but it feels like throwing the Nimitz’s anchor out to stop a kayak.

On the gas strongly, gravel on the road gave the traction and stability control a workout. Unlike in Toyota and Lexus cars, not only were the electronic nannies less intrusive, they could be turned off if desired. Given my lack of experience with this new, large, heavy sedan, however, it was probably a smart idea to keep them on.

After a few more turns, the heavy steering began to weigh on my arms. Still, as I reached the top of the mountain, I realized that I had bested times I had achieved in my 1986 Ferrari 328 GTS and matched those of my 2002 Corvette –a pretty impressive feat.

At the end of the day, there’s no doubt that Hyundai executives tasked its engineers to create a car that could beat the handling and braking figures for BMW and Audi. On that, the Genesis is a home run. Given the cost-cutting necessary to build to a target price, however, there are some trade-offs in noise, comfort and refinement.

Think of the Genesis as to the world of executive performance sedans as the Corvette is to sports cars: the snobs might snicker at its badge and joke about the noise, vibration and harshness in comparison to German rivals, but it can wipe the smirk off their faces with its performance and still leave its owner with at least an extra thirty-large in the bank.

 

[Mark_888]

I don't want to sound skeptical, but Apexstrategy.com is a marketing company.

 

[sandy]

I don't want to sound skeptical, but Apexstrategy.com is a marketing company.

You're right. Being involved with classic cars , I've seen many articles by Sam Barer on classics in enthusiast publications as well as smaller circ newspapers. I believe he basically is in the business of providing content (automotive) to newspapers and magazines who may not have auto writers.on staff.

Don't read this article as tho it were written by the guy next store. He may have been hired by Hyundai to write this piece but even so, I doubt he would risk his reputation by straying too far from what he really believes.

 

[Aquineas]

It seemed pretty objective actually. He didn't shy away from pointing out some tradeoffs and weaknesses. Anyone who remembers when the 84 Corvette came out will know how harsh a comparison it is to compare this car to the 84 Corvette. That car was known as having the equivalent of bricks for springs.

 

[Mark_888]

It seemed pretty objective actually. He didn't shy away from pointing out some tradeoffs and weaknesses. Anyone who remembers when the 84 Corvette came out will know how harsh a comparison it is to compare this car to the 84 Corvette. That car was known as having the equivalent of bricks for springs.

I am not saying it isn't a fairly accurate assessment, but "maybe" not written by an independent third party. Reminds me of those old Penthouse letters to the editor (which when I was young, I thought were all real).

 

[Aquineas]

I am not saying it isn't a fairly accurate assessment, but "maybe" not written by an independent third party. Reminds me of those old Penthouse letters to the editor (which when I was young, I thought were all real).

Crap, you mean they're not?! First the Fat Boys break up, and now this...

 

[sammyb]

Hyundai did not pay me to write the review. In fact I have NEVER been paid by a manufacturer to review a product. I'm a journalist, not an analyst.

So what you read is what I really feel. I left out some minor gripes about things like steering wheel memory not recalling properly and that the A/C light never comes on when the HVAC is on Auto setting, but this is an accurate assessment of the car. I downplayed my involvment in the buying decision in the article, but that was done for length issues.

As for my company name, the core business of automotive journalism morphed from the original intent of offering marketing strategy and content consulting. Don't be fooled, I'm probably the furthest thing in the automotive journalism space from a sell out. In fact, my next email to send is to a business offering to buy advertising space on my blog site -- the email will explain that I don't accept advertising dollars for space on my site. I've never been beholden to advertisers -- and never will.

The Genesis is a hell of car -- not perfect, but a great car for the money. (I felt that when I wrote the article and I still feel the same way after putting another 300 miles on the car this past weekend.)

I'll stake my reputation as a journalist on that assessment and would be willing to debate openly with any of my colleagues who feel that I've come to the wrong conclusion.

 

[Disaster]

My ears, though, felt like I had been making the trip in my Corvette. Road noise was horrible, but can mostly be attributed to the deafening hum from Dunlop tires.

When I read this section I couldn't help asking myself if we were riding in the same car. With the insulated windows up, the Genesis is the one of the quietest cars I've ever driven in, (despite the stock Dunlops not being the greatest) and that includes a long line of Mercedes and BMW's. My subjective feeling is confirmed by the objective, in cabin, db measurements. Could you have been driving with the windows down?

From a Car and Driver article,

Take, for example, what Hyundai has done to cancel out cabin noise. More than 275 feet of structural adhesive (that’s glue) is applied to the body shell to damp vibra tions and improve stiffness. The roof panel alone has six anti-vibration pads, and the floor is covered with them, too. Even some of the open space inside the body pillars is stuffed with insulation. The windshield and door use double-paned glass for more sound insulation. If the Genesis isn’t quiet, it’s not for a lack of trying.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/08q3/2009_hyundai_genesis_4.6-short_take_road_test

From the Edmunds review:

Db @ Idle: 39.6
Db @ Full Throttle: 70.8
Db @ 70 mph Cruise: 63.5

http://www.edmunds.com/hyundai/genesis/2009/testdrive.html

 

[sammyb]

The problem with the noise comparisons (and this is something about which journalists don't speak) is that they never take into consideration how different types of road surfaces can wildly change the readings/experience.

Like a manufacturer of any type of goods, a car manufacturer can create a product designed to perform best under circumstances, but not so well in others. Since most of the major publications do their actual testing (meaning data collection) in one area of the country, it is easy for a manufacturer to essentially build to specifications. Also, many of the mags use testing areas, which are better surfaces than average public roads and freeways.

They do this not only on noise, but also on EPA mileage (your auto shift points), not to mention hundreds of other issues.

The point of the noise being different is largely due to the very different surfaces used throughout the country. What is used in the Northwest is very different from the cold-weather Midwest. As any musicians here will attest, you can significantly deaden the sound in a room for some frequencies with some materials, but other frequencies travel through.

So if the pavement type in Detroit causes a certain frequency and the pavement in Oregon creates a different hum, the interior noise can be very different. Obviously, there are other factors, such as tire selection, tire wear, speed.

As far as comparing to other cars, unless you are specifically going "seat to seat", it's awfully hard to go by memory. Senses also like to play tricks on you, as your perception of your nice new car can be biased. Also, one should always compare new cars to contemporaries. In that realm -- the Genesis is far noisier than an Avalon, but again, much of it is tuning for tire choice.

And at the end of the day, I'm convinced that changing tires would go a very long way to quieting the car down.

As for journalists -- here's a shocker: not all of us are always right, nor are we always even remotely accurate. To illustrate: many years ago I was a member of the NW Auto Press Association, which put on an annual "Mudfest" to review 20-plus new SUVs. The more than 20 journalists put these vehicles through paces on street, track and off road (at an ORV park). One year I happened to look through all of the tally sheets for the on-road track testing: 19 of the 21 journalists had given all of the SUVs 8 or more on every single aspect, including performance, handling (which included the Jeep model that had been recently rolled by Autoweek), braking. Out of all the journalists, only TWO (me being one) even brought a laptimer/stop watch, so almost all gave 9s or 10s on acceleration for ALL SUVs, from the Kia and Hummer H2 to the Range Rover. When I confronted my colleagues explaining that it didn't make sense that the 13-second 0-60 vehicles received 9s and 10s like the 7.8 second Range Rover and 8.4 second Grand Cherokee, most just shrugged and said "but they FEEL fast" (meaning the engines made noises like they were actually going fast.)

Hope this at least clarifies my statements.
Cheers,
Sam

 

[Disaster]

The problem with the noise comparisons (and this is something about which journalists don't speak) is that they never take into consideration how different types of road surfaces can wildly change the readings/experience.

Like a manufacturer of any type of goods, a car manufacturer can create a product designed to perform best under circumstances, but not so well in others. Since most of the major publications do their actual testing (meaning data collection) in one area of the country, it is easy for a manufacturer to essentially build to specifications. Also, many of the mags use testing areas, which are better surfaces than average public roads and freeways.

They do this not only on noise, but also on EPA mileage (your auto shift points), not to mention hundreds of other issues.

The point of the noise being different is largely due to the very different surfaces used throughout the country. What is used in the Northwest is very different from the cold-weather Midwest. As any musicians here will attest, you can significantly deaden the sound in a room for some frequencies with some materials, but other frequencies travel through.

So if the pavement type in Detroit causes a certain frequency and the pavement in Oregon creates a different hum, the interior noise can be very different. Obviously, there are other factors, such as tire selection, tire wear, speed.

As far as comparing to other cars, unless you are specifically going "seat to seat", it's awfully hard to go by memory. Senses also like to play tricks on you, as your perception of your nice new car can be biased. Also, one should always compare new cars to contemporaries. In that realm -- the Genesis is far noisier than an Avalon, but again, much of it is tuning for tire choice.

And at the end of the day, I'm convinced that changing tires would go a very long way to quieting the car down.

Perhaps you were trying to use a little journalism humor, but I'd say if you truly thought the Genesis was as loud as a Corvette, you need to go back and do a "seat to seat" comparison. On all the roads I've driven on, in the Detroit area, the Genesis has been as quiet as any car in memory. My memory of a Corvette was completely different. The last time I drove in one of them in squeaked and rattled and transmitted all kinds of road noise up through the suspension and floor well of the car. The Genesis is nothing like that.

______________________________

Help support this site so it can continue supporting you!

 

[MichaelOne]

The other major component of noise, and the chief complaint I had in that area with my last car, a 2001 Maxima: wind resistance. The Genesis seems to be quite aerodynamic and wind noise is comparatively low.

 

[tom717]

Enjoyed SammyB's thoughtful and especially well written piece. Good work! If he got the '10 Tau then assume the HP was 385.

He'd enjoy what I'm doing next weekend - running in a Spring Fling get together near Pittsburgh with 40 s2000's signed up. I'm allowed to run (as a former owner of 2 s2000') with my '10 Genesis Tau (Tech).

Will be a real world test of adaptive cruise control (if I turn it on). The s2000 group can really fly on the roads (assume they will get ahead on some twistys but can catch up on the straightaways).

Thanks SammyB. May you ride on quiet roads and get better tires.

 

[Midnightsun]

I really do not understand the noise thing going on here. First off I live in the Montreal Canada area. We must have the worst roads in North America bar none. I travel on concrete, grooved concrete, old ripped up asphalt a small stretch of new asphalt while dodging pot holes on my way to work only!! I can tell you the noise on all these different surfaces is next to none. I can also tell you an Avalon in these conditions although very well muted can not hold a candle to the Genny. Then again it may be because of the Serenity tires I have but then again the car is much better insulated than the vast majority of other high end vehicles out there which is even mentioned above.

Here is a snipit from 1 review.

Evaluated against the Lexus ES 350, Acura TL, Nissan Maxima, Pontiac G8, Lincoln MKS, Toyota Avalon, Buick Lucerne and Saab 9-5, the Hyundai Genesis sedan came out on top. Consumer Reports stated, “Its luxurious and spacious interior and
quietness far transcend its relatively modest price."

and this

This car's forte is swaddling passengers in silence. The engine sounds polished and road noise is strikingly absent.

and finally this from Edmonds

Shhh. Do not disturb the 2009 Hyundai Genesis V6. It may be the quietest car we've ever driven. It would be rude to interrupt it.

How in the world could you be referring to the Genny?? Maybe you had the sunroof open!!

 

[sammyb]

Again -- it's the OEM Dunlops on the pavement creating one hell of a howl. Windows/sunroof closed. Tires make all the difference, and it can be a huge change in type and amount of noise as tires wear (sometimes more, sometimes less.)

I might have to take video to prove the point of relative noise compared to other testers.

As for engine NVH -- the Tau is a work of noisless art. The only things ever to come close to the smoothness of the Tau are Danny Ocean, James Bond and Egyptian Cotton 1500tc sheets.

By the way -- while I'm not suggesting this is the case with Edmunds (I've met some great Edmunds folks over the years and even did some consulting for them in a past life), but often journalists believe what they're told and it affects their perception. If enough people say a car is quiet, you can get a journalist who is lazy (or doesn't want to offend an advertiser -- which is a big issue these days) just repeating the lines. You don't realize how often the stuff you read is nearly identical to what we get in press materials. It's actually very sad, because (personal opinion here), I think readers and enthusiasts are getting screwed out of what you pay for: the truth (or at least a good honest opinion.) I'm happy to go deeper into the aspects of the issues that pollute journalists' work (like getting free cars to drive, flown to nice places, treated to free food and parties, and getting to rub shoulders with bigwigs who use the time to fill our heads with promises, predictions, product marketing bullet points...)

That's not to say that even when we're doing our best, we're not bound to get some things wrong. After all, subjective things are just that. Just look at "car of the year" winners for the major mags over the years. There are some serious stinkers in there!!!

 

[Bocatrip]

"Just look at "car of the year" winners for the major mags over the years. There are some serious stinkers in there"!!!



Could you be referring to Motor Trends 1971 Car of the Year? The Chevy Vega?

 

[Disaster]

Again -- it's the OEM Dunlops on the pavement creating one hell of a howl. Windows/sunroof closed. Tires make all the difference, and it can be a huge change in type and amount of noise as tires wear (sometimes more, sometimes less.)

I might have to take video to prove the point of relative noise compared to other testers.

Sammy,

Respectfully, I suggest you might want to go back and reevaluate the Genesis for interior noise and be sure to drive a different car this time.

The evidence, against it being loud as a Corvette, or even louder than other luxury cars, is non existent, except for your review. In fact, overwhelmingly, the Genesis gets praised for it's quiet interior, which it advertises as being quieter than a BMW 7 series, if I recall correctly.

While you say journalists and testers might be influenced by Hyundai's sales literature, it is unlikely that you would be the only one who was not.

My wife, who was skeptical of Hyundai, when she first drove the Genesis, made the comment, "Wow, it is really quiet." with no prompting from me and having read zero sale literature from Hyundai.

Reading your posts, it is obvious you take your journalistic integrity seriously and you know cars, so my only conclusion was there must have been something amiss with the particular car you drove...like a window not closed all the way or a seal out of place. If this is your car, you should have Hyundai fix it, ASAP (warrranty on trim, and noise/rattles is only for the first few thousand miles.)

To add to my point, here are some more links to reviews and comments.

From TrueDelta.
http://www.truedelta.com/wntc.php?stage=pt&bd=Hyundai&mc=777&session_code=

Hyundai Genesis Sedan: Reasons to buy
Quietness: Can hear a pin drop even at highway speeds

The Car Connection.
http://www.thecarconnection.com/review/1013421_2009-hyundai-genesis
About 70% of the comments use the word "quiet" or "quieter" to describe the Genesis.

quieter than the ES330 we traded

Review @ Lexus forum (from a long time Lexus owner that goes by the name "Lexus Fanatic."
http://www.clublexus.com/forums/car-chat/375580-review-2009-hyundai-genesis-sedan.html

PLUSSES:
Whisper-quiet, refined, reasonably powerful V6.
Quiet ride.....Very low road/wind noise.

Edmunds (comparison of Genesis to Caddilac.)
http://blogs.edmunds.com/strategies/2009/03/luxury-sedan-showdown-2008-cadillac-cts-di-v6-vs-2009-hyundai-genesis-v6.html

The Genesis allows significantly less road noise into its cabin -- indeed, it's one of the quietest cars we can remember testing

A review @ "The Truth About Cars."
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/hyundai-genesis-38-v6/

Isolating, yes, and extremely quiet.

I could find a bunch more, but you get the idea.

 

[sammyb]

Please keep in mind that MANY of you AND MANY OF THE MAGAZINES tested the V6 Genesis without the technology/premium packages. Yes, this means that many of the comments made have been with the 17" wheels and tires, not the 18". (I understand that many of you have the 18s as well.)

But be this as it may, I also drove a V6 car and didn't find it quiet as the other reviews claim. Of course, the other reviewers weren't driving it on chip-sealed city roads and i5 and HWY 101. Every state, county and city seem to use different materials for their roads, producing different sounds. Even the chip-seal placed on the road in front of my old house three years ago was significantly different to the one placed last year in front of my current house. Thank goodness the new chip-seal is far better. It is quieter and produces less gravel and tar fly-off.

The difference in one inch of tire can make a huge difference in road noise.
Furthermore, when media gets test cars, they come from a Press Fleet Management Company, so often the tires are much more worn.

 

[jwaters943]

No Sammy, many of the magazines HAVE NOT tested it with the 17" wheels. In fact, I cannot think of 1 review of a base model 3.8 w/ the 17" wheels. The Genesis is a very quiet car. Easily as quiet, if not more so, than my 2006 GS430.

And Car & Driver recently did a test of the effects of wheel/tire size on ride, handling, and performance. They found no difference in noise level at 70mph for 15", 16", 17" or 18" wheels/tires on the same car w/ the same tires. They did find a 1 dBa difference by going to 19" wheels/tires. http://www.caranddriver.com/features/10q1/effects_of_upsized_wheels_and_tires_tested-tech_dept

 

[sammyb]

With all due respect to C+D, their testing procedures are among the worst in any industry.

They concluded that the Explorer and Firestone tires were safe and drivers were at fault-- how did they do it? By rigging a valve stem remotely and letting the air out. Not scientific.

And Toyotas? C+D concluded driver error because they could stop a Toyota under full throttle. (Of course, this doesn't account for problems with computer management of both throttle and braking systems when the issues actually happened out in the field.)

C+D always sides with the manufacturer and products and against consumer concerns, because the advertisers keep C+D going. Now I will admit that I am currently a C+D subscriber and have been (off and on) for 30 years.

Look -- all I can say is that I've driven two Genesis examples -- one with the 17s and one with the 18s, and in both cases, the cars have been louder than many of the other cars I have tested, including an Avalon that I went directly into after testing the Genesis.

I'm tempted to hook up dB meters just for kicks just to show that pavement types and tire wear can make vast differences in NVH. Just like earplugs, some frequencies get through, and some don't.

But the most important thing to remember is that the Genesis is a hell of a car. We're all in agreement about that.

 

[Disaster]

With all due respect to C+D....

Sammy, With all due respect, you appear to be trying to discount the considerable amount of data that differs from your own. In fact, I can't find a single source, other than yours, that suggests the Genesis is loud, or even louder than other luxury cars.

Look -- all I can say is that I've driven two Genesis examples -- one with the 17s and one with the 18s, and in both cases, the cars have been louder than many of the other cars I have tested, including an Avalon that I went directly into after testing the Genesis.

Perhaps the comparison to the Avalon created your impression. I'm not real familiar with new Avalons other than reading they are cushy quiet Buick type mobiles (I own a 1st generation that I updated with stiffer springs and shocks.) I also agree with jwaters, that tire size isn't going to make a huge difference in sound.

If you look at the independent db data, from journalists, and the db data run right here by a forum member, you will see numbers that back up Hyundai's claims.

I'm tempted to hook up dB meters just for kicks just to show that pavement types and tire wear can make vast differences in NVH. Just like earplugs, some frequencies get through, and some don't.

Yes, any system will have some frequencies that it damps our better than others. Having said that, I haven't found a frequency the Genesis doesn't damp out well...other than plain hard knocks on rough roads. In that case the stiff suspension is a HUGE factor and I have heard the same thumping sounds from similarly sporty cars. To damp out these kinds of knocks requires the a very soft suspension the likes of a big older model Caddy, Buick or possibly a new Avalon.

But the most important thing to remember is that the Genesis is a hell of a car. We're all in agreement about that.

We, as Genesis owners agree that the Genesis is a h_ll of a car, for the money. But we also generally agree that it isn't perfect and you will see lots of grumblings on these forums over one thing or another...ie, suspension, stock halogen headlights, lack of cooling on passenger seat, ipod integration, winter traction of stock tires, etc. But, what you won't find, is anyone complaining that their Genesis is too loud.