Update - Flew to Atlanta today and picked it up. Someone mentioned earlier they couldn't buy a car sight unseen. That is not exactly what I did. I put some money for them to hold it, flew down and drove it, checked it out, then completed the deal. I could have walked if it wasn't what I expected. The money was in my pocket, I didn't have to hand it over.
Now for some thoughts. I have to say, my favorite part was when I finally arrived home, in the dark, and saw the Genesis logo on the ground shining down from the side mirror. THAT IS AWESOME LOL. I had seen it online but never in person and it is way bigger than I expected and WAY COOLER.
I will start with some background on cars I have owned in the past that I am using as comparisons, though I have driven quite a few more that I have shopped over the years.
Oldsmobile Aurora
Nissan Maxima (2)
Mercedes E550
Audi S8
Audi A8L
VW Passat
Chevy Traverse
Jeep Grand Cherokee
BMW 321i
Honda Accord
Kia Cadenza
I will start with some "dislikes". First, my panoroof is squeaking. The huge sun roof is awesome, but it is making some noise over bumps. When I have the music on, I can't hear it, which will be most of the time, and I can probably live with it, but I was disappointed. My Cadenza had a big sunroof too and it never made a sound.
Dislike #2 - the bass with the sound system. I didn't figure out how to adjust it until I got him and it was only on +2 and I cranked it up to +10 so maybe that fixes it. But with that said, the overall Lexicon 14 speaker system is good, but not as good as the Bose system in the Caddy or the sound systems in the Audi or MB. I was hoping for more. It is good, just not great. Maybe the increased bass will improve my opinion tomorrow?
Dislike #3 - the hood vibrates slightly at higher speeds. My Audi did the same exact thing. By the time I had an hour under my belt I didn't notice it anymore, but it does do it just like the Audi did, just a slight up and down with higher wind speeds.
Dislike #4- gas mileage wasn't very good, I averaged 23.5 for the trip home and that was almost all interstate and cruise set around 80.
Now for the other negatives which came from my 16 year old son after he drove it for 20 miles. He currently drives the 328i coupe so that is his reference point. The only other car he has driven is our Traverse. Here are some quotes:
"I can't get this thing to stop" "It drives like a mini van" "This brake pedal just doesn't work as good" "Man it is smooth"
So no, it doesn't brake as quick or handle as well as a 328i lol.
My favorite car I have owned was probably my A8L. It was a great cruising machine. The Cadenza was not too far behind it, and ahead of the MB E550. The S8 handled like a race car, but I couldn't keep it out of the shop.
With about 600 miles on the Genesis now, here are some thoughts. Exterior, obviously subjective, but the cars I was cross shopping were
Cadillac CTS, BMW 535, Equus, Lexus GS and ES, and A6. I prefer the looks of the CTS the most, just love the style and really wanted to like the driving dynamics, but I just couldn't get over the way it drove and the rear seat. I think the Genesis is the second best looking, followed by the 5 Series and A6. I just can't like the Lexus' appearance.
Interior, I loved the Lexus interiors, I thought they were just plush, every detail accounted for. I like the Audi and BMW tremendously too, just durable and classy. The Genesis I think is very near the others, but not quite as opulent. Very close though. My favorite seat ever was the S8, sport seat was awesome. The Genesis is my second favorite seat. I have some lower back pain at times, and taking two flights where I was sitting in very uncomfortable seats, plus playing too much golf this past weekend, my back was on the verge anyway. I drive a Passat for work, company car, it is kills my back. So I was really anxious to see if the Genesis seat would hurt my back or not. Even with the plane rides, my back felt pretty decent when I finished the trip, which is quite a statement to the seat comfort. The Genesis seat blows the MB E seat I had away, is better than the A8L was, better than the Cadenza, and is just very nice.
Electronics - By far the best I have had. The only exception though is the Blind Spot gave me false warnings when it was a guard rail, and the Adaptive Cruise is not quite as polished as the Cadenza's was. Three times today a car cut me off from the right lane into my left lane and the car did not slow down soon enough, I had to take over and brake.
The Engine - it is smooth, not as powerful as the S8 obviously, the E550 was faster, and the A8L was very similar. I thought the Genesis would feel a little quicker, but the weight just doesn't allow it. It is plenty fast enough though to get out of it's own way for sure and over taking other cars is no problem. My son kept finding himself going ten miles over the speed limit compared to his 328.
Tranny - the Genesis is very smooth, but not quite as smooth as the A8 was. The A8 shifts were nearly impossible to perceive it was so smooth, but this Genesis is very smooth as well and I never found it hunting for a gear.
Driving Dynamics - I love love love the way a BMW feels, heavy steering, grounded, solid, etc. Though the CTS is raved about, I just couldn't like it. It was not really sporty enough like a BMW, and was not "comfy" soft at all. I did like the ATS I tested, but the CTS just didn't win me over. The Lexus ES I felt drove more to my taste than the GS. I actually liked the ES dynamics pretty well but couldn't get past the looks. The Genesis truly felt to me like a mix of the BMW and Audi/ES comfort. The suspension is really tuned and sorted well, and it nearly feels like a BMW while maintaining the comfy soft ride of the Lexus or E series. I didn't get it hit any twisties, I did hit a few big sweepers at 70+ and once the nose sits, it is solid and gives you a feeling of confidence. The body roll is not far from the BMW.
Overall, I think the Genesis is an awesome combination of exterior styling, interior comfort and quality, driving dynamics, and electronic tech. It isn't always the best that I have experienced in each category, but it is always close to the top if not the top in every category. It is a tremendous value proposition at this price. If the durability, reliability, and quality hold up it is going to be my favorite car I have ever owned I anticipate. I wish the sound system had more bass, it got better mpg's, and did not have rattles in the sunroof, but other than that, it is nearly perfect.
And the paint color is really really awesome in the sunlight.
