Open Letter to Genesis Motors - How I'd Improve the G90

[MARYLAND RAUDER]

Unless Genesis brings back the V8, I’m sticking with my 2021. Also, don’t like the current model’s interior.

May I add that the 2021 trunk was a TRUNK compared to the new models!

 

[jcgraff]

Bring back the V8.
Bring the long wheelbase to the US.
Remove the hockey stick stretching across dash - it looks ridiculous. Go back to something more like the first generation - clean, straight lines.
Ditch the Superman grille - it looks tacky if not downright gaudy. No, it's not bold - it looks silly and cheap.
Go back to the previous style steering wheel - or at least something like what is in the Palisade. The current wheel looks like it came out of a 1990's Buick.
Hire a better designer for wheel styles or go back to something like the turbines.
Ditch the air suspension - you know damn well those are very problematic and expensive as they age. 1st gen G90 got it right without going that route. It wasn't broken - why did you fix it?
Expand the exterior color palette while eliminating the ones that are so similar to each other. Why do you have 2 whites, 2 blacks, 2 grays and a blue that looks black? Bring in a more royal colored blue, an emerald green and maroon.
Offer the tan interior on ALL exteriors.
Either bring back the shifting handle or put in a pushbutton one. Two rotary knobs right next to each other is not smart - even if they are shaped/sized/feel different from each other. This would rank as a safety concern.
Get rid of the flappy paddle shifters. They have no place on this car.
Add the snow driving mode. Why was this not included from the beginning like it was on the DH?
Either fix the panoroof creaking & noise issues that have plagued the brand since 2015 once and for all - or do not offer it on the flagship sedan. There is a reason you didn't put it on the 1st gen G90.
Go back to innovating your own headlight design styles like the 1st gen - vs. simply modifying the one you stole from Volvo for the 2020 facelift.
Put some color & text contrast in the center console. Everything being a cleared-over silver looks tacky and cheap compared to the rest of the interior.
Fix the delamination of the infotainment screen after prolonged exposure in the sun.
Bring back the V8.

Eliminate frivolous features and tech as it unnecessarily adds expense, complication and/or gaudiness:
- Mood curator - adjustable ambient lighting is plenty good on it's own.
- Pop-up speakers - completely unnecessary and prone to breaking during age. This was done simply for the sake of doing so and offers nothing to improve sound quality.
- Fingerprint auth - keys are not that big of a hassle.
- Scent spritzer - part of mood curator, but deserves it's own callout. This was done just for the sake of doing so. It was stupid when BMW started it, and it still is.
- UV compartments - we survived for generations without it. I promise you are not eliminating any germs with this. It is sitting in the middle of a giant, leather-clad petri dish.
- Active noise cancelling - the 1st gen didn't have this and was almost silent. Prolonged exposure to ANC has proven to be detrimental to ear health. This is not good for folks who road-trip with the G90, and there are more than a few threads on this forum making reference to nausea as a result. This would rank as a safety concern.
- Rear wheel steering (at least above parking-lot speed) - this functions way too aggressively through intersections and is contributing to rear passenger nausea issues.
- E-charged engines. (read: Bring back the V8)

FIX customer service / concierge / loaner vehicles. This entire thing is a shitshow to put it mildly - and it is doing way more harm to the brand than just about anything else.

On top of that - allow 2015-2021 models to be included-service & warranty worked at Hyundai dealers. The Genesis network is too small to not allow this - and you are punishing early(ier) adopters with this sudden restriction. It is not their fault that you launched the brand the wrong way. Those units will be aging out of warranty in the next few years anyhow - but current owners should not be getting screwed until then.

Lastly - remember who put you where you are. Remember what your customer base was when we were all early adopters: People who were looking for some creature comforts in a smooth & quiet ride - without the unnecessary expense and frivolous gadgetry that drove up the prices of the competition. You seem to have forgotten us - both with the G80, and the G90, as well as the GV80. You will sell more units if you put the price back where it belongs, and cut out all the crap that has now put the car in the 6-figure club. You also do not have the product quality or service experience to play in that club yet, either. Multi-million dollar showrooms with unnecessary art and empty lounges are not going to suddenly get you there - and only add to ridiculously jacked up costs for the 80, 90 and GV80. By absolutely no measure should the price of the G90 have increased 40% since 2017 (nor should the G80 have increased 44%).

Oh - and bring back the V8. Stop using turbos.

Remember who made you here in the US and Norther America.... those are who you were making cars for before, and you should remember to keep making cars for us now. We would have been loyal, recurring customers - but as of now you have alienated many of us from proceeding forward with the brand.

2019 G90 owner here, bought new from the dealer in 2021. I agree with just about everything this excellent post says with the exception of the V8. This is a luxury, road and to work car for me. I'd rather have the better gas mileage as long as I don't have turbo problems. The mileage difference was significant, and the performance numbers were similar enough. I actually drove both, and liked the twin turbo V6 feel better, especially with changing gears, and with the feel of the accelerator pedal when backing up.

Excellent points above. Very thoughtful. Thanks for taking the time to type that all out.

I like the classic lines of the 2019...since then I find them ugly. Mine looks like an older Bentley Flying Spur.

My jet turbine-appearance wheels are excellent in every way. I love the look and easy to clean.

The service and parts availability are way more important things to work on than adding features to compete with the better known brands.

I've had the most miserable experience with issues with this car. Horrible dealer maintenance shop in every way. Not calling back after leaving messages weekly for 8 weeks! Told me they ordered a part that they didn't and wouldn't answer to get confirmation. They had my car for 6 months in the first year or so of ownership while waiting for a new entertainment system that was draining my battery after being parked for 4 days. Probably was a problem from the factory, as the CarMax sheet shows it got new batteries a few times before its initial sale! You would think for a new car line and wanting to court premium customers they'd make things right by offering a new one. They did not, even if I paid the value difference, despite weekly calls from my Genesis national support person. I've not had the car for maybe a total of 12 months in my 4 years of ownership.

Many months waiting time for a mechanic. Some rule that can only service Genesis if a loaner is available, but weeks to months to get a loaner (which is always the worst G70, that I can hardly fit in at 6'5"...there's a reason I have a G90). I have a trunk that goes up about 30% of the time, despite replacing the latch and lift motor, told there was nothing else to do, took it to a dealer 3.5 hours away and adjusted the trunk position a bit (which I told the shop and Genesis support was the problem with markedly different gaps on each side) and worked for about 6 months. Now back to 30% of the time.

Make the B-pillar plastic harder where people have to slide against it when getting in and out with the way the seats go back all the way when the door is opened. I had major wear at 20,000 miles on the B-pillar plastic that is way too soft. By 25,000 the wear, from just the soft leather of my belt rubbing on it on entry and exit, was full thickness! Genesis wanted > $1000 to replace this plastic. Worn on the other side, too, and I hardly ever have passengers. My son's 2015 4 door Genesis has harder plastic there and no evidence of wear. Genesis national support says it is cosmetic, and no coverage on my extended warranty despite it clearly being due to use of plastic of an inappropriate hardness.

When you take care of your premium, luxury customers this way, don't expect them to return to buy a second Genesis.

You want to take care of your customers so they return to buy more, and also because the best form of advertisement is happy customers spreading the word!

 

[jcgraff]

Also, remote start from the key fob. The Genesis app allows for remote work far from the key fob, however, it often doesn't work for me, presumably due to cellular network issues. I want to pre-start to cool at work, and a key fob would work fine for that for me.

 

[GnatGoSplat]

Also, remote start from the key fob. The Genesis app allows for remote work far from the key fob, however, it often doesn't work for me, presumably due to cellular network issues. I want to pre-start to cool at work, and a key fob would work fine for that for me.

Very much agree with this one. I absolutely loathe when the hardware capability is there, but the feature is locked behind paywall.

 

[srobak]

2019 G90 owner here, bought new from the dealer in 2021. I agree with just about everything this excellent post says with the exception of the V8. This is a luxury, road and to work car for me. I'd rather have the better gas mileage as long as I don't have turbo problems. The mileage difference was significant, and the performance numbers were similar enough. I actually drove both, and liked the twin turbo V6 feel better, especially with changing gears, and with the feel of the accelerator pedal when backing up.

I believe the rated MPG is only 1 mile difference between the two... though that is only if the driver keeps their foot out of it on the V8. Not always the easiest thing to do - especially when there idiots around you, or you have the sudden desire to make the luxobarge impressively scoot away from tuner kids, LOL. The transmission is the same unit in both the 6 and the 8 - though the 6 would have a slightly higher RPM, and be into the pressurized range when shifting. Also - the pedal should feel the same - as it is throttle by wire (electronic, not mechanical) and uses the same part & sending module.

Excellent points above. Very thoughtful. Thanks for taking the time to type that all out.

Thanks I appreciate that. I originally had a true first-gen "G80" - DH model from 2015, Ultimate trim & AWD. I was really looking forward to going into a 90 some years down the line. I was actually excited at the idea of a facelift for 2020 as the first photo I saw was of the tail lights - which I really, really liked over the pre-facelift 1st gen (current gen is not at all appealing). The 2nd photo was from the side - showing the twin headlight elements wrapping around... I recognized them right away as being inspired by Volvo but still thought it looked good. But then I saw the front... and it overshadowed the headlights entirely. Since then I just can't get past the grille. The first gen was already pretty bold - to be honest, and even that took some time to truly appreciate. But the facelift and the 2nd gen front ends are just all grille, and it is not at all appealing. Sadly it also seems to be a trend on a few of the other mfgs as well - and some of them look even more ridiculous than the current-gen 90.

I had come up with the list because I was paying extra close attention to the 90 as I really, really wanted it to be my next car, back then. The facelift was 95% the same car - save for the grille, of course - and the tail. So still none of the frivolous stuff, and I was eagerly awaiting an even more refined and bold design for the 2nd gen. But then we got.... this... in 23. And I started pitting it against the previous gen at a detailed level - and found just way too many departures away from what made the 1st gen and even the facelifted model fantastic cars.

It was a bit heartbreaking, really. It became clear that the newest 90 I could ever own was a 22... and that is only if I can just swallow my feelings on the grille. Either way - my love affair with Genesis would be quite short, and only last at most over a 7 year span of models between the 80 and 90. They certainly are not going to be stepping away from all the extra trinkets they think put it in the 6 figure club, and unlikely they will step away from the gaudiness, either. At least - not until the S class does. I was really surprised they went the route they did - after all the investment in poaching former Audi and BMW designers and engineers, and how much the interior of both the 80 and 90 followed some of the best cues from those brands. Oh well - nothing lasts forever.

Also thank you for pointing out the fob-based remote start. I had forgotten all about that, and it absolutely should be present. I would and still do frequently drive where there is little to no signal in the 80 - and remote start & remotely opening the windows are a must - without needing a cell phone to do it.

 

[jcgraff]

I stand corrected about the mileage. It is only 1 mpg from what I see online. I somehow internalized 15 mpg for the 5.0 AWD version. In that case, the 5.0 is perhaps a better choice just because it keeps things simpler than caring for two turbochargers. I don't have a turbocharger on my airplane as it is perhaps a more frequent cause for engine failure than the engine itself.

When I said shifting, it wasn't between first and second or second and third gear. When I drove the 5.0 I noticed the pedal seemed to be more sensitive in reverse and first gear...at least as I recall driving the two versions of the 2019.

I completely agree about the grille...my biggest turnoff, and it took a lot for me to look past it and buy the car. Other brands do it too, and it's not going away. I decided I didn't have to look at the grille except when washing the car. There's only one other G90 in my town of 50,000 (driven by the Hyundai dealer's wife) and that's the only time otherwise I have to see the gaudy grille.

I like the stately grille of a 2015 Bentley Flying Spur.

 

[MARYLAND RAUDER]

I stand corrected about the mileage. It is only 1 mpg from what I see online. I somehow internalized 15 mpg for the 5.0 AWD version. In that case, the 5.0 is perhaps a better choice just because it keeps things simpler than caring for two turbochargers. I don't have a turbocharger on my airplane as it is perhaps a more frequent cause for engine failure than the engine itself.

When I said shifting, it wasn't between first and second or second and third gear. When I drove the 5.0 I noticed the pedal seemed to be more sensitive in reverse and first gear...at least as I recall driving the two versions of the 2019.

I completely agree about the grille...my biggest turnoff, and it took a lot for me to look past it and buy the car. Other brands do it too, and it's not going away. I decided I didn't have to look at the grille except when washing the car. There's only one other G90 in my town of 50,000 (driven by the Hyundai dealer's wife) and that's the only time otherwise I have to see the gaudy grille.

I like the stately grille of a 2015 Bentley Flying Spur.

Sorry, I like the chrome look of the 2021 grille as opposed to the copper-chrome look of the later grills-guess that's why women come in all shapes and sizes as well as color combinations!

 

[GnatGoSplat]

Sorry, I like the chrome look of the 2021 grille as opposed to the copper-chrome look of the later grills-guess that's why women come in all shapes and sizes as well as color combinations!

Originally, we were looking at 17-19, but my wife fell in love with the grille on the 2020-22 which is why we spent the extra $15k+ for a facelift car. I've always loved full-width taillights since the 80s when the Olds Toronado had them, so that helped the decision along as well. Neither one of us cared too much for the wheels when they came out, but by the time we were ready to buy, they'd grown on us. In person, they look magnificent and we've come to love them. The 2020 facelift and wheels were universally lauded as just what the G90 needed by reviewers and Youtubers alike. The new '23 model got even more praise. I really can't see them reversing course and going more understated and plain, especially at a time when it needs to win over SUV buyers.

 

[srobak]

I've always loved full-width taillights since the 80s when the Olds Toronado had them, so that helped the decision along as well.

Interesting that you mention this - it is actually the first thing I thought of when I saw the full-width pencil-line taillights too! Along with the 90's Trofeo.

Neither one of us cared too much for the wheels when they came out, but by the time we were ready to buy, they'd grown on us. In person, they look magnificent and we've come to love them.

I've seen them in person several times and just can't appreciate them I guess. The good news is the previous turbines are same sized - so could easily swap to a set of those, if need be.