Possibly moving from Sonata to Genesis and have a few questions.

[RyanB]

Hello to everyone! So I currently have a 2015 Sonata 2.0t Ultimate that is currently being bought back by Hyundai due to multiple issues with the engine and panoramic roof. Now I researched the car before I bought it and knew about the issues with these glass roofs so that is an annoyance but not deal buster. But I am already on my second engine which is also stalling for unknown reasons which they are now taking it back. So even though I have had my fair share of issues I can say that Hyundai has tried their best to correct the issues and when they couldn't they did the right thing by starting the buy back process. I was considering the Genesis when I bought the Sonata but they were not making deals at that time on the Genesis like they were on the Sonata. Now that I'm starting over again I am thinking of giving them another shot but with the Geneses. I found a few deals on 2016's and 1 dealer still has a 2015 5.0 new on the lot with a pretty big discount.

My question to all of you here which model has the best reliability? Did the 2015's have the usual new design issues? Does the 2017's have anything over the 2016's besides the increased price that's worth a look? And I read that the 5.0 is a better/more reliable engine of the 2 is that correct. I live in the Chicagoland area so the V6 AWD sounds nice but I fear that it just may be underpowered for such a large car. Also more things that could go wrong with a AWD vs RWD. Any tips or suggestions as I start visiting dealers? I am also looking for a fully loaded model so I know I will not be able to use my android auto which I love. Will I still be able to stream music using google or would I need to connect my phone to an AUX port?


Thanks

Ryan

 

[kn5owa]

I rented a 2016 Sonata with a 4 cyl. engine last week - hated it - typical 4 cyl. performance - underpowered, noisy, noticeable vibration.
My '06 Sonata with a V6 is far better in all those respects.
My Genesis with the 5.0 engine is obviously in a different class than either of the above referenced engines. By all means - go for it.

I have had zero problems with my Genny in a year and a half. The mileage on the open road is phenomenal.

The oil/filter swap is a bear and dealers are known to screw it up. I do all my own service work and use a MityVac to suction the oil out of the V8 (the "Mercedes" method).

I have had zero problems with the glass roof, but then I don't use it, and never wanted one on any car. It's simplly part of the package nowadays.

In summary, the power, appearance, "fit & finish", and reliability of the Genesis has been exceptional.

 

[TroyK]

The latest issue of CR indicates that there have been some problems with the 2015 models. Not entirely sure if those reported problems are nit picky or substantial. My 2015 base HTRAC has been pretty good. Only problem I've had was a headlamp washer hose that came off. The 3.8L/HTRAC combo is plenty peppy imo. The 8sp auto has appropriate ratios, and thus the car will literally leap off the line. My only gripe is that the tranny tries hard to get up to the taller gears pretty quickly to save fuel, and that can leave the car a bit flat footed, until the downshifts come. Sport mode alleviates that issue quite a bit in say city traffic. All in all i've enjoyed the car now for 15k miles.

 

[srobak]

33k on my 2015 Ultimate 3.8 AWD. Sunroof has been replaced twice, will probably need it again in the spring. Stereo head unit had to be replaced due to losing XM subscription at shutoff. No mechanical issues and i look forward to getting all of my 100k b2b out of this on my way to a G90 in a few years.

 

[xsolara]

ZERO problems with my Genesis AWD .... As a matter of fact every Hyundai product I have purchased have had zero problems.... Between my car and wife's car we have had 6 different model since 2004
...
I wish I could say the same for the other 20 cars I purchased before :=)

 

[Fahrfrumwurken]

Had a Gen1 and now a Gen2 Ultimate. Both with V6 and Gen2 with V6 and Htrac. Zero problems with either and the V6 is more than capable of handling the large car...and the mpg's are great.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

Welcome aboard! And thank you for signing up. My 2015 V6 Signature Package hasn't given me any problems yet. If you want big power the V8 might be the way to go. However, as mentioned above, the Genesis is geared nicely and never feels like it's straining. It feels MUCH better than the Sonata power-wise...

 

[StarPower]

I don't know what sunroof problems your Sonata had, but some Geneses have creaking from the panoramic roof. I'd recommend a long test drive over rough surfaces with the radio off before you buy.

Here's a couple of differences between years:

2015 has halogen DRLs (amber turn signal bulbs with the HID headlights, high beam bulbs with the halogen headlights). 2016+ have LED DRLs.

No V8 in 2016.

No fog lights on the V6 in 2015. V6 does, however, have the option for heated rear seats and steering wheel, which aren't available on the V8.

2017 Genesis G80 is the same car (options packages changed slightly, but no new equipment that I'm aware of). However, there are some dealership perks with the Genesis brand (e.g. concierge service). These cars depreciate pretty quickly in the first couple of years, so you'd be paying a significant premium for that service.

 

[RyanB]

I don't know what sunroof problems your Sonata had, but some Geneses have creaking from the panoramic roof. I'd recommend a long test drive over rough surfaces with the radio off before you buy.

Here's a couple of differences between years:

2015 has halogen DRLs (amber turn signal bulbs with the HID headlights, high beam bulbs with the halogen headlights). 2016+ have LED DRLs.

No V8 in 2016.

No fog lights on the V6 in 2015. V6 does, however, have the option for heated rear seats and steering wheel, which aren't available on the V8.

2017 Genesis G80 is the same car (options packages changed slightly, but no new equipment that I'm aware of). However, there are some dealership perks with the Genesis brand (e.g. concierge service). These cars depreciate pretty quickly in the first couple of years, so you'd be paying a significant premium for that service.

Yea I had my sunroof rails adjusted then 2 prototype seals tested on two separate occasions and ultimately they replaced the entire roof so I've been there and done that with the Panoramic roofs on these cars. Came to accept that it just goes with this type of sunroof. Dealers are having some really good deals on 16's with the black Friday sales unfortunately my case won’t be closed until after the 1st of the month. Going to talk to a few dealers this weekend and take a test drive. A dealer down the block from my house has a new 16 AWD loaded on sale for 30% off msrp so I'm going to see what's the best offer they can do. But I also want to take a look at a 17 just for the hell of it. Not seeing any decent deals on them but its worth a look. Thanks to everyone who replied!

 

[marinakorp]

While I have a 4.6 2011 1st Gen.... I have had my car in for service.

my 4.6 is plenty powerful (etc).

Some of the loaners I have received were 3.8.... and they were definitely NOT underpowered. not a V8 pull at 70, or win a lot of stop light races ... but damn, I was impressed at that 3.8 had all the power it needed to get around, and be a little bit of fun (not as much as the v8) ... but decently powered , and not under powered.

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[Mark_888]

Does the 2017's have anything over the 2016's besides the increased price that's worth a look?

The MSRP for comparably equipped cars is about the same. What happened is that a whole bench of stuff (mostly safety electronics) is now standard on the Base Trim model. Obviously, a 2015 or 2016 is going to sell at a much higher discount to MSRP than the current 2017 model.

I read that the 5.0 is a better/more reliable engine of the 2 is that correct.

Not correct. The 3.8 has been more reliable. However, now that the 5.0 GDI has been around since 2012, its reliability has probably caught up to the 3.8 GDI.

 

[Ernie3647]

Ryan I seem to remember your posts over at the Hyundai forum as I have a 2015 Sonata Sport 2.0t ultimate that is the car I use. I found it to be a nice car with adequate power, fair handling, solid and quite but to be honest I never did like the feel of a front wheel drive car still don’t. The only problem I had with it was a faulty gas gauge which is a common problem with those models. My wife’s car is a 2015 Genesis Ultimate and from my expectations and needs I think it’s a great car. Love the feel of AWD cars specially if their engineered right and it is. Never had any issues with it other than the recalls that were handled well .The build date on my car was early in production so again for a first model run year it was certainly a worthy effort. I think you’ll be very happy with your new Genesis it’ll be a big change from the Sonata.

 

[silberma]

I have a 2017 AWD G80. From someone who drove mostly BMW, Corvettes and Infiniti's I can tell you that the G80 is the best value for the money for a luxury vehicle. Acceleration is good with the 3.8 engine and AWD, anything bigger is a waste of money . However, depreciation is very high. If you can find a used Genesis I recommend that you go that route. Also to get maximum enjoyment out of the car I would go with the ultimate package, nothing less than the premium package. Also see if you can find a good lease deal.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

the G80 is the best value for the money for a luxury vehicle.

Stolen from Lexus. I bet Lexus isn't too happy about losing that title. On the other hand, maybe they're not trying to be "value luxury" anymore. Either way, I'm glad Genesis Motors has gone this route. They're doing a great job...

 

[RyanB]

Well after 2 months the Sonata was finally picked up this morning. I test drove a few Genesis so far and found a low mileage demo with 1200 miles on it. Everything looks good but it does smell like fresh paint. I couldn't see any areas of new work and they said it was never painted but with the weather outside it’s hard to get a good look. Also the pano roof on it made lots of noise which is my biggest concern since I went through that multiple times with my Sonata. Anyway they have another low mileage at that dealer that I didn't have time to look at so I'm going to ask them to lube up the roof rails and seals on the 1st one so I can give it another drive while I test out the second. I Also drove a certified used Genesis with 9k on it while they were doing my buy back paperwork this morning. Car looks good and doesn't smell like paint but they have it priced only $500 under the other two which have both around 1500 miles vs the 9k and certified. So now I'm waiting to hear back with a better price on the certified and also they sell Mazda's so I took a CX9 for a spin. I really like the look and feel of the SUV but again I would be back to a turbo 4 banger which I haven't had much luck with and it doesn't come with heater rear seats or vented seats. I don't know how any new $45,000 car wouldn't have heated rear seats. Heading out in a few minutes to test drive a new 15 Genesis 5.0 that's been sitting on a lot for 2.5 years. Hopefully since the weather has been bad they will be willing to make a great deal. I got to get something done soon, I forgot how small my old Sentra Spec-V was! Man my ass and back hurt by the time I got to work today!