Guten Morgen nach Deutschland,
(OK, from here on out I’ll switch back to English, as you suggested – I didn’t want to exclude anyone from my posts, I was just excited to find someone from Germany on here). I am German, but I currently live and work in Austin, TX (home of US formula 1, home of good BBQ, live music capital of the world, home of silicon hills and home of an additional 150+ people who move here every freaking day. Stay away, we’re full ;-)
I’ll go through your comments first, then add a few more thoughts.
On the trip computer: The mpg display on my car is about 2-3 mpg optimistic, the Chrysler was almost the same in this regard, about 2 mpg optimistic. The numbers I posted are actual calculated numbers, based on all my fill-ups and actual mileage driven. My trip computer display showed about 22 mpg for the last tank, actual mileage was around 19 mpg. The 22 mpg you saw was probably a real 19 mpg, maybe slightly better.
The
Android Auto /
Apple Car Play was an update that Hyundai provided to all owners of the current generation Genesis, with the exception of the “Ultimate” (i.e. top of the line) package. The non-“Ultimate” models use a different (smaller) display/navigation system – the “Ultimate” trim is based on different technology. The German model seems to mostly be the “Ultimate” trip with some additions (such as the surround view camera, the rear multimedia and seat controls in the center console, soft-close doors, LED read fog light, etc.) – thus they don’t mention
Android Auto /
Apple Car Play. There is a USB port in the center console that in the US version can be used to play music from a USB drive, or connect to your phone. There is also an AUX (3.5 mm) port to connect music players, and two cigarette lighter charging ports in the front console. The German version seems to have two rear USB charging ports (I doubt they work as stereo system inputs), the US version has no rear charging ports at all, neither USB nor cigarette lighter style – that seems like a stupid omission since every 8-year-old kid I know has a cell phone these days and they all want to charge their phones or tablets everywhere … There is an SD Card slot, but that’s for the navigation system map only I think, I haven’t tried using it to play music, I doubt that would work though. The US “Ultimate” spec radio has built-in memory, so you can upload music from a USB drive (stupidly not directly from CD or DVD) to the car.
The US version doesn’t have adaptive (swiveling) headlights (something you can get on a lowly VW Golf in the US), which I never even thought to ask about when I was looking at the car – I simply assumed that was a standard feature on any luxury car now. I loved that feature on my Chrysler, and I noticed that it’s missing the first night I drove my car – I even checked if there were settings for that, but it’s a simple omission by Hyundai. I consider this a safety feature, bad marks for Hyundai there. It looks like the German version doesn’t have that feature either, at least it’s not mentioned in the “Scheinwerfer” section in the brochure. It lists “Abbiegelicht” but that probably just means it turns on the left/right fog light when you use your blinkers and turn. “Kurvenlicht” is not mentioned.
The German brochure does state free navigation updates for 5 years, so the issues with voice recognition and 3D map features will probably have been updated, although I have no idea how well the voice recognition works in German. The US version has reported been improved with the latest map update, but I refuse to pay $200 for a software update that makes a feature that was advertised on the car actually usable. I guess map quality also can’t be compared between the US and Germany, so take what you read here with a grain of salt, as it’s probably not applicable to the German car.
The Blue Link services and the SiriusXM services cost extra after a short trial, and in my opinion are not worth the price of admission. Most of these features are available on cell phones at no extra cost, with the exception of the remote start feature, which is illegal in Germany as far as I know. You pay several $100’s of subscription fees for these things, and while the SiriusXM features usually work fine, the Blue Link stuff is not reliable in my experience. The video you linked is an extra package for the SiriusXM subscription. I don’t think you can ever save enough money by finding cheaper gas on there to pay for the service fee
You are correct that the Chrysler 300 and the Hyundai Genesis are about the same length (the Chrysler is actually slightly longer). I would have sworn the Genesis is longer, but it may be the exterior design, plus the fact that the interior of the Hyundai feels much roomier, especially in the back. They both are boat sized, which I actually like.
The things that annoy me about my Genesis are as follows (most of these – with the exceptions of the first three or four - are first world problems, but annoying nonetheless):
I had my wheels balanced twice in the last 1,000 miles (dealer and Discount Tire), and I get a major vibration in my steering
wheel from 15 – 85 mph (maximum legal speed here). Very noticeable. Extremely annoying, and apparently not related to the
wheel balancing - this has been reported by multiple people on this forum. It may be tire related, it may be
wheel related, it may be brake related, it may be something else. It’s absolutely not acceptable for a luxury car, and sours my experience significantly. I will have this looked into the next time I take the car in for service, but they already looked at the 1,000-mile service and told me it was fixed – which it wasn’t.
When standing at idle with the A/C running, there is a very noticeable vibration (obviously not from the wheels or axles, since stationary) that shakes the whole car. It can be reduced significantly by turning off the A/C – but that’s not really an option when it’s 100F (37C) outside. Another thing I will have the dealer look at when I bring the car in for service. Not luxury car worthy either, and passengers have commented on this, so it’s rather obvious.
The door handle needs you to push a button to unlock, you can’t just pull the handle, the door will remain locked. On the 300, you pulled the door handle with the key in your pocket and it would unlock. I got used to pushing the button, but sometimes still forget and get reminded by pulling on a locked door. Weird choice, the button press should not be necessary.
Power ports in the front of the center console (the Chrysler had them inside the center console cubby) means that you have wires running across the console to charge your phone all the time. Would have been easy to add a USB/power port inside the center console to allow the cable to stay hidden in there.
Heated/cooled seats will not come on with the remote start feature (the Chrysler had a setting where you could pick that they would start when the car was remotely started). Sounds like a stupid thing until you get into a car that has been baking in 100F+ temperatures for a few hours – the cooled seats running make it so much more comfortable to get into the car. That’s luxury!
Heated/cooled seat switch badly illuminated (impossible to see in sunlight) and in the center console – the Chrysler had the status on top of the navigation screen display in the status line.
The 17 speaker Lexicon stereo is underwhelming in my opinion. Not bad, just not what I expect from the top of the line, much hyped stereo system with 17 speakers. I think the Beats system in my Chrysler was better, but I’m not an audiophile, so I can’t really tell. I was just expecting more after reading about it in Hyundai’s marketing materials – maybe they reached the level of what my ear can actually distinguish…
This one is just stupid: The A/C controls and the stereo controls are within 2 inches of each other, and the same size. Who came up with that idea? I have blindly tried to adjust the volume and changed the temperature and vice versa more times than I can remember. That was done much better in the Chrysler 300. I know there is a steering
wheel control for the volume, but I instinctively go for the center control know most of the time.
This one is big for me: The car will not remember some of the settings you chose. When I get into the car, I have to turn on ECO mode (car will always default back to “normal” driving mode, won’t remember ECO or SPORT mode between stops). Why? The car will not remember that I turned on the “Auto Hold” function, which engages the hand brake while you are stopped at a light or stop sign while in gear. That’s actually dangerous, because sometime I rely on these to work (I forgot to reactivate when getting into the car), and the car starts to crawl forward. Why isn’t this permanent until I change the setting back? The ACC setting also isn’t remembered. Why won’t the car remember that I want the cruise control on? I use that all the time, and have to reengage it every time I get into the car.
This one is just dangerous: The headlights are aimed extremely low, so they cut off very close in front of the car. On dark roads at speed I think you can travel further in two seconds than you can see, so there’s no time to react. Other have reported on this on this forum as well, and it apparently can be adjusted. Dealers claim it’s OK, based on manufacturers specifications, and I am not going to fiddle with the lights and start blinding people. This should be done right from the factory – I didn’t buy a project car that I want to fiddle with. The automatic high-beam feature helps some, but it’s not as good as it was on the Chrysler 300, and high-beams are not always an option, so the normal lights should work properly. The IIHS recently tested headlights, and the Hyundai Sonata was among the worst (Genesis wasn’t tested), and here is the kicker: “Among the 44 headlight systems earning a poor rating, the halogen lights on the BMW 3 series are the worst. A driver with those headlights would have to be going 35 mph or slower to stop in time for an obstacle in the travel lane. A better choice for the same car is an LED curve-adaptive system with high-beam assist, a combination that rates marginal.” There’s more on the topic here:
http://www.iihs.org/iihs/news/desktopnews/first-ever-iihs-headlight-ratings-show-most-need-improvement
I have the ivory (in Germany “crème”) interior – it looks great, but my driver’s seat showed dirt after less than 3,000 miles, my Chrysler (beige) never showed anything on the seats. I work in an office (as opposed to a construction site where dirt would be part of the job), and don’t wear jeans usually – still noticeable dirt on the driver’s seat. I also think that the dark wood that comes with the ivory interior doesn’t contrast with the dash – it’s black on black, so the wood looks like it’s part of the plastic used on the top of the dash. A browner or greyer wood might have been a better choice in my opinion.
OK, since I just listed a bunch of things I dislike, here’s stuff I do like.
Exterior design is very nice, distinctive (like the Chrysler) without being too derivative (like the first generation Genesis in my opinion, it looks like a Mercedes too much). It stands out in a sea of Honda Accord’s, Toyota Camry’s and other bland cars. Of course, most people here in TX have pick-ups or SUV’s (Chey Suburban’s – the Texas
Cadillac), but the car stands out in a good way.
I love the Ibiza Blue color, even more than my blue Chrysler 300. Best color for the Genesis, no question. It’s faster, better, nicer, and more beautiful than all other Genesis colors combined (I had to write this, because everybody on this forum claims their color is just that).
The interior is nice – better than the Chrysler 300 by at least one level, not on par with the latest Audi products though.
The HUD (heads up display) is the freaking dog’s bollocks (that’s English – not American – I picked that up when I lived there and drove a Peugeot 205 Diesel (non turbo) – slowest car ever, if you disregard the Beetle and the 2CV). I love, love, love the HUD - I wouldn’t want to have a car without that feature in the future, and the one in the Genesis is beautifully done.
Ride is quite and comfortable – with the exception of the before-mentioned vibrations that should hopefully be addressed by the dealer soon.
The price is right, my lease payment for a fully loaded Genesis V6 (except AWD) is less than my loaded Chrysler, even though the list price was $8,000 more for the Genesis.
Overall, I have the feeling that someone at Hyundai created a list of features found on competitor’s cars (I assume Lexus, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and maybe some tier 2 luxury cars like Acura, Volvo, Infinity,
Cadillac, etc.), was given a size and price point and they started designing a car around that. It checks most of the boxes (with a few omissions like adaptive lighting, and some other features), looks good (thanks to the Audi designers they hired), drives well - but to me it lacks that last bit that makes it a true luxury car. It feels like my 2005 Audi A6, built to the standards of the last generation of luxury cars, not the current generation. There’s no innovation, it’s somewhat derivative: The Audi MMI or BMW iDrive like controls, the list of features, the materials and to an extend even the exterior design – all similar to the last generation of German luxury. At a much better price point.
But at the same time, some things don’t seem to have been thought through to the end. The engine (bad mpg and not a screamer, although Hyundai has the 3.3 Turbo now), the center console controls, the lack of memory features for some functions I mentioned above, the creaking sunroof, the
wheel vibrations, small things that add up to give me the feeling that they just haven’t arrived yet.
The Genesis is a good car – a good car at a very attractive price. It’s not a great car, or an innovative car. It’s worth the price, but some here like to compare it to the Lexus GS, the A6, the E-class or 5-series, and it’s just not on the level of the latest generation of most of these cars in my opinion.
Like you, I don’t want to spend the $$$ for a new German luxury car. If I didn’t lease, I would rather buy a CPO (certified pre-owned) Audi A6 than a new Genesis – for the same money it would be no contest in my book. But I can’t lease a similar German car (it’s hard to find leases on used cars) for what I pay for the Genesis. The Audi A6 I want is US$72,000 list price (or about Euro 80,000 for an almost fully loaded 3.0T Quattro, quick as hell, beautiful too), which is $20,000 more than the car I have right now.
Have you looked into re-importing a German car from the US? I think prices here are much lower for the same vehicles, and I sold my previous VW Passat to friends who moved to Germany and registered the car there. It wasn’t all that complicated, and might be an option. I’m sure the Web is full of guides and probably even professional importers. I would also consider purchasing a CPO Germany car, there must be a lot of lease returns from all these company cars. I’d look for one with low miles that was treated well - that worked well for me when I purchased my first Audi in Germany back in 1990 or so. That was a well-equipped company car lease return, and at a very decent price. The down side of used cars is that you can’t custom order colors/interiors, but if you have patience you may find exactly want you want. I’d look for a nice Audi A8(L?), they depreciate a lot, are huge and often have a lot of options. Not cheap to maintain though.
The Genesis seems to have been designed for the US, the middle east and maybe China – I think it will never be a big seller in Europe. The engine is too thirsty, the car is generally too big, and I would worry about dealer service (the mechanics just won’t get the experience on the car with only a few hundred sold in Germany) and parts supply. Even here in the US certain parts seem to be hard to get, someone on this forum reported there was only one set of brake parts available in all of the US when they needed something replaced under warranty.
OK, this is now a short novel, and I could probably go on for a while longer as I think about things. I don’t want to sound negative about the Genesis, I would probably not discourage someone in the US to get one as much as someone in Germany, but you do see quite a lot of Geneses here in the US – they sell over 10,00 of these here in a year (stupidly, Hyundai reports Genesis coupe and sedan sales as one number).
I hope this was somewhat helpful – it was certainly long, let me know if you have any more questions …
