When looking at lease returns....

[aphillipe]

Good morning - first post here. I've been a long-time Hyundai driver; have had multiple models. My 2016 Sonata Limited Plug-In was totaled earlier this week after someone plowed into the back end while I was at a complete stop on the freeway. Joy. I've been eyeing the Genesis for a while now but when I purchased that car back in 2016 the new body style had only been out 1 year so finding one used at a fair price was nearly impossible. Now that the 15's are aggressively priced used, I'm interested in learning more and potentially getting one.

I'm in medical sales and drive quite a bit but all my driving is within 45-50 miles of my home. I average around 1500 miles a month for work and rarely drive outside of it on weekends. I get about $650-800 towards my car/insurance/gas/matinenence from my employer monthly depending on total mileage. My big draws to the Sonata were it was good looking without being flashy (don't want to give physicians I call on the wrong impression rolling up in a BMW or a Merc), it got 40-50 mpg, and it had some basic automation with the start/stop cruise control and lane departure stuff that made rush hour much more comfortable. What I didn't like was it had a very small trunk because of the battery pack, it was not a fold-down trunk so it eliminated transporting longer items, it was gutless power-wise, and you couldn't get that model with a panoramic sunroof making it feel quite dark inside with tinted windows in the winter months. My draw to the Genesis is it's slightly larger (safer), has a bigger trunk compartment, is much nicer inside, adds automation, is classier without being too flashy, and would be a vehicle I'm proud of and would enjoy driving verses my Sonata which "got the job done" but was nothing I was ever passionate about driving. The MPG is of concern, so I'm trying to determine how much sense it makes as someone who drives between various offices every day.

1) When searching the dozens of postings online for 2015's, if it's NOT stated, is there a way to tell if it's an AWD vs RWD? I notice some have extra badging on them on the back that at first I thought indicated it was AWD, but then some listings say it is, others say it's not.

2) Is the estimated MPG between the AWD and RWD that accurate? Is the AWD a good performer in snow? I live in the PNW and we get snow maybe 1-2 times every 2-3years is all but I like the idea of AWD but wonder if it's worth giving up the MPG to have it. I have an SUV and my wife primarily works from home so it's not a huge deal breaker to take the SUV when we have winter weather.

3) I see there's a signature package, a tech package and then the ultimate. Again - what are the clear indicators on a used vehicle as to which they have and don't have? I assume the panoramic makes the signature quite obvious. The tech package looks harder to figure out, and then the ultimate I'm totally unsure how to determine. I kept thinking the knob to control the display would indicate it's the ultimate but I've seen quite a few labelled as having the ultimate that do NOT have that knob/larger display. Also what's with the fog lights - 90% of the 2015's don't see to have them.

4) Lastly - of the packages, how were most 3.8's configured and is it worth searching and searching for one that adds the ultimate package or should I just focus on the signature and tech and call it a day? What would you MOST miss about the ultimate options if you didn't have them?

Thanks in advance - if you have any specifics you suggest I look into when considering a used model please let me know as well!

 

[aphillipe]

And.... I just read the ultimate does NOT have android auto which .... pretty much rules it out for me darn it... Hmmm That complicates things... Is the interior finish THAT much nicer on the Ultimate? Can you legitimately use the navi in it without issue compared to how easy android auto is to use? My Sonata has the same system as the non-ultimate and it's so user friendly and responsive... Not sure I could live without it to be honest.

 

[Jamesalanb]

Genesis is a great car and here's some things that'll help...
Your gas mileage will be crap compred to what you were getting (I was willing to trade mileage to get AWD)
AWD will be noted as HTRAC on the rear passenger side badging
No fold down trunk in 15-16 Genesis
MOST 3.8's in area are Signature
Tech will have rear heated seats (you can see buttons on the console) or an "Auto hold" button directly below your shifter.
Ultimate will always have a jog dial below the shifter.
I wanted the gadgets of Ultimate and don't miss android auto a bit.

 

[aphillipe]

Genesis is a great car and here's some things that'll help...
Your gas mileage will be crap compred to what you were getting (I was willing to trade mileage to get AWD)
AWD will be noted as HTRAC on the rear passenger side badging
No fold down trunk in 15-16 Genesis
MOST 3.8's in area are Signature
Tech will have rear heated seats (you can see buttons on the console) or an "Auto hold" button directly below your shifter.
Ultimate will always have a jog dial below the shifter.
I wanted the gadgets of Ultimate and don't miss android auto a bit.

Thanks for the feedback - Having had android auto for the last 2 years, how bad is it going backwards? Do you still have the ability to do voice-to-text, voice-activated calling etc with that system? Do you find the lack of google maps a drawback? How about live traffic/eta on arrival? I am just unfamiliar with the older system to know what I then lose...

 

[RyanB]

I went from a 2015 Sonata 2.0t Ultimate to my 2016 3.8 AWD Ultimate and the biggest issue for me was the loss of the Android Auto since I use navigation regularly and I also use Android for streaming music. The stock Navigation in the Genesis is bad and in my case worse than the stock Nav in the Sonata. In the Genesis it can't find houses or streets where my family live that the Sonata found with no problems. Not sure why this is as it's a newer car and these are not new houses or neighborhoods. Hell the Genesis even gets confused on parts on I-90 in Chicago. I also find that the stock Nav usually takes a different and longer route that Google maps on my phone. I constantly have the car Nav and google on my phone going side by side since I like having the heads display nav but make route adjustments following Google. And once you dismiss the stock nave directions and make a correction using google the stock Nav then recalculates and shows the shorter time that google shows. For example I just drove to Iowa for New Years and the car Nav said 4 hours and 40 minutes where google had me take 1 different highway and it was 4 hours and 10 minutes. Once I switched to the highway on Google the car Nav even though is showed that road taking 30 minutes more on the screen once I turned it adjusted and was now only 5 minutes different from Google and we arrived in just over 4 hours. I have the fastest rout enabled and traffic turned on in both systems. I heard that for the 2016 if you update the stock Nav maps you can now get Text messages via the system which would be really nice as the loss of reading and sending text and streaming music with voice commands are more of a loss to me than the Nav. If that update works in the 2015 as well I would look into in. Maybe you can talk the dealer into the update. I would still get the Ultimate myself for the Sound System, Heads Up Display, and the DIS controller.

 

[Jamesalanb]

I agree with all of the above in some fashion.
I had a Sync3 System with AA in my Fusion and the loss of Waze and Google integration was indeed a loss.
However, I can still use my phone just fine and rest it on the ledge where the Ultimate screen is.
My factory nav in a 16 (which has not been updated) has been more than adequate, and when in use I get the directions and turn prompts via the heads up display (which I really enjoy). I have had time and reroute discrepancies but nothing as bad as Ryan's.
You do not have text response (outside of the generic "driving right now" defaults, even with the stock nav update.) If responding to a text I always used the speak to text mic on my phone and it did a good job.
If you have both options at close enough dealers, or better yet a CarMax, get in and hook your phone up to see.
Personally, the options of the Ultimate far outweighed phone integration for me.

 

[EdP]

Personally, the options of the Ultimate far outweighed phone integration for me.

I agree with that statement

 

[daviderle]

Since you have the SUV for those rare snow events (btw all genesis models have a snow driving mode), another option you might like to consider is the 2015 5.0 ‘base’ vs the ultimate 3.8 model (which I have both), you will get everything including the upgraded interior, minus the HUD and the auto close trunk, but you will gets to keep the Android/Car play features.
With the 2 (3.8 AWD)- 3 (3.8 RWD) MPG difference in gas, in most cases can made up in the cost difference between the two models, at least for the first couple of years, assuming gas stays as low as it is for a while. Just my two cents and good luck...

 

[aphillipe]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I'm still waiting to hear of the fate of my current vehicle although I'd be shocked if they repair it. I keep noticing a trend on the HUD vs Android Auto and I think because I've never had a HUD, I won't miss it. With the same line of thinking; if I don't have Android Auto suddenly I WILL miss it. I rely on it so heavily for texts while driving, navigation with live traffic etc. I'm constantly in a state of "hurry up to wait" for my job as I am in surgeries for my role and can't afford to be late to anything. Though ironically, whenever I am concerned on time of arrival, the surgery gets delayed and I sit around for an hour or two twiddling my thumbs (thus the wait). The constant changing of routes based on real-time traffic would be sorely missed to the point I think I can't go the Ultimate route as it would be a big step backwards for me. Bummer as I liked the idea of the nicer stereo and trim. It's a shame Hyundai setup the Ultimate in the way they did; 1 step forward 2 steps back. Oh well. Going to keep looking around online to see if I can find one close enough that won't require me to ship it with the color combo I want and the signature/tech packages.

Anything else I should look for specifically? Were fog lights a dealer option only on the 2015? Anyone have a dealer install them after the fact and if so; how much should you expect to pay?

 

[wabbajack]

Is there a preference among owners between the 3.8 V6 and the 5.0 V8? I have test driven the V8 and really liked it, but have not touched the V6. The price delta between comparable models (V6 with packages) is something like $2-$3k, which seems like you should always get the V8 to me.

______________________________

Help support this site so it can continue supporting you!

 

[daviderle]

For the 2015 model, the 5.0 has factory installed fog lights, the 3.8 did not, at least for the US version.
The sound difference between the 14 (technology package) and the 17 (Ultimate) Lexicon is marginal, unless you are listening to FLAC or uncompressed audio.
Both units have a good tight base, wide mids and pleasant highs (keeping in mind everyone’s ears are different).
Both the base and signature models have a 7 speaker system, which is ok, but nothing to write home about.
If sound quality is important to you and want to keep Android Auto, then your available options may boil to the 5.0 base (without DIS =nob) or a 3.8 RWD/AWD with the technology package.

 

[BlancaGenny]

Good morning -

2) Is the estimated MPG between the AWD and RWD that accurate? Is the AWD a good performer in snow? I live in the PNW and we get snow maybe 1-2 times every 2-3years is all but I like the idea of AWD but wonder if it's worth giving up the MPG to have it. I have an SUV and my wife primarily works from home so it's not a huge deal breaker to take the SUV when we have winter weather.

4) Lastly - of the packages, how were most 3.8's configured and is it worth searching and searching for one that adds the ultimate package or should I just focus on the signature and tech and call it a day? What would you MOST miss about the ultimate options if you didn't have them?

Thanks in advance - if you have any specifics you suggest I look into when considering a used model please let me know as well!

2. I have a '15 AWD 3.8 and I average 23.5 MPG (See Fuelly link in Signature) and I drive about 75/25 hw/city. During the summer months, I am around 25-26 w/same proportions. I drive like a granny so unless you do as well, expect to be a bit lower.

4. It'll come down to what you want and what you'll be happy with. I have the Sig/Tech and it is more than enough. I do not mind not having open pore wood grain in my car nor do I care about fog lights on a regualr sedan. What fits your needs is what you need to go with.

Make sure you get a CPO car. Try to get the newest one you can afford. Longer warranty, less bugs, and a newer car. Press every button in the car and turn every knob so if there does happen to be something wrong, make the dealership fix it before signing or walk away if they give you a hard time. Again, CPO is your best friend.