What features are late to the party or need to be matched?
The tech features appear current state of the art and ahead of the target vehicles - BMW for sure. The new suspension should come closer to a true road car and the interior looks more in the league of $50K+ cars. It may not be a home run, but on paper, it is not lacking and if the value component holds, it will do well.
Think Tank Genesis Media Launch
Being invited to attend the New 2015 Genesis Media Launch in Scottsdale, Arizona as a guest of Hyundai was an unexpected pleasure for me. As the owner of two Genesis, so far, the chance to be amongst the first to experience the all new 2015 Genesis was a welcome treat. I arrived at the Sanctuary Resort on Friday afternoon and was treated to a late lunch and then dinner with the Camelback Mountain in Scottsdale as our backdrop. It’s a beautiful place and it was a late evening of food and drinks with the journalists who were invited. Then it was off to bed with an 8 AM start of Saturday morning.
A little bleary eyed and ready for my first time behind the
wheel of the Next Genesis I went for a nice breakfast and orientation on our event. After an hour presentation by Brandon Ramirez the Senior Group Manager for Product Planning we were asked to partner up with a drive buddy and were ushered to the cars. They sat in a gleaming row in every available color and configuration for us to select from. We chose a Parisian Gray 3.8 liter V6 with rear
wheel drive with all the available options and sticker priced at $49,950.00
When I order mine, this will be exactly the same as the one I buy. After a few moments becoming familiar with the features of the car it was time to hit the road. We were given a pre-determined course that was more than 200 miles of just about every type of driving experience you will encounter and it was off to our first stop and lunch at Roosevelt Lake northeast of the Phoenix area.
The first part of the drive was freeway and the first thing that struck me was the silence we heard. At 75 MPH there was barely a whisper of road and wind noise allowing for serene, easy conversation. The new seating in the Genesis offers more support than the previous version with what seems to be a double layer of padding, the first layer being very soft but supported by a more firm structure that never tires you even after the full day of 200 miles plus. It was superior even to the seating in my wifes Audi or frankly any other car I’ve owned or ridden in. There are power side bolsters that you can adjust to your liking as well as a power extension for the drivers seat. Since I have long legs this was a nice added feature. If you can’t get comfortable in this car, you can’t get comfortable in any out there.
The initial impression of the handling is confidence inspiring. While the car rides a touch more softly than the German competition it is a nice balance of control versus comfort and goes right where you point it. During this stretch on the freeway is where I got my first chance to try the new Lane Keep Assist feature that will vibrate the steering
wheel and self correct your direction to keep you in your lane if you start to wander. It’s an odd sensation to know that you can’t accidentally leave your lane. The feature doesn’t alert you if the turn signal is engaged before you veer off. While I was alert throughout the day I can certainly see where this could be useful when fatigue sets in. This car is so easy to drive and to sit in that it will take a lot more than 200 miles to make that happen.
A really nice feature of the new Genesis is the heads up display. Its great to have the most important information you need staring right back at you through the windshield telling you what the speed limit is, what speed you’re traveling and displaying your navigation directions in color. The Genesis also offers full automatic braking in case your attention is diverted and you are approaching another vehicle or barrier and not taking action to avert a collision on your own. At speeds up to 40 MPH the car will come to a full stop. At higher speeds it will offer brake assist. Frankly I didn’t have the nerve to give it a test.
I did however have the opportunity to try out the new warning of traffic approaching out of the view of your peripheral vision if you are parked between two vehicles where your vision is obscured. This should eliminate those pesky parking lot fender benders that are a costly nuisance. You also have blind spot warnings when you’re changing lanes if a vehicle is in your blind spot or approaching at a rate of speed that might cause a collision. The car darned near seems to drive itself. Fortunately you still get to be in control though because it’s a definite pleasure to motor down the road in the new Genesis.
After the freeway drive we started through the winding roads, ascending and descending some gradual and some steep hills and got a feeling of the handling at high speed on mountain roads. The car never lost it’s composure even when you looked down and surprisingly found yourself going 90 MPH when you felt like you were still within the legal limits. The quiet continued to surprise us even when it got windy. Road noise was almost completely absent at every speed. I always said that my current Genesis could use a bit more isolation from the road and Hyundai has done a masterful job of isolating you from the road and still providing the feedback that you want to pilot your vehicle through tight spots when traffic gets busy.
If I had my choice I might still prefer a touch more twitchiness to the steering, but I would be afraid of messing up that superb balance this generation of the car offers. For all but the hardcore enthusiasts, this Genesis will meet the expectations of any luxury car driver.
After lunch we switched cars and finished up the journey in a 5.0 liter V8 and while it offered a more powerful drive I agreed with all of the attending journalists I spoke with that the 3.8 Liter engine is all you ever really need. I never felt like the 3.8 liter was lacking in power or pulling on the mountain roads and the price and mileage penalty makes it something I would never select.
We passed through a myriad of small towns that seemed lost in time and stopped for some beef jerky at a small stand as we passed through one of them. Quietly passed through one town that looked like it had been all but abandoned and felt out of place in the luxury we found ourselves in the cabin of the Genesis. On one of the stops we had the chance to try out the new Smart Trunk. With key in hand all you need to do is stand about three feet from the rear bumper for three seconds and the trunk magically opens without the need to do a balancing act waving your foot around like a ballet dancer. Very cool indeed.
It was interesting interfacing with the journalists that shared the experience with me and getting their impressions and talking about the other events and vehicles they’ve been exposed to. Everyone has varying opinions of what type of car they like to drive, some sporty, some SUV drivers and some enjoy daily drivers like the Genesis. All of those I spoke with though were favorably impressed and we talked about how the guys at Car and Driver or Road and Track might look at the car differently than we might. But for about 98% of drivers we “all” agreed that this is all the car you would ever need with every possible feature, handling better than most, whisper quiet and a confidence inspiring supple ride with a world class passenger compartment.
Hyundai went out of their way to make sure that everyone was kept abreast of every facet of the event and I learned that the people who work there really do care about competing with the best of the best and satisfying their customers to a degree that was refreshing. I really enjoyed the driving route laid out for us because of the interesting scenery and the contrast from big city Phoenix to small towns along Apache Trail to the Tonto National Forest. I also appreciated the camaraderie of the journalists who all welcomed me into their circle. While I envy that they get to drive a lot of different vehicles, for me, it was enough to drive what will be my next new car, the 2015 Genesis. Thank you Hyundai. It was fabulous!
