It’s not a party until Flashpoint lets you know he owns an S550.

I’m happy that you can afford the S550. I just priced one to match what the Genesis offers (options) and it lists for $89K. Invoice is $81K.
My Gen listed at $42K, with invoice of $39K.

Whatever imperfections, perceived or real, are
certainly tolerable for $40K saved.

Once again, this car is great value.

I own an S550.
Test drive one and then tell me how you like the Genesis

Long term? Don’t care, 27 month lease. Affordable luxury without pretention.

Originaly I thought it was spectacular. Now I realize the only thing Hyundai did was launch a successful marketing campaign for a vehicle that isn’t innovative – its just cheaper than most other vehicles in its class.

The Genesis is not as large inside as an S-class or an A8L. Its more on par inside with a 5 Series.

I’m on the fence till LONG TERM RELIABILITY ratings are released in 3 years.

Genesis – 1626 for the month, 3945 for the year;
Lexus GS – 625 for the month, 2118 for the year;
Infiniti M – 886 for the month, 3169 for the year;
Acura RL – 161 for the month, 555 for the year.

That said,

Avalon – 2175 for the month, 6394 for the year;
Chrysler 300 – 4729 for the month, 9757 for the year.

So, is the Genesis a sales success?

I have owned Mercedes, Lexus and Acuras. I have driven plenty of BMWs. Yes, they are all nice cars. BMWs handle great. Mercedes is built like a tank. Acura’s handle great as well.

But the fact is, this car does many of those same things and costs a LOT less. Yes, its only about 85-90% of what BMW is. Yes, A BMW handles better. No disagreement.

But a BMW costs 30K more. I am not sure I am willing to pay that premium anymore.

Once upon a time in my life, status was important to me. And I would have scoffed at anybody who even considered a HYUNDAI! But as I grow up (I am just shy of 40 now), I realize how stupid that is. Sure, I like having nice things. But, I don’t need a $65,000 car. Its a waste of money. I’d rather have 80% of a BMW and save 20K. And money isn’t the problem. Its just sensibility. I can’t justify spending 65K on a car anymore.

As a result, Informed for Life now scores Genesis #2 in safety of all 2009 autos. See:

http://www.informedforlife.org/demos/FCKeditor/UserFiles/File/1MasterSCOREr.pdf

That being said, why the hell would anyone want this dumb-looking, style-deficient, lump of a car when they could have a Mustang GT? You don’t take a fire-breathing V8 and put it in a car that is in no way appealing or exciting. You just don’t do that. But then, I also think that connecting an explosively powerful engine of any type to an automatic transmission is automotive sacrilige. And what’s with the fake Bentley logo? Who do they think they’re fooling?

Hyundai/Kia will catch my attention when they make a solid, fast, good-looking, reasonably priced fun machine. I will never buy one of their cars as long as they insist on producing lame knock-offs of better luxury cars.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/new-cars/first-drives/hyundai-genesis-first-drive/overview/hyundai-genesis-first-drive.htm

In fact, their description of said deficiency is downright scary in comparison to my earlier, rather tame remarks:

Handling is sound but not sporty. The steering is quick but slightly lacking in feedback. While the ride is quiet and generally well isolated, rough pavement can provoke sharp nervous pitches that are out of place in a car of this class.

In summary, they conclude:

Though it handles soundly and rides well, it lacks the final polish that sets true luxury cars apart.

Oh Snap!

Most car companies have a pretty good idea about how well they will do. They also know that most people just do not care enough about safety to change their buying decisions.

The V6 leather smells rubbery and feels cheap, like many (if not all) cheaper Hyundais. Not to mention the V8 is what really makes the car so special at this price point. If you don’t need/want a V8, I don’t see the Genesis as leagues ahead of its competition. It would be a 4 star car like Justin said in his review.

I didn’t have anyone in the backseat like Automobile Magazine, and I didn’t get the car for a full week of driving because I didn’t have a press car. Maybe it crashes over bumps, but the choppy pavement and speed bumps I took with it were no match for the Genesis’ super supple ride.

I’d recommend you drive one on YOUR daily commute and see whose impressions resonate with you.

Thanks for the detailed review. I’m very interested in the Genesis, and I have read many reviews. Some say the V8 is a waste of money, yet you seem to think it’s the only way to go. I guess I’ll have to see how much better the leather is for one thing. The other thing that concerns me — I read in another review, and noted in the comments here — the suspension can “bottom out”? Were those reviewers just driving like complete maniacs across some heavily cratered moon surface, or is this a serious concern?

As for folks saying Lexus/BMW/Benz drivers wouldn’t shop this car, I disagree, I would. I don’t think any of the big 3 have done anything interesting in a while and I’m certainly willing to look at this car. I’ve actually recommended it to my in-laws (coming from a Volvo S70) who have driven the Genesis V-8, loved it, and ordered it over the new Acura TL.

I’m actually intrigued and interested in the Genesis BECAUSE it’s not one of the traditional status symbols. I didn’t buy my BMW or Lexus because of the brand. I bought them because I wanted all the nice stuff. But you have to make a choice, look like a snob or settle for utilitarianism. The Genesis offers folks a chance to have a nice car without the snobbery.

As for someone criticizing Hyundai’s ad campaign, I think they’ve actually done a great job of focusing on performance, pointing out how they’ve compared to the big 3 in acceleration and bested Lexus on noise level. The commercials make me (a Lexus/BMW guy) want one. Mission accomplished.

As for styling, that’s so subjective and so easy for people to bash. I think they did a great job of staying safe and attractive. It looks like a nice car and you can’t really call it ugly. I believe that was the point. I like it because it’s understated and fits with the niche of this car.

As for the review, I think it was well done and certainly 5 stars is warranted based on what the Genesis offers for the price. Most luxury makers like BMW will charge you $1000 just for push-button start.

As for the “dealer experience”, well, I take my Lexus to the Toyota dealership for service. It’s closer and cheaper than my Lexus dealer. Yeah, the fancy waiting room is nice, and it’s better than being in the cattle herd at the Toyota dealership, but I just take it on Saturday when we can drop it. They run it through the wash just like they do at the Lexus dealership. As long as Hyundai services the vehicle well (timely and accurately), I don’t need a fancy waiting room.

As for depreciation, only time will tell, but I agree that it will be much more so than the big boys, purely on brand cache alone.

My ONLY complaint right now is that the passenger seat isn’t heated/cooled. That may be a deal breaker for the wife. She LOVES a seat heater. I wish they hadn’t left that one thing out.

Nope. The 2nd test drive revealed the exact same wallow and porpoising over uneven pavement, along with what only can be described as a ‘confused’ suspension over broken concrete.

Additionally, the steering was as numb and anesthetic as the first tester, also.

Sure, this car has attributes: A reasonably powerful motor, decent fit and finish and an okay price point (assuming it doesn’t suffer Hyundai’s infamously bad depreciation).

But the bland interior styling, suspension deficiencies, and light and numb steering place this car no where near the alleged benchmarks Hyundai bragged it approached – rather, it’s simply a rough facsimile.

This just reinforces my original comment that this was a very bad TTAC review, and will not serve the uninformed reader well.

Hyundai is one of the most interesting car companies these days. We recently leased a new Santa Fe after many years of Nissan and Honda, and honestly feel that we traded up. As for the resale value issue, we received a 5-year guaranteed residual of 42%.

The last star isn’t an average of the other ones. The debate between 4 and 5 stars raged on for a while in my mind, but then I stuck with the product: its a stellar product for cheap, and that’s something amazing.

Which is something I explained if you read all 13 pages. :)