“Make no mistake; the Genesis is unquestionably the finest luxury car priced under $80,000; and it’s priced at only half that.

Put the crack pipe down.

Surely you jest?

If you believe your own dribble, you’ll be estatic when you can buy a two year old Genesis that MSRP’d for about 36k for 16k w/around 27,000 miles on it (or less).

Unfortunately, most reading this forum know little or nothing about Hyundai, except that they’re the guys who sold the cheap Jap knock-offs starting in the mid-80s.

While Hyndai is the fifth largest auto maker in the world, they’re not even primarily a car company. Their shipbuilding operations dwarf their auto business, and their largest business isn’t manufacturing at all. It’s being the world’s premier engineering consultant!

Hyundai produced cheap, boring cars because that’s what their target market bought. You had the world’s best engineers designing and building intentionally mediocre cars. US buyers didn’t catch on, and rightly so.

Make no mistake; the Genesis is unquestionably the finest luxury car priced under $80,000; and it’s priced at only half that. In a few years, as the market catches on (grows up?), Hyundai will be making the highest quality automobiles on the planet, bar none! (Right now, they’re at #3) Hopefully, there’ll be enough mature folks around to buy them.

We drove from L.A. to Houston and it already has 6000 miles on it. So far we LOVE this car! I drove other luxury cars like a Lexus and a 5-series BMW before. Not counting the brand image, I would buy a Genesis over a 5 BMW (maybe not a Lexus) even if a 5-BMW and a Genesis are the same price.

Hyundai had bad images due to the fact that they introduced cheap and not-dependable cars in the late 80’s and early 90’s. I strongly believe that things are now different, as their cars these days are much more reliable.

I respect opinions of those who have doubts about Genesis and Hyundai. It will be interesting to see how Genesis competes with other big named cars in one or two years. I wouldn’t be surprised if Genesis will be still around and doing well. O.K. I am biased!

I want to remind people that Samsung and LG products were not considered seriously in not so many years ago and now they were considered to be among the best in electronic appliances. I feel that Hyundai tries its best to follow up what Samsung and LG have accomplished, even though I think it is a lot tougher in automobile industry.

In conclusion, I would recommend a Genesis to anybody who wants to be happy with a luxury car under 40K and not worrying about what others say.

Yes, tires matter a lot in terms of producing road noise.

The Genesis is a very poor imitation of the Lexus LS by almost any metric.

My wife and I are Acura drivers, for the record.

The V6 Genesis offers much on paper, as does the V8 model. The generous track the Hyundai folks provided in the parking lot of RFK stadium was probably more than most folks there had ever seen – complete with water “hazards”, well laid-out curves, a partial decreasing-axis loop, a pothole test, loose dirt, and a 0-60 run. Consequently, most folks’ speeds through switchbacks, emergency avoidance runs, and straightaways rarely topped 35mph (there were several radar signs that you could watch as folks lapped; I hit 47 in the V6 and 45 in the V8, not counting the 0-60 runs)).

I made sure to give the new Hyundais a fair trial. With essentially no limitations on speed or level of aggressive maneuvering (and years of cutting my teeth on mountain roads in upstate NY – both in bad and good weather) I found that, generally speaking, the V6 offered slightly sprightlier performance. But that doesn’t mean either was a wonder.

The V6 was smooth-revving and quiet, but cushy – offering indistinct road feel at the helm and too much body lean, nosedive, and squat under conditions that would generate them. The transmission was smooth, and willingly sacrificed sporty performance in favor of “luxurious tact” whenever tramped.

Despite being rear-drive cars, the V6 lacked balance through the twisties: never engendering fear of a loss of control even when pushed, but far from inspiring confidence. During the emergency avoidance sweeps, I swear that the steering lagged my inputs: a swift turn to the left resulted in a heavy force necessitated to turn; the return move to the original lane required so much less force that it was easy to swing the car too far because I anticipated a strong movement needed. I didn’t care for this disconnect at all.

The interior, as some might have noticed, is even a more obvious mish-mash of other vehicles’ interiors than I thought prior to the test: there’s a BMW iDrive knob, an oft-included electroluminescent gauge package, an Acura RL steering wheel, Infiniti G35 satnav cowling, Benz pillar vents, and a Caddy CTS gear selector – and tons of other layout elements seemingly directly lifted from some other vehicles and deposited, after subtle alterations, in the Genesis cabin. The seats were supportive and very adjustable, but not as embracing as they could have been. And there were plenty of other electrical goodies – all included in the bevy of 6- and 8-cylinder models that were available to thrash, er, test (the rearview camera was among the least distorted and most useful I’ve seen – especially on a gorgeous 8-inch LCD).

The V8 engine was a force to be reckoned with: powerful acceleration, whisper quiet dispatch, and heaps of torque. But it was, unfortunately, banal. The steering in this model offered much less connection between driver and car – inputs were wishes, not directives. The transmission shifted more smoother, but it offered even less liveliness than that in the V6 (I assume the large dose of torque required programmatic map changes from that of the V6, if not mechanical design changes). In neither test did I use the brakes much (save during the ABS/EBD test portion). However, I didn’t appreciate the sometimes foggy upshifts on gradual straightaways, as well as hard downshifts as I rounded sharp lefts – I’m pretty certain said occurrence would have surprised folks as much as whatever they were trying to “avoid”. Oh- and a note to manufacturers: if your vehicle is supposed to offer any semblance of performance beyond a 1960s cruiser in the twisties, *do not* integrate wood into the wheel directly where my hands fall during switchback turns: talk about slippery…Finally, the V8’s driver’s seat just wasn’t right for me (130lbs). It was firmer than that of the V6, but much less comfortable, with inadequate bolsters and overabundant glute- and hamstring-support.

Upon leaving, I remarked to my friend that the vast majority of folks who buy these aspirant-luxury cars (whose prices were listed at $40k and $42k on various wall displays and in some literature) would be well-served by what they bought. But I would like to change my conclusion, in part. I *do* believe they would be well-served, provided that the Genesis’ reliability observes the upward Hyundai trend, and provided that the folks buying them really do want nothing more than an appliance. However, with so much discussion in this forum of ego, aspiration, “keeping up with the Jonses”, et al, I do *not* believe that as many folks would be pleased with these cars if they only shopped these cars as sort of a self-deprecating declaration of “I don’t care about luxury, brand, and sportiness…well, I sort of do, but definitely don’t want you to think that I do…”

Of course, there will be variations on the prices, packages stuffed onto these chassis, and incentives. But having (enjoyed?) driven countless vehicles bookended by a Chevy Nova and an SL, I can say that I didn’t like either car enough to experience a comfortable fit within the bounds of performance, price, quality, and value. Hyundai’s improving, but far from creating something I crave: its Genesis simply hasn’t got a soul.

There are simply some statements (and authors) that aren’t worthy of comment.

The car is okay. They did a nice job with fit and finish, even though I remarked that the interior design is bland and uninspiring.

It also is quiet from what I could discern from a ‘restricted’ test drive (dealer actually had the balls to tell me 15 miles was the limit for the test drive – big turn off right there).

However, I purposefully drove over the roughest patch of roadway I knew of near the dealership, and hit every pothole I could, and the car does not handle too many suspension inputs at once all that well – certainly not as well any of the cars Hyundai ‘benchmarked’ that I have driven or driven in.

The base price of 33k comes fairly loaded, but c’mon, you have to move up to 36k to get nav?

Like I said, this car is not inexpensive. Hyundai is really pushing the envelope here by presenting this car as a ‘value proposition’ when the price hovers near the 40k mark optioned with features one expects in this class. In fact, you can easily top 40k with the V8 without trying.

Then, there’s the ultimate rub: Dealers marking the car up over MSRP. Are you kidding me? What is this, a Nissan GT-R or Corvette ZR1?

The fundamental problem with this car is that it does nothing exceptional. It is plain vanilla. Comparisons to Lexus back in ‘89 are woefully misplaced. That car was quieter, more comfortable, more reliable and more logical than the Teutonic competition that cost upwards of 3x as much.

With a spread between it and similarly equipped competitors such as the Lexi and Infinitis of the world as narrow as 5k, Hyundai should have hit a grand slam, and they didn’t.

They hit a soft single.

More and more Hyundais (ie: 2009 Sonata, Santa Fe) are being ranked among the best in their class despite a leading price; exactly what you suggest is needed for the company to prove itself. But the luxury class is a tough nut to crack. Until Hyundai can offer a car that floats on air and cures erectile dysfunction, it is probably smarter to target 96% of a Lexus at 69% of the price. I say “probably” because nobody really knows at this point… all we have is a bunch of armchair speculating going on.

Guys, don’t forget the cost of excellence. You are correct that the Hyundai is a better value. However, don’t get caught up in the “badge snobbery” thing. Until Hyundai makes a better car at a lower price, you should try to keep the rhetoric less abrasive.

As items like cars get near the top of luxury, design, and engineering, they do not follow a linear price change. Instead the curve moves steeper.

IOW. If you want a 10% better car than a Lexus, it might cost you 25% more. If you want a 10% better car than a Aston Martin, it might cost you 100% more. I just made those numbers up, but I hope you get the point.

The good news is that there are folks who are willing to pay a million dollars for a really cool car. We all benefit from that in many ways. Don’t knock it.

Hyundai simply doesn’t have the dealer support, lacks the white glove treatment luxury car buyers expect, and badge image is still quite important in any segment above 30k.

Also, this car has been panned extensively in Korea (as it’s been for sale there longer), and was declared a distant also-ran to the usual German suspects in terms of driving dynamics. It has numb on center steering feel, soft and sloppy cornering, and will soon be playing 2nd string to the new powertrain offerings of the next gen of BMWs, Audis and Mercs that are soon to be released.

But if you’re in a gambling mood, and feeling truly adventurous, go ahead and pay anywhere near MSRP, let alone above it, to be able to brag about how you paid sticker for the first 33k+ Hyundai Lexus slayer. Hell, go all out and pay the 40k for the V8 version.

Why would anyone pay mid 30s for a Hyundai, let alone even remotely close to 40k, when there are superior cars for just a few grand more? I could name them, but it would take a while.

This is the perfect car for the person who wants to announce loudly that “I’m too dumb to have sprung for the M35, Audi A6 or Pontiac G8, and let me know if you’d like to buy this from me for 33% of the price I paid in two years.”

Y-A-W-N.

The interior on the 23kish Malibu is more exciting and better kit, and the exterior looks like a cut and paste of at least 4 different models.

C’mon Korea, do you have a creative brain cell in the cranium?

This is the future of Buick, I guess. But Buick doesn’t have unfixable suspension noise, while even Buick has less suspension slop, and no electrical gremlins.

No thanks. I’d rather take a Hyundai Snoozata at 1/2 the price, where at least I’d only lose 50% of my resale value by year two of ownership.

http://www.buyingadvice.com/

I do see a few knocks on Hyundai quality, but those must be old memories. I have 112,000 on my 2002 Elantra and it’s been the most reliable car I’ve ever owned. And my dealer has been very good too. I still can’t believe I bought that thing for just over $12,000 when new.

Of course now I’m looking at Chargers.