The 2009 Hyundai Genesis is one of the most anticipated Four Seasons cars to arrive at the Automobile Magazine offices in recent memory. Yes, you read that right. After driving the Genesis on Hyundai's test track in Korea, and being thoroughly impressed, we decided we needed to spend a year with Hyundai's first foray into the luxury-car arena to see how it measured up against more seasoned rivals from Europe, Japan, and America.
Because we are a power-hungry bunch, we bypassed the base V-6 engine and went straight for the V-8. It's a Hyundai-designed and -engineered 375-hp, 4.6-liter unit with variable-valve timing, and it's mated to a ZF six-speed transmission. The V-8-equipped Genesis starts at a reasonable $38,000 and comes with a list of standard features that one would expect on a premium sedan, including stability and traction control, rain-sensing wipers, a tire-pressure monitoring system, 18-inch wheels, a power rear sunshade, and bluetooth. But we didn't stop there. To get the full luxury experience, we added the technology package which includes an upgraded stereo with satellite radio, navigation system, DIS (Hyundai's version of iDrive), parking assist sensors front and rear with a backup camera, and HID headlights that swivel in corners.
Thus our Genesis is equipped with seemingly every convenience, safety, and luxury feature known to man. The question is, can it, over the course of a year, hold its own against the best from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Lexus? Or will the Genesis shrivel under the heat of our intense scrutiny? Only time will tell.
Here are some of our thoughts on the Genesis after living with it for three months:
Jean Jennings, President & Editor-in-Chief
196 miles
I was really looking forward to driving the Hyundai Gensis, the North American Car of the Year, but I was not expecting such appalling ride quality. Yes, our winter-ravaged roads are bad, but the Genesis seemed incapable of absorbing the smallest road imperfection.
Joe DeMatio, Executive Editor
266 miles
My nephew Vince got into the Genesis, looked around, and said, "What is this, some sort of Lexus?"
The next morning, when I returned from walking my dogs, I caught a glimpse of the back end of the Genesis from behind the garage, and I thought to myself "Who has arrived at my house in a Mercedes E-class?" And then I remembered that I had driven the Genesis home the night before.
Rusty Blackwell, Copy Editor
1153 miles
I've now spent two weekends and about 725 miles in the Genesis, and it still leaves me with a bittersweet taste in my mouth. On one hand, you've got an anonymous-but-expensive-looking big car with a very attractive, feature-laden interior and a smooth, muscular powertrain. On the other hand, the ride is very harsh for a luxury car. During my first weekend with the car I attributed the harsh ride to the weather, which was cold and snowy. But when ambient temperatures crested 40 degrees this past weekend, the poor ride became even more annoying and noticeable. Most luxury cars insulate you from road imperfections much better than the Genesis does. ...next page >>