Months in Fleet: 6
Mileage: 16,761
Even after six months in our fleet, the Hyundai Genesis is still impressing us with its user-friendly multi-media system, vast interior space, and ability to melt away miles on long distance drives. Even more impressive, the Genesis has managed to rack up more than 15,000 miles in six months without a single problem. Its only visit to the local Hyundai dealer was a recent 15,000-mile scheduled service.
In the last several weeks, our youngest staff members have spent a fair amount of time in the Genesis. Being an opinionated bunch, our logbook is now brimming with their comments.
Editorial intern Jeffrey Jablansky took his maiden drive in the Genesis and was pleasantly surprised. "I drove the Genesis briefly and came away wowed. Sure, the exterior is an amalgamation of all the recent derivative large luxury sedans but I forgot all about that once I tapped the gas and the smooth horsepower began to flow. My one complaint is the transmission's reluctance to downshift in order to pass at 50 mph."
Our web intern Andrew Peterson chauffeured several friends in the Genesis. "They all were immediately impressed with the vehicle," he wrote, "although they thought it was a Lexus."
It may look like a Lexus but many staffers compare the Genesis to our Four Seasons BMW 750Li. Peterson had this to add: "Call me crazy, but I like driving the Genesis more than our Four Seasons BMW 750Li. It responds much better to steering and throttle inputs in the city than the 7-series does and the infotainment system is also easier to operate. The Genesis doesn't have nearly as many techie features as the BMW, but I can live without extras like night-vision and a lane departure warning system.
"One of the downsides to this vehicle is the suspension tuning. It needs to either be adjustable like the system on the 7-series or be tuned a bit softer. While it may have sportier intentions, the Genesis is a luxury sedan, not a sports sedan."
Like Jablansky, associate editor Eric Tingwall was critical of the Hyundai's transmission. "The transmission is to quick to shift into second gear when slowly accelerating away from a stop. In addition to providing just a bit more thrust, a later shift might also smooth the 1-to-2 change. I noticed the Genesis making that first gear change around 1900 rpm sometimes. Something closer to 2200 or 2500 rpm should do the trick. ...next page >>