Everyone talked about a crisis of confidence. Everyone had an opinion as to what banks, governments and central banks from Maine to Mars had to do to put confidence back into the markets.

That’s what was going on in the world when we got our first drive in the Hyundai Genesis. It is a bold gamble by the rising Korean car company that is confident it can make an attractively priced luxury car, and then go out into the schoolyard and selectively tweak the established class presidents like BMW and Mercedes.

On many fronts, the Genesis should have the establishment worried.

The Genesis is nearly 196 inches long and rides on a 115.6 inch wheelbase. It is a comfortable 74.4 inches wide. To put that in perspective, the car is about the size of an Acura TL, Cadillac STS, and the BMW 5. That is heady territory for an upstart firm that also cranks out the $11,000 Accent. But in driving the car, or even walking around it, you would not guess it is that big.

Interested parties can choose from a responsive 3.8 liter, 290 horsepower V6 or a 4.6 liter 375 horsepower V8 — the firm’s first solo venture into eight cylinders. Both are tied to very smooth six-speed automatics. The V6 we drove seemed to have plenty of get-up-and-go when we floored it away from a tollbooth. Look for zero to 60 in 6.2 seconds. The V8 will hit 60 in 5.7 seconds. Both seemed very refined and silent workers. The 6 is rated at 18-27 mpg by the EPA and the 8 at 17-25 mpg.

Luxury abounds inside, especially at the prices charged. There’s virtually every amenity that one could want, and it’s all just a short reach away. The instruments are easy to read and there is ample room for a 6′ driver, and a 6′ passenger can fit into the rear seats. We think if you took your boss out to lunch in one he would never guess that he was riding in a Hyundai.

“Boy, this car is quiet,” said our fellow auto writer about a dozen times during our test drive. In fact, it was more peaceful inside than the Jag XF that we were also testing at the time. Hyundai kept us on smoothly paved interstates and side roads during our drive, so there was no chance to test the handling of the car. We got the impression that the emphasis is on a soft ride, and the Genesis is not into carving up back roads.
There is a huge trunk out back with 16 cubic feet of storage space — more than enough to stock the house for the next Sunday NFL party.

As for prices, Hyundai can put you in a well-equipped base model V6 for $32,250. The base V8 slides out the door for $37,250, with fully loaded ones breaking the $40,000 mark. We think that latter figure is heavy coin for a Hyundai. It is interesting to note that nowhere on the outside of the vehicle does it say Hyundai. There is the familiar Hyundai symbol on the trunk lid, and the Genesis name just below the right rear tail light. Hmmm. Perhaps Hyundai is considering one day making Genesis a stand-alone model like Lexus or Acura, but that is something they deny, citing the huge set-up cost.
Or maybe, we wondered, the company wants to keep people guessing, “What was that car?” That might create a subtle buzz that could pull people into the showroom thanks to an advertising blitz in upscale magazines. Our bet is that Hyundai is really targeting not BMW or Mercedes, but the Toyota Avalon, lower scale Acuras and other introductory luxury makes. And don’t forget, it doesn’t hurt to have something in the lineup for Azera owners to move up to.

The Genesis is an impressive first effort, but how many customers will trek into a Hyundai dealer for luxury wheels? People investing that much money want the name and the symbols on the car, the kind that says they are doing well and want you to know it. On the other hand, successful shy people, like A Prairie Home Companion’s Norwegian Lutheran bachelor farmers would love the Genesis — nothing that screams fancy, but nice nonetheless and a heck of a lot more comfortable than riding a John Deere.

Catapulting Into the Luxury Segment

Hyundai’s Genesis sedan is one of the most significant new cars launched in America this decade. It represents an ambitious reach toward Lexus and Mercedes-Benz territory, a car designed to catapult the fast-growing South Korean automaker into the luxury segment. Shockingly, the Genesis is also a car that puts GM, Ford, and Chrysler on notice: Detroit now hasn’t the money or resources to produce a rear-drive luxury sedan of its size and quality. Think about that.

We know the Genesis is good: Were it not for the astonishing Nissan GT-R, it probably would’ve won our 2009 Car of the Year. What cost the Genesis the title was detail stuff, like the overwrought grille, the limited rearward travel of the front seats, and a ride deemed too jittery for a luxury car. Nitpicking, but such is the nature of COTY. Still, we were impressed enough that we wanted one for a year.

Ticking the boxes didn’t take a lot of effort. We wanted the 4.6-liter V-8 model. Check. Titanium metallic paint with black leather. Check. Then we decided to go whole hog and order the $4000 Technology Package, which adds a 528-watt Lexicon sound system, backup camera, navigation, HID headlamps, parking assist, a cooled driver’s seat, and Bluetooth to the Genesis’s already impressive list of standard features. Check. And why not? Our extravagance brought the sticker to just $42,000, more than $12,000 less than a Lexus GS 460, which is smaller all around, offers fewer horses, and has less rear-seat room.

After a few weeks in the fleet, we’re convinced the Genesis is only a couple developmental tweaks away from being a truly outstanding automobile. The 375-horse Tau V-8 feels crisp and smooth and has so far delivered decent fuel economy-17.4 mpg. The six-speed ZF automatic delivers its trademark silky shifts (Hyundai has its own eight-speed on the way, along with a 5.0-liter Tau V-8) and noise levels are commendably low.

Quibbles? We’d like more linearity in the weighting of the steering and the front seats mounted lower to the floor and given longer runners. The ride is still a little nervous-the rear springs and shocks feel way too stiff relative to the front end-and the rear end jiggles around on L.A.’s thumpety-thump freeways. But that’s about all. As Kim Reynolds noted: “Deutschland’s and Japan’s brightest engineers ought to be sensing the hot breath of their South Korean counterparts on their necks about now.” So far, he’s right.

Our Vehicle
Base price $38,000
Price as tested $42,000
Vehicle layout Front engine, RWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan
Engine 4.6L/375-hp*/333-lb-ft* DOHC 32-valve V-8
Transmission 6-speed automatic
Curb weight (dist f/r) 4060 lb (54/46%)
Wheelbase 115.6 in
Length x width x height 195.9 x 74.4 x 58.3 in
0-60 mph 5.6 sec
Quarter mile 14.1 sec @ 101.5 mph
Braking, 60-0 mph 112 ft
Lateral acceleration 0.86 g (avg)
MT figure eight 27.2 sec @ 0.66 g (avg)
EPA city/hwy econ 17/25 mpg
CO2 emissions 0.98 lb/mile
Total mileage 3851 miles
Average fuel economy 17.4 mpg
*On premium fuel; 368 hp/324 lb-ft on regular

By Angus MacKenzie

The interesting thing about Hyundai is that it seems to be the company that loves the word “incremental.” It’s how they operate, how they design cars. They bring out new models incrementally — changes in their model lineup are not dramatic.

For a while now (to be charitable, we’ll forget their early effort, the Excel), Hyundai has been making cars that essentially try to out-do the Japanese, or at least copy the Japanese.

By trying to outdo the Japanese cars, Hyundai is faithfully replicating them, in a way, and it’s doing so in incremental fashion — start off with small, inexpensive models, then start building slightly larger ones.
Hyundai Genesis — BMW, Audi and Mercedes, take warning. Hyundai’s gaining on you.

The problem is that there was no pizazz, no bling. (And there probably won’t ever be any true Hyundai bling — you think they’ll come up with an Audi R8 replica?).

Yet Hyundai started getting noticed in the past few years — look at the model change in the Sonata series (Hyundai’s Accord/Camry). Starting with the 2006 Sonata, they went from stodgy to fairly svelte.

Then, incrementally, they brought out the Azera, a more upscale car, with a 3.8-liter V6 as the top engine. It was pretty snazzy. (I was going to say, “for a Hyundai,” but actually it stood on its own as a pretty nice car.)

Now they’ve brought the increment game up to the entry-level luxury field, with the new Genesis. Finally, there’s a Hyundai that stops people on the sidewalk, makes them look around.

The Genesis is Hyundai’s answer to, in no particular order, the Infiniti G35 crowd, Toyota’s Avalon, stripper versions of BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz. At least, that’s the perception.

The car comes with two different power trains: a 3.8-liter V6 with 290 horsepower; and a 4.6-liter V8 pumping out 375 horses (or 368 if you use regular gas instead of premium.) Frankly, with only a very small difference in fuel mileage figures between the two, I’d take the V8. (I drove the V8 briefly last summer, before it was on showroom floors, and there’s a big difference in the power. The question will be whether you want to spend $5,000 more to have the bigger engine.)

This year’s test model was the base V6 car and it was odd to drive something billed as a luxury car, yet without some of the features we’ve come to expect in even the near-luxury field — sunroof and driver seat memory come to mind. You can have these lovelies in an added-on package, but you’d think they wouldn’t cheap it out this way. At any rate, at less than $33,000, this car was a bargain in its field.

Why? First off, it does have most of the built-in requisite luxo touches that set it apart from a more down-scale model — it’s quiet, even at illegal speeds; both engines are extremely smooth; the six-speed automatic trans (with clutchless manual shifting, too) is extremely smooth.

Inside, you have all the esoterica you’d expect (minus the memory seats and, yes, you get spoiled with those things) — fine stereo, unobtrusive HVAC, Hyundai’s blue instrument lighting, a shade of blue that is subtly electric, sort of like the blues director Michael Mann used back in the days of “Miami Vice.”

Then there are also some odd things — the dome lights are harsh, a cold shade of pale white, kind of like an old fluorescent tube. It’s not inviting. And the Genesis‘ suspension is firm to the point of jarring. Hit a pothole and you will remember it. It felt a bit like the suspension of a Sonata I drove last year, and it’s something Hyundai should think of fixing.

Otherwise, you get a pretty good entry luxury car for less than the competition — it’s the old saw of introducing a car priced to undercut its long-established competition (Toyota, Honda and Nissan all did it with, respectively, Lexus, Acura and Infiniti brands).

With Hyundai, of course, which is replicating this system, the only question seems to be — why did they call it a Hyundai? Why didn’t they think up some high-falutin’ name that connotes exclusivity? Well, maybe they realize that car buyers see those dodges (so to speak) and would rather just call a Hyundai a Hyundai.

SPECIFICATIONS

2009 Hyundai Genesis rear-wheel-drive four-door sedan.

Price: test model, $32,250

Powertrain: 3.8-liter, V6 290-horsepower; six-speed automatic transmission.

Curb weight: 3,748 pounds. Seating capacity: five. Fuel consumption: 18 mpg, city; 27 mpg, highway.

Fuel tank capacity:19.3 gallons.

Length: 195.9 inches; width, 74.4 inches; height: 58.1 inches; wheelbase: 115.6 inches.

Warranty: bumper to bumper, 5 years/50,000 miles; power train, 10 years/100,000 miles.

Dependability: Hyundai ranks 14th (above industry average) out of 37 brands on the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Vehicle Dependability Study.

Safety: for vehicle safety ratings, visit the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

SFGate.com

In any given year, I drive between 75 and 100 different vehicles. And we’re talking about everything from the Chevrolet Aveo to the Lamborghini Gallardo. So it is with complete sincerity and a fair bit of knowledge that I say this: You will not find a better car for the money than the all-new 2009 Hyundai Genesis.

Seriously.

I mean, here we have a handsome vehicle that — at a base level — has standard features such as leather seats, 17-inch alloy wheels, side-curtain airbags, iPod and auxiliary input jacks, a proximity key with bush-button start, Bluetooth phone system, heated front seats and traction control. Then you have the fact that it looks like a Lexus or a Mercedes. Plus, you could add in the rear-wheel drive platform and the base V-6 engine that delivers 290 horsepower.

Take a good look at the picture of the Genesis and forget that we’re talking about a Hyundai for a minute. With the way this car looks and the amenities that are included, what price tag would you give it? Have you got that number in your head? How does it compare to $33,000? If you gave an honest answer, it probably wasn’t even close.

Hyundai has been doing amazing things over the last couple years, but it has truly hit a home run with the launch of the Genesis.

The test vehicle came equipped with the base 3.8-liter V-6 engine, and it was absolutely brilliant. After my spirited but short trek to work on that first day of the test period, I actually had to double-check the sticker sheet on the car because I had a hard time believing there was simply a V-6 under the hood. It was responsive and fast and had all the power I could possibly want from a large luxury sedan.

You can certainly tell a difference between the V-6 and the up-level 4.6-liter V-8 when you drive them back to back, but unless you truly crave the extra 85 horsepower, I think you’ll be more than satisfied with the V-6 — especially when you look at the fuel economy numbers. The Environmental Protection Agency city/highway numbers ring in at 18/27 mpg for the V-6 and 17/25 mpg for the V-8.

The one thing you won’t find in the Genesis is a sporty ride, which is fine by me. This sedan is all about soft, luxurious comfort. The steering is a bit looser than you might find in a sports sedan, and it has the smooth ride of a touring sedan that, luckily, glides over all those Chicago potholes.

Fit and finish on the Genesis is on par with a luxury vehicle, and I was impressed by the interior quietness. Very little exterior noise makes its way into the cabin, and any engine and tire noise you might hear is negligible. There are zero squeaks and rattles.

While I would call the exterior of the Genesis handsome, the interior more closely resembles elegant. The simple center stack, the wood paneling and the brushed silver accents are easy on the eyes, and the clearly labeled gauges, buttons and dials are easy to use. I especially liked the glowing blue night lighting, which is a pleasant change from the typical red.

I liked the iPod integration in the test vehicle and thought the system navigation was relatively intuitive. However, I would like to point out that if you have a lot of songs and artists on your iPod, it does take a while to scroll through them all if you’re looking for something at the bottom.

While we’re on the topic of audio, I have to give a huge shout out to the optional Lexicon 14-speaker surround-sound system that was on the test vehicle. While I’m not an audiophile, my boyfriend is. On one of our suburban treks, he plugged in his iPod and cranked up various songs from Madonna to Metallica, and it was great. Well, maybe the Metallica wasn’t great, but the sound quality was.

In addition to an attractive price with an attractive car, Hyundai has done something else really well with this car: options bundling. It doesn’t nickel and dime you for every shiny bit on the car. Instead, you basically have three package options for the V-6 model: premium package ($2,000), premium package plus ($3,000) or technology package ($4,000). While the premium and premium plus packages are one or the other, the technology package requires the premium plus package.

Even so, your options will top out at $7,000, and you’ll have a car that includes everything from 18-inch wheels to a premium Lexicon 17-speaker surround-sound audio system to navigation to parking sensors to, well, almost everything else you could possibly want. Except seat massagers (hint, hint). And the final MSRP will top out at $40,000.

The test vehicle added the premium plus package, which included the 18-inch wheels, the Lexicon 14-speaker surround-sound system, sunroof and rain sensing wipers. The as-tested price of the car was $36,000.

The base price for the up-level V-8 model is $38,000. In addition to the extra horsepower, you’ll add standard features such as front seat and steering column memory, power rear sunshade, telescoping steering wheel, 18-inch wheels, Lexicon surround-sound audio system, power sunroof and automatic headlights, just to name a few. Since this model is so well equipped at its base, there is only one package option available: the technology package. So, again, even with the vroom, vroom power of the V-8, you have a vehicle that tops out at $42,000.

To say that this vehicle impresses me would be an understatement. The pricing, the option bundles, the appearance, the everything was well thought out and well done.

Plus, with the launch of the Genesis, Hyundai proves that even in this economic downturn you really can have it all.

BY JILL CIMINILLO
SunTimes.com

DAMASCUS, Md. — “Gee, it is real quiet in here,” was my thought as I first tooled down the interstate in Genesis.

Simultaneously two other thoughts emerged. “How fast am I going,” and “Oh boy!” The new Genesis is so swift and so refined that I no idea that I was well beyond the posted limit. Fortunately, those friendly folk with the radar guns were not around for what would have been a most embarrassing and costly experience. Drivers: set the cruise control!

The bottom line here is that for the first V-8 (known as Tau) and first rear-drive vehicle that Hyundai has produced, the Genesis is one heck of a car, with a couple asterisks that we will get to in a bit.

Under the hood was the 4.6-liter, 375 horsepower V-8, good for 333 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 RPM. Only when really pressed will the engine make its presence known, and then it is a good growl. Those not wanting a V-8 can opt for the 3.8-liter, 290-horsepower V-6 and save a few bucks without losing much in performance.

The V-8 is smooth out on the highway and is EPA rated at 17-25 miles per gallon. In city, country, and interstate travel, I got 22 mpg. For the best performance, Hyundai recommends premium fuel for the 8, and regular unleaded for the 6.

The 8 will scoot the 4,012-pound sedan to 60 in under 6 seconds, aided by a responsive 6-speed automatic that can be manually shifted by moving the husky center console- mounted shifter to the right. In its literature on the Genesis, Hyundai calls it a sport sedan. Then it should have paddle shifts, something that is not available.

The suspension is another issue. For the large majority of those attracted to the Genesis, they will be happy with the ride. Those who enjoy driving will quickly find that Hyundai calibrated the suspension on the soft side, with too many up and down floating motions if you hustle along over less than very smooth roads. Dampening is the problem. You can bet your next candy bar on the fact that the upcoming Genesis coupe will have a stiffer suspension.

Yet, given the soft suspension, the car hung in there better than expected on country roads, helped by very good grip from the 235/50R18 tires.

Inside, the Genesis was full luxury. Exposed stitching on the dash was a nice touch, with lots of soft surfaces. The instruments were easy to read and controls came readily to hand. Yet the seats, like the suspension, were on the soft side, and a bit of added firmness with more side support would make them more suitable for long days behind the tilt and telescoping wheel.

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The center console also housed Hyundai’s answer to the BMW i-drive, and it’s much easier to learn. Buttons to the right of a large silver knob select what you want to listen to, while those on the right control the navigation system. The Lexicon audio system cranked out some good sounds and the total feel of the interior was one that was well upscale of the price. I loved the fact that on satellite radio, for instance, one could simply turn the knob one notch to channel surf.

Things remained serene inside even with the sunroof open.

Interior fit and finish were first class.

Real adults, two of them, could fit quite comfortably in the back seat and the trunk will haul home a fair amount of stuff with 16 cubic feet at your disposal through a very low and wide opening.

With the $4,000 technology package, our top-of-the-line Genesis sold for $42,000, including $750 for freight. That tech package included the upgraded audio system, navi system, a good rear backup camera, and front and rear sensors that triggered beeps when I parked the car. Fortunately, this system was easy to turn off.

If that price is too much, Hyundai quotes $33,000 for the base model with the 6-cylinder engine, and that includes a fair amount of standard equipment.

I think if Hyundai were to firm up the suspension and the seats, this would be a perfect car. Even without that, fit, finish, a solid build, and good power were among the reasons why Genesis became the North American Car of the Year. In the words of that old Smith Barney TV pitchman, “They earned it.”

Ron Amadon
MarketWatch