Last week, Hyundai scored big at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The all-new Genesis premium sedan drove away with top honors when it was named 2009 North American Car of the Year. A jury of 50 independent automotive journalists evaluated each new car introduced last year and selected the 2009 Hyundai Genesis as the best new model.

But Hyundai wasn’t done making news as they were also fielding questions on their Hyundai Assurance program. Buy a new Hyundai, lose your job or the ability to pay due to a covered life changing event, and Hyundai will allow you to return the car and walk away from your loan obligation. This new program is for new vehicles financed or leased through participating dealers for up to 12 months. At the show, rival manufacturers couldn’t write down the details fast enough. Look for similar programs to pop up at a non-Hyundai dealer near you soon.

So, Hyundai has an award-winning luxury sedan and a program to help convince you to buy it… but do you want to? Actually, yes, you do. That is unless you have a hang up about the Hyundai logo on the hood. Apparently some do as I noticed the change in some friends’ and co-workers’ reception to the car when they found out who made it. Prior to my reveal, some thought it was a Lexus, and others thought it was an Acura or even a Mercedes-Benz. In this writer’s opinion, the styling borrows a little from all three of those manufacturers, but it’s the right blend. There is just enough chrome, the wheel/tire package looks good, and the proportions are just about spot on.

Genesis is based on a new rear-wheel-drive platform being introduced to this country. Hyundai engineers gave Genesis a balanced 52/48 front-to-rear weight distribution to even out the handling. The rear-wheel-drive layout allowed engineers to move the car’s front wheels further upstream with the goal being class-leading handling and steering performance. However, I didn’t like the steering as it felt somewhat numb and slow, but I’ve experienced this before in competitive cars so Genesis keeps up with some of the Joneses. The same can be said for the pillow-like boulevard ride that has very little “sport” in the handling department and opts for the full luxury treatment. Nothing wrong with the ride, just don’t expect BMW levels of precision handling and road feel. It was nice to see that Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and traction control are standard issue, and this is especially useful in the slop we’ve experienced this winter. The ABS performed well, and the car kept its head up during hard braking.

The 235/50R18 tires on the V-8 model release some squeal while cornering, and I did not push this big car that hard. A multilink suspension featuring coil springs and anti-roll bars fore and aft consists of numerous aluminum pieces to help lower the car’s unsprung mass, and as I stated earlier the ride drifts to the softer side on smooth pavement. The shocks are able to adjust the ride on rough surfaces to keep the transition less jarring.

A premium sedan should be supported by a premium engine, and Genesis does not disappoint. Hyundai’s all-new Tau 4.6-liter V-8 engine produces 375 horsepower and 333 pound-feet of torque. Hyundai saddles its high horse with a ZF six-speed automatic transmission with Shiftronic manual control. Hyundai claims that this powertrain combination will launch Genesis to 60 mph in less than six seconds. The Genesis‘ V-8 horsepower hand stacks comparable standard engines found in the Lexus GS460, BMW 750i, Audi A8 and Infiniti M45, and it has more horsepower per liter than any of its V-8 competitors. For a 3,800-pound large sedan the EPA city/highway fuel economy is a very respectable 17/25 mpg. During testing the engine was quiet, smooth and provided instant response. No lack of power or coarseness detected. Premium fuel is recommended.

The second chapter of the Genesis story is the interior/luxury amenities, and once again, this is a good read. Hyundai carved out a spacious interior led by a very rich looking (and feeling) dash. The dash design spreads out the controls and luxury features nicely and logically. The Driver Information System is accessed via multifunction knob that works various functions including the nav system, Voice Recognition, Bluetooth, the optional backup camera screen and the standard satellite/HD stereo. Auxiliary USB and iPod inputs allow you to fully control and charge iPods directly from the head unit.

In addition to the leather-wrapped dash, soft cow hides surround you on the door panels and console lid. The heated and cooled driver’s seat is a real plus from Hyundai. The seats were extremely adjustable and comfortable for long and short drives. Bonus points are awarded for the power glass sunroof with tilt and slide, power tilt-and-telescopic steering column, integrated memory system, Lexicon 14-speaker surround sound audio system, six-disc CD changer, illuminated scuff plates, wood-trimmed leather steering wheel, electrochromic auto-dimming interior rearview mirror with Homelink and compass, power rear sunshade, standard proximity key and gimmicky push-button starter. An automatic windshield defogger with humidity sensor and rain-sensing wipers spring into action as needed.

Rear seat stretch-out room and headroom was limolike for three passengers. Cargo space is big with nearly 16 cubic-feet of space. I was also impressed by how quiet and solid Genesis felt. I’ve never experienced a Hyundai that was this silent, rattle-free and well-textured.

The key to this car is value. The V-6 model starts right around $33,000 including destination. The V-8 test car had a starting price of around $38,000 with destination. Add the technology package, and you’ve got a very well-equipped luxury sedan for around $42,000. This is thousands less than the established luxury leaders, and you have Hyundai’s powertrain warranty and the new Assurance program to help sweeten the deal.

Hyundai’s new flagship sedan has the capabilities and luxury features that elevate it to premium status without the premium price. In today’s economy, that’s a pretty competitive advantage.

BY JEFF TAYLOR
Chicago Sun Times

Lighter and more spry than its big brother.

On a street in Ann Arbor, a college-age Wolverine yelled at a C/D staffer getting into this Hyundai Genesis 3.8. “Is that a May-back?” he hollered, mispronouncing the name of the Benz supercruiser.

Without missing a beat, the staffer replied loudly, “No, and it cost less than your Tour-egg.” The student struggled, like most, to place the borrowed exterior styling elements of this Korean newcomer. His mental clock having expired, the kid retreated toward campus. Little did he know he was drooling over one of the best-kept secrets in the luxury-sedan market, the six-cylinder Genesis.

With a base price of $33,000, the Genesis 3.8 undercuts similarly sized rear-drive cars from Europe and Japan. Likewise, it costs almost $4600 less than a Chrysler 300C, although the 3.8 can be had for about the same money as a Pontiac G8 GT. Either of those will get you V-8 power, but neither will deliver a level of luxury equal to that of the Genesis 3.8. We highly recommend the $3000 Premium Plus package. It includes a supple leather dash and a 14-speaker audio system, two options neither of the aforementioned American alternatives offers.

Then again, the G8 and the 300C will outrun this Genesis at a drag strip. Still, the 290-hp Korean is no slouch, getting from 0 to 60 in six seconds flat. In fact, that’s the identical time we got with a V-8–powered Genesis 4.6 [October 2008], and the overachieving V-6 a Genesis also matched the 375-hp V-8 model through the quarter-mile, at 14.5 seconds. The power deficit of the 3.8 model’s V-6 is only evident on the highway, where wide-open-throttle passes leave the driver yearning for more.

The EPA says the 3.8 V-6 is good for 18 mpg in the city (1 mpg better than the V-8) and 27 on the highway (2 mpg more). In our hands, it managed a decent 20 mpg.

And consider this: The 3.8’s ride is as good as, if not better than, the 4.6’s. The V-6 not only experiences less suspension crash than the V-8 but feels lighter and more spry. That is most likely because the 3845-pound V-6 model weighs some 200-plus pounds less than the V-8 model.

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan

PRICE AS TESTED: $36,000 (base price: $33,000)

ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 231 cu in, 3778cc
Power (SAE net): 290 bhp @ 6200 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 264 lb-ft @ 4500 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with manumatic shifting

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 115.6 in Length: 195.9 in Width: 74.4 in Height: 58.3 in
Curb weight: 3845 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 6.0 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 15.6 sec
Zero to 130 mph: 32.4 sec
Street start, 5–60 mph: 6.4 sec
Standing 1/4-mile: 14.5 sec @ 97 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 155 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 165 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad*: 0.86 g

FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 18/27 mpg
C/D observed: 20 mpg

BY K.C. COLWELL
CarandDriver.com

Voted 2009 North American Car of the Year at the 2009 Detroit auto show, the Hyundai Genesis 4.6 sedan that arrived in our garage had a lot to live up to. We were ready to cast aside biases based on our experience with previous Hyundai cars and see if the Genesis really could come up to the level of luxury set by brands such as Mercedes-Benz and Lexus. Apparently, Hyundai is aware of its image problem, as there is no H badge on the front of the car. It seems Hyundai wants you to judge the car for what it is before you know what kind it is.

The Genesis does an excellent job of asserting Hyundai’s new image, with cabin materials consistent with a luxury car and a very smooth-running power train. But it does have a few shortcomings. Cabin tech is equivalent to Lexus circa 2005, and is blown away by the similarly priced Lincoln MKS. The suspension is fine on smooth surfaces, but reveals harshness when the road gets rough. The handling is fine for a luxury car, but it doesn’t come up to the level of sport luxury.

On the road
Although we drove the 2009 Hyundai Genesis over a number of roads, we’re highlighting one particular road test here, a drive through San Francisco to the Presidio. The Genesis proved very maneuverable in the crowded downtown streets of San Francisco. The steering is tuned to require a little effort to turn, which may not be completely luxury-oriented, but we liked the deliberateness it gave to our quick lane changes.

Doing the zigzag course that is downtown SF, the power from the 4.6-liter V-8 came in handy. Moderate power was always on tap to push us easily into traffic openings, but quick launches were held back by the transmission’s hesitant kickdown. Moving away from the heart of the city onto clearer roads, we enjoyed the peace and quiet in the cabin. That is, until we grabbed the console controller, an iDrive-like joystick/button/dial, and explored the music on our connected iPod.

Just like on the Hyundai Sonata we tested last year, the 2009 Genesis has an iPod/USB connection that gives full browsing capabilities. We selected an album encoded in Apple’s lossless format and were blown away by the audio quality from the car’s Lexicon stereo system. Sounds were coming from the speakers that we rarely heard on these tracks, background and layered sounds that get lost in lesser systems. Its bass was strong, without being overwhelming, and the clarity was amazing. Of course, with 17 speakers, a 525 watt amplifier, and the same Logic 7 audio processing as you get in BMWs, we would expect it to be good.

We also admired the maps on the navigation system, which used high-resolution graphics on the large LCD. It was a sunny day, but glare wasn’t a problem. As we paralleled Lombard Street, which also serves as Highway 101 through San Francisco, green indicators on the map showed traffic was flowing freely, although it got yellow just before the Golden Gate Bridge, meaning traffic was moving between 20 mph and 40 mph.

The quality of the streets varied substantially along the route we took, from smooth asphalt to pock-marked pavement that looked as if a tank had driven over it. Although the Genesis damped out the bumps quickly, keeping the car from bouncing around, we felt quite a few harsh jolts, with one particularly strong bash when we got a little playful with the acceleration. A Mercedes-Benz S-class floats over rough stuff like this, but the Genesis revealed that it’s not quite up to that level.

In the cabin
A mixture of wood, leather, and metal adorns the cabin of the 2009 Hyundai Genesis, giving it a look like no other Hyundai, and strengthening the luxury impression. The soft plastics on top and bottom of the dashboard bring the quality quotient down just a little, and it gets worse when you run your hand over the simple cloth headliner, which on a Lexus would be a nice velvety material.

We were impressed by the metal switchgear on console and stack, with a controller new for Hyundai. Buttons surround the multidirectional knob, giving you quick access to navigation, telephone, and different audio sources. From that list of functions, you can tell the Genesis is loaded with tech. The onscreen menus for controlling the cars applications look good and are intuitive to use, with a vertical cascading architecture for drilling down to particular functions. The controller is complemented by a voice command system, which works reasonably well. Saying “help” shows you available commands, making it possible to learn the system as you use it. Entering an address, it only took a couple of tries for it to understand the street name “Tehama.”

As we mentioned, the maps in the navigation system look very good, with high resolution and readable street names. The navigation system refreshed quickly as we pushed the cursor around the map. You can enter destinations by the usual means, such as address or point of interest, but there aren’t many options beyond that. Route guidance works well, too, although it lacks text-to-speech, so it won’t read out street names. Integrated traffic is one advanced feature we’re happy to see here. It shows traffic flow on major roads, and incidents such as accidents and road construction. However, we found that the system won’t automatically route you around bad traffic. During one drive, the system verbally warned us of bad traffic ahead, but didn’t offer a detour to the programmed route. We zoomed out the map and could see a section of red traffic flow on the freeway, so we quickly exited, letting the navigation system recalculate the route.

The Genesis also has Bluetooth phone support to meet its tech car credentials, but we weren’t impressed by the system. It paired easily with our Samsung SGH-D807 phone, but it didn’t copy over the address book to the car. Instead, we would have to manually fill the phone book. Dialing actual numbers, those few we had memorized, was made easy by the onscreen interface, which uses a kind of oval track for alpha-numeric entry, or with the voice command system.

The stereo is really the high point of the tech in the Genesis. It features a six-disc changer that can play CDs, CD-RWs, and DVDs. There is also an iPod connector with an excellent interface that also works as a USB port, satellite radio (a necessity for the navigation’s traffic reporting), and an HD radio tuner. This latter proved particularly good, as it receives multicasts, letting you choose from the various audio broadcasts from a single station.

This Lexicon stereo is so good, we just wanted to drive around and listen to music. Only a few other cars we’ve driven have had stereos this good, including the Lincoln MKS, Lexus LS 600h, and Jaguar XF.

Under the hood
One of the big surprises when Hyundai first announced the Genesis was its available V-8 engine. Asian automakers don’t often come out with large engines, and Hyundai in particular was thought of as an economy car brand. However, the company has delivered, putting an exceptionally smooth 4.6-liter V-8 in the 2009 Hyundai Genesis, pairing it up with a six-speed automatic transmission. Variable timing on its 32 valves along with a double-overhead cam contribute to its efficiency, but it uses standard, port injection, rather than the direct injection system being adopted by many automakers.

That engine produces 375 horsepower at 6,500rpm and 333 pound-feet of torque at 3,500rpm. According to Hyundai, the Genesis attains these numbers with premium fuel–you can use regular unleaded and only get 368 horsepower. Also, according to Hyundai, the car gets a 0 to 60 mph time of 5.7 seconds. As a point of comparison, the Lexus GS 460, which uses the same size engine, only makes 342 horsepower.

The Genesis gives a suitable push when you mash the gas pedal, after waiting a moment for the automatic to kick down. The cabin generally insulates from engine sound, although there is a palpable growl when the RPMs are up. The ZF automatic transmission generally kept its presence unobtrusive, quietly shifting from one gear to the next without a lot of drama. It’s programmed to seek higher gears for better fuel efficiency, and won’t actively kick down to lower gears for cornering, so we found ourselves lacking power when we tried to push the Genesis hard through a turn.

However, pushing the stick to the right puts the car in manual mode, letting us use the wide power bands in second and third gears. We could do a lot of work in the bends just using third gear, if the suspension was up to it. Unfortunately, it isn’t. Although the car doesn’t roll wildly when the lateral g-forces hit it, the front end feels very heavy in the corners, leading to serious understeer. The Genesis may have a big engine, but it’s not a sport driver.

The EPA fuel economy for the V-8 Genesis is 17 mpg city and 25 mpg highway, which is about what we would expect. Our average fuel economy during our time with the car came in at 18.3 mpg, on the low side of the EPA range. Although it’s not the most economical car around, it does earn a ULEV II rating for emissions, a good achievement for a high displacement engine. The Genesis can also be had with a 3.8-liter V-6, getting a couple of miles per gallon better than the V-8, but only putting out 290 horsepower.

In sum
Our 2009 Hyundai Genesis 4.6 came in with a base price of $37,250. Our only option was the $4,000 tech package, which includes the Lexicon stereo and navigation system, a must-have add-on. The $750 destination charge brought our total up to $42,000, an apparently low price that contributed to the Genesis’ Car of the Year award. By comparison, the Lexus GS 460 is close to $60,000, but it handles a lot better, and when that model gets the update it is due for, it will get an impressive bundle of new cabin technology. The Lincoln MKS compares better with the Genesis, as both come in about the same price. The cabin of the MKS doesn’t have the same luxury feel as the Genesis, but the tech is a lot better.

In our ratings for the car, we found both the cabin tech excellent, largely buoyed by the audio quality from the stereo. The navigation system could use a few more features, and the phone system is only basic. We considered the car’s design excellent, with the cabin tech interface largely winning us over–the exterior isn’t offensive, but isn’t striking, either. Finally, the performance is good, but not spectacular in any way. The engine puts out the power we would expect from a big V-8, however, the suspension doesn’t handle jolts as well as it could. The handling is fine for normal driving, but isn’t designed for stress.

The good: The Lexicon stereo in the 2009 Hyundai Genesis 4.6 produces superb sound, ranking among the best. The iPod interface works well, and the navigation system includes traffic information. The engine and transmission work smoothly.

The bad: The suspension doesn’t handle rough roads well. In the cabin, the phone system won’t copy over address books, and the navigation system doesn’t dynamically route around bad traffic.

The bottom line: The 2009 Hyundai Genesis 4.6 is an excellent car for cruising around and listening to music, but it doesn’t offer all the latest cabin tech, and some of its veneer of luxury wears thin when exposed to close scrutiny.

Specifications: Body style: Sedan ; Available Engine: Gas

Wayne Cunningham
CNET editors’ review

The South Korean automaker’s first full-size, rear-drive luxury car is a near-peer to Euro sport sedans — but at a 20% discount.

The chocolate-brown leather is softer than a Hershey bar in a cop’s back pocket. The topstitched upholstery across the dash and doors seems sewn with a needle borrowed from Miuccia Prada. The interior wood accents are carved from the most majestic lumber in the old-growth faux forest.

If you didn’t know better — and really, Hyundai would prefer you didn’t know better — you’d think the South Korean company had been at this luxury-car business a long time. In fact, the Genesis is the company’s first full-size, rear-drive luxury car, an audacious shot whistling across the sport-sedan bows of BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Lexus. And the Genesis — $33,000 with the base 290-horsepower V-6; $38,000 with the optional 375-hp V-8 — undercuts whatever relevant competitor you care to name by a good $10,000.

Cut-rate luxury is a complicated notion. It is true that when you buy a BMW or Mercedes-Benz, some incalculable percentage of the cost resides in the badge. But there is value in those names, and not just as a matter of getting good spots in valet parking.

Premium-brand cars keep more of their residual value and offer owners the satisfactions of heritage — Mercedes at Monza, BMW at Le Mans — and the sense of belonging to a great automaking tradition.

Hyundai — storied maker of cracker boxes such as the Excel and Accent — has no such poetry to fall back on. But it does have an extraordinarily lean and efficient manufacturing process, cheap labor and great relationships with its suppliers. So it’s possible for the company to offer this near-peer to Euro sport sedans at about a 20% discount. In these leaner times, many customers will forgive the Hyundai its relative lack of brand cachet.

To make that compromise easier to swallow, Hyundai has taken the extraordinary step of de-badging its own car: There is no flying H on the big grille of the Genesis This is a first, in my experience, and it’s a move that subverts the grammar of luxury in ways I can scarcely wrap my head around. It’s like taking a Rolex knockoff — a Romex, say — and scratching off the name. A real counterfeit, a fake genuine article? I’m dizzy.

Doubling down on its own perverse anonymity, the Genesis‘ styling is hyper-generic — a ransom-note collage of cues from BMW (tail lights), Mercedes (grille) and Lexus. Check out that Hofmeister kink in the C-pillar. Been to Munich lately, have we?

Still, there’s no denying that, like Hyundai’s Sonata and Azera, the Genesis is a staggering amount of car for the money. Our test vehicle was the 4.6-liter, V-8-powered model with the $4,000 technology package (528-watt, 17-speaker sound system with XM radio; navigation system; adaptive front headlamps; heated and cooled driver’s seat; and more).

In some ways, the Genesis delivers a deep-pile luxury that betters the badge-bearing competitors. The cabin ambience is exceptionally quiet. The windshield and side windows are glazed with double-laminated acoustic glass; the unibody and body panels are crammed with sound-deadening panels and adhesives that all but mute the outside hurly-burly.

The creamiest and most luscious part of the car, though, is Hyundai’s new 4.6-liter, all-alloy V-8, a lovely watch-work of reciprocation that hits all the right notes. Near-silent and under-taxed around town, the engine is capable of big torque and acceleration — zero to 60 mph is well below six seconds — and a bit of a feral growl. Let there be no doubt, this thing has a motor in it.

At 80 miles per hour, I slipped the six-speed ZF automatic transmission into third and kicked the slats. The car pulled like a rabid malamute up to its 6,850-rpm redline. Another shift, another redline, and without much ado I was exceeding the posted speed limit of most Autobahnen and traffic was reversing past me at an alarming clip.

Interestingly, the overhead-cam V-8 — with dual-intake runners and variable timing on its 32 valves — will happily digest both regular and premium fuel, Hyundai says.

The company even offers horsepower figures for both fuels: 368 hp on regular and the nominal 375 hp on premium. Fuel economy is 17 miles per gallon city, 25 mpg highway, though I lead-footed my way to an 18-mpg average.

The Genesis has respectable undergirding: five-link suspension front and rear, with all the bits in cast alloy. The suspension tuning on the 4.6-liter model (by Sachs) is firm but compliant, though it lacks the silk-wrapped dreaminess of a comparable Lexus.

On a fairly vigorous flog up the secret canyon test road, the Genesis acquitted itself well enough, with good body control and well-damped transient behavior.

The steering has a nice heft to it but isn’t particularly communicative. The car will hustle, but given the all-season radials’ relative lack of bite and the car’s significant weight, it doesn’t seem to enjoy it.

Generally speaking, this car is much happier defying expectations in a straight line than confirming them in aggressive cornering.

I’m far too much of a romantic to buy this car. I like a brand with provenance and I’m willing to pay for it. For more hard-nosed, practical types, the Genesis 4.6 will present an all-but-irresistible case of value per dollar. And they won’t be wrong.

By Dan Neil

Every promotion tends to have a catch, but it looks like Hyundai is just trying to move some cars. All auto manufacturers are feeling a crunch right now, and people are skittish about the turbulent economy. It’s hard to see into the future even six months from now and know what your situation will be (national gas prices averaged $4.11 six months ago). Hyundai’s new program, which they are calling Hyundai Assurance, will take your car back if you lose your job.

The program actually covers a variety of issues including physical disability, loss of driver’s license due to medical impairment, international employment transfer, self-employed personal bankruptcy or accidental death. The offer clearly states that only involuntary unemployment qualifies, so you aren’t allowed to tell your boss off and let him know where he should actually file those TPS reports.

Another benefit of the program is that they will cover up to $7,500 in negative equity. Whenever you make a claim with the program, you will meet with an adjuster and they will help determine how much your vehicle is worth. As long as that is within $7,500 of the amount you owe, then you walk away without paying a dime.

Hyundai even goes as far to say that it will not negatively affect your credit at all. The Hyundai Assurance paired with the extremely generous warranty offered on all vehicles means that Hyundai is standing firm behind all of its products. A 10- year 100,000-mile powertrain warranty is standard on all vehicles along with a five-year, bumper-to-bumper and five years of free towing.

If the promotion proves popular, then expect to see it copied by other manufacturers (Remember employee pricing? It worked well for GM and then everybody had it). In a desperate time for auto manufacturers, Hyundai is stirring the pot. Not only with creative sales incentives, but with innovative vehicles such as the Genesis.

For more information on Hyundai vehicles, visit hyundaiUSA.com and for more information on the Hyundai Assurance, visit hyundaiassurance.com.

Wilson Calvert
Ourtribune.com