Did Hyundai ever truly believe that its Genesis sedan would have the kind of industry impact legendarily enjoyed by the first Lexus LS — or even the original Acura Legend? Probably not. But just as the builders of those two cheap-luxury knockouts did, the company is electing to consolidate some gains in conservative fashion with the second-generation Genesis.
For some reason, both of the carryover engines (3.8L V6 and 5.0 V8) are slightly less powerful than they were in previous years. All-wheel drive is available now, but only with the V-6. The transmission is still an eight-speed conventional automatic.
The rest of the car is claimed to be all-new. The styling language, which for reasons known to no mortal man is called “Fluidic 2.0”, endows the relatively soft-looking Genesis with a little more curbside cred and ups the aggressiveness to compete with deep-grill entries from Audi and Chrysler. It will be quieter than the old car and it will monitor the amount of CO2 in the cabin to protect passengers from carrying too many trees in the trunk…
COME ON NOW YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN STOP LAUGHING
A lane-departure system will alternately annoy and confuse Genesis drivers of the future who will have no idea what it’s trying to do. Pricing will rise slightly but continue to be low enough for fans of the brand to claim that it’s “a screaming bargain”.
This article only gives me some photos to decide whether I find the styling appealing. The profile, interior, and rear all look fine. The nose I can’t say I like. That cheese grater grille and those strakes, or ribs on the hood look cartoonish. The oversize genesis logo on the steering wheel and especially on that screen are the same. The opposite of understated elegance that you want on a luxury car.
It’s UGLY. Looks like they tried to rip off Audi this time. I found nothing worth liking in the R-Spec and I found the regular Genesis gutless no matter which engine you’d choose. This looks ridiculous.
I liked the looks of the original Genesis before they wen’t wild with the light fixtures, but I’m certain what held it back was the lack of All Wheel Drive. Hopefully “HTRAC” makes up for that in the Genesis and Equus as the northern states face more record freezing, but I’m still surprised they didn’t get a TOUCHSCREEN to be redundant with that silly MMI ripoff knob.
Hopefully they’ll have heated/cooled/massage seats with fully motorized headrests and thigh cushions like the Azera. I have no idea who these people are on these design teams, but they really do pisspoor work.
Only real Audi-thing is having cleaner/Bauhaus influenced lines.
And Audi borrowed the hexagonal grill shape.
Overall, the design is too safe and a bit on the bland side.
You found the Genesis gutless? The V8 sprints to 60 in the 5s and the 3.8L V6 is high 5s low 6s. Looks are subjective, yeah got it, but if you call the Genesis gutless, you need to spend some time in cars in that class to put things back into perspective.
The R-spec offers no exhaust tuning and it’s not as fast as a 6.1 SRT. For the same money you could buy a 6.4 SRT and have more power, more fun and a better tech suite.
While I love the 300, its not really a competitor to the Genesis. The 300 totally kicks a** in the $30-35K segment but adding a bigger engine simply doesn’t make it a $45K+ car which is where the Genesis will live.
the Genesis R-SPec is like 46k and change, can you actually get a 6.4 SRT for that?
The R-Spec is not a real performance trim.
It’s like the M-Sport, F-Sport or Infiniti’s current IPL line.
And are you really comparing the SRT to something that is 1.4L smaller in displacement?
The R-Spec is as quick as the BMW 550i so it is hardly “gutless.”
In time, Hyundai will launch a real performance trim with a twin-turbo Tau V8.
And the Genesis is now a whole class above the 300 is luxury and amenities.
IMHO, not only is the Chrysler 300 a competitor to the Genesis Sedan, but it’s a better car, and I say that being familiar with both vehicles.
In this segment, ride comfort and suspension calibration is a critical aspect of most buyers’ preferences.
And unless Hyundai has managed to improve the ride comfort of the new Genesis Sedan by a factor of 300%, especially over broken pavement, expansion joints, and pothole-riddled stretches of roadway that is increasingly common in the U.S., the 300 is so far superior to the Hyundai in this important regard that it can’t be overstated.
Not only is the current generation Genesis Sedan’s suspension not class competitive, it’s downright awful, and is so bad that it renders some very good attributes of the Hyundai irrelevant.
Looks like they tried to combine the ripoff to include the new Mazda look with the Audi.
The nose is just…off. The shape isn’t great but I feel like a different line design (or razor design?) and maybe blacking it out instead of going chrome-crazy might help.
I was thinking the same thing: blackout.
Cartoonish. There you said it, in the very first post. Congrats on being exactly right!
Another auto show, another referential Hyundai design. Sigh…
Audi knockoff. Zzzxzz
The head of Hyundai/Kia design is Peter Schreyer. You can guess where he used to work.
This thing screams A7 in the side view. Pity it probably doesn’t have the utility of the real A7’s hatch.
The greenhouse design/shape is more Impala or Fusion than anything else (the A7 has a slicker/more of a fastback shape/design to it) and there are other automakers with similar designs such as Toyota with the Avalon and Chrysler with the new 200.
And before that, Infiniti with one of the previous M models (way before Audi came out with the A7) and even Hyundai with the Elantra GT.
Also, Audi did not start the oversized grill thing (and they did not start the hexagonal grill shape), but they popularized it again for modern cars (albeit one can argue that Chrysler was the 1st to popularize it beyond the ultra-luxury models).
Took one look at the steering wheel, and thought “Thunderbird Super Coupe!”, LOL
Pic here -> bit.ly/1ePrAFS
Overall the car looks great but I hate that grill. It will look stupid with a licence plate in the middle.
Damn it I still want one. V8 RWD sedans always make me sit up and pay attention.
I got a nice, long look at an Equus the other day on my way to work — because it was stuck lengthwise across my alley and unable to get any traction in a thin layer of packed snow. All I could think was, “dude, you should have gotten the real S-Class”.
No AWD on the V8? Pass.
Dude, he got the Equus for the price of an E-Class, An S-Class with AWD would have cost TWICE as much as the Equus.
Doesn’t matter. If Hyundai’s trying to play the “as good as a Mercedes for two thirds the price” game, then the car needs to be, well, roughly as good as a Mercedes. And the S Class now only comes with 4Matic, I believe.
And a $1000 set of snow tires would have kept him from getting stuck in your alley… AWD on passenger cars is silly.
Geeze, the S Class and the other Mercedes sedans (not to mention BMWs) didn’t have AWD until the market (esp. the market in the snow belt) forced them to offer AWD.
Along the same lines, the original Lexus LS and Infiniti Q didn’t offer AWD.
The 2nd gen Genesis gets AWD and the same will apply to the next Equus.
And yes, a good set of snow tires would be much better for traction than AWD on a set of all-season tires (no matter what automaker).
“AWD on passenger cars is silly.”
If having a 0-60 of less than twenty seconds is silly for four or five months of the year, then is it equally silly to have an oversized engine that can do that the rest of the year? Why does anyone need even 100 hp in a passenger car if you don’t mind accelerating that slowly?
Hyundai may be improving NOW, but in terms of reliability over a long time, they are untested. There are lots of 10/20/30 year old S-Classes still running around, but how many Hyundais? I hardly see any older than 2004.
When was the last time you saw a 30 year old S-Class? You see it about as often as you see a 30 year old Ford Escort, not often. Reliability these days not measured by how long it’ll be on the road 30 years from now. I think you know that just as well as I do.
Even with a 10 year old MB S-Class let alone a 20 or 30 year old S-Class, do you know the costs of keeping it on the road?
I routinely see late 80s Mercedes S and E classes. I seldom see late 90s S/E and only occasionally see E-classes from the early to mid 00s (and someone at work has an 02ish S420 I see routinely).
I assume the late 80s Benzes are hoopties to a point, although they don’t look destroyed on the outside, they are worn and unrestored. I doubt we’ll be seeing both S-classes and Geneses from the 2014s in the late 2020s.
Hyundai didn’t have high volume enough sales in the US until about 4-5 years ago.
10-12 years ago, for every Sonata sold, Toyota sold a dozen more (How many older Lexus GS do you see running around? I see hardly any and for that matter, don’t see much more of the current GS either.)
Plenty of 10-20 year old Hyundai running around in Korea, not to mention taxi cabs with 300 KM on them.
Also, Hyundai has finished 1st in AutoBild’s reliability survey for the past 2 years and they do the most comprehensive analysis in the industry.
Up to and including W126, S-classes are bulletproof but get spendy for proper maintenance and upkeep, unless you fix ’em yourself.
W140 is a bit transitional, there’s enough electronic gewgaws to break that owning it could turn into a money pit.
I wouldn’t own anything newer than that without a comprehensive warranty, and the minute that warranty expired or got too expensive to renew, I’d unload the car.
“Plenty of 10-20 year old Hyundai running around in Korea, not to mention taxi cabs with 300 KM on them.”
Not really many 20 year old ones. Those you see from the early 90s are pretty hoopty-fied and BARELY running, driven by poor, old people. Ten years old, yes.
That idiot should have gotten snow tires if he was stuck on a flat surface. AWD is not the answer to everything.
No steel wheels available for snow tires for Equus.
I went through this for my father last year. He ended up buying an XTS.
Don’t need steel wheels for snow tires. AWD doesn’t always help either, I could easily bury all 4 in the Outback with all-terrains.
I liked the last Genesis better in terms of exterior but this interior is much improved.
I never suggested it was. My point was that it’s ridiculous that a full-size luxury sedan — especially one that’s supposed to be a step above the Genesis — only has two-wheel drive. (Even if they are the correct wheels.)
Besides, isn’t that the point of cars in this class? So much power that they need all four wheels to use it effectively?
Really no need for AWD, even with all the power (in fact, harder to develop/build a transmission to can handle all that power going to 4 wheels).
And again, BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, etc. didn’t start off offering AWD and the next Equus will be getting it.
I sometimes get stuck in my parking stall, which is on level ground. Having winter tires doesn’t help in this case, you need metal traction aids with cleats that dig into ice and snow.
Darkwing is correct, 2WD is a deal killer for this much of this segment. It is for me.
True. So sick of hearing from these AWD freaks who complain about the lack of its availability on every single car sold in America. Yeesh, learn to drive.
I did, in a Trans Am in NE Ohio. We got along just fine with the lake-effect snow.
Indeed. Try a 1977 Chevy Nova over several Buffalo winters. Entertaining, but only with gas at $1.25/gal :/
Why do people insist on comparing a $65K car with a $100K+ car? By the way when I had my S55, it was downright deadly in bad weather, I did not even drive it in winter.
Maybe a AWD V8 will be offered later, AWD is going to be standard for both the V6 and V8 in Canada. It seemds kind of strange that a AWD isn’t even an option for the V8 in the states.
How is it that Hyundai can do modern interiors in the Sonata and Azera, and yet the inside of this thing looks stuck in 1998? It actually seems OLDER than the car it replaced. The Kia K900 has very similar themes but it somehow works in that car but does not work here at all.
Maybe I’m showing my age, but I think this interior would work just fine if it had real walnut in it. Of course, the first Genesis didn’t have that kind of money spent on interior materials, and this one isn’t about to, either.
I know, those door window switches look really cheap. Like Mazda cheap. If the passenger dash panel is made of nice materials it might be OK. But usually it’s safer to present an upper panel and lower panel… and a trim piece in the middle. Here, there’s a lot facing the passenger and it looks like a Crown Vic.
I agree that the interior (as well as the exterior) is too “safe”, but I’m afraid it’s due to the fact that Hyundai has to cater to the Korean CEOs who tend to be a very conservative bunch.
Wscott97 – I agree with your comment. The car’s front end will lose its “presence” when a license plate is put in the middle of the grill.
Well spotted. It is going to be be interesting to see exactly where that plate goes.
Which company was the first to flip a dash vent to save a dime on designing a second mold?
GM, with the long rectangular ones.
Yes I do realize that styling is subjective but I take one look at that grill and get nauseous.
I see competition for big lazy Luxury EXport US.
That doesn’t even make sense.
BAlanceD PUrchase Now.
Hyundai (and Kia) need to re-brand anything above the Azera and Cadenza. even if they have to sell them in the same dealerships. Hyundai and Kia as brands will never have the brand cachet to sell at these price points. It’s a shame, because the Genesis, Equus and K900 (awful name) are worthy products.
I’d rather toss my money at the Genesis than Lincoln or Acura.
A sub-brand at the same dealerships (but with a separate showroom) is the way to go.
looks like it borrowed something from almost everyone. I see 300, Malibu, Taurus…
Grill is rip-off of early ’60s Studebaker Lark.
from the front, this is actually a decent looking car in a sea of ugly and/or bland. The rear is bland. Judged against other modern cars I’d give it a B+. Compared with the last 60 years, I’d give it a C-. (Almost nothing from the latter half of the 50s and first half of the 60s would get less than a B, measured against the same 60 years.)
Guilty on all counts.
One thing I cannot figure out is why Hyundai sells the Genesis coupe pony car together with Genesis this car. Even Lexus made RC-F split from GS, didn’t they. They seem like entirely different cars, even if they borrow platform components from each other.
The next coupe will be going upmarket and this time correctly partnered with the new Hyundai compact RWD sedan.
GILLETE… THE BEST A MAN CAN GET
I had the last generation as a rental and was quite impressed. The dynamics were very “gentlemen’s luxury car” smooth, solid, stately and dignified.
There isn’t one thing on this car which was not borrowed from another marque. Except the interior, that’s 100% Korean “luxury.”
Gotta love the wheel badge which is 50% too large.
Merc lamps
Audi grille
Lexus sides
Lexus rear
And it still bothers me VERY much that it has a Genesis wing on the front and a Hyundai badge on the back. They should both match, and both be the winged logo. That H oval is an embarrassment at any high-end locale. I wouldn’t want to pull up in one.
Merc lanps – funny b/c many are saying BMW.
Audi grill – Audi didn’t originate the oversized grill and Audi actually borrowed the hexagonal grill shape from Hyundai (as have other automakers).
Lexus side – don’t see that considering the Impala, Fusion, Avalon (not any Lexus model), older Infiniti M, new Chrysler 200, etc. have the same basic greenhouse shape/design.
Lexus rear – only if you mean the rear of the Lexus GS which borrowed from the Sonata.
You’re not too in touch with reality eh? You’re right, Hyundai is superior and the originator of all design and technology ideas. They’re the best, made the best, look the best, and drive the best. All other cars can only hope to catch up, in all metrics. Good day.
Actually I see several 1990s Hyundais around including an Excel, still running.
“Fluidic 2.0” is their last design name (Fluidic Sculpture) version 2.0, correct?
John
KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!