MotoramicDriving the 2015 Hyundai Genesis further up the luxury ladder
When Hyundai first launched its Genesis mid-sized luxury sedan back in 2008, it came with a sticker price of $32,000. That placed it in direct competition with cars like the Nissan Maxima, Chrysler 300 and Toyota Avalon — hefty, soft-riding cars in desperate need of a fresh entry. Despite dated tech that looked like something out of the original Robocop, the world’s most unwieldy dashboard, and inconsistent performance, the Genesis did pretty well for a new model, selling up to 20,000 units a year. The company showed skeptics that it could make something other than competent econoboxes.
For 2015, Hyundai has relaunched the Genesis, no longer aiming for the middle of the road. It now intends play the luxury game with the BMW 5-Series, the Mercedes E-Class, the Lexus GS and the Audi A6. There’s a whole new suite of technologies, wood accents, soft-touch leather, a tighter chassis, and a pared-down dashboard that looks less like some cheesy vision of the future. It starts at $38,950, but once you add options packages, suddenly you’re $10,000 over that. While that price substantially undercuts the competition, the Genesis’ ultimate success rides on one important question: Who’s going to spend $50,000 on a Hyundai?
2015 Hyundai Genesis
Engine: 3.8L V-6; 5L V-8
Power: 311 hp V-6; 420 hp V-8
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Drivetrain: Rear-wheel drive; AWD optional
MPG: 18/29 V-6; 15/23 V-8
Base Price: $38,950
As Tested: $51,500 (V-8)
Like every other automaker, Hyundai claims that its target customer for the Genesis is between 38 and 55 years old, a middle or upper-middle level manager who makes $75,000 a year. The more likely driver is 65 years old or older, and the Genesis is the automotive equivalent of a gold watch, a pension plan on wheels. This new ride isn’t going to change that substantially.
We drove the new Genesis last week in the desert east of Scottsdale, Ariz., where people and cars go to retire. First up was the 3.8-liter V-6, which gets just a hair above 300 hp and seems to be the natural engine for the car. Hyundai consulted with Lotus Engineering for the body redesign, and while they won’t say exactly what Lotus contributed, they will say that the chassis is 40 percent stiffer than the outgoing model. That seemed about right; it hugged the road nicely through modest curves. Though the speedometer never got above 90, and was there only for a second because of Arizona’s notoriously low speed limits, acceleration didn’t seem to be a problem. It was obviously a well-built machine.
But the best thing about the new Genesis is that you don’t have to drive it much, especially on long hauls. Hyundai has included (at a price, in a series of upgrade packages), an impressive array of self-driving technologies, including rear collision warning, a fantastically intuitive adaptive cruise control system and blind spot detection. The Lane Keep Assist, on an “aggressive” setting, will actually keep the Genesis painting within the lines. The car has an excellent rack-mounted power steering system, which definitely helps.
For a good half-hour, I had all the technologies active at once, setting the cruise control at 70 and letting it go, no foot on the brake and no foot on the gas. I could have clipped my toenails if I’d wanted, but I didn’t, much to my co-driver’s relief. The Genesis lolled in light traffic, accelerating or decelerating slightly as needed, staying between the lines, not veering more than half an inch. At one point, I even took my hands off the wheel. And left them off. It was a dream. All driving should be so stress-free. I folded my hands behind my head. A warning signal flashed on the windshield in front of me. PUT YOUR HANDS ON THE STEERING WHEEL, it blared, like a naggy co-pilot.
The only equivalent self-driving tech I’ve encountered thus far is in the Mercedes S-Class, a far fancier machine than the Genesis. This car points the way toward a glorious self-driving future. But it’s not there yet. The drive performance when you actually have to operate the vehicle yourself is maybe just one tick to the right of ordinary, and in the 420 hp V-8 engine variant, maybe just one tick to the left. Eight cylinders are more than this car needs, and really more than it can handle, making for a heavy and lugubrious ride.
In terms of design, this new Genesis, using Hyundai’s hilariously named Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 design system, is both more fluid and more sculptured than the old version, even if the front of the car looks a little too much like an Audi. The interior is streamlined and comfortable, especially if you pony up for the front-seat package that has adjustable lumbar support. There’s a terrific stereo system and a nifty feature where the trunk automatically opens if you come within a few feet of it, assuming you’re holding the key. The integrated tech and apps, all the “connected car” stuff, are industry standard but nothing special.
And the gas mileage disappoints, with 22 mpg combined (on regular gas) in the V-6 and 18 mpg for the V-8, well behind some competitors' turbocharged four-cylinders and a monument to faux-luxury waste in an era that desperately needs something else. If any car ever cried out for a hybrid drivetrain, it’s this one, but Hyundai has no plans in that direction.
Fuel economy aside, the new Genesis is a really nice showcase for Hyundai’s engineering prowess. This car has a lot of innovative features and Hyundai might be better off emphasizing those and not trying beat Lexus, Mercedes, Audi, and BMW at the luxury game those manufacturers play best. There’s nothing glamorous about saying, “this car will more or less drive itself to the high-end gerontologist,” but that’s what most of the new Genesii will be doing. Just remember to keep your hands on the wheel.
Disclosure: The manufacturer provided transportation, lodging and meals for this review.
