Anybody
who doubts that Hyundai is
gunning for the number one in the world has rocks in their head. Big heavy
ones. Korean companies do not settle for anything less than number one. The
second-generation Genesis
(our first taste here in the Antipodes as the gen-one had its steering wheel on
the wrong side) is proof.
What's
different about Hyundai's
unstoppable rise is the way they're going about it. They've always done their
own thing in Korea, reinventing themselves time and again when they strayed off
the beaten path.
The Genesis is a gamble for a
Korean company in foreign markets whose default setting for luxury is marked,
Britain or Germany. If Hyundai
gets the Genesis wrong there will be howls of derision, or at best patronising
pats on the back - "Nice try, you'll get there one day". But if they
get it right...
VALUE
The
only way to describe the Genesis' pricing is aggressive - kicking off at
$60,000, it's the most expensive Hyundai money can buy, but
with a spec list like this, you won't feel at all short-changed.
Your
sixty large buys you a huge cabin with a seventeen speaker stereo, auto
headlights and wipers, LED ambient lighting inside and out, dual-zone climate
control, keyless entry and start, powered front seats which are heated and
cooled, satnav, front and rear parking sensors, and plenty of other bits and
pieces.
Our car
had the $22,000 Ultimate package, adding 19-inch alloys, blind spot sensor,
front and side cameras, around-view display, real leather, more adjustments for
the driver's seat, ventilated seats in the front, heated rear seats, panoramic
glass sunroof, acoustic glass, heads-up display, powered bootlid and LED
foglamps.
You can
have a lot of the more useful features in the $11,000 Sensory Pack. It's a good
middle ground that, for example, features the excellent heads-up display.
DESIGN
The Genesis is like no other Hyundai. For a start, it's
gigantic - it looks easily as big as a BMW 7 Series (it isn't) with the road
presence to match. There's a lot of BMW from most directions, but with a
sharper approach to the creasing and character of the sheet metal.
Towards
the rear it's more BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe and is all the better for it. The
style is understated and technocratic.
The big
wheels from the Ultimate pack help make it look lower and sleeker, too.
Inside
is also very Germanic, but with a bit more of a Lexus feel. Our car had the
lighter leather which meant that the wood and the metal materials didn't
necessarily work well together.
The
interior is expertly put together and feels like it will last forever.
The
only jarring moment is the gear selector is shared with our long-term Hyundai i30 - it looked a bit
cheap in what is otherwise a beautifully executed cabin - it needs more heft.
On
Australian-delivered cars there is just one Hyundai badge, sitting
proudly on the boot - you get the feeling this was debated long and hard and
when the decision was made to go for it, a big one was chosen.
However,
the winged Genesis branding takes pride of place everywhere else. When you
approach the car at night and the puddle lamps come on, the Genesis logo is
projected on to the ground, crisp and clear.
SAFETY
Nine
airbags, traction and stability control, lane departure warning, forward
collision control, ABS, brake force assist and distribution and traction and
stability control bring the ANCAP count to five stars.
The
Sensory and Ultimate packs add blind spot sensors and around view cameras.
FEATURES
The
9.2-inch screen splits the asymmetric air-conditioning vents. The software is
unique to the Genesis and a huge leap forward over the rest of the Hyundai range -
classy, smooth graphics, a good responsive screen.
You
control the seventeen speaker stereo from here, which kicks out a rich sound
and an impressive Bluetooth performance - rear seat passengers can also run the
stereo from their armrest. The satnav is detailed and chatty, while the
excellent heads-up display shows a configurable information set in strong,
clear graphics.
ENGINE / TRANSMISSION
The
Genesis is powered by Hyundai's
own 3.8-litre V6 developing 232kW and 397Nm, mated to Hyundai's eight-speed
automatic transmission.
Despite
weighing just under two tonnes, the Genesis completes the dash to 100km/h in
6.5 seconds.
It has
a claimed 11.2L/100km on the combined cycle. In what must be a first, we got
below that, averaging 10.8L/100km over two weeks. And that's without stop-start
fuel-saving to blunt the effect of lot of city driving.
We'd
still like to try the V8 - only available in left-hand drive markets - though.
DRIVING
At five
metres long, with a ride firmly pitched in the luxury camp, the Genesis is not
going to tempt you into a track day, even with rear wheel drive.
Blindfold
your passengers and swap them between a Lexus, a BMW and a Genesis and the
overwhelming impression they'll get is one of incredible smoothness.
Sitting
in the back of the Genesis, it's easily as good as the German and luxury
Japanese competition. The seats are hugely comfortable, there's ample head, leg
and shoulder room and it feels lot nicer than anything within a bull's roar of
its price.
No
matter where you sit, it's an incredibly quiet car. The engine is distant
whoosh, the tyre noise muted and there's almost no wind or ambient noise. It's
supremely comfortable and the excellent stereo will wash away what little noise
does invade.
It
certainly feels its weight from the driver's seat, with a competent, soft
turn-in, but if you're wanting sudden movements, this isn't the car for you.
On fast
flowing roads you can have some fun, but things will get floaty and that will
quickly kill that fun. The ride and isolation from the rest of the world is
completely worth it.
VERDICT
The
Genesis is not quite a match for cars twice its price but it makes you think
what's possible. It doesn't have the dynamic brilliance of a BMW or the
self-assured faultless execution of a Mercedes. Lexus ought to be worried,
though - why would you have an LS when you could have this? The only answer is
'badge'.
The
Genesis is an epoch-making car for the Korean manufacturer. As the company has
got better, there are fewer excuses for overlooking it. While the Genesis is
pitched into a shrinking market, it's not really meant for the average i30
buyer to buy, but to see.
It's
bristling with tech and is not only a halo car but a shot across the bows of
both Lexus and the Germans. Attached to that shot is a note: "We're coming
for you." In other words, Hyundai got
it right.
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