Hyundai has been working diligently
these past few years to alter their image. They entered the American market as
an economy brand but through their new models and redesigns, they are working
to blend economy, performance, and luxury.
The
2015 Hyundai Genesis is
the flagship of this movement; it packs the luxury and performance of better
known luxury brands with a price tag more accessible to mainstream America.
While
many features come standard, this car is anything but standard.
Hyundai
allows its customers to choose between all-wheel and rear-wheel drive-trains to
better serve the Genesis’ performance.
Inside
the cabin there are many options ranging from safety and performance as well as
comfort and convenience.
What’s New
Hyundai
gave the Genesis
a complete overhaul inside and out. It
has the look of a car that will be as fun to drive as it is to be seen in.
The
first thing we noticed was the aggressive styling of the exterior. The extended
wheelbase combined with the cabin being edged towards the back gives the
impression of a longer car.
With
the much improved exterior styling, Hyundai had quite the job of
maintaining the momentum on the inside. The Genesis matches its
performance/luxury exterior with many innovative and in demand features on the
interior.
Hyundai
offers available adaptive suspension, eight-speed automatic transmission, laser
guided cruise control and lane keep assist just to name some of the biggest
tech features.
The
2015 Hyundai Genesis
has earned its place among the more traditional luxury, performance
competitors.
Interior Features & Options
No
matter how great the exterior of a vehicle is, we still spend the vast majority
of our time inside the cabin. With that being said, the interior of any vehicle
must meet the needs of the driver. This is especially true in the luxury market
as the interior has a way of separating the champions.
The
Hyundai Genesis makes a bold push into the luxury market with many features
that you would expect from the traditional powerhouses.
What
really sets the Genesis apart here is the $38,000 starting price. It is much
easier to stay under budget while getting all of the features you want in this
vehicle than a 5-series BMW or an E-Class Mercedes; two popular luxury brands
upon which Hyundai has targeted.
Our
press car came equipped with the Signature, Tech, and Ultimate packages.
Even
with all of these packages, the price tag stays under $60,000 and gives you
every bit of luxury one could want. As we said before: Hyundai has done a
wonderful job of blending safety, performance and luxury – this was obvious
when we looked at the options in these packages.
For our
safety concerns, Hyundai included HID headlights, blind spot detection, lane
departure warning/assist, Haptic steering wheel, front and rear parking assist,
as well as a Heads Up Display, or HUD.
We are
fans of all these features, especially the Heads Up Display. However, we did find the lane departure
assist to be a bit overly aggressive, particularly around curves on the
expressway.
The
highlights for us with luxury were the panoramic sunroof, the leather appointed
seats with thigh extender, side bolster, and memory settings, power rear
sunshade and a power trunk lid.
A
fantastic, 17 speaker sound system was a nice treat too.
In the
luxury marketplace, it comes down to the little things and Hyundai did a wonderful job
with these finer points.
Engine & Fuel Mileage Specs
What’s
the point of having a nice car if it isn’t fun to drive?
Hyundai
offers us two athletic engines to choose from on the Genesis. The base engine
is a 3.8 liter V6 producing 311 hp @6000 rpm and 293 lb-ft of torque @5000 rpm.
Its fuel economy is rated at 16 mpg city and 25 mpg highway.
Those
are pretty good statistics for a luxury car and it manages to hustle to 60 in
7.2 seconds.
For
those of you that feel like you just need a bit more muscle under the hood,
Hyundai offers the powerful 5.0 liter V8 producing 420 hp @6000 rpm and 383
lb-ft of torque @5000 rpm. Its fuel economy is rated at 15 mpg city and 23 mpg
highway.
Over
the course of our time with the 5.0, our fuel economy came out to be 14 mpg
city 26 mpg hwy.
The 5.0
adds an additional 250 lbs. for a total weight of 4,541 pounds for the Genesis. The added weight and lower fuel economy
didn’t really matter to us as we were rocketing off the line.
The
0-60 time on this vehicle is an impressive 5.8 seconds.
Driving Dynamics
We’ve
told you how much we enjoyed both of the engine options while accelerating off
the line but how does the Genesis
handle the rest of the trip?
The
Genesis is a heavy car and this shows up, not with the acceleration, but in the
corners. It handles the weight well, with the it being distributed in a way
that helps performance, yet you certainly feel it. The steering can feel a bit
dull as a result – but it is more than adequate for this type of car.
Regardless
of the engine you choose, the Hyundai
Genesis comes with an 8 speed transmission and a very good one at that.
We
found it to be one of the best we have ever driven. It’s quick, crisp shifts really make driving
it that much better.
Unlike
other 8 speed transmissions, it doesn’t hunt for 7th and 8th gear; when you
need to put the power down, it shifts quickly, even at redline. With all the power the 5.0 offers, the 8
speed handles it with ease.
Combine
all of this with the adaptive cruise control and you can soak up those long
miles on road trips with ease.
Conclusion
Hyundai did something special
with the redesigned 2015 Genesis.
They wanted to run with the big dogs of the luxury world and they built a car
that could join the pack. Building a luxury car is more than leather seats;
it’s about style, personality and even a little swagger.
With
the Hyundai Genesis, it’s
about the craftsmanship on the interior and the attention to detail. Hyundai
added features you are only accustomed to finding in the traditional,
powerhouse sedans. Aesthetically, it is difficult to find a fault on this
vehicle.
That’s
not to say there isn’t room for improvement.
We
would like to see them lower the weight, offer the 5.0 with AWD and we’ve
mentioned the lane guidance can use some fine tuning. However, these aren’t the
things that are going to hold back the Genesis.
What
will probably prevent people from buying the Genesis is that it is a Hyundai. You can see that Hyundai is trying to
mitigate that by removing the typical slanted H logo and developing a crest
unique to the Genesis.
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