CTC Review: 2009 Hyundai Genesis Sedan

[EV Dan]

I just saw 2 Gs in a row. One was beige and dirty with a fairly young driver inside (must be his grandpa's ) and the other one was speeding through a red light in front of my left turn. As stupid as the driver could be, risking to get such wheels in an accident, the car was just gorgeous. Shiny polished black, my first impression was it's a luxury tank. It was low, wide, and didn't seem to care for holes and bumps of the road, gliding over them like if it were on an autobahn. If it wasn't for the front grille, I wouldn't even recognize it. I'd say it had all the presence of the 7 series with unfortunately 3's "look I drive a bimmer" attitude of the driver.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

For what it's worth I went down Westney Road in Ajax this week and noted the big Hyundai dealership while beside it was the MB dealership that has shut down and is for lease.

One could conclude then that MB's don't sell in Durham while Hyundai's do.

The Benz dealer moved to a new facility with more space (they'd have to with BMW Durham) in Whitby just north of Whitby-Oshawa Honda on Thickson.

I think the Genesis Coupe will get more attention from enthusiasts and public recognition, but will be a somewhat harder sell. For the Sedan there's tonnes of value. It is a cut-priced 5-Series IMO... nothing else quite like it in the market for the price. Plenty of reasons to pick it versus competitors. But for the Coupe there's less regard to the luxury content and space equation, and if priced similarly to the sedan you're nearly right on top of the Infiniti G Coupe which also has a similar appearance. Badge will play more of a factor. So again I question calling the coupe a Genesis at all, since they're very different animals and believe the Coupe will have to sticker for less. Will be interesting.

[speed12sil]

did you know in your forum profile you can swap latest to top instead of the bottom. The blog is that way to make it obvious there is something new. It is also a blog which usually does have latest first.
 

Thanks! Didn't know I could do that.

[kha]

This car looks great.  Too bad I'm not in the market for a full-size luxury car.  All we need now is a 3-series-sized rwd sedan available with a manual tranny and the suspension tuned like European Hyundais of today, starting at about 25k with a turbo 4.  I'd be all over that.

[Mitlov]

This car looks great.  Too bad I'm not in the market for a full-size luxury car.  All we need now is a 3-series-sized rwd sedan available with a manual tranny and the suspension tuned like European Hyundais of today, starting at about 25k with a turbo 4.  I'd be all over that.

What you're asking for is a four-door version of the Genesis coupe 2.0T.  I want that too.

It's really remarkable to me that Hyundai has used the same name for the Genesis coupe and Genesis sedan.  They may share a platform and a V6, but they're very very different cars.

[Alex_S]

Many thanks to James Bergeron for a very insightful and thoughtful assessment of the Genesis sedan.  This is a well written piece and I think you have me sold on it..

[Shnak]

Add an AWD option for 3-4k and this would be an exceptional vehicle... As a RWD, I have no interest whatsoever.

In the land of snow, ice and unplowed roads, I strongly believe that RWD vehicles are a terrible idea for year-round use.

[inco]

Not going to argue with you about that Shnak - makes perfect sense. Last week I was at a light that turned green for me but I had to wait for a 300C that was having a very hard time getting over some accumulated snow at the intersection - yes it had just snowed. He was a spinner.

[sailor723]

RWD cars only make sense in Canada if you put them away for the winter (or at least don't really need to go if the roads are slippery).

[Shnak]

Not going to argue with you about that Shnak - makes perfect sense. Last week I was at a light that turned green for me but I had to wait for a 300C that was having a very hard time getting over some accumulated snow at the intersection - yes it had just snowed. He was a spinner.

And you can have the best winter tires out there, and the best traction and stability control systems that exist, there's no way to get around the fact that you'll either lose control of the rear of the car, or you won't be going very fast. That's especially true when making a turn at a light or stop sign.

Genesis w/ AWD would be close to my ideal sedan. Plenty of space, decent fuel economy (11.5L/100km in the middle of winter for such a big vehicle is incredible, IMO), all the luxury you need and Hyundai's ever improving quality and reliability... I'd be first in line for a lightly used one...

[wing]

Well that's interesting check out the results for our ICE racing series this weekend.

http://www.gtfab.com/mco/SnS/2009_SnowX_e2.pdf

Seems like the RWD cars had very little issues!

[Spec5]

Nice way to end the review - touches on all the "sensitive" points made in this blog and in IMO is spot on with the conclusions drawn.

Good discussion everyone!

[Shnak]

Well that's interesting check out the results for our ICE racing series this weekend.

http://www.gtfab.com/mco/SnS/2009_SnowX_e2.pdf

Seems like the RWD cars had very little issues!

Well sure, it's fun to drift around on ice, but you can't really do that on roads where there is traffic and people walking around. And besides, what kind of tires to these cars have for ice racing? Certainly not the normal winter tire that people drive on streets...

[wing]

Same tires man, nothing special going on here at all.  You should come out and be amazed.  I'm not saying "drifting around" that is slow.  They are driving properly.  A lot of the RWD guys were faster than the FWD guys.

I could take that Genesis and run circles around 90% of the drivers on the street.  RWD argument is moot if you learn how to drive it.  Generations of people drove RWD on crud tires before FWD became the norm.  The "FWD" is better in snow argument is bogus IMO, it was a packaging cost savings reason, manufacturers weren't making FWD cars to cater to the small canadian market, they made them to save $$$$$.

I had no issues driving the Genesis on our non-plowed streets all week.  Same with my truck it's RWD I only put it in 4x4 mode when truly required for pulling stucks cars out etc, as it is not a full-time system.

[ovr50]

RWD cars only make sense in Canada if you put them away for the winter (or at least don't really need to go if the roads are slippery).

I think that is a bit too cautious, I have driven many RWD cars all winter, with proper SNOW TIRES of course. I have no problem w RWD and snows. If the roads are so slippery that a RWD car won't go, then neither will a FWD car. Sheer ice is bad even for AWD.

[Shnak]

Look, a good driver is a good driver... but 95% of drivers out there aren't good drivers, and I'm most likely in that group myself.

And besides, weren't you the one saying that the G8 was pratically undrivable in snowy roads not that long ago?

My inlaws' M-B is terrible in the snow, and they've already told me that it's the last time they buy a RWD. After driving it for about a month myself, I certainly can see what they're talking about. It has all the systems you can think about, but when the wheels start spinning the minute you start touching the accelerator even an inch, good driver or bad driver, it doesn't make much difference. For stop-and-go traffic, RWD isn't ideal on snowy roads.

If RWD was that great, why would all of these premium brands offer AWD variants on almost all their vehicles? Because people who buy these couldn't care less about how a RWD handles on a track, they just want to be able to move when there's an inch of snow on the roads. And I think that Hyundai would follow suit and offer AWD as an option.

[wing]

The G8 was undrive-able most probably by most drivers.  I on the other hand was having a blast

But not all RWD cars are equal, the Genesis was great by contrast to the G8, night and day.  What snow tires are on  your merc?  Blizzaks FTW and tires tires tires tires IMO, drive-wheels be damned running good winters are key.

I drove the Cayman 2 years ago during a snowfall of 40cm or more, the roads were a mess I had no issues, smooth is fast.  I think everyone should take some winter driving lessons and maybe everyone could get to work safer and on time.

[Shnak]

The G8 was undrive-able most probably by most drivers.  I on the other hand was having a blast

But not all RWD cars are equal, the Genesis was great by contrast to the G8, night and day.  What snow tires are on  your merc?  Blizzaks FTW and tires tires tires tires IMO, drive-wheels be damned running good winters are key.

I drove the Cayman 2 years ago during a snowfall of 40cm or more, the roads were a mess I had no issues, smooth is fast.  I think everyone should take some winter driving lessons and maybe everyone could get to work safer and on time.

I'm not even sure what kind of tires the Mercedes had, but I know they were purchased at a Costco. I would guess they're Michelins, but I'm not sure.

Oh, and they're brand new. They were purchased just before this winter.

[random006]

The G8 was undrive-able most probably by most drivers.  I on the other hand was having a blast

But not all RWD cars are equal, the Genesis was great by contrast to the G8, night and day.  What snow tires are on  your merc?  Blizzaks FTW and tires tires tires tires IMO, drive-wheels be damned running good winters are key.

I drove the Cayman 2 years ago during a snowfall of 40cm or more, the roads were a mess I had no issues, smooth is fast.  I think everyone should take some winter driving lessons and maybe everyone could get to work safer and on time.

I'm not even sure what kind of tires the Mercedes had, but I know they were purchased at a Costco. I would guess they're Michelins, but I'm not sure.

Oh, and they're brand new. They were purchased just before this winter.

That's all fine and dandy but were they proper snow tires?  Your profile on CTC states that you live in Quebec but we can't assume that for your in-laws.  If they live across the river in Ottawa, they could legally stick with all seasons.

[Shnak]

The G8 was undrive-able most probably by most drivers.  I on the other hand was having a blast

But not all RWD cars are equal, the Genesis was great by contrast to the G8, night and day.  What snow tires are on  your merc?  Blizzaks FTW and tires tires tires tires IMO, drive-wheels be damned running good winters are key.

I drove the Cayman 2 years ago during a snowfall of 40cm or more, the roads were a mess I had no issues, smooth is fast.  I think everyone should take some winter driving lessons and maybe everyone could get to work safer and on time.

I'm not even sure what kind of tires the Mercedes had, but I know they were purchased at a Costco. I would guess they're Michelins, but I'm not sure.

Oh, and they're brand new. They were purchased just before this winter.

That's all fine and dandy but were they proper snow tires?  Your profile on CTC states that you live in Quebec but we can't assume that for your in-laws.  If they live across the river in Ottawa, they could legally stick with all seasons.

No no they're in quebec, and they have proper winter tires. Don't worry, they've had the car for 4 or 5 winters now, and they know how important it is for them to have great winter tires on that car... but still, it's a pain to drive around the minute the roads are covered in snow.

Anyways, no one will convince me that RWD vehicles are good in the winter. They might be fun, and they might be driveable, but they're certainly not good. And to get back on topic, I think Hyundai made a huge mistake by not offering AWD as an option on the Genesis. It'll probably come, but until then, I'm sure many will just look elsewhere.