Hyundai Announces Genesis Sedan Pricing, Mileage

We were impressed with the Hyundai Genesis when we saw it on the auto show circuit, and the new sedan has generated a lot of interest from readers, too. Today, the company has announced pricing for both the 290-hp, 3.8-liter V-6 model and the 375-hp, 4.6-liter V-8.

To get into the Genesis, buyers will have to part with $32,250, plus a $750 destination charge. The V-8 will start at $37,250, plus $750 destination. Both go on sale this July.

Fuel economy won’t sound stellar, but remember this is a large sedan. The V-6 will get 18/27 mpg city/highway. As Hyundai points out, that’s better than lower-powered V-6 engines in smaller cars like the Ford Fusion. For comparison, the Honda Accord, which has a 268-hp engine, gets 19/29 mpg, and the Toyota Camry gets 19/28 mpg with its 268-hp V-6. By comparison, the Genesis, with its extra power and size, is looking good.

Relatively speaking, the V-8 does even better, with 17/25 mpg. That outdoes the V-8 engines in the Chrysler 300C (15/23 mpg), Cadillac STS (15/24 mpg) and Lexus GS 460 (17/24 mpg), while pumping out more power, too.

Keep reading for a list of standard equipment in both models and let us know if you think this is a lot of car for the money, or too much to pay for a Hyundai no matter the specs.

Comments

I would not buy a Hyundai period.

I would not pay that much for a Hyundai. Seriously.

Sounds like a nice car, with some genuine high tech luxury. I agree it being a Hyundai won't help it sell, but this car may not need much help. I'd at least look at it.

Genesis will evolve to Lexus territory; in performance and quality. Don't sell this company short.

This thing isn't even competitive in its own segment. It's WAY overpriced. The Pontiac G8 has 361 hp RWD for only $29,995 and the Dodge Charger has 335 hp RWD for $31,725. Considering that Hyundai's brand prestige is actually LOWER than Pontiac's is really going to make the Genesis a hard sell.

Nice try by Hyundai. But that car is way over priced. They are just a tad too late in bringing this car to market. Maybe 5 years ago. Not now...

I think it's priced competitively, but Hyandai hasn't proven itself as a luxury brand. So, it might have behooved Hyandai to price it relatively low to its competitors (G35 comes to mind).

I bet non-car gurus will love it. It's a fresh bold step from a company that's trying to redfine it's smeared quality image from the 80's.

The Accent, Elantra and Sonata have done well lately haven't they? Let's give the Genesis a shot.

I have been waiting for the Genesis. It looks phenomenal in all the material I have seen, and all other Hyundai models have improved tremendously in quality, fit and finish to suggest that this may be something significant.
Initially Hyundai announced that it would "start at under $30K". That was a raging bargain. Starting at $33K bumps it a level up and unless the Genesis has better resale value than other Hyundai models, it becomes a more expensive proposition.
On the other hand, if the quality is really there, it may turn the market upside down like the LS400 did in 1989.

Hmm. I am an avid Hyundai fan and was excited about the Genesis; at this price, not so much. Although I think Hyundai has improved their quality, if I am going to spend in excess of $35k for a car I would tend to want an "brand image" that doesn't scream bargain wheels. When Hyundai came out with the new Accent a few years ago it was at a much higher price and I expected big rebates but it seems to be doing well- so does the Sonata- so maybe this will fly? Maybe people that bought a Hyundai as basic transport and are now ready for a higher quality car (and liked their older Hyundai) will look...

Car buyers seem to buy the Azera and Veracruz which hit the 30k mark. I bet its the fear of a nameplate that no one is used to seeing as "luxury". They already had their sights set on the competition with the Azera and Veracruz and their test proved worthy. This is their flagship sedan and will determine whether they are entering a market not as forgiving. Its a outstanding first effort and you can see how serious Hyundai has become. Their lineup already has expanded so fast that they understand how to keep up. This is their first V8 and so far its great but not above the class. But I think if people get familiar with the mission here than Hyundai could might as well be the new Honda, which is a overly bold statement. Game on.

I bet if they drove this car over to the Lexus lot and threw a Lexus badge on it, buyers would rave about the quality, content, performance, and price. Just because it has a Hyundai badge on it, people think it's a pile of scrap. Hyundai is turning in some very good numbers where quality and reliability are concerned. Funny thing is that most people don't realize that when Hyundai was suffering from performance and reliability issues through the first years in the USA, the drivetrains were being supplied by Mitsubishi. Once Hyundai began designing and building their own engines and transmissions, the numbers increased rather dramatically. Don't base your opinions on automobiles that were rolled out 20 years ago ... go drive one or talk with some owners of new Hyundais and you will find that they are quite decent automobiles.

The new Genesis is a nice step up from the Azera which is also a great car. Then again, so are the new Sonatas, Elantras, Accents, Veracruzes, Entourage, and Santa Fe. The Tuscon is due for an update.

I'll take my SMALL BMW over this anyday. Hell, I'd be happier in a V6 full-zoot FWD Avalon over a Hyundai. Sorry, but when you break $35k people want some cachet with their cash.

Hyundai needed a new brand with this. And even then, I'm not sure it would help. Lexus and Infiniti began after Toyota and Honda had been selling quality, albeit small, cars in the U.S. for decades. Hyundai does not have that history.

Then again, people laughed when Lexus started, aimed at M-B and BMW. BUT, that was a new brand. I don't see "Hyundai" becoming a luxury brand. People want the badge.

WOW a triple post^^^ The Genesis is going to be a FLOP. At that price buyers would likely rather give up some hp for the Lexus ES, Mercedes C, Acura TL, or BMW 3. The Infiniti G actually BEATS the Genesis in price...AMAZING. The Genesis is WAY over priced most people looking for a value luxury will likely look elsewhere, like at the Chrysler 300 which can be souped up with a 425 hp 6.1L hemi. The Genesis is definitely nothing special, just a big bloated overpriced Sonata.

Probably a dandy car, as is the '06 Azera Limited I purchased. One glitch I hope is corrected with the 3.8 is the slight knock/rattle of the timing chain tensioner at start up or first few miles. Other than that, the Azera has proven to be a super car for the money, with quiet ride, and excellent performance. So far, nothing to fix/complain about except what's mentioned. If this new 'luxury' model is as good, it will do ok, but is a bit overpriced it seems. Was considering taking a look, but will keep the Azera, as the price difference is more than I anticpated, especially if interested in the V-8.

well you're technically getting the size of larger cars like the Lexus GS and Cadillac STS for ES and CTS prices. I think that's what Hyundai is banking on. I also think it all depends on how the thing drives and looks inside.

Sorry about the triple post ... I'm not sure why that happened.

I think the biggest problem will be trying to sell 3 mid/large cars like Buick used to do with Century/LeSabre/Park Avenue. The sales leader was always the LeSabre because it was the best value. I could see a spike in Azera sales. Also, Hyundai originally marketed Azera as a much cheaper alternative to the BMW 5-series and Lexus LS. Its better looking, too. I see Genesis eventually being a halo car.

Dave T. the ES is bigger than the GS, but thats not the point, my point is that at that price why would people buy a Lexus wannabe when for the same price they could actually get a Lexus.

I think the prices are not tht bad considering that a small bmw 3 series sedan cost as much with standard equipment,when i buy the hyundai genesis it be in 2012 it will be cpo 2-3 year old vehicle.

The Cadillac CTS starts at $34, and the direct injection engine isn't standard at that price.

The Genesis is like the STS (starts at $44) at CTS pricing.

fc - this isn't a competitor to the 3-series. I have a 3-series and would never consider the big boat to it.

It needs to be remembered that the sub $30K Genesis promised was to be a 3.3L version that now won’t be coming here. I question the logic of that, gas prices being what they are, but if the performance vs. mileage trade-off wasn’t right, I guess it might be the right thing to do.

As far as if people will pay that much, apparently some will as Hyundai has already pre-sold 700 of them. People love to talk about past Hyundais and also say that no one considering a Lexus will buy a Hyundai. But fact is that people who buy Hyundais do a lot of research and live in the present and can move past the past. They don’t really care what a huge POS the Excel was. They see what Hyundai is doing now and are impressed. They’ve researched what’s changed at the company and why. Also, many Lexus buyers aren’t looking for prestige. They’re looking for reliability and all the top gizmos and quiet and refinement and also importantly fuel economy. In the past, Lexus offered all that in spades, but now Toyota seems to be cutting corners; look at the current ES and Camry records for squeaks and rattles. Those cars will continue to squeak and rattle as they age, too. Also Hyundai is making huge gains in fuel economy. Those who’ve been paying attention realize that with the Internet around to get all the information out at warp speed, it won’t take much longer for resale values to rise for Hyundai. And possibly to drop for Toyota.

I agree with Gary R; people seem so set to attack everything from Hyundai because of the badge - if the Genesis Sedan had been released by Honda to be a competitor with the Avalon, people would rave about it (and probably praise it for not following the recent Honda design trend of, well, edgy-via-ugly.)

Read this from MotorTrend:
"We didn't want to make the Genesis's styling polarizing,' says John Krafcik, Hyundai's vice president of product development and strategic planning, 'so we were cautious, not going too wild with the design.' Hence, the Genesis wears sheetmetal poured from the automotive melting pot. Fortunately for Hyundai, the end product is neither offensive nor groundbreaking; rather, it's handsome in a deja vu kind of way.

. . . we gathered three of the vehicles Hyundai benchmarked-the Chrysler 300C from the Genesis's so-called 'competitive set,' and the Lexus GS 460 and Mercedes-Benz E550 from the 'image set' -- and then subjected each sedan to our usual slew of track tests, as well as extensive public road driving, all to determine whether the Genesis is simply a well-executed knockoff -- or a technical knockout." (MotorTrend, http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/112_0810_2009_hyundai_genesis_first_test/photo_04.html)

To all of you saying Hyundai overpriced the Genesis, Hyundai knew exactly where they were aiming. If you're cross-shopping the Challenger, Genesis, G35, and 550i, you don't really know what you want in your car.

Still, many people will hold tight to ignorant preconceptions. May I remind you all even Honda had its quality problems when it began producing for Americans in the 70s. People need to stop basing their views of Hyundai inferiority on the company's products from over 20 years ago!

IMO, Hyundai seriously needs to produce that performance edition of the Genesis sedan they've been parading at recent shows, revamp the Azera, take the Genesis Coupe, and start a separate Luxury brand so they can escape the shadow of their past in America.

I'm starting to think Hyundai can do nothing good in this country without people chanting, "But it's a Hyundai!"