Cars.com Reviews the 2009 Hyundai Genesis

Known for small cars with low sticker prices, Hyundai has made a gamble on the all-new Genesis, which starts at more than $32,000 and will compete with cars like the Toyota Avalon, if not Mercedes-Benz's E-Class and BMW's 5 Series. After testing the vehicle, Cars.com reviewer Mike Hanley seems to think the Genesis is not only a winner, but that it will offer a tempting and affordable alternative in the luxury car segment. Hanley praises Hyundai for getting all the elements of the Genesis right, and for including many safety and convenience features standard. Read his full review for more.

2009 Hyundai Genesis Expert Review

Comments

[leslie]

I have one on order. i test drove a 09 maxima 08 avalon 08 300 09 mkz and a 08 tl and it was a better deal than the others. the 300 and mkz were close options cause of AWD but if i really wanted AWD i would have got a G 35x.

[Cj]

The Genesis doesn't compete with the TL or G35. Both of those are sport sedans, the Genesis is more of a luxury sedan. It should probably be compared with the Avalon and Lexus ES. Most luxury buyers, likely won't cross-shop it with ES so that leaves you with the Avalon and 300 (and challenger) as the best direct competitors. Personally, I think I'd rather be seen driving a Toyota than a Hyundai, and there's no competition when it comes to BMW or Mercedes. Of course the Genesis may be comparable to an E-class, ES, RL, 5 series, and M on paper, but for the same money, I'd rather drive in a C-class, IS, TL, or G. If the Genesis was cheaper, it may give the luxury marques a run for their money, but at $33,000, it's the same price as most of the entry level luxury products from those brands. Most would rather be in a Mercedes (even if it's the lowly C-class) than a Hyundai.

[Dave T.]

CJ,
Except at $33K you get the Genesis nicely equipped and the G35 and Acura TL are the only ones you list that come well equipped at around $35K.
And like you said this is bigger. It's RWD too.

It'll be interesting to see how Hyundai perception impacts sales or gas prices.

[Cj]

Most consumers won't know the difference between a RWD Genesis and a FWD Avalon. I personally don't think Hyundai should have invested in making the Genesis RWD. They should have probably used their FWD platform and made the Genesis AWD. Then the Genesis would have been much cheaper to build and cheaper for consumers. I almost forgot, the Mercury Sable and Taurus are also direct competitors for the Genesis, both of which are available with AWD, and so is the Buick Lucerne.

[Dave T.]

I agree on the RWD for sure. That's what happens when one thing takes off one year (300C RWD big sedan) and then a few years later, it's all about AWD and fuel economy. Luckily for Hyundai they'll sell these in Asia and Europe at a pretty good rate so if it doesn't do well here they'll have other markets.

I'm more interested in the new Kia's coming like the Soul and new Accent. They could be huge for that company.

[Derrick G]

"The Genesis doesn't compete with the TL or G35." Well, if buyers like Leslie are driving it when they're also shopping the TL and G35, it most certainly does. Not everyone shopping at "prestige" brands are looking for a badge. Some just want features or levels of refinement not generally available in lesser brands. And if you look at consumer reviews of vehicles like the Azera or Veracruz, many say they did indeed seriously shop Lexus or even BMW and in the end decided they weren't worth the difference in money, so unless these folks are all pathological liars, Hyundai is indeed making headway in the near-luxury and luxury segments.

[ken]

Im so tired of people comparing hyundai to luxury car makers " azera, avalon, maxima, genesis, sable or 300 " ARE NOT luxury cars and they cant be compared to a luxury plate. they have all the options but they have there original name plates "nissan chrysler hyundai toyota mercury" to keep them passanger cars. like it was said befor. if i wont a luxury car " tl, es350, mkz, a4, 93, c350, 3series, cts, or g35 'luxury cars'" i will buy one. but you cant walk around with your nose stuck up in that air driving a 33k hyundai or toyota.

[Cj]

The only ones raving about the Genesis and the RWD are enthusiast. I don't think consumers care. The Lexus ES, one of the top selling luxury sedans, is FWD. I don't think that RWD is going to be the determining factor for the Genesis with consumers. I agree that these are going to sell really well in Asia, but I'm not so sure about Europe. Lexus is doing dismal there compared to their performance in the US so I don't know if Hyundai going to do any better with the Genesis.

[Cj]

Derrick the same can be said for the Accord and Camry. Hyundai isn't doing anything special. A lot of people are downsizing now, and sometimes the difference in a car purchase is which one takes premium and which one takes regular gas. More and more people are moving from big cars and luxury vehicle into well equipped mainstream cars. Some people are thinking "Why get an ES that takes premium gas when I can get a V6 Camry?" I think this is a move we're seeing in the overall market.

[Mart]

Yeah, this will probably sell in Asia just fine but there is NO market for non-premium large sedans in Europe at all. The only makers still left in that market are Citroen and Peugeot, and neither of their cars sell to anyone except the French government.

The European market is absolutely DOMINATED by the german marques in the category. As was rightly mentioned above, even Lexus is a minority player there. If you can believe it, Europeans are even more badge concious than Americans. Lexus is seen as rather gauche and classless, and Hyundai is rated WAY lower in people's perceptions than they are here.

And remember, the german competition has a far larger range of engines available than just those 2 gas engines. to compete in the executive class there you need DIESELS.

However, it looks like a decent car. But like others have said i'd give up the space, the luxury, the performance and everything else for a basic BMW or Mercedes parked on my drive. A Hyundai (or Lexus, even) will never match the cachet of the german cars. but then i'm probably not the market for this car.

[Cj]

The only place where the Japanese automakers have been able to succeed in the luxury market is North America. Even though Lexus is not German, most Americans still associate it as an up market brand. Same with Acura and Infiniti. But Hyundai is not an up market brand. Consumers see Hyundai as a cheap relatively reliable small car brand
(emphasis on cheap). I don't know if Hyundai will be able to convince even American consumers that the Genesis is at Lexus and Acura (let alone Mercedes and BMW) levels. Even if the Genesis is extremely well built and is well equipped, it'll still be seen as an Avalon, Buick, Mercury, and 300 competitor. Hyundai is a mainstream brand, not a premium brand. I think that Honda and Toyota are more prestigous brands than Hyundai. I know I've said this before, but why would someone buy a Lexus wannabe for $33,000 when for the same price they could be in an actual Lexus.

[Mart]

I'm guessing they are looking for brand agnostic people with cash. However, I doubt that those are the people who will drive the brand onwards. However, i'm trusting that Hyundai's marketing people know more about this than we do. Maybe just seeing a few on the street makes people think they are suddenly acceptable.

I just dont know why anybody would buy this over a G8 though. Again, different strokes for different folks i guess...

BTW, is this even going on sale in Europe? I didnt think it was.

[Cj]

The G8 is a sports sedan. The Genesis is a cushy luxo boat type sedan. Think BMW 3 vs Buick Lucerne. The Genesis will likely capture buyers from other $30,000 fullsize sedans, but likely not many from true luxury brands. Another factor is that most luxury brands have awesome customer loyalty, something Hyundai doesn't have. Even if the customer doesn't go back to the luxury brand they likely will still go to the brands lesser equivalent. Like a faithful Acura buyer that needs a minivan will likely buy an Odyssey and not a Sedona or Sienna. Most people that need a roomy, luxurious, big sedan for under $35,000, will definitely give the Genesis a look, but they'll also look into the Lucerne, the Avalon, and the Sable. The Genesis doesn't even represent the value player of the full size sedan segment. It's overpriced at $33,000. Most of these start in the upper 20s and you can get some of them loaded for less than the price of the Genesis.

[Derrick G]

"I'm guessing they are looking for brand agnostic people with cash." Yes, that's exactly what they've said all along. No, hordes of M-B or BMW or even Lexus intenders won't suddenly flock to this car, but enough will that it'll have an impact. And yes, some of those sales will be to people nervous about the economy, but hey, those are the conditions Lexus got started in. If you take sales, you're a competitor, period.

As for Europe, well that depends on if you consider Russia part of Europe or not. It's not going on sale in the EU.

[Tony]

The review makes it clear that the Genesis is not a "cushy luxo boat type sedan". Hyundai intended for this to be a sports sedan. In the review, it is explained that the car is tuned very firm for handling over comfort. I think a Lucerne, Avalon, or Sable buyer will find the ride of the Genesis to be too hard.

[Mike Hanley]

Cj,

After driving the car, I have to disagree with your characterization of the Genesis as a "cushy luxo boat type sedan." It is indeed a large car but it offers sport sedan-quality handling thanks to firm suspension tuning and RWD dynamics. The tautness of the suspension might surprise people comparing it to some of the other cars mentioned.

I agree with those who would have liked to see an AWD model debut with the RWD one, but I could see that showing up in a year or two if Hyundai sees demand for it; it wouldn't be a difficult feature to add.

[kalya]

well i would rather spend that much money on this than an avalon(borin), 300(ugly), G8(please) g8 doesnt even have full power seats, and hell no i wouldnt pay 38 for the ugly mks...nor would i pay so much for a es...i mean after comparing it so much with a lot of vehicles i d buy this, and cj i dont care what people think of what i m driving and dont think many people even care...i wouldnt mind getting caught dead in this vehicle its better then being cauhgt dead in a avalon, for 37 i m gettin a fully loaded v6, the car is pretty big luxy...for many people this is a luxury.....and neither would i spend so much money for a tiny c,3,or is.

[Liz e. moilder]

Its a nice car but its just like the Avalon, Maxina, 300 and Amanti premium cars. They dont have a luxury name plate there for there not in the same class. You would buy a 200k mobile home and call it the same as a house so you cant call a 38k Genesis a luxury car cause its not. Now the ES 350 S 80 MKS would be luxury car in the 38k price range. Dont get me wrong Its a nice car but for almost 40k i wont a luxury name plate or at least a big suv.Its really had to see my self spending that much on a hyundai toyota or nissan when Lexus Infiniti Acura Lincoln Volvo have cars in the price range to. Unless 38k is all you can spend and you wont something fully loaded. You had better spend 2-4 more thousnd and get a fully loaded luxury car.

[Sarah Lee]

I would agree that the Genesis is going to raise the level of interest in all Hyundai products. It is the new Toyota. Check out my video review from a woman's perspective at youtube.com/carladysarahlee

[k]

People are missing the point of this car.
It is about getting as much bang for your buck.
And Genesis does precisely that. In Korea, the value of the car is actually 50k to 60K dollars.
Hyundai is only lowering the price tag to lure buyers and get brand recognition.
The 300,

[chuck]

Just test drove the Genesis and traded in my MB CLK. this is going to be my primary car. I have another car, a Porsche, for my weekends.

[Ken H]

As person who previously drove a Kia and has since switched to a BMW I can talk about both sides. My Kia was up until the BMW the best car I ever owned. It gave me features and performance far outside the money I spent for it. I have no doubt that the Hyundai Genesis is the near equal of a Lexus or Infinity as Hyundai as a company has the mindset required to make good cars with exceptional value. I also have no doubt that the Genesis is the superior of anything from the big 3. However there is more to a car than a list of features and specs on a sheet and this is where a BMW, MB and others excel. Until you have lived with one of these cars it is hard to define what makes them so great and most others just good. That is why comparisons to cars from BMW, MB and other similar manufacturers is absurd. Hyundai has not had the time in that market to compete but I would not bet against them in the long run. Also try not to get hung up on sports sedan vs luxury sedan monikers as almost all cars are a compromise between the two. If I were in the market for 30k to 40k car and I was interested in getting the most for my money I would not hesitate to give the Genesis a hard look.

[TOM]

Purchaced new Genesis 4.6 last week and have put 800+/- miles on it. This is an exceptional car with features, comfort, and ride that are as good or better than any luxury car out there. At 130 MPH the cabin is quite and ride is true and secure. Fit and finish are as good as I have seen and placement of controls are where you want them. I am amazed how well the total package comes togather. The engine is exciting, to put it lightly, it gives you a feeling of real power when behing the wheel. I have been in BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes and this car fully measures up if not exceeded my expections of any of the above mentioned. There isn't any American car that comes close to quality and preformce unfortunatly b/c I would love to buy from the good old USA but they are so far from this type of product. The price is the nail in the coffen, there is nothing that is even close when you add up the package. Buy on you won't regit it you'll be in heven. PS milage highway 25 city 17 (driving easy).