by "sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
Published 06/28/2017 at 19:37
by "sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
Published 06/28/2017 at 19:37
No Tags
STARS: 3
Four months ago, my dad decided he had finally had enough of German cars and their exorbitant repair bills. Coincidentally, right after picking his X3 up from another costly repair, he passed a shop that was selling a 2011 Hyundai Genesis 4.6 V8 with 60,000 miles on the clock for around $13,000, the reason being that the shop had just got done fixing the Hyundai up after a hail storm wrote it off. My dad test drove the car, had it inspected by a trusted 3rd party, and bought it the next day. It’s in great shape and mechanically flawless. At the time, I said I wasn’t sure how I felt about this new arrival in our garage . Well, now I’ve had the chance to drive the car plenty, and I’ve come to a conclusion. I do not like it at all.
Before I explain why, let me explain what I’m not saying. I’m not saying the Genesis is a bad car. I’m not saying it was a bad deal or that it was a bad choice for my dad to buy it. And none of what I’m saying necessarily applies to the newer Genesis, which I have yet to drive. Now on to what I am saying...
My main problem with this car is that it would seem that the engineers at Hyundai wanted to build a German-esque or Lexus-esque midsized luxury sedan, but rather than spending any time in a GS or 5-Series, they simply looked at pictures and spec sheets for those cars and then built a car that looks vaguely reminiscent of all of them, and has all of the performance and features on paper, but lacks any of the touches that have made Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus such standouts in the mainstream luxury car market.
I’m not lacking for examples here. We’ll start outside. The Genesis is certainly not an ugly car. Especially in black, it does posses some of those imposing, sinister qualities that a black luxury sedan should. A prominent grill, wide rear haunches, good proportions, and a low, wide stance are all present. And of course, with the Hyundai badges gone, nobody can tell what it is. But that’s also the problem: the Genesis looks like the generic de-badged CGI luxury car you’d see in some ad. It has no identity. The new one remedies this, but as for ours, it looks like an anonymous blend of third-generation Lexus GS, Mercedes E-Class, and 8th-generation Honda Accord.
The lack of zest continues to the interior. It’s not ugly or anything, but it is so eye-wateringly bland and devoid of style or appeal that you can’t possibly look forward to being inside it the way you might an Audi or Jaguar. I’ll try to unload my laundry list of complaints with the interior. The rim of the steering wheel is far too thick while also being rubbery and slippery. The chrome rings on each spoke of the wheel look awful. The wood on the top really ought to be on the bottom as well, rather than just a large seam. There is no wood on the dash, and that silver plastic that is meant to look like brushed aluminum, while not cheap-feeling, is ugly in such vast quantities. The entire center, from the nav screen down to the nav controls down between the seats, looks bulbous and swollen. The wood, like the metal-plastic, doesn’t feel awfully cheap, but it’s so dark that you can’t tell it from the grey material that covers the dash. Seriously, in all but bright and direct sunlight, you’d struggle to spot any of the wood veneer in this car. The shifter borrows that goofy zig-zag pattern that Mercedes was using back in the 90's, and has a weird feel to it. The knob for the infotainment screen is enormous. Bottom line, this car does not have an attractive interior.
Then we start getting to the really annoying stuff. There are two major aspects to a luxury car: comfort and equipment. On neither front is the Genesis a total failure, but it still falls short. From a comfort standpoint, the Genesis has a bouncy, unsettled, and choppy ride, particularly for back seat passengers at medium speeds (35-60mph). This would be one thing if the Genesis were a particularly sporty sedan, but the chassis and steering are in no way conducive to spirited driving. This car has the numbness of a land yacht, but the bouncy ride of something much racier. The seats are very soft and wide and would be comfortable, but even with full power adjustments in every direction and a power tilt & telescope wheel, I cannot find a driving position I’m comfortable with. I’m 5'6" with broad shoulders. The belt line is far too high for me to put my elbow or arm on, and the armrests are too low. They’re also too widely spaced, so I can’t really rest my arms anywhere. I can’t find a comfortable driving position no matter what I do.
It’s the features, however, that irritate most of all. It would seem everything had been installed just so they can say the car has it in the brochure. The adaptive front lights in the X3 or my grandmother’s Cadillac turn a visible amount. The adaptive lights in the Genesis barely move. The backup camera on the Hyundai is aimed almost straight down, which really isn’t helpful at all. The driver’s seat has full power adjustments and cooling as well as heat. The front passenger seat has no ability to move up and down or tilt, and loses the cooling feature. The car has Bluetooth phone, but you can’t stream audio with it. The adaptive cruise control cannot be set to anything closer than “one semi-truck length away” and jams on the brakes far harder and more aggressively than it needs to*. The Genesis somehow manages to be slower and no more efficient than a Chrysler 300 with a 1.1 liter larger engine and less horsepower. And that digital clock screen below the infotainment system is straight out of an early-00s Accent.
The Genesis is not bad for Hyundai’s first true attempt at a luxury car for the American market. Still, it feels in every aspect like the engineers didn’t actually bother to sit in or drive any of the cars it was supposed to steal customers away from. Sure, it was $15,000 cheaper than its Japanese and German competitors, but you can tell exactly where they skimped. It wasn’t in the materials this time; it was in the designing. It simply does not drive or feel like anything even remotely German, or Japanese for that matter. For the value-conscious luxury car buyer, the Genesis made sense. They got a long spec sheet in a premium-looking car, with ample reliability and a huge warranty to boot. But any European luxury car aficionado who was expecting the no-compromises experience of an A6, E-Class, or 5-Series would not find it in the Hyundai Genesis. Not even remotely close
*This could be how all radar cruise systems are. The only other car I’ve in which I’ve tried the radar guided cruise control system is a Model S, which isn’t a fair comparison.
"Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies" (jordanwphillips)
06/28/2017 at 19:42, STARS: 3
The problem with Hyundai, is that it doesn’t know what they want their vehicles to be, making them suck. The Azera has tons of body roll, with the ride quality of a 3/4 ton truck. They couldn’t decide if they wanted a comfy car or a sporty car, so they just fucked it all up.
"LJ909" (lj909)
06/28/2017 at 19:52, STARS: 2
One of the problems I had with the first gen Genesis was what you mentioned: its generic styling. Also the fact that they neglected to put a badge on the front. I always saw this as on purpose because they wanted people to guess that its something other than it is. The Kia Amanti did the same thing.
Problems aside though, for what it was, and even now, it was hard pressed to pass up, especially if you take into consideration maintenance costs. It offered luxury, room and optional V8 power for thousands less than comparable cars. If you were one of those people (of which there were a few) to actually get past the badges, it was a hard value to pass up. The Equus is an even more incredible used value.
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
06/28/2017 at 19:54, STARS: 4
Discount luxury is a fleeting dream.
"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
06/28/2017 at 19:56, STARS: 0
The value is exceptional, which is why I’m not calling it a bad car. But if you really want German levels of performance, quality feel, and features, at least in 2011, you still had to pony up the extra cash for a German car.
I really want to drive a G80 5.0, it looks great and I think it will be much improved.
"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
06/28/2017 at 19:58, STARS: 0
Yup. On the one hand, Cadillac and Hyundai are starting to make genuinely competitive luxury cars. On the other hand, a Caddy now costs as much as a BMW and a Genesis, while still a little bit cheaper, is also still a little bit less car. You really do seem to get what you pay for.
"LJ909" (lj909)
06/28/2017 at 20:00, STARS: 0
Thats true. But I would get this over a comparable 5 Series any day, especially knowing what I know now.
I’ve driven this gen of Genesis with the 5.0. It was called the R Spec. It was pretty good for what it was. That Tau V8 pulls hard. Surprising that its Korean. Used they hold their value pretty good over the 4.6. Thats if you can find one.
"awmaster10" (awmaster10)
06/28/2017 at 20:01, STARS: 1
I think its much improved having just riden in an old and new one once. Nothing groundbreaking but they got the formula right this time. Now theyll probably jack up the price though...
"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
06/28/2017 at 20:02, STARS: 3
Yeah, I would’ve preferred one of the rare 2012s withe the 5.0 that weren’t R-Spec, but they were $10,000 more than this.
And I’m the opposite. I would never ever chose this car over something German. If I was really sick of the repair bills, I’d buy a GS350.
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
06/28/2017 at 20:03, STARS: 1
It depends I think. Like if you buy a new 70k E-class, are you really getting what you pay for? I think maybe not, but if you bought a 2 year old E class for 30k less, then totally.
"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
06/28/2017 at 20:04, STARS: 0
Fair enough.
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
06/28/2017 at 20:05, STARS: 1
But a 4 year old Hyundai... yeah. I’d say you’re definitely getting what you pay for.
(IN THE BAD WAY)
"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
06/28/2017 at 20:06, STARS: 1
Sure enough. It’s still a lot of car for $13,000, though.
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
06/28/2017 at 20:07, STARS: 0
Wow that’s way cheaper than I thought it would be.
"415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)" (415s30)
06/28/2017 at 20:09, STARS: 2
Yeah they seem bland, I can’t have something I have no enthusiasm for. I would go Lexus because reliable. I saw the new Lincoln today and I kind of like it.In person it’s pretty cool. You would have to get the dark blue one or everyone would try to get you to take them to the airport.
"Logansteno: Bought a VW?" (logansteno)
06/28/2017 at 20:10, STARS: 0
I don’t know if I could bring myself to buy one of these over a CTS of similar vintage, despite this having 2 more cylinders and probably being slightly larger. It seems like such a “me too!” car.
"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
06/28/2017 at 20:10, STARS: 0
Yup. It’s also in the beginning of that TL;DR post up there ;)
"Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies" (jordanwphillips)
06/28/2017 at 20:11, STARS: 0
We had a G80 3.8, and we came away from it liking the Azera more. It wasn’t worth the price premium. It was even slower than the Azera.
"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
06/28/2017 at 20:11, STARS: 1
Precisely this. I don’t care how good the value on this car is: I can’t love it so I’d never buy it.
"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
06/28/2017 at 20:12, STARS: 1
Yeah, I’d take a Caddy. Or a Volvo. Or an Infiniti. Or any other competitive car basically.
"Logansteno: Bought a VW?" (logansteno)
06/28/2017 at 20:16, STARS: 0
At least your dad has a high turnover rate for cars! What, a year or so until it’s gone?
"LongbowMkII" (longbowmkii)
06/28/2017 at 20:40, STARS: 0
You dont get much from a BMW.
"V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches" (jbv12)
06/28/2017 at 21:07, STARS: 1
W221 or bust...
"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
06/28/2017 at 21:20, STARS: 0
He says this one will be around longer. I give it another 18 months.
"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
06/28/2017 at 21:20, STARS: 0
He says this one will be around longer. I give it another 18 months.
"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
06/28/2017 at 21:21, STARS: 0
I’ve yet to drive a BMW I didn’t like.
"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
06/28/2017 at 21:21, STARS: 0
I’ve yet to drive a BMW I didn’t like.
"syaieya" (syaieya)
06/28/2017 at 21:43, STARS: 2
Hyundais and sister kias even being better than before always feel like a box checked 80% of the way. Enough for you to say yeah it iswhat its claiming but when taken as a whole youre still at 80%.
But theres a reason store brand barbecue sauce exists too. When all you gotta do is say that yes you have something that will check that box just enough.
"JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!" (jqj213)
06/28/2017 at 21:46, STARS: 2
You pretty much hit on all my complaints about grandma’s 09. It sounds great on paper. But it falls flat in so many places.
"LongbowMkII" (longbowmkii)
06/28/2017 at 21:53, STARS: 2
I’ve yet to drive one I have. At least one that makes up for the mediocre interiors and reliability concerns. Maybe it’d have to be a unicorn like ArchDuke’s.
"Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies" (jordanwphillips)
06/28/2017 at 22:01, STARS: 0
*Loaner
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
06/28/2017 at 23:16, STARS: 1
In your case, busted W221
"V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches" (jbv12)
06/28/2017 at 23:26, STARS: 0
Ahem, it’s a W220, please. And it hasn’t broken in like 5 months. It’s turning over a new leaf. Or something...
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
06/28/2017 at 23:38, STARS: 1
Calm before the storm
"fintail" (fintail)
06/29/2017 at 09:39, STARS: 1
I’ve read a lot of complains about suspension tuning on early Genesis. I have to believe newer ones are better. But I suppose that’s no guarantee.
Not a fan of black wheels either, but that’s subjective.
"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
06/29/2017 at 10:41, STARS: 0
Yeah they aren’t my favorite.
"BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo" (bluemazda2)
06/29/2017 at 16:04, STARS: 1
But do you like green eggs and ham?
"PS9" (PS9)
06/29/2017 at 21:12, STARS: 1
Brand new a 4.6L Genesis MSRP’d for about $35-40k. It was positioned against the BMW 550i, The Audi A6, The Merc E series (I forget if they still had the V8 or it got dropped here, but whatever), and all of those cars were about $15-20k north of the Genesis. Hyundai undercut them on purpose, and it is designed to look like a great deal on paper. It feels to you that the Genesis is just a discount equivalent BMW/Merc/Audi with lots of corners cut to meet a price point because...that’s what it is.
It’s exciting to sit in the lap of luxury in an Audi, but considerably less so when you turn the key and find out that world famous German temperament means you ain’t getting to work on time today. I’ll admit that the Genesis is not the car for someone who wants ‘soul’ or ‘passion’. But for a first crack at making an upscale car, it ain’t bad. I give it the benefit of the doubt.
"PS9" (PS9)
06/29/2017 at 21:56, STARS: 1
Now that’s some powerful wishful thinking right there.
"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
06/29/2017 at 23:21, STARS: 0
All of the reasons you just listed are exactly why I don’t think it’s a bad car. It’s a discount 5-Series and it knows that. I just personally don’t care for discount fanciness, hence why I don’t like it and prefer to spend my economy car budget on high-mileage, top-shelf luxury cars.