Hyundai Genesis Part 3: Performance Review

The Hyundai Genesis sedan presents a tough challenge for journalists by breaking through traditional category barriers. If you compare it to cars within its price range, you're left with what looks like a lopsided playing field, with the Hyundai sporting a huge advantage in size and content. On the other hand, if you line it up against cars that it more naturally competes with in terms of dimensions and specs, you're left with an equally huge gap in pricing.

It's no coincidence that Hyundai has played up this fact in the TV commercials for its luxury sedan by pointing out that the Genesis is more spacious than some of its competitors' largest luxury sedans, while costing no more than their entry level offerings. Whatever you compare it to, there's no denying the Genesis sedan is an impressive car - especially for the money.

But where Hyundai might have overstepped is in its attempt to compete with all of the luxury players instead of focusing its efforts on one particular target. Hyundai refers to the Genesis as a sport sedan, but its character leans more toward luxury.

The suspension setup is evidence of Hyundai's indecision regarding the Genesis, with a Lexus-like floating ride quality that, while comfortable in slow, straight-line cruise mode, might have you reaching for the Dramamine if you try to play BMW on your favorite back road. So while Hyundai will tell you that the Genesis is a sports sedan through and through, the second you turn the steering wheel at speed, you'll likely find it feeling much more like a luxury sedan.

Not that that's a bad thing, mind you. In fact, the body control is slightly better than what the big Lexus offers, but far off what you get from BMW. The problem seems to be that the Genesis sedan is caught between the luxuriously minded ride quality of the Lexus and the superb body control of the BMW. Perhaps this is market positioning at work and not a problem at all, but the resulting sedan seems slightly confused - as if Hyundai wasn't sure exactly who to aim for in terms of the car's dynamics.

At the risk of completely contradicting myself, when you stand on it in a straight line, the Genesis 4.6 does in fact feel like a sports sedan, with the excellent V8 putting down a muted growl soundtrack and moving the big sedan with absolute authority. With a base price of just under $38,000, it's so good that only the super value conscious, wholesale warehouse club types will opt for the V6 instead of the V8.

But just as you begin to convince yourself that the Genesis may in fact be a sports sedan, more Lexus-like luxury car behavior rears its head...

The stability control system is like an overreacting and irritating back seat driver, intervening completely too soon. In fact, the only thing missing from the Lexus playbook in this regard is the stability control's constant chiming telling you to "cool it sport!"

To be fair, perhaps Hyundai's target all along was something between BMW dynamics and Lexus luxury. Either way, it's hard to fault the Hyundai Genesis. After all, let's not forget that this car is priced at a fraction of the cost of the cars it so naturally will be compared against. That is an impressive and relevant bit of information to remember. A barrier breaker in many ways, perhaps Hyundai's TV commercial sums it up best when it suggests that the Genesis sedan has kicked down the barriers to luxury.

Watch the video
Read Part 1: Design
Read Part 2: Interior & User Experience

Hyundai Genesis 4.6

Performance
- Acceleration: V8 pulls strongly and convincingly - feels like a sports sedan under acceleration
- Handling: Unresolved compromise is neither luxurious enough, nor performance oriented enough - trying too hard to do it all
- Braking: Perfectly acceptable brakes given the cars mission

Design
- Exterior: Derivative design won't win any awards, but it won't offend and put off potential buyers either
- Interior: More adventurous than the exterior and equally handsome and appropriate

Utility
- Comfort: Incredibly comfortable for all passengers - every convenience you could want
- Space: Extremely spacious, even considering its big footprint

Safety
- Dynamics: Body control isn't its strongest dynamic attribute, so a series of evasive maneuvers may prove a bit too much for the chassis...
- Technology: ... although the intrusive stability control system would probably see you through - all the tech you'd expect in more expensive competitors

Value
- Price: Tremendous value - in fact, "value" should be the Genesis sedan's middle name! Nothing comes close to offering this much luxury sedan for so little money.
- Mileage: Tall final drive means decent and completely acceptable highway mileage - the V8 is so good, you'll compromise mileage to feel its pull

Emotional Appeal
- Heart thumpin' factor: Only if your heart races when you think of all the cash left in your bank account
- Fun to spank: Come on... it's a luxury sedan.

SPECIFICATIONS

Layout: Front engine / Rear-wheel drive
Engine: 4.6 liter, V8
Power (SAE): 375 hp @ 6500 rpm
Torque: 333 lb-ft @ 3500 rpm
Gearbox: 6-speed automatic
Curb Weight: 4060 lbs.
0-60 mph: 6.0 sec.
1/4 mile: 14.5 @ 100 mph
Top Speed: 153 mph (electronically limited)
Mileage: 17 city / 25 highway
Base Price: $37,250
Competitors: Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5-Series, Lexus GS & ES models