Overview:
This week we’re looking at the 2013 Hyundai Genesis which is my second favorite of the Hyundai line right after the Equus as far as luxury goes. It surely is a contender to unseat the European giants like Mercedes Benz, BMW and Audi, and the Japanese Lexus.
General Information:
Parts from the US / Canada 1%; Korea 78%. It is assembled in Ulsan, Korea, Classification is Large cars.Cars from Hyundai: Accent, Azera, Elantra, Elantra Touring, Equus, Genesis, Genesis Coupe, Santa Fe, Sonata, Sonata Hybrid, Tucson, Veloster, Veracruz.
Handling & Performance:
Excellent in every respect. Seating is comfortable, lots of leg room and head room, and a lot of power. This is truly a very nice road / highway car.
Styling:
Elegant like all the rest in this luxury class. Some people, totally unsolicited, commented it looks like a Mercedes, or Lexus. And people with a lot of money are terribly impressed and some I know have opted to buy Hyundai. These Korean’s have stolen a page out of the early Japanese auto makers in giving what the consumer wants and by now that formula is tried and tested and true.
Fit and Finish:
Excellent
Cost:
Now when you talk about cost to buy, the Giants are knocked off their feet with a MSRP of $34,200. I’ll take two and replace the one popular badged luxury car so my wife and I can have one each.
Conveniences and comfort:
Ultra comfortable and all the conveniences most cars should include and those consumers want or need. Ok, so there could be other features I would pop for but they are few and not needed… unless I want to spend $4 grand more.
The car I tested did have some ups and extras you may want to include, like Nav (which I have on my iPhone and I used even when one is built in, in many cases), BlueLink that is a new “Super Sleuth” feature I would do without (you may have young drivers who need monitoring), Bluetooth is one I wouldn’t do without but there are portable options available, Smart Cruise is a feature I love but could live without, front and rear parking assistance is nice but that too I could live without, cooled and heated driver seat is not a must if you live in California, but if you live in Minnesota I’m guessing you might want to warm your back side when the weather outside is frightful. If I just had to have it all, you would push the price up by $4,000.
The other is the Premium package that adds things that are even less likely to push me to spend another $4,800. Power sunroof, leather dash and door trim, memory system for driver seat, mirror and steering wheel settings, power tilt and telescopic steering column, power rear sun shade totally unnecessary (but nice), rain sensing wipers and auto defogger, Nav traffic 90 day trial (that I have found to be almost useless anyway), Hyper Silver Split spoke alloy wheels (Woopie).
Consumer Recommendation:
If you are looking at Lexus, Mercedes, BMW or Audi keep looking all the way to the Genesis or if you must spend more, look at the Equus, but of course both are from Hyundai.
Recognized Competition:
Hyundai Genesis $34,000, Audi A6 $42,000, Audi A7 $60,000, Jaguar XF Series $53,000, Infiniti G Sedan $37,000, Cadillac XTS $44,000, Lincoln MKS $43,000, Volvo S80 $38,000, Chrysler 300 $30,000, Acura TL $36,000, Mercedes Benz E-Class $46,000, Lexus GS 350 $47,000, BMW 5 Series $47,000, Infiniti FX $42,000, Infiniti M $49,000.
Good News:
Great styling, decent fuel economy for a powerful luxury car, lots of great features and options available, it is priced very well and is a comfortable ride that looks elegant.
Bad News:
n/a
Standard Equipment:
3.8 liter 333 horsepower V6 engine with continuously variable valve timing, 8 speed automatic transmission, special damping shock absorbers, fully independent suspension, 17” alloy wheels, stability control, traction control, ABS 4-wheel disc brakes with brake force distribution and brake assist, front, side and side curtain airbags, fog lights, auto headlights, heated power mirrors with turn signal indicators, leather seating with heated front seats, power windows, leather wrapped tilt steering wheel, proximity keyless entry with push button start/ stop, climate control, cruise control, homelink integrated transceiver, Bluetooth hands free phone system, audio with Sirius XM, CD, MP3 with 7 speakers, iPod and USB and Auxiliary input, steering wheel mounted controls.
Gas Stats:
$3.45 / Gal avg. December 237zs, 2012
For more information.
18 City and 28 Highway MPG
Pricing:
MSRP $34,200.
Your comments are welcomed. My e-mail is joe@atthewheel.com
