# What do people think of the Hyundai Genesis?



## chuck92116 (Nov 11, 2011)

Hyundai is making nice cars of late.

However, if you buy a high end Genesis or Equos, you will always have to explain why you spent $50k+ on a Hyundai.

The reason why these cars are cheaper is they are using/leveraging an existing econobox dealership network and manufacturing plants. They copy designs as much as they can get away with. There is no innovation, merely cloning is all that is going on. Low overhead than an indivual dealer chain like Acura, Infiniti, BMW, Audi, etc.

This is not a big deal as long as you don't mind the $8/hour mechanic changing the oil on a $14k Elantra before he works on your $50k+ Genesis.

VW tried this with the Phaeton a while back. The reality is consumers did not want to spend $50k+ on a VW. And they won't do it for a Hyundai either.

Hyundai will never be a high end car simply by building a creating perceived high-end cars. 

It is like buying a Rolex at Target, people won't go for that. 

If hyundai wants to sell luxury cars, they need to create a brand, dealership network, etc. like Lexus, Infiniti, Acura, etc. They will not succeed taking short cuts. Because at the end of the day, the Hyundais are cars you buy when you want to spend less knowing that you are really not getting more. If you know cars, you will tell where corners were cut. If you don't, well you probably would not be reading this.


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## nesterk (May 18, 2011)

AutoUnion said:


> Went to the Hyundai dealer last week to go take a good look at the Veloster and the salesmen showed me this Genesis with the 5.0 they had on their lot.
> 
> Looked quite sharp and was only like $45k. Obviously, it's not 5 series good, but for the price of a loaded 3 series, sounds enticing, no?


Now Hyundai Genesis has everything except the right badge and design.
V8 NA, RWD, ZF, Lexicon, Brembo, mechanical (!!) LSD - this sound more like classic "driver's machine" than some of the competitors.. 

Well, the design is not that good. Exterior - looks like they have took a couple elements from every car...
Here the European design heritage cannot be just plain copied. It's pure art, it can't be copied or reused.


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## Financeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Hyundai is on a roll and will someday soon threaten the established brands from Europe and Japan. Reliability and resale have improved dramatically in recent years and the product line is is becoming more appealing. I leased a 2011 3.8 Genesis for a coworker this summer - nicely equippedn 15,000 mile per year with $2,000 down for $400 per month. Not quite a 528i, but only 60 - 65% the cash outlay for three years.


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## Stealth.Pilot (Jul 2, 2009)

chuck92116 said:


> If hyundai wants to sell luxury cars, they need to create a brand, dealership network, etc. like Lexus, Infiniti, Acura, etc. They will not succeed taking short cuts. Because at the end of the day, the Hyundais are cars you buy when you want to spend less knowing that you are really not getting more. If you know cars, you will tell where corners were cut. If you don't, well you probably would not be reading this.


I would say Acura proves that luxury brand without luxury product doesn't work. You can only get so far selling souped up front-wheel drive and AWD Accords.

Hyundai will show us that luxury product without luxury brand doesn't work either.

They either have to do it the way Lexus did, or fail.


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## pistolpuma (Mar 22, 2007)

Never driven a Hyundai but gotta admit they look nice and offer plenty of value. I don't know if I would bite on one for $45K though. There are a whole lot of alternatives at that price point that I would consider way before a Genesis.


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## homerjay4242 (Nov 22, 2007)

A buddy of mine has the Genesis coupe. He has no complaints and says it drives well. I think they (long term) would do much better by establishing a luxury brand. Its hard to compete in the luxury market using branding from a non-luxury brand. Toyota has been successful with its Lexus brand. It took some time, but they have a strong following now. My $0.02.

Sent from my DROIDX using Bimmer


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## ajherran (Sep 20, 2011)

I saw the Hyundai Equus at a car show last weekend and it was as well appointed, if not more so than a Lexus LS or Mercedes S-Class costing at least $20-30,000 more. I was impressed. Of course the brand image is its biggest weakness, much like Lexus was and still is to Mercedes and BMW. I think Hyundai should have spun off a premium brand like Lexus, Infinity and Acura to avoid having Velosters and Equus in the same showroom. The Volkswagen Phaeton was a prime example of why you can't sell an $80,000 luxury car with the same badge and in the same showroom as a $16,000 Jetta.


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## sdg1871 (Mar 9, 2009)

homerjay4242 said:


> A buddy of mine has the Genesis coupe. He has no complaints and says it drives well. I think they (long term) would do much better by establishing a luxury brand. Its hard to compete in the luxury market using branding from a non-luxury brand. Toyota has been successful with its Lexus brand. It took some time, but they have a strong following now. My $0.02.
> 
> Sent from my DROIDX using Bimmer


Yes establishing a separate luxury brand would be a smart move for Hyundai to separate its luxury cars from its everyman's car brand image. It was the right move for Lexus and Infiniti.


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## BobRBob (Oct 8, 2009)

Intellectually, I can see where Hyundai may well break into the luxury segment over a number of years if they continue to improve quality and value.
Emotionally though, for me, the legacy of the rust buckets they used to sell is indelibly tied to their name. A whole new generation of buyers has no such associations and may well go for it.

Oh, and they might want to think about some original styling. The S-Class look isn't fooling anyone.


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## homerjay4242 (Nov 22, 2007)

BobRBob
Oh said:


> Agreed. Too many of there design elements are very apparently linked to other premium brands. Granted the styling has worked for those brands; however, they need to create their own distinct look.
> 
> Sent from my DROIDX using Bimmer


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## 108598 (Feb 5, 2008)

Stealth.Pilot said:


> I would say Acura proves that luxury brand without luxury product doesn't work. You can only get so far selling souped up front-wheel drive and AWD Accords.
> 
> Hyundai will show us that luxury product without luxury brand doesn't work either.
> 
> They either have to do it the way Lexus did, or fail.



I wouldn't say that Acura is not luxury. Some may not consider it luxury, but you should take a look at the new TL. Styling is subjective, but this car is solid in every way and has ALL of the amenities (TL Advance). I still prefer the handling and sport of BMW, but for the price, my 2012 TL gives competitors a run for their money. For 40,000 I got 280 hp, blind spot detection, ELS audio, HDD, heated and cooled seats, navigation, traffic/weather, bluetooth audio, USB connection, sport transmission with shift paddles, and stellar 18" aluminum "gun metal" rims. The inside of the car is luxurious and definitely not like an accord.

With that said, there is too much body roll and it is FWD. Its just not as agile, but it is just as big as a 5 series so I do not know why it is compared to the 3.


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## quackbury (Dec 17, 2005)

Test drove one not too long ago, and came away impressed. The driving dynamics are NOT up to the Germans' but are on par with the Japanese and many of the American makers. 100,000 mile warranty is definitely appealing, as is the guaranteed trade-in value. So a quite reasonable choice for a consumer who cares more about value than refinement and/or about being a badge whore. 

I remember when we were all shocked at the audacity of the Japanese manufacturers, creating Lexus, Infiniti and Acura as aspirational models for the folks who drove entry level Toyotas, Nissans and Hondas as their first cars. No reason to think this same approach won't work for Hyundai.

If nothing else, Hyundai will force Ford and Chevy to improve their game, which helps all of us when we are standing in the rental line at Hertz.


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## sdg1871 (Mar 9, 2009)

quackbury said:


> Test drove one not too long ago, and came away impressed. The driving dynamics are NOT up to the Germans' but are on par with the Japanese and many of the American makers. 100,000 mile warranty is definitely appealing, as is the guaranteed trade-in value. So a quite reasonable choice for a consumer who cares more about value than refinement and/or about being a badge whore.


Agreed. I see the Genesis and the Equus squarely targeted at Lexus. Genesis has hit the mark. Equus, not so much.


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## TJPark01 (Oct 30, 2009)

Hyundai Genesis Forum: 535 v genesis V8


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## BMWF10_123 (Nov 27, 2011)

Hello Hyundai fan - go ask on a Hyundai forum, what are doing on BMW forum.
BMW for cool people
Hyundai- Boring people


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## dominoaz (Sep 12, 2006)

*Misc. Thoughts*

Went to the new car show with the wife yesterday, specifically to see the RR Evoque, the Hyundai, Kia, Benz and BMW product lines. As for some of the preceeding comments, I have a few thoughts of my own:

As for build quality, the Genesis and Equus are superior to BMW and on par with Lexus and Audi. As much as I hate to admit it, panel fit and paint on the F10 is weak. The Jeep Wrangler at the show had a far better paint finish than any Bimmer I have seen in recent memory, including the five I have owned.

Saying Hyundai just copies other makes' success reminds me of my uncle who always said that Japanese cars were junk and the Japanese copied everything. Yes, Hyundais were once junk wagons, like Hondas once were. Today, to the contrary, Hyundai hires the best and brightest from around the world and its product reflects innovation, not copy work.

As for looks, Hyundai hasn't yet produced a consistent look throughout its car lines, but it is trending in the right direction. Several new models are very attractive. Unfortunately, the Genesis and Equus don't fall into that category. Next generation of both will likely be highly improved, as are the recent Sonota and Optima (Kia).

It took 15-20 years for some companies to get around to performance models. Hyundai has made great strides in the last couple of years. 337+ hp in the base Genesis puts it into 535 category. Just a few more tweaks and the Hyundai could be a strong contender.

About creating a premiun division, probably not a good idea. It didn't work for Mazda, is marginal for Acura, and is working for Lexus and Infinity. Much of the US population is too young to remember the juck wagon days of Hyundai, so selling high end Hyundais and Kias, without a premium division, may be a moot point.

IMO what is needed for continued success is expansion of the R-Spec division and improvement in body style and design throughout the Hundai product line.


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## markl53 (Nov 4, 2004)

dominoaz said:


> As for build quality, the Genesis and Equus are superior to BMW and on par with Lexus and Audi. As much as I hate to admit it, panel fit and paint on the F10 is weak. The Jeep Wrangler at the show had a far better paint finish than any Bimmer I have seen in recent memory, including the five I have owned.


What BMW model were you looking at that had panel fit issues? I've owned 3 BMWs, no body panel issues whatsoever. I think maybe you're exaggerating a bit? Curious, what made the other brand's paint jobs better? In any event, I'm not sure panel fit defines "build quality". There's a lot more to building a quality car then bolting on the outer panels.


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## smashhell (Nov 18, 2011)

dominoaz said:


> As for build quality, the Genesis and Equus are superior to BMW and on par with Lexus and Audi. As much as I hate to admit it, panel fit and paint on the F10 is weak. The Jeep Wrangler at the show had a far better paint finish than any Bimmer I have seen in recent memory, including the five I have owned.


Genesis and Equus superior build quality than BMW ???

Are we looking at the same cars?

I thought the Genesis and Equus both have horrible interior. Pretty much EVERYWHERE are made of plastic. Hated the interior myself. The quality are nowhere comparable to BMW.


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## ihumphrey (Oct 7, 2010)

Cheap junk interior trim, everywhere, there is as of yet no comparison in build quality...reliability seems good with a solid warranty but those cars feel like cheap tin cans to me...ala toyota...


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## chuck92116 (Nov 11, 2011)

You get what you pay for. If a car is $10-20k less they have to cut comers somewhere. The interior is an obvious place to cut, but a lot more can be saved in places the average consumer won't notice. They are focusing on consumers that look at the feature list, not the quality of the features. Which is ok as long as you understand there is a reason for the significant price difference.


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