Wednesday, January 2, 2013

2 year summary

I've now had the Genesis for 2 years + a few weeks and driven it around 21K miles. It continues to be a great car and perhaps the bargain of the decade. As I've stated before, yes, the Genesis is by no means a perfect car, but it does a lot of things very well. My favorite aspects are the high-quality interior and the powertrain performance. My recent service experiences with the local Hyundai dealership has also been excellent and I have seen far worse treatment from the so-called luxury brand shops.

As far as performance, the powertrain is just about perfect for a $40K car. The 4.6L V8 is smooth as ever and the 6-speed automatic shifts nicely with no drama. Maybe it doesn't get as high an MPG as some of its V6 competitors, but there is just no substitute for displacement. The car is always quiet, but when you get into the throttle, there is a sweet, but subtle rumble that only a V8 can make. The midrange punch is almost brutal and passing acceleration is almost instantaneous even with modest throttle. That quiet, but distinct soundtrack and effortless cruising really makes the 4.6 feel much much more special than the V6 version. In comparison, the Acura TL or Lexus ES just don't have that added dimension, even if they put up similar 0-60 times.

Of course the biggest gripe that remains to this day is the ride quality. Hyundai had supposedly tuned the American version to have a slightly stiffer ride than the Korean version, but the car is sprung too soft with not enough suspension travel. As a result, the car has a very comfortable ride when going over small road imperfections (e.g., patches, freeway expansion joints, small potholes), but becomes unsettled when hitting a mid-corner bump or going over larger dips and bumps. I believe the suspension basically bottoms out when it encounters larger bumps. The car would likely benefit from stiffer progressive rate springs and/or stiffer shocks. The 2012 update supposedly fixed this issue, but when I test drove the R-spec a while back, the ride did not feel all that much different. This issue is something I can live with, but I can't help but wonder what Hyundai engineers were thinking when they gave the Sonata a much more forgiving ride than the Genesis.

All in all, I'm still very happy with my Genesis. It has decent features, excellent V8 power, and RWD dynamics. The materials inside are of very good quality, especially compared to anything Toyota or Honda puts out these days, and the cabin is roomy and comfortable.

By the fall of this year, Hyundai will likely introduce the 2nd generation car with more advanced features and some subdued version of Hyundai's "fluidic sculpture" design language. With the new design, I also suspect the prices will creep up slightly to the $37-55K range. If Hyundai manages to improve the chassis tuning, they should have another hit in their lineup. Maybe in about 8-10 years when my powertrain warranty finally runs out, I will think about upgrading to the 3rd generation Genesis or Equus. By then, we might all be driving hybrid versions and our kids will never know the sweet V8 soundtrack.