LexFather

Well looking at its target market, its supposed to be better than most all Toyotas. It is kind of Avalon competition but I would be more apt to buy the Genesis than the Avalon. Even if its NOT badged a luxury car, clearly is can compete (at least on paper).

What is amazing is this car makes some entire luxury brands either laughable or redundant. Why does Saab, Infiniti, Acura, Lincoln have that is so much better, let alone Nissan, Honda, Ford? Do they offer anything better? Its arguable. It makes cars like the ES more humble, IMO.

TORTOISE

It does look like its pretty good quality. Ive never trusted hyundai just because i never heard good things about them in the beginning so my opinion just never changed. I also dont like the fact that its tryin to be the other cars. Benz grill lexus headlights BMW tails and interior selector ****. Just like when kia came out with that half benz half jag thing. To me u look like an idiot driving around in a car thats tryin 2 look like others.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

At least to my eyes though there is one major difference between that Kia cars and this Genesis. The Genesis pulls off the "Looking like other cars" look. Too me, you can see hints of this car or that cars styling in the Genesis, but the over all look works and in fact looks better than most of the cars it supposedly are trying to copy. Now, the interior I think doesn't look bad at all, but I do think most of the other major luxury cars do have better looking interiors, so maybe Hyundai still needs to work on their interiors a bit, but so far in their Genesis line up with this sedan and the concept coupe they have it together on the exterior styling for the most part.


PS. The only car that I personally would probably choose over this Genesis in the $30K-$35K or so range is the Infiniti G35-S. I really like the G35 though and probably may end up with one sooner or later.

codex57

I got my sister to get a Hyundai Tiburon. And my uncle to buy a Hyundai Elantra. Reliability for Hyundai is great now. Toyota's is going down. No reason to avoid Hyundai like in the past.

The cars my relatives bought were lacking in refinement, but the newer stuff has greatly improved in that area. Hyundai still prices their cars low compared to Honda and Toyota so they're a great buy right now.

Tortoise: you do know that the Japanese are renowned for stealing design cues from other manufacturers? Toyota/Lexus are constantly cited for it. Even now.

LexFather

Guys Tortoise is a younger dude

ES350Bob

psychdoc.....


Go look, and hopefully enjoy, seems you are on to something with your view of the Genesis even according to Lexus enthusiasts.

""""(Total Quality Index)The IS 250/350 placed fifth and the ES 350 ninth in Near Luxury Cars. The remaining models didn’t even figure into the rankings, as their sample size was too small to be included.

The bigger news from this study was the lack of any Toyota-branded vehicles taking top spot in their respective segments, and more importantly, Hyundai coming away with three first place finishes. Hyundai has developed into a real threat for their competitors, and the results from this study add some serious credibility to the Korean manufacturer.""""
http://thepassionatepursuit.com/category/es350/page/2/

silversprucesc3

As I know we have many "connected" members in the auto industry on this club.

Anyone have access to the vehicle to provide a brief summary of the overall build quality and ride? There is alot of speculation being discussed and it would be nice to have some real world analysis.

RXSF

initial quality sure the hyundai might be good. i urge everyone here to read insideline's long term road test of the Hyundai Azera. sure they said in the beginning it was almost lexus like (notice the benchmark comment about lexus there), but in the end, it wasnt. creaks, larger gaps started apprearing, and some weird leather problem too

UDel

Are you saying just because the Genesis has a v8 and rwd it is suddenly "better" then everything Acura and Infiniti offers? V8 and rwd does not automatically make a car "better" or a luxury car. Most American cars in the 40,50,60, and 70s had v8's and rwd and most were not considered luxury cars or groundbreaking, fwd and efficient v6 and 4cylinders is what was new and groundbreaking in the 80s and 90s, hybrids,electrics, and fuel celled are what is new and groundbreaking today. Hyundai coming out with a inexpensive rwd v8 car may be nice and good news but it is not groundbreaking like many are saying it is as that is what was norm for a long time in alot of mediocre cars.

If all it takes is a v8 and rwd to be automatically considered a true great lux car then the Chevy Caprice, 90's impala, Ford Crown Vic, Mercury Grand Marqui, Maruader, Lincoln Town car/Continental, Infiniti Q45 must be lumped in that list. The Audi A8, Jag XJ8 and Phaeton have v8s too. Thing is all those cars sell poorly and most are not considered luxury cars or great cars aside from the Audi A8 and Jag and they still sell poorly in the US.

A v8 and rwd is not all it takes to suddenly become a great luxury car and just because the new Genesis has that does not automatically mean it will be great or be better then anything Acura or Infiniti offers. If all it took was a v8 and rwd then that is just what every luxury car would have which is clearly not the case. A great luxury car has to have much more then just a v8 and rwd, it has to be a very good car all around and appeal to its buyers, that is why the larger more expensive models S class, 7 series, LS is so successful because they appeal so much to the market and each has it own certain appeal and what it does best(S class-most recognized, ultimate luxury, great ride/handling, always good looking)(7 series-sporty drivers large luxury car, performance,likes to be pushed,younger image)(LS-value, reliable, precision engineered, much less expensive to buy, maintain, soft ride, offers most of the options of the others for much less). There are many other v8 rwd/awd cars that have the same basic formula but either are not considered luxury cars or sell very poorly, it is a tough market. Most "luxury" cars that sell below the big flagships are not soley v8 rwd models. Most are 6 cylinder models split between rwd,awd,fwd. V8 rwd luxury models below the big flagships sell in relatively small numbers, you just don't see that many on the road.

In order for the Genesis to be a great luxury car or be "better" then what Acura or Infiniti offers it is going to need alot more then just a powerful v8 and rwd, the whole package has to be good, the interior has to be great, it has to drive like a luxury car and feel like a luxury car in order to be taken seriously. For all we know it can have a shotty cheap interior that squeeks and rattles after a year, that v8 may be rough and a gas hog, the transmission may be rough and neither smooth nor performance inspiring, and it may be unreliable, it could end up being not much better then v8 rwd Caprice or Crown Victoria and may be a dissapointment. It may be nothing more then a v8 rwd car in a crappy package. I like what I have seen so far and hope it is good and if it is good it will be on my shopping list but as of now it is way too early to just say it is better then all these cars from certain brands, the interior is certainly not as nice as the Acura RLs interior nor does it offer all the options although it does offer more room. I think the M45 interior looks alot nicer too although the Genesis most likely is roomier. It does not to my knowledge offer awd let alone a system like SHAWD and the dash looks a bit cheap from the pics. I think the most impressive thing about the Genesis is that it is offered from Hyundai which most know produced crap for a very long time and that it will have a very low price, if Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, came out with this car everyone would be complaining and saying it is not nearly good enough and not that impressive and a dissapointment. If Acura came out and said this is their new flagship many would be saying it is nice they finally offer v8 and rwd but many would be critisizing it saying it is not good enough and far below what Acura should be coming out with. It does not really offer anything more then the competition aside from being inexpensive and having a little more hp then some models.

Like I said I am excited to see how this car turns out and if it is a really good car for the money but you can certainly not say it is automatically better then any Acura or Infiniti or other company model just because it has a powerful v8, roomy interior, rwd, low price because there are plenty of vehicles with those features that are not good at all and well below Acura or Infiniti cars. If it turns out to be just average and not that impressive with it share of problems then I definitely would pay more for a very good 6 cylinder Acura RL, Infiniti M, or Lexus GS and not be too concerned I am missing out on a more powerful v8 or roomier interior.

tofu_house

iTrader: (2)

My GS creaks. The steering wheel shakes at 60 and at 80. My leather is worn too.

Every car is going to start to deteriorate over time. It really doesn't matter if it's BMW, Lexus, or Hyundai. If all they've got to complain about are a few creaks and little leather wear compared to the engine problems that Hyundai used to be known for...

RXSF

2002 versus a 2006 or 7?

plus it wasnt wrinked leather, it was the leather being dyed by peoples pants. either that or the leather was losing its color of beige to black

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

Beige to black huh. I wish my Lexus leather did that I wanted to do a black leather conversion on my white LS. Just kidding. I did want the black leather though

Seriously though, I don't expect Hyundai's leather to be at the same level as the premium luxury brands right now. There is a reason why the cost is kept very low for what you are getting over all. The leather dye rubbing off would be a concern if they haven't addressed that yet, but other than that, as long as it last a long time without falling apart I'm okay with leather that is no a soft as say "Lexus Coach" leather, or "Nappa" leather, or "Suede" leather.

LexFather

Sorry but on paper, the Genesis has them beat. Infiniti has to wait for a 7 speed to hit cars, Acura is just laughable at this point. Those 2 brands have much less name recognition and prestige, so buying a Hyundai over them is much more feasible than say a BMW/Benz/Lexus, who may sell inferior products in the Genesis's price range but sell BECAUSE people want the badge. Now of course Acura Might have more tech, Infiniti is going to be sportier but overall, this is SUPERIOR on paper to the best they have to offer, at a cheaper price.

Its not just them, hell Saab, Lincoln, Volvo should be concerned as well.

Hell this is an all new platform. Its not like they stretched the Sonata and built a Genesis.

If I was a luxury brand, Tier II or III, I would be ****ting bricks seeing how good this car appears to be.

Ramon

What makes it superior? I think that's a VERY relative term. What if someone wants sport? What if someone wants technology? what if someone wants all out luxury?

Seems to me you are describing value. Value does not equal superiority, there is a very distinct difference between the two.

Yiujai86

If this rides like my ES, I'll stab myself for not knowing about the Genesis before hand.