Hyundai Gensis

We bought the 3.8 back in March for my wife's DD. She loves it...really can't say anything bad about it except maybe for the trunk space as mentioned. Just made a 1,500 mile trip to New Mexico and the car performed flawlessly as expected. Having gone from a Mazda 626 to the Genesis it was everything I expected it to be.

I'm gonna chime in here, as I've driven THE car 93EXCivic is talking about. The same guy had a 2.0T R-Spec before this one, and it is the 3.8 Track model. Let's start with the 2.0 version first. I liked it ok. Decently quick, handled pretty well, nice looking car. The engine is based on the EVO block, so upgrades are similar. Even in stock form it was faster than my MINI Cooper S.

The new one though is in a different league. First, it's got a much nicer interior and handles much better as well. Turn in is nice, the back now feels more planted than before, and the V6 is almost Ferrari-esq in it's sound. It is easily in the top 10 of best sounding engines, and almost worth buying the car for alone.

Driven back to back with my Mustang GT, there is no comparison. The Mustang is better at getting to 30mph, the Genesis was better absolutely everywhere else. Where the Mustang felt like it was assembled by Monkeys using rubber bands, the new Hyundai felt like it was slipped into the BMW production line.

So, right after my test drive, I immediately went looking for the Mustang's replacement. It made a big impression and made me realize how really not good the Mustang was at normal driving. Of course I'm always looking, so take that with a grain of salt. Anyway, the Genesis was on my 4 car short list, along with the BRZ, Miata Club, and 370Z. The list soon dropped to two, the 370 and Genesis. In the end I went with the 370 as I liked it a bit better, and the Genesis was difficult to get in a V6 Track model with a manual.

But to me, the Genesis was much better after the redesign. I'm with Robert, where's all the love?

Old feelings die hard. The Luxury Hyundai has turned a lot of heads because its such a damn good value. The Genesis deserves love, but it doesn't stand out in any one way. If they dropped the big motor in it and held the price, that'd probably push them over the edge into the foreground of our consciousness. Or if they kept the current driveline choices and took 500 lbs. off. It's the difference between a good ap and a killer ap.

Oh and the sound thing - it's a function of the exhaust system as much as the motor. People tend to love or hate the sound of the Nissan V6, but that's mainly because it comes in so many forms, from emasculated luxo-tone to rock and roll. Hyundai made good exhaust choices on the Genesis.

You're not going to get that note simply by changing exhaust, there's a bit more to it than that, but I understand what you're saying. As for the price, he bought this one out the door for $31k. While expensive, it's in the ballpark for a similar version of the BRZ, and is much faster. It may not handle quite as good, but it's not too far off. Compared to my new car, it's about 10k cheaper with similar equipment levels. And there's what, maybe 2hp difference.

NOHOME wrote: Plus, lets be honest, the "Hyundai" brand, for some people, still carries the stigma of being a car that you had to settle for financially in the face of preferred options. Says the guy who has to drive a "Scion"

Hey now. Hyundai has stepped up their game considerably since my friend's '89 Excel!

mtn wrote: This. It falls short somewhere. If it had one more thing going for it--a spectacular interior, or 35/40 mpg, or was 1 second faster to 60, or it made women jump at you--it would be a winner. As it is, it is simply "not a bad car".

The interior is quite nice, the car gets something like 6.5L/100kms on the highway (even when modified) and something like 8L/100kms in town, it eats highway miles, and handles quite well for the size.

Seriously, if you've never driven one, benchracing doesn't do the car justice. Oh, and at least in Canuckistan, we're talking a $10k+ difference between a base 5.0L mustang and a base 2.0T genesis. The Genesis needs only a tune and full exhaust to make 300whp and 340wtq (at 2500rpm). Mark my words, this will be THE tuner car of the future.

If it really gets 35mpg highway... the wife may be getting a Forte to replace her accent with..... and soon.

Bobzilla wrote: If it really gets 35mpg highway... the wife may be getting a Forte to replace her accent with..... and soon.

It does. At least, it did on an extended day test drive I had one for.

The GC ticks so many of my buttons. I see a used in my future within a couple of years (Baby Jav out of the baby seat an into a booster).

HiTempguy wrote:

mtn wrote: This. It falls short somewhere. If it had one more thing going for it--a spectacular interior, or 35/40 mpg, or was 1 second faster to 60, or it made women jump at you--it would be a winner. As it is, it is simply "not a bad car".

The interior is quite nice, the car gets something like 6.5L/100kms on the highway (even when modified) and something like 8L/100kms in town, it eats highway miles, and handles quite well for the size. Seriously, if you've never driven one, benchracing doesn't do the car justice. Oh, and at least in Canuckistan, we're talking a $10k+ difference between a base 5.0L mustang and a base 2.0T genesis. The Genesis needs only a tune and full exhaust to make 300whp and 340wtq (at 2500rpm). Mark my words, this will be THE tuner car of the future.

Test drove one when it first came out. It was the little things in the interior--No cruise control on a fairly loaded car? That costs about 2 dollars. Berk that. Interior felt nice, but it did not have a feel of long-term quality to me. Hopefully time will prove me wrong. Also, I remember being unimpressed with the shifter.

Also, give me figures in Gallons/Miles. I don't understand your metric units, they make too much sense. The only guy I know that owned one (who admittedly hated the thing) complained of the horrible MPG.

Fuuu.... there's a '10 close by with 47k miles, black, sunroof, 6-spd for $13,400.

I actually love how the newer ones look. The V6s do sound amazing and I've seen the 2.0Ts with mods easily hit 420hp before maxing out the injectors.

I was not impressed with them when they first hit showroom floors. They def felt like Hyundais of yesteryear.

My issue is like most others though - they are in a similar price range of other great cars that offer just a bit more. Add in Hyundai depreciation and the lack of aftermarket support and it's great for people a few years down the road looking for a great bargain buy.

Lack of aftermarket support? On the Coupe? I'd be in heaven with this.... there's tons of options for suspension, exhaust, intakes, tuning, wheels, brakes..... what more do you need?

Of course I'm used to finding a piece at a time to make something work.

Gameboy nailed it.

If it had to be a V6, I'd still pick a 370Z over it.

racerdave600 wrote: I'm gonna chime in here, as I've driven THE car 93EXCivic is talking about. The same guy had a 2.0T R-Spec before this one, and it is the 3.8 Track model. Let's start with the 2.0 version first. I liked it ok. Decently quick, handled pretty well, nice looking car. The engine is based on the EVO block, so upgrades are similar. Even in stock form it was faster than my MINI Cooper S. The new one though is in a different league. First, it's got a much nicer interior and handles much better as well. Turn in is nice, the back now feels more planted than before, and the V6 is almost Ferrari-esq in it's sound. It is easily in the top 10 of best sounding engines, and almost worth buying the car for alone. Driven back to back with my Mustang GT, there is no comparison. The Mustang is better at getting to 30mph, the Genesis was better absolutely everywhere else. Where the Mustang felt like it was assembled by Monkeys using rubber bands, the new Hyundai felt like it was slipped into the BMW production line. So, right after my test drive, I immediately went looking for the Mustang's replacement. It made a big impression and made me realize how really not good the Mustang was at normal driving. Of course I'm always looking, so take that with a grain of salt. Anyway, the Genesis was on my 4 car short list, along with the BRZ, Miata Club, and 370Z. The list soon dropped to two, the 370 and Genesis. In the end I went with the 370 as I liked it a bit better, and the Genesis was difficult to get in a V6 Track model with a manual. But to me, the Genesis was much better after the redesign. I'm with Robert, where's all the love?

Judging by your picture, your S197 was not a Coyote car, which means your opinion on the performance isn't really valid.

The 11+ GT's simply mop the floor with the 05-10 cars, then take their mother out for a nice fish dinner.

The 11+ GT's simply mop the floor with the 05-10 cars, then take their mother out for a nice fish dinner.

Dorothy Mantooth is a SAINT!

Bite me Z31maniac. While I agree they are faster than my S197, I have driven the Coyote cars and still maintain the same opinion. If fact, I test drove one with the thought of replacing the one I had, and although it was faster in a straight line, all the issues that made it not so much fun still existed in it as well. Oh, and for the record, mine was not stock.

racerdave600 wrote: Bite me Z31maniac. While I agree they are faster than my S197, I have driven the Coyote cars and still maintain the same opinion. If fact, I test drove one with the thought of replacing the one I had, and although it was faster in a straight line, all the issues that made it not so much fun still existed in it as well. Oh, and for the record, mine was not stock.

You are entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.

Joe Gearin wrote: The 11+ GT's simply mop the floor with the 05-10 cars, then take their mother out for a nice fish dinner. Dorothy Mantooth is a SAINT!

I was hoping someone would catch the reference.

You are entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.

You can say that is incorrect that a 5.0 mustang is not faster than a 3.8 genesis at all speeds above 30mph, but it really sounds like his main criteria for disliking the mustang and liking the genesis are subjective and thus tragically impossible for you to disprove.

Ive been in a 5.0 mustang and i can easily see myself liking the 3.8 GC more, since i didnt like the mustang all that much. I still want to drive the 3.7/6spd, though.

I too was interested when they first came out. One came out to an autocross, was heavy which affected handling. Last week I had my wife's Sonata at the dealer getting serviced and was wandering around the lot. A salesman came up and asked me if he could make it a 2 Hyundai family. I told him I drive an RX8, got anything that compares. He shook his head and said no and walked away.

Vigo wrote:

You are entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.

You can say that is incorrect that a 5.0 mustang is not faster than a 3.8 genesis at all speeds above 30mph, but it really sounds like his main criteria for disliking the mustang and liking the genesis are subjective and thus tragically impossible for you to disprove. Ive been in a 5.0 mustang and i can easily see myself liking the 3.8 GC more, since i didnt like the mustang all that much. I still want to drive the 3.7/6spd, though.

I was being pedantic, because you can objectively demonstrate which car is faster.

Whether you like the Genesis more, the new Coyote cars are faster to 30, 60, 100, 1/4 mile etc. I also haven't seen anything that says a V6 Genesis is faster around a road course.

Bobzilla wrote:

mtn wrote:

Conquest351 wrote: I know you're not talking about it, but a close relative who lives in Alabama has a 4 door Genesis 5.0 R-Spec and loves the hell out of it. 429hp! Yes please!

Completely different. The Genesis sedan is a budget Lexus/Benz/BMW, entry level luxury car. That car actually makes a lot of sense.

But that's also why the Cou-pay is so heavy. It's using the same platform. That's probalby why it feels much more refined than it's competition. Now... if we could just get that 5.0 Tau into the Cou-pay....... I'd risk a divorce for one of those.

It's not heavier than a 370z is it not?

Plus, lets be honest, the "Hyundai" brand, for some people, still carries the stigma of being a car that you had to settle for financially in the face of preferred options.

This Genesis seems to be selling to and is marketed towards people who were too young to remember that. I only see 20s somethings driving it. They don't have that prejudice.

All that said if the Hyundai was lighter I would buy it. It's just that the whole 350/370z type car is behind right now. They need to become lighter, like a BRZ, and come with these V6 engines or they need to step up to a V8.

HiTempguy wrote:

mtn wrote: This. It falls short somewhere. If it had one more thing going for it--a spectacular interior, or 35/40 mpg, or was 1 second faster to 60, or it made women jump at you--it would be a winner. As it is, it is simply "not a bad car".

The interior is quite nice, the car gets something like 6.5L/100kms on the highway (even when modified) and something like 8L/100kms in town, it eats highway miles, and handles quite well for the size. Seriously, if you've never driven one, benchracing doesn't do the car justice. Oh, and at least in Canuckistan, we're talking a $10k+ difference between a base 5.0L mustang and a base 2.0T genesis. The Genesis needs only a tune and full exhaust to make 300whp and 340wtq (at 2500rpm). Mark my words, this will be THE tuner car of the future.

I just can't see doing any serious mods to this car with the warranty you get. I would just get the V6 and beat the ever loving E36 M3 out of it. The warranty alone makes this a car that i've considered.

z31maniac wrote: Gameboy nailed it. If it had to be a V6, I'd still pick a 370Z over it.

Doesn't what he said apply even more to the 370z?

Plus the 370z, for the equivalently priced trim of the rspec v6, is more money, doesn't come with a LSD, has altima brakes, etc. For a 370z you need at least the sport unless you want an automatic and you are female and that car is about $5k more.