SW17LS

Good friend of mine is looking to replace his 2011 GS350, went out with him and another friend of ours today and drove a couple cars, the 2014 Infiniti Q70 L (will post another thread on it) and the 2015 Hyundai Genesis.

First off...I've been a Lexus owner a long time. I love my GS, as I have all the Lexus vehicles I've owned. I had seriously considered the 2010 Genesis instead of my 2010 ES. Mainly brand snobbery kept me from doing that. I've been a vocal detractor from Hyundai's ability to sell a legitimate luxury car with a mainstream brand.

So don't take it lightly when I say...if I had been in my GS (we were in his GS) and had I been within a time in the lease when it would be doable...I would have traded the GS in on the Genesis V8 on the spot. It is simply one of the best, most appealing cars I have driven in a long, long time...and is every bit the equal, and in many ways superior to everything else in this segment including my beloved GS.

First off, in person the car is very attractive. Its wide, long and low and really has a lot of presence in the parking lot. Paint quality is excellent, trim is a modern matte metal finish. Very nice looking. The first one we drove was a black on black 5.0 V8 model. The interior is very spacious, and very high quality. No cheap plastics anywhere, soft touch plastics throughout, felt lined map pockets in the doors. Really great. The black interior we thought was a little austere, but very high quality. Seats are covered in leather easily equaling the quality of the semi-aniline leather in my GS. All the displays and readouts are sharp, electroflourescent, LED, or TFT.

The real bread and butter of this car is the ride and drive. It reminded me instantly of the LS. So vault-like and solid, so glasslike and creamy on the road. Everything it does is muted, refined, and smooth. The V8 is strong and smooth. Vault quiet. It passed what I call the "speed bump" test with flying colors. Driving down a neighborhood road, hit a speed bump at 40MPH. No other car I've had other than the LS, will just glide over the speed bump with little drama...until the Genesis. The most incredible thing is that despite a ride that I would give a 9/10 in the V8 and a 10/10 in the V6 (18s in the V6 19s in the V8), the car isn't wallowy or bargelike. Its not as crisp and tossable as the GS, but the tradeoff for ride comfort is a no brainer IMHO.

Next we drove the V6 AWD which is what my friend is considering. This car had the ivory/black interior which we found much more attractive. Ride was even better due to higher profile tires. The V6 is almost as smooth as the V8. but not quite. Easily as smooth as the 3.5 in the GS, and much quieter at idle.

I am really floored by how much I liked the car. We had driven the Q70L right beforehand, and I would not even consider buying that vs the Genesis.

Its probably what he is going to get...and might very honestly be what I wind up in a year from now as well. The only issue with me is brand, but instead of being able to say that the Genesis is as good as the competition just without the badge, I might just say that the Genesis is actually better. Its one thing to pay $10k more for a car that is no better but has a badge, better resale, better dealers....but to pay $10k+ more and wind up with a car that is actually less car? Harder to do that.

Spending nearly $50k for an ES when one could buy a Genesis? That would be tough...

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

you'd better go hide in your basement now.

SW17LS

I can take it! I call it like I see it, this is a great car.

The previous Genesis was also a very good car, and while I liked it and the value proposition, it didn't speak to me the way this car did. I WANT this car.

Don't get me wrong, love my GS and all and all I obviously would still prefer to be in a Lexus than a Hyundai, but this car even when you take the value proposition away is just a great car...

mmarshall

Good review.

I reviewed both the past (3.8L) and present (5.0L) Genesis. The old one was a nice car, but did not have anywhere near the comfort in the suspension that the new one does....in fact, I criticized its ride at the time. Like you, I was really surprised at the comfort level over bumps, with even the low profile 40 and 45-series tires, on the new one. And that, combined with a locomotive of an engine, refinement, and first-class interior materials, also sold it for me, too. If I was to spend 50-60K to spend on a new car, like you, this one would be at or very near the top of the list. My only real complaint with it is that Hyundai (they claim for gas-mileage reasons) won't sell AWD with the 5.0.

I can just imagine the look on your face when you were done with your test-drive. When I got back from my own test-drive (if you had read my review here in CAR CHAT), my first reaction was....Wow.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Very interesting, Steve.
I've heard and read good things about the Genesis.
I'll have to look at one at lease end.

chikoo

I hear you. and I am worried for Lexus.
Brand snobs go after BMW and MB, and value minded will now go for the Hyundai.

LexBob2

I agree. Nice write up and an interesting read. The last time I looked, Genesis sales were up to about 3,000 per month so it seems it's finding some traction with buyers.

SW17LS

I was going to PM you...you need to drive the Genesis.

I too was very surprised. I think they are the first manufacturer who's product I have driven that really effectively have compensated for low profile tires in the ride department. My GS rides great on 45 series rubber, but not like that Genesis. I was surprised that while you could tell impacts were a little less muted with the 19s than the 18s, really the difference was very slight, and if you weren't driving them back to back you wouldn't know.

The guy who was shopping, he also is a brand guy...but he had told me that I had to drive the Genesis. Its like I said to him afterwards "You've got to buy this car". It really is that good.

I wouldn't worry about Lexus. Lexus has plenty of brand recognition themselves. And...its not like when one carmaker comes out with a truly excellent product everything else is automatically crap. Lexus has a very good product, as does BMW, MB, Audi, etc etc. But...I do think that they would be foolish not to look at what Hyundai is offering here, especially in the price space where their bread and butter ES sits. I mean...I just got out of an ES350 loaner, and the Genesis for the same money, just is a hugely significant upgrade in really every way. It rides better, its quieter, its just as spacious, it has better seats, has a better interior, has better technology, it handles better, its more powerful...and its the same price. Now, the ES will hold its value better, and the dealer and service quality is going to be much better. But...you see the dealer maybe twice a year, you drive the car every day and its just a better car.

TangoRed

Glad to hear Hyundai nailed it. I've been seeing a few on the road and I'm actually quite surprised at how much presence they have. Love it.

chikoo

You wouldn't worry about Lexus, but Hyundai is not creating new customers segmentation. It is pulling people from Lexus.

SW17LS

I can't deny, the person that this car would appeal to is someone who would love a traditional Lexus.

chikoo

I remember with the first genesis, it was trying to pull people from MB/BMW 5 series customers. Evidently that did not work out that well. Now it is targeting the E350 customers, while the Lexus went after the Mercedes E class customers.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Great review. Well you could always lease a Genesis and then come back to Lexus once the GS line has expanded and the 5LS is launched

pman6

I have to agree with this. dealer customer service is overrated. I don't even get my oil change there anymore.

Since their car wash scratches my paint, I don't let them wash my car.
so there's really no value left. Just overpriced service.

SW17LS

As far as the dealers. I really don't use the dealer either, I have a great independent guy. But...I did just go through having two significant safety recalls done to both of my vehicles in the same week, and its interesting because one is the Lexus, and the other the Jeep which is a $50k luxury alternative vehicle sold and serviced by a mainstream dealer.

1. Lexus. Made the appointment, brought the car in. I was greeted in the service lane by my service rep. He had all of my information on a tablet, took the car and brought around a loaner. I left, I was there maybe 15 minutes. Got a call towards the end of the day that it was done, and that they were open until 8PM, or I could just keep the loaner until the next day depending on my schedule. Came in to get the car, my car was waiting nice and clean, and with a complimentary tank of gas. Service rep apologized for the inconvenience and thanked me for my business.

Serious safety recall, turned into a pleasant experience, no stress. Came away with a better opinion of the brand.

2. Jeep. Called and made an appointment. Brought the car in, dropped it off. Pulled into a crowded service lane. Nobody greeted me, finally found my service guy. This is for 4 (count 'em, 4) safety recalls. Faulty axles, faulty radar cruise, faulty brake booster, and faulty wiring harness for the sunvisor. Guy tells me he'll have it all day. No loaners. He'll take me to the metro, or they can offer $10 off an Enterprise rental. I can wait 30 minutes for the Enterprise shuttle, or I can walk across the street. Across the street is a 6 lane busy road. So, with my suit jacket and breifcase I Froggered across the road. Got my Chevy Malibu, which is still $57 after the $10 coupon. Went to work. No call. Finally got a call at 6:15 that it was done, they close at 7. So, now I have to get back up there, drop the Enterprise car off, and get over there...if I don't...its going to cost me another $57. So I race traffic up there, drop the rental off at their drop box (they're closed), Frogger across the highway at dark. Get there...service writer is gone. Takes 15 minutes to find my paperwork, and another 20 minutes to find the Jeep...as they are turning the dealership lights off around me.

Recall really made my day stressful...and a safety recall cost me $57 or I would have been without a car all day. Nothing really bad about the experience with Jeep, just nothing good.

So, when it comes to situations like that theres a big difference between the two sorts of dealers. Now, the Hyundai dealer here is a big chain and they have a loaner program and all, and I know they do special things for Genesis and Equus owners...but still...the dealer has plastic chairs and big banners about lojack and its just not a premium experience at all. While the product is really great, the "event" of buying and servicing your car is greatly diminished, and luxury is a great deal about the event and the experience.

But, the car is so good I may just give it a shot. I really think my buddy is going to buy the Genesis next week, so I'll have about a year to watch his experience and see how it turns out.