I don't think people are expecting Hyundai to build products superior to other offerings and Hyundai doesn't have to. All they have to do is match and compete on the qualities of other cars while offering the better price and they have a winner. That's all they need to do. It doesn't have to be better than a Lexus to be successful.

Having said that, I think Hyundai (especially with Genesis) IS now superior to a lot of offerings especially American. That, along with the best value, puts Hyundai in a very good position.

 

If you review ES, GS forum you will see many complaints of rattles etc. 06, 07 and even 08. Comparing rattles in this day and age is not a good litmus test.

As to what appears as leather getting transfer of dye from different types of pants, clothes, that happens and can be cleaned.

 

"The interior was just too difficult to keep clean, and this went for the leather-upholstered seat as well. What began as a mysterious black smudge across the back of the driver seat resisted three attempts at cleansing with leather care products." -insideline

oh and it is a 2007

"A year with the Azera reminded us that there are two sides to value. The bright side offers features unexpected from a car in this class, like rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlights and a rear window shade. On the dark side we find misaligned panels, material choices of questionable quality and poor stereo performance. The 2007 Hyundai Azera made a positive impression on us, yet we're still not willing to think of it as a premium car. It's attractive and certainly as reliable as a Hyundai Sonata, but it doesn't yet have a character to call its own." -insideline

i think that pretty much sums it up. its a cow in a silk dress

 

What were we talking about?

Oh yeah... who wants me to build a VIP Genesis?

Working on getting one...

 

That would be sick, go for it

 

Exactly my point, you are not describing a superior product, you are describing a product that is a better value.

 

You make a good point. When you look at Sonata and Azera for example, they are both very good values. They both offer a lot for the $$, and have a growing niche in the market. But their actual sales still lag behind those of the cars they compete against (Accord, Camry, Altima, Malibu, Lucerne, ES, TL etc.).

You have to give Hyundai credit though, they are forging ahead with new/improved vehicles at a fast pace. How well the Genesis does vs. its competition, remains to be seen, but it's an interesting sounding car.

 

I think that it's bad move by Hyundai to sell the car without a badge on the grill. It's already got an anonymous exterior and with no badge on the grill it will be even more anonymous.

I also can't say enough about how dissapointing that 4.6L V8 engine is. Only 333 lb-ft torque with premium fuel? Yes the 375HP is quite nice, but the torque figure is quite low. The old Lexus 4.3L V8 had almost the same amount of torque.

The Lexus 4.6L V8 has far more torque than this engine.

I'm also pretty sure the Hyundai V8 won't be able to match the fuel economy and refinement of the Lexus V8.

To be clear I think it's a great achievement that Hyundai has designed their own production V8 (before Honda/Acura I might add) but I'm just not that impressed with it. To me it's competitive but nothing more.

 

It also remains to be seen if Hyundai's engine issues of bad responsiveness come into play here. My sister's SanteFe was the most turd-tastic vehicle I've ever driven. You literally had to floor it to make it accelerate and the transmission shiftpoints were terrible.

 

Correct. HP and torque numbers aren't everything. Even Hyundai's latest engines are not known for high responsiveness or refinement. Hyundai's latest engines are known for simply being average. I don't expect their V8 to be much different.

 

I just saw a silver/tan interior Genesis on the road (with Detroit manufacturer plates- my office is right near their design center in Irvine, we see new Hyundai/Kia and Lexus vehicles driving around all the time) and I have to admit that I like this car. It has presence on the road - it definitely appears bigger than a GS, probably between a GS and LS 460 in size.

Was diggin the LED taillights... the car is sort of LS 460-ish from the front and sort of BMW 5 series from the rear quarter angle.

 

You must be totally depressed with the 4.6L V8 in the GS460 then.

Genesis V8: 375 hp, 333 torque

GS460: 342 hp, 339 torque

Sure, if you compare the Genesis V8 to the LS460, which costs almost twice as much.

I'm pretty sure the Genesis V8 doesn't have direct injection, for the same reason that the GS460 doesn't (cost).

 

That was a looong winded post for nothing because I don't think 1SickLex ever said he was chiefly impressed by the engine... There's a lot more than simply the engine that's very impressive with the Genesis.. The Genesis is going to make it obvious how much luxury automobile companies are overcharging for "luxury" options. When Hyundai is giving as much as they are at the price they are, it's kind of embarrassing to see what other companies are charging for the same thing...

 

The Hyundai Azera wasn't intended on being a Game Changer. Neither was the Hyundai XG. The Genesis is... Hyundai is putting every bit of effort they can in making a good impression here.. This is going to be different. If not, than Hyundai has ultimately failed. I don't see that happening.. The Azera was just an XG upgrade. The Genesis is different.

 

They're objective is to be competitive at half the price... And they're doing it..