The new Genesis is in the mid-luxury market and should do nicely against Lexus GS and Cadillac CTS, as well as the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Comparably equipped, the competition runs $10,000-$20,000 more and the second-generation Genesis is now the roomier vehicle. Audi and BMW will be tougher nuts to crack than Mercedes-Benz, and Mercedes tougher than Cadillac and Lexus. Essentially this is the pecking order of how buyers perceive sportiness and status, and Germany Inc. rules. No matter: The 2015 Hyundai Genesis earns the ExtremeTech Editors’ Choice among upscale midsize sport sedans. As long as price is part of the calculation, Hyundai Genesis is the car to buy.
Fun to drive, super-comfortable to ride in
For the driver, the car handles well and the driver-assist tech makes long trips bearable if you buy highest or next highest of four trim lines. Hyundai gives you the option of controlling the infotainment system with a cockpit control wheel a la BMW iDrive, with the touchscreen, or voice input. This is brilliant. Google Send To Car, part of the telematics system, lets you send navigation routes from a web browser. Two of the four steering wheel infotainment adjusters are roller wheels (the other two are up-down buttons disguised as wheels). A color multi-information display in the middle of the instrument panel gives you key information such as navigation prompts while the center stack can display audio. Hyundai says the center stack LCD is split screen but on the higher-end models the only split screen was for upcoming turns, not for navigation and audio.
Passengers will appreciate the cockpit room. You’ll be fine in back unless the NBA cuts your paycheck. It’s huge back there and all but the entry Genesis have side and rear sunshades. The one knock on the back seat is the absence of power outlets, USB jacks, or ventilated rear seats. Rear seats are heated if you buy the all-wheel-drive model.
An industry-first carbon dioxide sensor opens the fresh air vents if it detects more than 2000 ppm of CO2 in the cabin. Hyundai one-upped the Ford and BMW hands-free trunk openers that work after you kick your foot under the back bumper: The Genesis Smart Trunk opens within three seconds so long as the key is in your pocket, you’re within three feet, and stand there for three seconds. Then, pop, it opens.
HUD showcases Hyundai driver aids
One reason to buy the priciest Genesis trim line is the superb head-up display that is only on the Genesis Ultra. It even indicates cars in your blind spot (also current speed, posted speed limit, lane departure warning, forward collision, warning, and adaptive cruise control). Most cars with blind spot detection have an indicator lamp in the side mirror and the car beeps loudly if you attempt to change lanes. Hyundai puts the BSD warning in the head-up display and in the MID. That’s better for idiot drivers (most of us) who start to change lanes and only then look in the side mirror; with the Genesis that information is front and center. On two of the four trim lines, the audible warning is replaced by haptic feedback: a vibrating steering wheel.
Stop and go adaptive cruise control.Smart cruise control (Hyundai’s term) goes down to 0 then back up to speed. For luddites who get a car with adaptive cruise control and think they’re more alert than the car, there’s an option to downgrade ACC to work as vanilla cruise control.
Lane departure warning/lane keep assist. Hyundai’s lane departure warning/lane keep assist has three settings: disabled, warn only, aggressive corrective steering before the car touches the lane markers, or mild correction once you’re at the lane markers. Still this is not the LKA that is really self-steering as seen on German cars such as our ExtremeTech car of the year Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the Genesis’s direct competitor Mercedes E-Class, or Japan’s Acura MDX SUV or Acura RLX. Like true self-driving LKA systems, on straight roads, it’s good enough that you’re tempted to drive hands-off. But the car knows if you’ve got your hands on, warns if you’re not, and then disables.
Automatic Emergency Braking. Using the lane departure warning camera and adaptive cruise control radar, the Genesis applies full braking from 5-50 mph (8-89 kph) to mitigate a collision and may completely avoid a collision; from 50-112 mph (80-180 kph) it applies partial breaking and warns of a possible collision with another car. That’s what Hyundai says officially. Quietly, Hyundai says it’s like this: At lower speed ranges, the Genesis will detect cars for sure, probably pedestrians, probably motorcycles and bicyclists, and likely will stop to avoid an accident. Others such as Volvo and Subaru are more confident publicly about not hitting pedestrians but within a lower range, usually under 20 mph.
Rear cross-traffic alert. Part of blind spot detection, it warns if a moving car might hit you as you back out of a head-in parking spot.
Lane change assist. This is part of blind spot detection and refers to the warning you get in the HUD or MID of fast-moving cars coming up from the rear.
The 2015 Hyundai Genesis has no competition as long as price is part of the buying consideration. The 2009 Genesis was a warning shot across the bow of the competition, like Samsung and LG TVs 15-20 years ago put Sony and Panasonic on notice. The second generation Genesis has virtually all the tech you want, great comfort, a very good ride, and killer pricing.
The reason to buy a Mercedes-Benz, Audi, or BMW is for the handful of highest-tech offerings, such as lane keep assist that self-centers in the lane where the Genesis still pinballs back (gently) when it reaches lane markings, and for the prestige of the hood emblem. The BMW may be better at the track… but for the same money as a V8 BMW 550i you can have a V6 Genesis sedan and the compact Genesis Coupe for track days. (The Genesis name signifies rear-drive; that’s the only similarity between the two.) The reason to buy a Lexus GS over a Genesis is you get to go to a Lexus dealer that insulates you from Toyota buyers (and Toyota sellers). With the Genesis you’ll be rubbing elbows with people buying and selling Accents, Elantras and Sonatas. If you shop the $65,000 Equus, the dealer comes to your house with a car to test; for the Genesis, better dealers have an Equus/Genesis showroom within a showroom.
