2009 Hyundai Genesis Sedan - CAR and DRIVER 

I bought mine used and am still blown away by this car. I love it

Csaba is so honest and straight up. He tells John the absolute truth, no holds barred

First off I am a proud owner of a Genesis, and traded in my 5 series BMW for it, and must say could have not have make a better purchase. Second I trade a 2004 C-300 Mercedes in for the 2007 M5 both were leases, and both were great cars, but for the price, I love the like the C-300, and the M5, but love the Genesis, and I am now looking at the new 2015, or the Equus. I also wanted to say, I really Don't care for Csaba Csere's critique of the Genesis, it's as if he read the owners manual, and drove the care for a few hours then made his report on the car. Well first off it's a $40.000 dollar luxury sedan, not an $80.000 + thousand dollar car that you would have to buy to get all the same bells and whistles that the Genesis have. The list is long, and the longer you own it, and drive it, the more you love it. After 50,000 miles, my leather seats, are still as stiff as the day I bought it, and I have never had a major issue with the car since new, fingers crossed since saying this, but I am being honest, if you are looking for an entry used luxury sedan, you can find these for around 15k-to 20k with low miles, and ask about Certified Pre Owner so you can get the remainder of the 100k 10 year warranty and yes the car is worth every penny.

i like how this car looks , reliable , mpg is very good and it can run on REGULAR GAS

Actually the real reason why Hyundai logo isnt on it is because WE the consumer decided against it. That's right. At the Chicago auto show, Hyundai had 2 version of this Genesis: one without the logo and another with a different designed grill but with a logo. They asked people to decide which one they liked better. The majority of the people polled at that auto show, liked the one WITHOUT the logo

John Krafcik is very smart. He answered those tough questions extremely well and didn't say anything bad about the genesis when answering.

I love that the guys in the video are wearing their seat belts while the car isn't moving or even on! A very nice car though, definitely one that i'm considering as i fall right into the bracket that the Hyundai guy was discussing.

GENESIS IS AN EXCELLENT CAR... so, GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!

A few gripes I have with this car are: No auto-assist door closure, no rear auto-up-down windows, no passenger cooled seat, no lumbar/thigh adjustment. Other than that, everything else is phenomenal. For the price, you cannot go wrong. Its very roomy, and the Hyundai style I-drive is so easy to use. This car is impressive and I believe Hyundai will have a clear winner with this car. I love Lexus, BMW and Benz, but with such a pricing difference, its hard to tell who will sell what these days.

WIth interviews like this it shows Hyundai is trying extremely hard to improve. You don't see people from Mercedes and BMW doing interviews with car magazines and facing criticism. Where competing brands just maintain their reputation, Hyundai is more realistic and admit that, hey, we're not perfect, and other brands have great cars. That's what we need more of: honesty.

They had plenty of problems after they had merged with Nissan(strange!) but now they're doing well. The thing I like most about Koleos is that it costs 21,650 euros with 2.5litre.

i got a 2009 sonata i love my car it has the little shark fin antenna and the new interior and new grill and lights i love it!!!

yes!!, that's what I am talking about!!! This is a cross-segment car. The Genesis will be a new option for people deciding between an Avalon, Legend, Altima or 300M, but with features from BMW, Lexus, Mercedes and Infitini. Hyundai knows it is hard to take customers used to buy top class brands, but Hyundai is offering the option for people not concerned about brands, but about QUALITY and VALUE FOR THEIR MONEY!, and that is something Hyundai knows to do MORE THAN WELL!

Definitly agreed with you when the Genesis first debuted, but since I have considered the following. Hyundai is trying something new by offering luxury vehicles in the same name as their economy cars. Many of us have a stigma of what Hyundai quality is since in their debut in the 90's they were crap. Since like 2003 they really have come a long long way. The Hyundai people are doing something new and unique and the car is quality and frankly the best 40K car available.

He give new meaning to dome.

Yes, Hyundai is the 5th major car maker in the world. As the guy from Hyundai said, they got inspired on those top class car models to get this one, with very good results. It's not bad to get inspiration from the best ones, Toyota/Lexus did the same during its "childhood" (Remember, they copied a lot of things from BMW and Mercedes). They're now testing the market with this cross-segment model, offering features from top class brands, with the price of a regular brand luxury model. Good move!

i've seen two so far on the road.looks good.

I agree with you. They might as well create the brand name Genesis as their luxury brand to set it apart from the Hyundai Brand.

Lincoln, Infiniti, Volvo, and Acura are all Premium brands though. Though I do agree that this Hyundai is better than what those guys have to offer. Genesis > Volvo S60/S80, Genesis > Infiniti M/Q, Genesis > Acura RL, etc.

AFAIK it was only examined at Nurburgring. On the other hand Japanese have been playing with Porshe for years.

I would love to talk to that same person from Hyundai and ask him my questions... My goodness, he actually just said "it looks like nothing else on the road today" It looks like everything else on the road today. He also said not having a badge makes it unique... I am pretty sure a cars badge makes it unique from others so why is not having one unique? Infact, unique is the last thing that I would think about then thinking of the Genesis. Compromise would probably be the first.

As you've said, "PREVIOUS" Lexus, BMW, etc owners, not CURRENT. Those people probably couldn't really afford a Lexus or Mercedes to begin with, so yes, the Genesis is a good alternative for them and for those who never owned a luxury car. I searched and never found those articles, so I do not believe you. I wouldn't say that this would be a superior choice, but I'd say that it's definitely a practical choice.

And don't forget that it was Csaba's friend too!

Renault doesn't sell cars in US as Nissans. They only share some parts and sometimes chassis.

Ya i use to make fun of Hyundai a few years ago especially at Auto shows since no one ever seems to go their cars to look at them, but now I really want to go to a Hyundai dealership and check this car out and also the Coupe. =D Hyundai is going leaps and bounds. from an eco commute car to a an actual competitor with the major brands. This is like Samsung competing with Sony . Samsung makes really amazing products. Praise to Hyundai automobiles for making the Genesis platform. = )

I have a feeling that's the last time those two meet.

in response to people who like pretty badges.....what if uhm.......what if you took the badge off.......lol

welshwines, alright dude, did you read the article?

Car and Driver has horrible perceptions. This is a sporty / family style vehicle. I personally absolutely love it. I dont care about the fold down rear seats, I love the interface and sound system, I personally drove one and felt very comfortable I am 6'5" 270. I dont drive hwy much, it performs well on the back roads and cost 10-20 grand less than the cars that old buzzard from car and driver were comparing it to. The guy from Hyundai should feel proud and he gave great answers.

Way to be original there Hyundai

I'm going to get a nice short term lease on one (I commute 8 miles a day). So it should be pretty nice. If not i'll just purchase a Azera....

Actually Hyundai is doing very well. You have to cut them some slack, I hope you know that not everybody can afford a BMW, Lexus, Mercedes, etc. Hyundai is carving a niche for themselves, in a shorter amount of time than most of the manufacturers, and has learned a lot in that time period. I didn't like Hyundai before, but the Sonata, now has better build quality than the CTS, a car which is about 10K more! The Genesis? Who knows...

kndrice, One estimate I heard was about half BILLION dollars to start a new dealership network. Smart move not to start one now imho.

i watch car and driver all the time. whats ur point?

I mispelled it. It's called Renault Koleos and it's the greatest value for the money right now.

welshwines, My 1st post was to ask where you heard Hyundai was in bankruptcy. And you send me sources that were from 2000. 8 YEARS OLD. If you must insist Hyundai cars suck you should do so based on what they sell, based on relevant facts from recent past, not irrelevant facts from almost a decade ago. And I hear from independent sources, they've improved greatly. #5 seller of cars worldwide. Did you even google 'hyundai car jd'? I at least googled 'hyundai bankruptcy' like you suggested.

SimF775 Do you have the Hyundai Ipod 3 pin cable, because My ipod works great in my Genesis and I have over 4500 songs, and 100 videos on mine. Also you can do map up-grades, mine will switch to a spit map when I am with-in half a mile of any turn, and shows me right to the exact point of where I am at. My BMW M5 had the worst GPS unit I have ever tried to use, and if it wasn't a leased car, I would have taken a hammer to it.

I have no idea how Renault decreased the costs that much. They also make a mini Suv called Renault or Dacia Sandero and it only costs 7,000 euros. It's not proper Suv but what can you buy for 7,000 euros? Not even tiny little Hyundai i10

People are very judgmental on the Hyundai Genesis. Also who the fuck buys these cars to race them on a track? are we honestly judging luxury passenger cars based on track numbers. Anyways its really surprising Hyundai has really improved and its quality, reliability, and design is really nice.

Thats for sure. But, we can't yet forsee their reliability of these all-new vehicles. I wouldn't buy one at least untill the 2010 model year.

Right, and you can't be any more ignorant or maybe your view is just stuck in the past. These are a new generation of Hyundai's and believe it or not they've improved quite drastically in terms of build quality and ability to last as long as Hondas. They were even ranked in the top 3 in the JD Powers rankings. Please don't try to sound like you know something. You obviously have your fixed set of views about the Korean automaker and their past. Things have changed.

LOL, in what sense do you agree with gw3?

welshwines, I actually googled 'hyundai bankrupt' and found a BusinessWeek article from 2000 on top of the list. That's 8 YEARS ago. Wow. You need to get out more and read more newspapers/magazines, like ones from last week/month, not 9 YEARS AGO. Anything else? Ps - People who want the Genesis are fine with people like you, more choices for them.

talking about the grill- "it looks like nothing else" No. It looks like a Mercedes grill.

If you read my prior comments, you know that we are talking about the 300C. Do I have to elaborately detail everything i say here? Gosh.

they should've given it a different badge. the hyundai badge would be a turn off to those who already have a lexus, a bmw, or a mercedes. I mean I have an ES350 right now, and although I am really interested with this car, the thought of switching from a Lexus to a Hyundai just seem awkward.

Sorry to inform you Hyundai is NOT synonomous with broke/cheap any more. Hyundai is one of the most reliable automobiles available and the ratings show it. Thanks for your input but you shouldn't talk about things you really don't know about. Furthermore it is HYUNDAI not hyndaui

I don't think anyone can question the fine qualities of this car. This car is so fine. But it's the Hyundai badge that would turn off current luxury car owners. You drive a Mercedes then you traded it in for a Hyundai. Something's wrong with that picture.

welshwines, All I wanted to know was where you heard hyundai has been pretty much bankrupt? Not too much to ask I assume...

How's life in the mid 90's? Cause that's when Hyundai's were crappy. Do you enjoy watching new episodes of Friends? I heard the "internet' is really catching on with kids these days. Perhaps you should log into Prodigy or AOL and check it out.

What if I don't?

I was not confused at all, but you seem to be the one who's confused. I've always said that the problem with this car is the Hyundai badge and not the car itself =) This car probably deserves any award that's fit for it, but it does not make it a true luxury with that Hyundai badge, but a wannabe luxury like the Chrysler 300C.

Hyundai almost launched the Genesis under its own brand, but they decided to cut that cost too. It kind of defeats the purpose doesn't it? Instead of introducing a new brand with new luxury products, they simply made a bigger Hyundai that will go to Hyundai dealers. That doesn't make it an amazing new luxury sedan. That makes it a wannabe. Btw, I don't think you are able to talk about others spelling with the comment you left anyway.

the REAL reason why the Hyundai logo isnt on this car is because the REAAL company WAS called Genesis but then when it was imported to america, they couldnt make new factories for the company Genesis so they came up with the idea of calling it a Hyudai... And the Genesis company came from the Hyundai.

I can't wait for the coupe. Yummy!!!!

500 engineers= 4 engineers in the US + 496 engineers in Korea

@mercedesE320fan Why are Toyotas "better" than Hyundais?

Gensis sedan is really good for the money

Is it fair to judge this car on who they are trying to compete with or compare it to other cars in it's price range? If a car nearly reaches the mark of competitors cars running at almost twice the price, then that is tremendous value. What this car will lack is soul. It has mid-pack capabilities, but the styling is too conservative. It just doesn't stand out or shout "look at me, I'm special" Then again, the value is hard to ignore. Hopefully this car doesn't go the way of the VW Phaeton.

WHY IS THE OPTIONS LIST SHORTER WITH THE V6? Thats STUPID!

dude what are you talking about? there are plenty of cars around 40K that are great at everything

from the side profile it a g35 for sure. at the rear I see BMW, at the front Mercedes. the first time I saw a picture of the front, I thought it was new benz. from a styling standpoint they failed.

I don't think that Germans or French do it but Koreans have based their whole car industry on it.

welshwines, Really? hyundai has been pretty much bankrupt? Source pls?

thanks for admitting that i was right...getting personal is the first sign of defeat!

welshwines, 2 of 2 I WOULD fly in a Hyundai/Kia airplane if independent sourceS say they are dependable. Fact is Hyundai Heavy Industries (for the sake of argument) makes/sells ships (giantic, mega expensive) because they are dependable. No one thought 30 years ago South Korea would become the dominating force in shipbuilding. But it is now. Will Hyundai/Kia Car company become the dominating force? Maybe. Will it be good enough to actually compete with the leading brands? I bet it will.

Bad interviewer...he asks questions of the guest which were true of Lexus in 1989 when it was a question of whether shoppers of potential German and Cadillac shoppers would crossover to a Lexus

What about Mexico?

It's expensive to license an entirely different brand and modify the distribution and dealer networks to accommodate the new brand. It probably wasn't worth it for just one car.

this guy from hyundai got promoted to ceo of americas

Predjudice ??? I'll leave that to your young discretion, I'm not talking about the base cars, the Genesis is not a base car that's Hyundai's flagship, I don't have 4 cylndrs. in my yard they are all 6 and up, I figure U have a Hyundai, I don't base cars off how good they look and what I can do to customize it, I look for quality and value, if U're gonna pay upwards montly of 700 to 800 on a 40g car I don't want to have major expenes after warranties are gone.

@xlEctacylx89 Some of the low-end Audis share components with VWs, but *only* the low-end ones. In fact, Audi existed long before VW bought them out. So they are a distinct brand with a distinct history. Lexus is simply a marketing construct by Toyota. It literally only exists because Toyota marketing people believed there was a limit to how much money Americans would spend on a car with the Toyota badge on it.

@mercedesE320fan The problem with the C and E Mercedes is that they are cheaply built and they don't handle well. Even the ones with the powerful AMG-tuned engines... look at the Top Gear Power Board... an E63 AMG with over 500bhp couldn't keep up with a poxy little Porsche Boxter. As for Jaguars being "the most troublesome and unreliable cars ever"... you're just embarrassing yourself. That hasn't been true since Callaghan was PM.

neoconsnightmare3, yeah... i consider it my civic duty to try to correct people who have opinions based on wrong facts. (even if if means shaming them a bit.) otherwise others might read and mindless accept it as a fact.

Competition is good, Keeps the rest on their feet.

This is a very common international business practice. When you are trying to be successful in a foreign market, you have to sell products that appeal to buyers in that market, and you must price your product aggressively. When Toyota and Honda came to the US a few decades ago, they marketed their products in the same manner.

its all right

Wow, this was a little uncomfortable to watch. I'm glad Csaba was honest but shit, this is a huge step for Hyundai. It may not be perfect but go find me a Chevy sedan, (a company that has been building cars since 1911) that is this good for this price.

Well said.

What is ur problem? You keep missing the point. Have you been to a Lexus delearship to experience what luxury service is all about? I doubt if Hyundai delearship could even come close to that premium service that we get. What do they serve you when you're at a Hyundai delearship?How's their concierge? Do u get VIP treatment? How can u even say that the Genesis is much better when it hasn't even established a track record as a luxury car?! Don't be silly.

welshwines, why don't you google 'hyundai car jd' and see what the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd result is.

ValiSide, maybe. but they never thought anyone would buy ships worth $100 million each from Hyundai 30 years ago but they do now. U never know.

Do you know what BMW's are selling for in Germany? You'll be surprised.

HAHA that made me LOL. Just the thought of that ever happening for real.

welshwines, I'd like an apology for your statement.

Ur obviously not a luxury buyer if u cannot relate to what I am saying. If Walmart comes up with a line of first class quality leather purses, do u think I'd give up my Gucci and my LV's? I don't think so. So yes, that badge means a lot to REAL luxury buyers. Toyota, Nissan and Honda knows how important that badge is to luxury buyers. Hyundai should have learned from them. Unless, of course Hyundai just wants to prove something before they build a separate luxury line. Who knows.

You are the one who needs to accept reality. There is nothing wrong with this car. It even looks better than some German luxury cars. The reality that you need to accept is that, brand names speak a lot. Why would a flawless diamond at Tiffany sell more than a flawless diamond of the same quality from downtown LA? It's the prestige that comes with the name. Sorry, but the name Hyundai does not have the prestige of Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Infinit, etc. That is the reality that you need to accept.

welshwines, 1 of 2 True, I wouldn't fly in a Hyundai/Kia airplane as of now or near future. My point is you're basing your arguments on facts from the distant past, when the news from the recent past or the present tell you a different story. You ignore some simple facts to make your arguments. You know Hyundai cars have been beating some well known brands in initial quality measurements. In fact it's #5 in number of cars sold worldwide last years I believe. I believe it outsold Honda.

Yeah people who are buying Lexuses, BMWs or MBs care at least a little about the badge on their car, no matter what they say.

welshwines, Have you googled 'hyundai car jd'? I just wanna know. 'support your people'? I am not gonna go down to your level.

Yeah, thanks for your comment, I have a yard of toyota, I will put up my toyota and Nissan Quality any day compared to a Hyundai any day. My sister has a kia, she has nothing but problems Since U say all U did about the Altima, that was a 94 Excel I had and a 98 Altima research your history compare the 2 cars Hyundai,Toyota,Nissan,Honda @ 40g's I'd rather buy something that has less problems and retains value.

@beatstork1 Csaba and C&D never give fair reviews of anything. If this car was a BMW, the video would have been 6:10 of Csaba humping it's tailpipe.

I like the fact that Csaba (the guy in the driver's seat) didn't turn this into just a butt-kissing feel good sit down with the Hyundai ... most interviewers in this case wouldn't have followed up with Csaba's saying this car was tuned like the Infiniti M and say "it's really not, it's not as sporty". Having driven both I agree the M is a more sporting car for better or for worse. I don't see why Hyundai can't be happy with a more Lexus like drive though. Nothing wrong with that!

It's a good car. But in all honesty, I would rather buy an Acura. You get Japanese-quality and comfort for less the price of Hyundai Genesis.

dba7dba, i more than understand. i prefer to do that, but when necessary, i DO enjoy humiliating them with the facts.

Hyundai is a GLOBAL transportation, shipping and logistics company. FAR from broke. Everyone who knows cars says the Genesis is a great car. I find it hilarious when folks talk shyt and don't know what they're talking about.

@mercedesE320fan You didn't answer my question. Why are Toyotas "better" than Hyundais? If you can't answer just admit it and move on. Also, the idea that Jaguars aren't very reliable is old history. I hate to break it to you but this isn't the 1970s anymore. I've owned two Jaguars and know many people who have owned Jaguars... Ever since Sir John Egan sorted them out in the early 80s, they've been as reliable as anything made in Germany or Asia.

Thanks for elaborating for us the traits of a wannabe luxury car. I'm sure their are a lot of wannabe buyers who would buy it. Maybe you should count yourself in =)

Nice try hyundai...but its not a bimmer, its not a benz, its not a lexus even if you put a "unique" grill on it that looks kinda benzish 2 me...and wen ur company is so under rated that if u want ppl 2 buy ur car u hav 2 take badges off of it..u got probs...bimmers 4 lyfe

@pattycarljackson Anyone who buys a Lexus should stay away from the GS anyway. It is the same car sold as the Toyota Aristo in other markets. As I said before, anything you want from a Lexus you can get from the Hyundai Genesis for a fraction of the price.