Test Car Specifications
Model tested: Hyundai Genesis
Pricing: £48,005
Engine: 3.8-litre V6 petrol
Transmission: rear-wheel drive, eight-speed automatic transmission
Body style: four-door saloon
CO2 emissions: 261g/km (VED Band M, £1,100 first 12 months, £505 annually thereafter)
Combined economy: 25.2mpg
Top speed: 150mph
0-62mph: 6.5 seconds
Power: 315hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 397Nm at 5,000rpm
What's this?
A daring move or an act of sheer folly; it's up to you to decide. Hyundai has transformed its image from cheap 'n' cheerful to genuinely credible big-game player in recent years, but now it wants to take a slice of the sales pie so greedily eaten up by BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi with this, the Genesis. Not named after the Peter Gabriel-fronted band formed in 1967, this large luxury saloon offers loads of toys and a big, normally aspirated V6 petrol engine to waft around its occupants, but at less than two grand shy of £50,000, it's going to take a pretty big leap of faith on the part of buyers to opt for the Hyundai - especially when you consider its absolutely frightening VED costs, given the emissions figure plucked straight from 1998. Also, does anyone remember the XG30?
It's only fair to say that, slightly dated switchgear aside, the interior of the Genesis is a fabulous place to be, especially for those captains of industry who'll sit in the back (we did, for one brief passenger ride). It's bloody enormous back there, with the front seats moveable via switches in a button-festooned armrest console in the middle. All of the seats are heated and cooled, the rear chairs also recline for a comfier position, there's a TFT instrument cluster up front and a panoramic roof above and leather and wood trim everywhere... it's all extremely nice, comfortable and quite high quality in there, so it hasn't fallen at the first hurdle. Unless you count the conservative exterior styling as a failing; we wouldn't, though. Viewed from the front three-quarters, the rear wheels look lost beneath an acreage of metal and it's a safe piece of design, but it's certainly not ugly and there is a suitably imposing air about its dimensions and bearing.
How does it drive?
If there was one word to sum up the Hyundai's driving character, it would be creamy - although that might have been brought to mind by the colour of the interior trim on the example we drove. The big V6 up front is creamy, with a mellow delivery of its pretty decent power. The ride is very creamy, all smooth and as soft as 400-thread Egyptian percale cotton. The gearbox is extremely creamy, silkily shifting between its eight ratios with little in the way of slurring or jerkiness. Yes, it can provide a level of refinement that matches some of the best in class, so when it's being driving carefully - or rather, when the chauffeur is driving in a manner befitting of his or her role - business chiefs will be able to conduct high-powered meetings in the back while the Genesis glides them from boardroom to boardroom in quiet, dignified calm.
What it cannot do is handle brilliantly, nor hope to match the economy of any self-respecting luxo-barge, be that a 5 Series- or 7 Series-sized car, mainly because most of its rivals now run on diesel and the Hyundai doesn't. On the first score, increasing the pace simply sees more body roll introduced to the mix (which will bring much displeasure down onto the chauffeur's head from rear-seat occupants) while there's grip aplenty, but slightly vague steering and not much in the way of chassis involvement. On the economy score, a quoted 25.2mpg is nothing short of dismal by today's standards and we saw around 22mpg while only doing 55mph up and down a dual carriageway. So if the boss is late for the conference call and Jeeves has to step on it, figure on mid-teens economy - and VED/Benefit-in-Kind costs of the highest order as a corollary.
Verdict
A hard one to sum up. In theory, there's nothing wrong with anything the Genesis does; in fact, there are some things (cabin space, ride, refinement) it does absolutely brilliantly. It is totally undone, though, by the asking price of £48,005 - Hyundai is an up-and-coming brand but asking people to shell out such money for a car that emits 261g/km CO2, can at best achieve 25.2mpg and which will likely depreciate quite steeply seems a step too far, too soon. If it had been diesel-powered and a good ten grand cheaper, we'd have been very impressed with the Genesis. As it is, the best this grandest Hyundai can probably hope for is to become something of a cult classic on the used car market in years to come.
Exterior Design
Interior Ambience
Passenger Space
Luggage Space
Safety
Comfort
Driving Dynamics
Powertrain
