2015 Hyundai Genesis 5.0L Review

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Nick1994

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Well, it's time for my 5 week update on the Genesis. I've put a little over 2,600 miles on it in 5 weeks, and have averaged 19.4 mpg, a little more than what I was expecting. If I drive it easier for my commute I can get it a little over 20. Here's the link to my Fuelly: LINK.

I took it to the drag strip last night. Kept running 14.3 seconds at 98 mph. Wasn't quite what I was expecting. Car and Driver did it in 13.6 seconds. No need to worry about wheel slip, this car just goes. But it doesn't take off from a stand still super fast, kind of a delay.

The Good:
-Power. Wow does this thing get up and go, has 420hp. It's so smooth though it doesn't feel like it. You just look down at the speedometer and see you're going 90+ in no time. Slow poke on the highway going 60? Floor it and in seconds you're at 100. It's smooth and not aggressive, not raw power like a Mustang etc.
-Comfort. The seats are like LaZBoy recliners they're so comfortable. Adjustable every which way too. Plenty of leg room and headroom too. The ride is also just right, not too firm, not too soft. This thing is king of the highway. 80 mph is 2,000 RPMs and it has no complaints cruising at high speeds.
-Quiet. You can whisper to your passengers on the highway, they really got the quietness just right. But there is some nice engine sound when you get on it.
-Handling. For a 4,500 pound car this thing can really take a turn. The steering is a little numb but once you throw it into a turn, it holds well. Not a lot of body roll. Also, for a car this big, navigating parking lots is a breeze and so is the turning radius.
-Technology. For a 2015, it's got plenty of tech. Navigation, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning & assist, auto braking, smart cruise control, heated and cooled seats, power rear sun shade etc.

The OK:
-Stereo sound. It's the Lexicon 14 speaker 900 watt system. It's ok, a lot better than my Sonata. You can crank it up and not really have to worry about distortion. It's got plenty of power for sound. The bass is kinda meh. But definitely good enough for me.
-Transmission programming. It's not a race transmission, but it's also not a race-car. It's smooth and does its thing, but if you want fast ZF style shifting, it isn't gonna happen.
-Traction control. As I said above, traction isn't really a problem. Floor it and she goes, it doesn't really burn out. The rear tires on this thing are huge. But if the road is wet and you want to have some fun, even with traction control and stability control off, it doesn't disable all the way. It'll break the tires loose and then pause, then break loose and then pause. On a track this would probably be annoying, but grandpa's car wasn't designed for the track either.

Overall, if you want a super comfortable highway cruiser with absolutely plenty of passing power, this is the car to get. You can save $4,000 by getting the 3.8L V6 which is supposed to be decent. I figured if I'm not getting a Vette as a 2nd car, then the V8 it is.

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]


[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]
 
Beautiful car! Sounds like a great balance of comfort and performance. I like these, a lot!
 
Great review! These really are a sharp looking rig, definitely targeting the German market and making a decent splash there.

Regarding the drag strip results, I recall we had some discussion about the times these cars ran when they first came out and it seemed like the HP figures might be on the optimistic side of things. My old E39 M5 was capable of mid 12's, but even if you were a crap driver, those cars would trap in the 11x-teens range. At 98Mph, you are trapping slower than my '87 GT T-Top did stock, and that was a 225HP car, albeit a bit lighter. Do you happen to know curb weight? I'm expecting C&D probably disabled the traction control and got it to hook up reasonably well to get a 13.6, which would be a decent ET for a car trapping ~100Mph.
 
Gorgeous car! I wish I knew these existed when we were looking to replace the Durango! But on the other hand... I have the self control of a 4 year old sitting in front of a pint of unguarded ice cream and would abuse that skinny pedal
lol.gif


How's the fuel mileage?
 
Originally Posted by Skippy722
How's the fuel mileage?


Did you read his post?

Originally Posted by Nick1994
Well, it's time for my 5 week update on the Genesis. I've put a little over 2,600 miles on it in 5 weeks, and have averaged 19.4 mpg, a little more than what I was expecting.
 
My friend has the 6, he loves it. Nice looking car. Honestly if I was looking for a high end luxury car, this would be the one.

Owned a Lexus LS460 for five years...great cars but the Genesis has really caught my eye...and many others on the Lexus forums.
 
Originally Posted by OVERKILL
Great review! These really are a sharp looking rig, definitely targeting the German market and making a decent splash there.

Regarding the drag strip results, I recall we had some discussion about the times these cars ran when they first came out and it seemed like the HP figures might be on the optimistic side of things. My old E39 M5 was capable of mid 12's, but even if you were a crap driver, those cars would trap in the 11x-teens range. At 98Mph, you are trapping slower than my '87 GT T-Top did stock, and that was a 225HP car, albeit a bit lighter. Do you happen to know curb weight? I'm expecting C&D probably disabled the traction control and got it to hook up reasonably well to get a 13.6, which would be a decent ET for a car trapping ~100Mph.

Here's my 2nd run. I had traction control and stability control off as well as "Sport" mode on. I'm car 17 on the left. It just goes, wheel spin is almost nothing. I'll try to upload my dashcam this evening, it just doesn't have the response off the line to go I think.
Car 127 was an F150 Ecoboost. I'd guess a 2013?
[Linked Image]
 
Originally Posted by glock19
Originally Posted by Skippy722
How's the fuel mileage?


Did you read his post?

Originally Posted by Nick1994
Well, it's time for my 5 week update on the Genesis. I've put a little over 2,600 miles on it in 5 weeks, and have averaged 19.4 mpg, a little more than what I was expecting.




Whoops.... I was drooling over how gorgeous it is and missed that
lol.gif
 
Originally Posted by SatinSilver
Thanks for the write up. Does it require premium fuel?

Nope, owners manual says 87 or higher, but "for improved vehicle performance" to use 91 or higher. It runs great on 87 so that's what I run, but it had 91 in it for when I took it to the strip.

My Sonata pinged on 87 so I always ran 91.
 
Originally Posted by OVERKILL
Great review! These really are a sharp looking rig, definitely targeting the German market and making a decent splash there.

Regarding the drag strip results, I recall we had some discussion about the times these cars ran when they first came out and it seemed like the HP figures might be on the optimistic side of things. My old E39 M5 was capable of mid 12's, but even if you were a crap driver, those cars would trap in the 11x-teens range. At 98Mph, you are trapping slower than my '87 GT T-Top did stock, and that was a 225HP car, albeit a bit lighter. Do you happen to know curb weight? I'm expecting C&D probably disabled the traction control and got it to hook up reasonably well to get a 13.6, which would be a decent ET for a car trapping ~100Mph.


First, I love the car, Nick. It's a real looker IMO.

But there is no question in my mind that Korean horses are smaller than some others.

All you need is an accurate curb weight to get real HP figures out of that time slip. Wallace Racing calculators online is the place.

Nicks car weighs about 4600 pounds, amazing to me considering that many big sedans are lighter.
 
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Wallace Racing wants the Density Altitude for your location and time to be very accurate. In addition it needs an accurate weight including driver.

Simple calculator yields 310 to 339 hp based on ET and mph against weight at 4600 pounds.

As an example, my sig car, rated at 425 hp and weighing 4340 at the strip with two people in it, traps out at 111 mph. This yields approximately 457 hp. Note that mph is typically more reliable than ET.
 
Originally Posted by Nick1994


My Sonata pinged on 87 so I always ran 91.


Really Hyundai designed/made the 2010's Theta so poorly it pinged on 87 besides having serious engine issues?
 
Actually-I am contemplating trading in my Silverado on an off lease genesis. There are PLENTY of RWD to choose from-but ones with AWD are a little harder to find. I would like a V8-but would settle for the 3.8.

The Genesis cars get universally great reviews.

Nive car-BTW.
 
Not gonna lie, I'm kind of disappointed in the 1/4 times but I didn't realize it's a 4500 pounds car (holy crap!) It's a comfy land yacht though, totally a different class of cars than I'm used too.

Off topic: ever line up against a trailblazer SS, think "oh I got this" then he purges his nitrous lines? Fastest way to turn a smile upside down.
 
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Originally Posted by CKN
Actually-I am contemplating trading in my Silverado on an off lease genesis. There are PLENTY of RWD to choose from-but ones with AWD are a little harder to find. I would like a V8-but would settle for the 3.8.

The Genesis cars get universally great reviews.

Nive car-BTW.


I'm looking at a Stinger and in my area only the base four cylinders are RWD. I want a V6 and there are no RWD GT1 or GT2 cars within 100 miles. As a result I'm looking at a 2019 GTS- at least it has a rear LSD and 100% can be sent to the rear axle like the current E63 S and M5. I wish it was significantly quicker than my 2er, but I can live with it.
 
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