Origin. Beginning. “Genesis”, a Korean inception. The 3.8-litre V6 rear-drive saloon is Hyundai’s first serious attempt at a luxury saloon in Singapore, albeit without a standalone showroom and separate, upmarket branding (like Toyota’s Lexus). However, instead of Hyundai’s “H” logo, the Genesis gets its own emblem, which looks like the bewinged badges of honour belonging to Aston Martin and Bentley.
The “British empire” design of the Genesis’ insignia might have been deliberate, and so are the Germanic aspects of the vehicle’s styling, engineering and equipment. But the Genesis’ value-for-money proposition is as Korean as ever, even though the money required in this case could buy two Elantras.
More important than the Korean won needed for a Genesis (full-spec Grand variant tested here) is whether the Korean saloon has won over our three judges – editor David Ting, associate editor Daryl Lee and our Torque guest driver for this cover story, Leslie Chang, a businessman and motoring enthusiast who owns a 3.3-litre Hyundai Azera.
“IT’S ALMOST GERMAN”
DARYL LEE
In my opinion, the Hyundai Genesis is almost German. Now, before you start on how the car is more bulgogi than bratwurst, consider how Peter Schreyer, the design boss of the Hyundai-Kia Group, is German. Also, the automaker has a design centre in Germany’s Russelsheim, and testing of the Genesis was carried out on the fearsome Nurburgring racetrack.
I agree with those in the audience (reading this or considering the car) who believe that the Genesis’ rather tenuous German associations alone don’t qualify it for Teutonic club membership.
What might earn the Genesis its Teutonic membership card is the negligible number of bargain-basement items. In an attempt to distance the Genesis from its less elevated brethren, there are few Hyundai marks to be found – they’re only on the windows and engine cover. Even the badges on the sculpted sheet metal and solid key fob bear the winged “Genesis” emblem instead of the stylished Hyundai “H”.
And then there’s the styling of the saloon. From some angles, the Genesis resembles the BMW 7 Series, and there are some classy touches, such as 3D-effect LED tail-lights, multi-spoke 19-inch wheels, and puddle lights on the wing mirrors that project the Genesis name onto the ground.
Clearly, this is not a budget Korean runabout. The Genesis is a car straight from the swankiest parts of Seoul, but crucially, doesn’t come with an equally swanky price tag.
With the $236,000 quoted by Komoco for a range-topping Grand Genesis (at press time), you can get a bottom-of-the-line Mercedes E200 or BMW 520i. Neither of the German saloons will have the top-drawer standard equipment of their Korean alternative.
Want soft-close doors and a motorised boot lid? The Genesis has that. Want bum coolers, 14 hi-fi speakers, touchscreen infotainment and a rear control console for the towkay to dictate the song he wants to hear? The Genesis has those, too. Still not impressed? The Genesis is also equipped with a head-up display, a blind-spot detection system, an autonomous parking function, plus a set of front and rear cameras.
All that keen pricing and high-tech gear would mean nothing if the Genesis doesn’t deliver a suitably German (that is, top-notch) experience for its occupants. Thankfully, the Korean luxobarge scores big in that respect with its plush ride, aural refinement and silky smooth drivetrain.
But the biggest reason why I think the Genesis should be given honorary German “citizenship” is how incredible an automotive achievement it is. Just about everything – and I do mean everything – on the car is made in-house by Hyundai or an affiliate. Your move, Germany.
“IT’S NO AZERA”
LESLIE CHANG
I bought my pre-owned Azera in 2010. It was a Komoco management car registered in 2008. Compared to the Genesis, the Azera looks rather ordinary and seems a little bulky around the rear. It lacks the large-saloon presence of the Genesis, which has good proportions and combines the design elements of a modern Hyundai with the details of a classy continental saloon.
The cabin is luxurious, but feels more functional than indulgent. The Genesis is not the first car with ventilated front seats, but said ventilation is certainly one of the quietest. Too bad the backseats only have heated ventilation.
I’m very impressed with the on-board equipment, such as the cameras and sensors. And I’m glad that Hyundai has deployed multiple buttons for different seat adjustments, which are more user-friendly than the one-knob-adjusts-all arrangement. The car’s build quality and interior finishing are two notches above the Azera’s!
On the go in the Genesis, the performance is excellent and the handling is pleasantly balanced. I’d like to add that the body is very rigid. But the low-speed ride comfort could be better.
The whole product is impressive. Unlike the early copycat limos from Korea, this vehicle doesn’t pretend to be Western. The Genesis’ creators may have used premium European cars as their benchmark, but the end result is refreshing and the engineering work has been thorough. The Genesis drives well and looks great.
“IT’S WHOLLY KOREAN”
DAVID TING
The Genesis might be the most “German” Korean saloon in Singapore, but after much “Seoul”-searching on my part, I hereby conclude that the newcomer is much closer to hallyu than to a BMW. It is Hyundai’s 315bhp vehicular contribution to the Korean wave of culture and technology that has swept the Asian region.
“K-pop” clues abound in the Genesis, most of them musical in nature. When I unlock the car and sit behind the wheel, a short melody welcomes me and a friendly digital voice says: “Please have a safe drive today.” Okay, I’ll do my best… When I cut the engine after a drive, another short melody bids me farewell. If I adjust the main meters’ illumination to its highest or lowest level, there’s a soft chime.
The dashboard’s chiming is louder and longer if it’s warning me about something – maybe a tarmac disconnect between traction and acceleration (in my experience), or perhaps the telematics’ detection of a non-Korean smartphone being Bluetoothed (in my imagination).
Speaking of in-car connectivity, the Genesis’ handsfree phone function offers no less than 10 different ringtones. The classical genre is well represented, with tunes such as Chopin’s “Fantaisie Impromptu”, Strauss’ “Beautiful Blue Danube” and Tchaikovsky’s “Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy”. But I prefer the Veloster to The Nutcracker, so I would choose either “Military Marches” or – with just a little irony for a Hyundai – “Moonlight Sonata”.
The Koreans might have noticed the irony, too, because they parked the sonata in question as the first option on the ringtone selection menu. Incidentally, is the entertainment system’s retro radio icon modelled after some Lucky Goldstar transistor radio?
It’s difficult for me to decide on the exact colour I want for the 8-inch multi-function touchscreen. I don’t even adjust my Samsung TV’s screen settings, and here is a Hyundai that lets me adjust the brightness, hue, contrast and saturation of its colour monitor.
It’s much easier for me to decide on the cockpit’s language setting – it’s either Korean or American English, with corresponding national flags to make my choice even clearer. Unclear to me, however, is the interior designers’ rationale for providing an analogue-style clock as a screensaver that looks like a digitised version of the actual analogue clock below the hazard lights switch.
With Hyundai’s homeland a powerhouse in world-class consumer electronics, the Genesis is packed with a variety of world-class gadgets that take care of the users’ safety, comfort and convenience. Everything is electronically controlled, right down to the suspension damping (Normal, Sport, Eco).
The complete Korean-ness of the Genesis also encompasses its high-strength steels and mechanical components, all of which are manufactured by South Korean companies under the Hyundai banner. Even the massive “car-go” ships that export the Genesises built in Hyundai’s Ulsan production plant are probably Hyundai models, too.
DRIVETRAIN
TYPE V6, 24-valves
CAPACITY 3778cc
BORE X STROKE 96mm x 87mm
COMPRESSION RATIO 11.5:1
MAX POWER 315bhp at 6000rpm
MAX TORQUE 397Nm at 5000rpm
POWER TO WEIGHT 166.7bhp per tonne
GEARBOX 8-speed automatic with manual select
DRIVEN WHEELS Rear
PERFORMANCE
0-100KM/H 6.5 seconds
TOP SPEED 240km/h
CONSUMPTION 8.9km/L (combined)
CO2 EMISSION 261g/km
SUSPENSION
FRONT Multi-link, coil springs, electronically controlled dampers
REAR Multi-link, coil springs, electronically controlled dampers
BRAKES
FRONT / REAR Ventilated discs / Discs
TYRES
TYPE Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT
SIZE 245/40 R19 (front), 275/35 R19 (rear)
SAFETY
AIRBAGS 9
TRACTION CONTROL ABS with ESP
MEASUREMENTS
LENGTH 4990mm
WIDTH 1890mm
HEIGHT 1480mm
WHEELBASE 3010mm
KERB WEIGHT 1890kg
TURNING CIRCLE 11.04m
BUYING IT
PRICE INCL. COE $236,999 (after $15k CEVS surcharge)
WARRANTY 5 years/unlimited km
WE SAY
+ Big value for money, generous interior space, amenities aplenty, strong performance
– Unimpressive fuel economy, inconsistent ride quality, make-believe prestige
