2009 Hyundai Genesis - Good enough to be German


Trot out any tired old metaphor you'd like - a deal changer, a seismic shift, a quantum leap. Whatever the verbiage, not since Lexus introduced its LS 400 in 1990 has so much luxury and performance been offered for so little money.

For the first time in a very long time - since that first Lexus, in fact - mere proles can afford the same performance, luxury and amenities as all the yuppies in their BMWs can.


It was only a matter of time before a top-tier tuner opened up its tool kit and sparked the welding
This DUB Edition Genesis looks sweet in white...

torches to remake Hyundai's
This DUB Edition Genesis looks sweet in white...
new luxury-sport sedan.

DUB, a name synonymous with all that's automotively cool, didn't just transform the new Genesis from stylish luxury four-door to a sled with street cred, but rather modified two Geneses simultaneously.

And why not? When in a dark, foreboding mood there's Genesis black, or when feeling angelic there's the all-white Miami Vice edition.

While visible updates to both cars' body work are minimal (they didn't even replace either cars' grille with something customized), with only wagon-wheel sized rims being added and deep, rich coats of paint swathed on, the interiors remind of a long night of partying in a grad limo. The white and black theme continues
....and wicked in black.

inside,
....and wicked in black.
with diamond-patterned white stitching for the black seat
inserts and white bolsters and headrests. If this can't get you back into action after a long day at the office, nothing can.

The stereo's kickin' too, and the fact that DUB didn't wait for the Genesis Coupe and jumped right onto the new four-door is sign enough that Hyundai is on to something with its new lineup of entry-level luxury cars.

Remember, Chrysler's 300C turned a rather forgettable brand into one of the hottest names in the industry, and while the timing for launching a large, rear-drive luxury car might not be quite as good now as it was then, attracting high-caliber tuners to the fold will certainly boost the Korean brand's image.

There was really no indication the new 2009 Genesis would be this good.

After all, there is a Hyundai badge on its rear deck. Oh, sure, the company's Sonata now competes head to head with the Camry, but there's a huge gulf between benchmarking a Toyota and claiming that one's car is on an equal footing with a BMW.

To Hyundai Canada's credit, it admits that with perception being so crucial to buyers in the car's snack bracket, its new Genesis has neither the pomp nor the circumstance to challenge the marketing might or brand status that BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi command. Indeed, Hyundai Canada is looking to prospect Lexus ES 350 and Cadillac CTS buyers with the Genesis V6's $37,995 base price.

That intention sells the Genesis's performance far too short. The car that compares most equally with the Genesis is BMW's 5 Series - and not just any 5 Series, but the mondo-powerful and very expensive 550i. Yes, the Hyundai Genesis, in its $43,995, 4.6-litre V8 guise, can keep up - and occasionally trump - BMW's finest sedan at roughly half the price. Don't believe me? Then take a gander at the specs for the Genesis's new 4.6L DOHC V8.

At 375 horsepower, it out-muscles the BMW's 550i and, thanks to its smaller displacement, also gets superior fuel economy. Opting for a V8 when premium fuel exceeds $1.40 a litre may seem profligate, but the Genesis's fuel economy ratings of 12.6 litres per 100 kilometres in the city and 8.1 on the highway border on economical.

But mere numbers don't do the Tau V8 justice. On the open road, the Genesis feels as quick as the 550i and just as sophisticated. Acceleration to 100 kilometres an hour from a standstill arrives in just 5.7 seconds, the same as with the 550i and quicker than the comparable Audi or Jag. Only the Mercedes E550, with one litre greater displacement, is quicker - and then only by 0.2 seconds.

And the sound! Again, the comparison with BMW comes up. At idle, the V8 burbles with equal authority. There's the same ripping silk roar as the tach passes 4,000 rpm, not to mention the same eerie smoothness as the revs crest 6,000. It's all very authoritative without intruding into the cabin's calm.

Punch the V8 at any speed and the Genesis surges forward as fast - or faster - than any of the mega-buck German sleds. It's smoother than the Mercedes and quicker than either the Audi or normally aspirated Jaguar V8. And it uses the same ZF six-speed automatic transmission as many $80,000-plus European sedans, meaning the entire powertrain is equal to the best from the continent. The closest I can come to a complaint is that the transmission, which offers manumatic shifting via the centre console-located lever, doesn't come with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

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