Up Close and Personal With the 2009 Hyundai Genesis

Hyundai has put a lot of marketing muscle into the Genesis—hell, the company even shelled out big bucks for a Super Bowl commercial—so I was more than a little curious to check it out. And while it wasn’t perfect, overall, I liked the Genesis. The biggest problem I had with the car was the electronic throttle control. The 3.8 liter V6 has plenty of power, and the ride is stable enough that when cruising on the freeway, you could easily hit 90mph without realizing it. But when you mash the pedal to the floor, there’s a pronounced delay—a solid second—before the car actually responds. While that might be acceptable in a $15,000 econo-box, in a car that retails for 35 grand, I think it’s kind of lame. Of course, most of the folks who buy the Genesis aren’t going to be habitually flooring the accelerator, they’re going to be more concerned with how quiet, comfy and refined it feels, and I can’t imagine they’d be disappointed.

Our tester didn’t have every available option, but since I haven’t owned a vehicle with a working radio in almost a decade, I was pretty impressed by the amount of electronic trickery it had. The first thing I noticed was the key—or lack of one. The Genesis came with a little key-fob, and once it’s in your pocket, all you have to do to access the car is touch a little button on the door handle and, presto, it’s open! Once inside, you don’t even have to pull the key-fob out of your pocket to start the engine, all you have to do is put your foot on the brake and hit the start button, and you’re ready to roll.

I have to admit I enjoyed not having to fumble around with traditional keys much more than I expected I would. I guess by not requiring me to physically unlock it, the Genesis made me feel welcome, and who doesn’t like feeling welcome? I was a little curious to see what would happen if I removed the key-fob from the car while it was running, and you can see the results of that little experiment here.

The 14-speaker audio system sounded great, but at the risk of being branded a complete idiot, I have to say it took me a little while to get comfortable with the integrated iPod control. Even when I shot this little demonstration video, I was still kind of confused by it, which is probably evident by how surprised I was when I managed to actually select a song. Initially, I kept clicking the volume knob at the wrong time, which bounced me out of the iPod menu and took me to the bass/treble adjustments. And since I didn’t see a "back" button on the controls, I was forced to wait until that screen—which I dubbed the "punishment screen"—disappeared, and then start navigating all over again. Eventually, I got the hang of it, but I still wouldn’t want to try and use this while I was driving—I would totally wind up rear-ending someone.

As far as the interior goes, I had no complaints. Even though I didn’t understand why a rear-window sunshade was necessary, I thought it was kind of trick how it retracted when reverse was engaged. Otherwise, the leather seats felt great, visibility was good, and all the controls were in the right places. Even though I’m 6′3", when the editorial staff piled into the car for a lunchtime taco run and I got relegated to the back, there was plenty of room to stretch out. I know it sounds kind of silly, but the sheer amount of space in the passenger compartment was actually one of my favorite things about the Genesis. After all, what’s a luxury car if it isn’t comfortable? Next week, Jen will give her take on the Genesis. Stay tuned!