Sports cars are exciting, but I have a soft spot in my heart for big sedans. Growing up, I was around a 1989 Mercedes 420SEL. It made me appreciate larger sedans that were ready to eat up highway miles & ideal for road trips. There has been a German brand death grip on the luxury sedan market & it bugs me. I love it when a car company perennially improves its car & eventually surpasses the traditional choices. This is why I hate that I love the Genesis G70 & G80, formerly Hyundai Genesis.
Yes, a Hyundai. I love them. Now, I had an opportunity to rent one off of Turo & I don’t think the driving experience was anything extraordinary, but it's the attempt to overcome the status quo is what I really love about the Genesis.
The luxury sedan stranglehold the Germans held started to crack in the early 90s with the introduction of the Lexus LS400. People weren't expecting to be blown away by a Toyota, but once they drove the LS & experienced the luxury, the build quality, the amenities, the lack of compromises, the confidence of driving a brand that had a phrase for reliability named after it (Toyota Reliability), & then the cherry on the sundae - the car was half the price of a German luxury sedan - you couldn't say no to the car. It's like being in the sun - if someone offers you a glass of cold clean water, you're not going to hold out for a warm bottle of Evian, because of the prestige right? For fun, I did some digging & found that a 1989 Mercedes 420SEL’s MSRP was around $65k - the first generation LS400? $35,000.
I remember the first time I saw a Genesis. I was driving in NJ. I looked into my rear view mirror & saw this big gaping front grill & these beautiful bright LED daytime running lights. There was no obvious branding as to what this car was. It was something new. The car had so much road presence & it just glided along. I pulled to the next lane to let it pass & to my amazement - it was a Hyundai Genesis.
I immediately went home to research the Genesis & watch as many videos on YouTube that I could find. I was blown away at how much technology & features you could get for such a bargain price - compared to the traditional luxury sedans. I was sold & it appeared that many people had been sold as well. After that day, I kept seeing them on the road & it seemed like they were the modern day Lexus LS - great build quality, tons of amenities, comfort, & a fantastic price. I had to get behind the wheel of one.
Luckily, I was heading to Los Angeles & found a Hyundai Genesis to drive on Turo. I remember first getting into the Genesis & being enveloped by the cockpit. Everything wrapped around me. The steering wheel was dominant. The shift knob was small & was mounted on the center console, which stands out in my memory, as it was higher than the driver's seat. I love when designers do this, since it gives you a feeling that you are IN the car vs. on the car. The seats were like big sofa seats. The back seat was ample. The trunk was massive. The one thing I did not like was the rear seats don't fold down. Now I understand it has to do with structural rigidity, but it is a feature that would be convenient, as it would make the car much more utilitarian.
In terms of driving, the Genesis was not inspiring, but I know that getting into any big luxury sedan, that is not what I am there for. If I wanted that type of experience, I would drive a sports car. For me, a big sedan is meant to transport me & my loved ones comfortably & safely from point A to point B. I want to get out of the car & feel refreshed, not fatigued from stiff suspensions & loud noises.
So what do I love about the Genesis? I love that Hyundai spent years being laughed at, but constantly improved their product. They introduced a winner - a car that looks great, drives well, achieves its intended purpose of transporting you in style and comfort, has a tremendous amount of features and technology, & most importantly, comes in at a fantastic price. The car truly punches above its weight class. The Hyundai Genesis is the modern day Lexus LS400 & brings a jolt of energy to an otherwise mundane automobile segment. In my eyes, that is fantastic development, engineering, & business acumen.