If you want to go look at the latest models from Hyundai, it’s pretty straight forward.
You simply pop down to your local dealership, and take a stroll around the showroom. A salesperson will likely ask you something like, “How can we help you today?” and you’ll quickly reply “Just looking!” in a dance that dates right back to the invention of the automobile.
However, what you won’t find are vehicles from Hyundai’s new offshoot brand, Genesis. Like Honda with Acura and Toyota with Lexus, Korea’s largest automaker now has a luxury line that’s entirely separate. Unlike the Japanese versions, they don’t have dealerships.
Instead, Genesis exists as a sort of virtual dealership. Unlike the days of old, when shopping for a car meant trudging around with an armload of brochures, most buyers now start their shopping by whittling their list down to just a few models.
Further, anyone who’s considering spending some $84,000 for a full size luxury car probably doesn’t want to come pick their way between the Tucsons and Accents. Instead, Genesis will simply come to your house or business to provide a test drive, take the car for servicing, and generally make sure you never have to travel to a dealership.
It’s an interesting model, and one we might see more of in the future. Now, what about the car itself?
Design
When first it debuted, the Genesis sedan had a few people scratching their heads about spending this amount of money on a car that doesn’t have the brand cachet of a company like Mercedes-Benz. Then the even-larger Equus sedan came along, and every single thing written about it required mandatory mention of the Hyundai Pony.
However, to the average bystander, the Genesis G90 (successor to the Equus) doesn’t have much to do with Hyundai at all. It’s not just a fancier version of the Sonata, and it doesn’t look at all related to the Santa Fe.
What it does look like is a large, slightly anonymous sedan with a whiff of Chrysler 300 about it. It’s less brash than the North American product, but Hyundai has done much here to mute the styling of their product to the point that it fits like a well-tailored suit.
A large front grille and winged badges front and rear are the sole real eye-catching points of the G90. Nineteen-inch alloys are standard, and brightwork is minimal.
The overall shape of this car puts me in mind of the Toyota Century, a plain-looking but relatively rare car used as a limousine for only the highest echelons in Japanese boardrooms. You can find S-Class Mercedes and the like on the streets of Tokyo, but the really important people often prefer to fly under the radar. The Genesis G90 has much the same mission.
Environment
If the G90’s exterior was designed to be deliberately overlooked, the interior stuns. Some of the German competition is getting a bit carried away with over styling their interiors after years of plain-but-functional fare, and the G90’s inside is lovely.
Everything is built to a very high level of quality. The leatherwork is leagues better than the early Genesis and Equus sedans, and the wood trim is genuine. As is clearly becoming a common theme, it’s fancy in here, but not too fancy.
When it comes to the driver interface, things are a mix of fussy and simple. The infotainment system is easy to use, operating in much the same way as those developed by BMW, Mercedes, and Audi. However, the Genesis version is far simpler than the German versions, and thus is easier to use. Compared to what Lexus and Acura have on offer, it’s pretty much perfect.
Further, the controls for everyday stuff like the heated seats and steering wheel are right at your fingertips, and you get easy-to-use knobs for handling radio and air-conditioning controls. There’s a fair amount of technology in the G90, but it’s not trying to dazzle a potential owner with gizmos, and is thus quite livable.
Less perfect is the electric shifter, which requires pushing a button for park and takes a bit of getting used to. It’s used to free up a little centre space on the centre console, but a more conventional offering would work better.
Other than that, the main takeaway from the G90’s cabin is sheer comfort, whether you’re seated in the cushy front seats or the spacious rear.
Performance
The 3.3-litre twin-turbo V-6 that is the G90’s base powerplant is a gem of an engine that should be prised out and shoved into some kind of reborn Genesis Coupe. For the present, here it provides almost effortless torque, with a peak of 376 foot-pounds at just 1,300 r.p.m.
For the most horsepower, there’s a V-8 version with 420 h.p., but the V-6’s 365 h.p. is more than sufficient for quick operation. An eight-speed automatic is the only transmission option, and it’s as well-programmed as the world’s best offerings.
There are several drive modes for the G90, ranging from eco to sport. The default is called “smart” and that’s where most buyers will likely leave it. Onramps require little more than brief pressure from your right foot to call up a surge of forced-induction torque.
With two stately sedans, Genesis isn’t really a sporting brand, and there are no special variants of this car about to make an assault on the Nürburgring. Compared to Mercedes, which must also produce an AMG version of pretty much everything they make, that means Hyundai was free to build their flagship Genesis model entirely around the concept of comfort first.
As a result, the G90 excels in ride quality and quiet. The standard all-wheel drive handled the week’s slippery weather without complaint, and the chassis soaked up choppy pavement as if it was a billiard table.
There is, it has to be said, nothing particularly exciting about the way the G90 isolates you from pretty much everything. However, that’s the car’s job, and it’s excellent at it.
Features
Standard features for the G90 are just plain ridiculous, with no options packages available. Absolutely everything you’d expect in a car of this class is available, from adaptive cornering headlights to a 900-watt, 17-speaker stereo, to adaptive cruise control and a power trunk. There’s one price for the base car, or $3,000 more for the V8, which gets ventilated rear seats.
Fuel economy is reasonable, and with its relaxed driving style the G90 lulls you into helping out with real world results. Official figures are 13.7 (litres/100 kilometres) in the city and 9.7 on the highway.
Green light
Straight forward pricing and options; outstanding ride quality; subtle luxury.
Stop sign
Little brand awareness; styling is slightly derivative; electric shifter isn’t perfect.
The checkered flag
A bargain by luxury standards.
Competition
Lexus LS460 ($94,600): Now an established brand, Lexus faithfully delivers a very high level of quality and precision across a large fleet of vehicles. At the top, there’s the LS line that launched the brand more than a quarter-century ago.
Like the G90, the LS460 is reserved in its styling and extremely comfortable. It’s also more expensive, only available as a V-8 or V-8 hybrid, and comes with a very fiddly infotainment controller. A new LS is on the way soon, one that promises to be a bit more exciting. Whether that’s a step forward or back remains to be seen.
