At 2:30 on a hot July afternoon, Vern Guenther found himself parked at an off-ramp.
Moments earlier, he’d been motoring along Calgary’s busy Deerfoot Trail; then, he heard a loud crash. He hadn’t hit anything, and no one had given him a bump. But one panel in the panoramic sunroof in the 2015 Hyundai Genesis 5.0 Ultimate he was testing had shattered. There were tiny pieces of glass all over the ivory leather interior.
This wasn’t how Guenther expected his test-drive to end, but the experience didn’t alter his impression of the top-of-the-line Hyundai sedan one bit.
“The sunroof shattering scared me,” Guenther said. “But, I was fine, and the sunroof episode really doesn’t taint my opinion. The Genesis is easily one of the nicest cars I’ve ever driven.”
Hyundai introduced the Genesis in 2008, and it was the automaker’s first foray into the upscale premium-car market – hence, the model name. At the time, the Genesis received glowing praise from autojournalists and buyers alike.
In fact, in 2009 the Genesis was named North American Car of the Year and Canadian Car of the Year. That same year, the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada also voted the Genesis Best New Luxury Car under $50,000.
Updates continued to be made, and the all-new second generation Genesis debuted earlier this year as a 2015 model-year vehicle. According to Hyundai, all Canadian market Genesis sedans will be sold with HTRAC. This is Hyundai’s active all-wheel drive system, which distributes power to the four corners through a variable torque split clutch.
Base model Genesis vehicles come equipped with a 3.8 litre V6, while there is an optional 5.0L V8. The V6 offers 311 horsepower and 293 lb.-ft. of torque, while the V8 makes 420 h.p. and 383 lb.-ft. of torque. Power is channeled through an eight-speed automatic transmission, and there are four driver-selectable drive modes, including Normal, Eco, Sport and Snow.
All of the mechanical components are wrapped in sheet metal influenced by Hyundai’s design architecture, which they’ve dubbed Fluidic Sculpture 2.0.
Depending on the trim level, the Genesis can be loaded with a crop of driver assistance and safety technologies, including adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection with rear cross traffic alert and lane departure warning system. There are also many comfort and convenience features, including proximity activated power trunk lid, full colour head up display, heated steering wheel and heated and cooled front seats.
The base Genesis 3.8 Premium is $43,000, the 3.8 Luxury is $48,000, the 3.8 Technology is $53,000 and the top-of-the-line 5.0 Ultimate rings in at $62,000.
As mentioned, Guenther was piloting the 5.0 Ultimate – which is a long way from the 1972 Plymouth sedan he learned to drive in Saskatoon.
Guenther’s owned a variety of different vehicles through the years, including a 1972 Toyota Corolla, 1981 Toyota Celica and 1982 Dodge Challenger.
Currently, the family, which includes wife Janice and two teenage sons, maintain a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD and a 2009 Toyota Camry.
The truck is used for Guenther’s commute to work and pulling a tent trailer on camping trips, and for hauling firewood in the winter. Wife Janice commutes in the Camry, and the car is also used for occasional road trips back to Saskatoon.
When Guenther first laid eyes on the Manhattan Brown Genesis, he actually thought it was black. In the sunlight, however, the paint’s true colour shone through.
“It just struck me as a beautiful, luxurious car,” Guenther said. “It looks clean, and the lines are crisp and neat without any odd bulges – it’s very sleek. The grille is very impressive, yet understated.”
Once inside, the 5’8” tall Guenther found the power adjustable leather driver’s seat easy to position, and particularly liked the side bolstering.
“I was instantly comfortable, but I had a bit of trouble seeing past the C-pillar for shoulder checking,” he said. “I found I relied more upon the blind spot alert system, and it worked very well.
“The dash gauges were all visible, and I really appreciated the head up display, it showed your actual speed and the posted speed limit. Not having to lower your eyes from the road really makes a lot of sense.”
Guenther was not expecting the V8 engine in his tester, but it was a pleasant surprise.
“There was gobs of power, and you could hear a bit of a rumble when you put your foot into it,” he said. “The eight-speed automatic shifted almost imperceptibly – it was that smooth. Even in the Economy driving mode, the acceleration felt significant.”
The handling inspired confidence, and at no time did Guenther feel the vehicle was going to lose traction. The suspension was comfortable if not overly soft, and our driver said it perfectly suited the car.
Guenther’s 15-year-old son is in a marching band, and the trunk swallowed all of his equipment, including a trumpet case, a large suitcase, a garment bag, hat bag and backpack.
Guenther had plans to take the Genesis for a good long highway run, but the sunroof put paid to that excursion.
Chad Heard, public relations manager of Hyundai Auto Canada Corp., said this about the sunroof: “The panoramic sunroof in the Genesis is made of tempered safety glass, and in an impact or fracture, the sunroof is designed to segment into small granular pieces.
“The vehicle Vern Guenther was driving will receive a full investigation to determine if the sunroof had been damaged. However, he was driving a ‘pre-production’ vehicle, meaning it is a test unit originally used by employees at our factory for assembly training when preparing to start production of an all-new model. These vehicles are built in the weeks and months before full, mass production for customers is to begin. Once built, they’re typically distributed to countries around the world for test drives by journalists and company employees. The test units are fairly close, but are certainly not up to the same quality and equipment level as full production versions found in dealership showrooms.”
With all of that said, and with an abbreviated test, Guenther would still recommend a Genesis.
He concluded, “It was a beautiful car, and even with the broken sunroof, I had trouble giving it back.”
NOTES FROM THE DRIVER
Day One: I picked up the car in the evening and I was immediately impressed. Full leather interior, driver’s seat very comfortable. Love the adjustable side bolsters. Took Stoney Trail home and immediately decided to take the long way home. Really appreciate how it handled. Feels like it sticks to the pavement. Noticed how the seat holds the driver in position. This car feels very solid, quiet, powerful. It feels like a luxury car. I put a picture of the car on Facebook to see if anyone knew the car. One of my friends recognized it and commented that the Genesis was the top of their line and rivaled the Mercedes.
Day Two: Drove the car to church. My wife commented that it is a very nice ride with lots of extras inside. Showed some friends the car after church. One of my friends had considered the car a couple years ago when he eventually bought a top of the line Sonata and said he would buy a Genesis eventually. He noted that a couple golf bags would easily fit in the trunk. Took the car downtown to Shakespeare on the Bow. The play was rained out and we drove home in the rain. The automatic wipers were pretty good but they seemed not to sense when the rain was slowing down. We opened the sunroof curtain and liked the light coming in to the car.
Day Three: Drove the car to and from work. Love the acceleration, enjoy how this car handles, starting to appreciate the lane change assist feature and the blind spot detection. I don’t normally drive Deerfoot Trail home from work but did today. This car excels in that environment and the safety driving features increased my confidence during lane changes. I don’t enjoy driving Deerfoot at the best of times but this car helps. This car is very comfortable to drive.
Day Four: Drove the car to and from work. My son was coming home from his marching band tour just after midnight. It’s a bit difficult to see in daylight but at night the Head Up Display was very noticeable. I especially like how the speed limit is displayed along side the actual speed and how the cars in the blind spot are indicated as well. Very cool safety feature. My son liked the automatic hatch feature in a friend’s car and I had to show him how the trunk opened automatically when I stood at the back. My son is over 6 feet tall and he had lots of room in the back seat.
Day Five: Day off work and was running some errands. It seems this car attracts attention. On my way home on Deerfoot Trail, with the sunroof curtain open and the sunroof closed, the forward section of the sunroof suddenly exploded. I didn’t see anything and didn’t hear anything hit the window. Shattered glass was all over the inside of the car. I pulled off on the next ramp, and called ‘the officials’. Took lots of pictures of the damaged sunroof. The hole was about 20 by 30 inches and the rest of the glass was fractured but still in place. I drove home slowly on a back road and put the car in my garage. Glass continued to fall inside the car on the drive home. Later that day I spoke to someone from Hyundai Canada, who called me to find out if I was OK and to find out what happened. Made arrangements for car to be picked up the following day.
Day Six: I did not drive the car today. This was supposed to be the day my wife and I were going to take the car out for a highway drive. The little bit of highway type driving on Stoney Trail and Deerfoot Trail indicates to me this is where this car would excel. Very comfortable seats (heated and cooled) heated steering wheel, individual air conditioning, awesome sound system, big navigation display, quiet, powerful, smooth, great handling. I think it would have been a great ride.
The Specs
2015 Hyundai Genesis 5.0 Ultimate HTRAC
Type of vehicle: Full-size luxury sedan
Engine: DOHC 32-valve 5.0L V8
Power: 420hp @6,000 r.p.m.
Transmission: 8-speed w/AWD
Brakes: 4-wheel disc w/ABS
Tires: P245/40R19 front, P275/35R19 rear
Fuel economy ratings: 17.3/10.5/14.3 L/100km city/highway/combined
Price (MSRP): $62,000
Destination charge: $1,995
Ultimate features: A/C with dual zone auto climate control, electronically controlled brake system w/ABS, rain-sensing speed-sensitive windshield wipers, panoramic sunroof, 12-way power-adjustable heated/ventilated front seats w/lumbar adjustment and memory, power tilt/telescoping/heated steering wheel, head-up display, power trunk lid with proximity activated auto opening, quad exhaust finishers, micro-suede headliner, 9.2-inch touch screen navigation system, driver information system w/multimedia controller, 900-watt Lexicon 7.1 surround sound audio system with 17 speakers, continuous damping control suspension, headlight washers
