TOKYO: Hyundai Genesis is a statement of intent from Hyundai and a warning shot across the bow of BMW, Mercedes Benz and their ilk.
While it doesn’t quite match their standard, the Genesis comes impressively close. It looks and feels like it was designed to chauffeur European aristocracy, delivering a smooth ride and tech trimmings more commonly associated with a higher price tag.
The Genesis is large, both in scale and ambition, with a long wheel base and dimensions exceeding those of the cars it aims to challenge the Audi A6, Mercedes Benz E-Class and BMW 5 Series. The 3.8-litre direct-injection petrol V6 is satisfyingly responsive, and when you put your foot down it sounds great.
Not as forward-thinking in the styling department as some of Hyundai’s other designs, the car combines sleek lines with a conservatism that keeps it from looking jarring when it’s parked beside its European rivals. Fortunately, that same conservative approach does not apply to the technology Hyundai has threaded throughout its luxurious flagship.
The Genesis is crammed with gadgets from tip to tail, but one of its most striking and unashamedly gimmicky features is the ‘Around View Monitor’ (AVM), which takes full advantage of the generous 9.2-inch touchscreen mounted in the car’s dash. By combining inputs from cameras mounted on its front, rear and side mirrors, the Genesis cleverly give the driver a bird’s-eye view of the entire vehicle while reversing.
Taking up the screen’s right hand side a standard reverse camera view occupies the left the AVM makes it much easier to keep track of the car’s extremities. By giving you a clear view of how far you are from the kerb and other obstacles it should relegate scraped rims to the agonising past.
Breathe easy
While we’ve come under a barrage of driver fatigue awareness advertisements of late, Hyundai’s engineers have found a way to combat this issue that goes beyond Stop, Revive, and Survive. Recognising an abundance of CO2 in the cabin will increase drowsiness, the minds behind the Genesis have included a smart air conditioning system that detects elevated CO2 levels and activates the ventilation system, drawing CO2 out of the cabin and improving driver alertness.
Should the driver’s droopy eyelids be caused by something other than poor air quality, the Genesis’ Lane Departure Warning, Blind Spot Detection and Lane Change Assist systems are all capable of activating an alarm that’s, well, alarming. The piercing siren is sure to rouse a drowsy driver in an instant. In fact, you may want to tone it down as the default setting had us fearing the apocalypse had commenced.
Safety first
Driver concentration is further assisted by a head-up display (HUD) that sees the speedometer, blind spot and lane change warnings, as well as the status of the car’s (Grammy Award-winning) Lexicon sound system appear as if they are hovering halfway down the car’s bonnet. The display could have been a little bigger, but it looks undeniably cool. By removing the temptation to look down at the instrument panel this system keeps the driver’s eyes on the road. It can be hard to make out in broad daylight unless you’re closely following a car with a dark paint job but at night the HUD is a very useful tool.
Hyundai has certainly put safety first, the Genesis having receiving the highest ANCAP safety score ever. Yes, ever. Doubtless, the warning systems we’ve already mentioned wailing alarms and all combined with an Autonomous Emergency Braking system and nine airbags helped in this regard.
Pricing starts at $60,000, but if you want all the bells and whistles mentioned here you’ll need to add the Sensory Pack and the Ultimate Pack, bringing the price to $82,000. That’s not a small sum, but it’s considerably less than the one you’ll find attached to a similarly adorned European model.
Hyundai Genesis
Price: $60,000
From: Hyundai
Critical specs:3.8-litre V6 engine, 8-speed automatic transmission, top speed of 240km/h, 0-100km/h in 5.4 seconds, 232 kW power, 397 Nm torque, 11.2 L/100km fuel consumption, 261g/km carbon emission, 1,995kg.
