2015 Hyundai Genesis Sedan First Drive

Everyone grows up. Sometimes they mature, trading baby fat for wisdom, and they go on to live long, productive lives. Others take their worst traits and amplify them, and then spend the rest of their lives trolling the Internet, leaving mean, snarky comments they really think are important. They have not matured; they have simply gotten older. Fortunately, the 2015 Hyundai Genesis premium sedan has taken the higher road in its second-generation. The exterior looks more refined, its handling has become a touch more sporty, and the interior more sophisticated. What this car may lack in sporty chops it more than makes up in high-tech features and a luxurious ride. Hyundai is calling its new design language Fluidic Sculpture 2.0, which is the natural evolution of the overdrawn Fluidic Sculpture 1.0. That design language, which arrived with the outgoing Sonata a few years ago, proved the point that sometimes the best line is the line not drawn. All of those extra wrinkles have been ironed out of the 2015 Genesis, which looks elegant and smooth. There’s a pronounced centerline that moves the length of the car’s body and its roofline is graceful. The Genesis sedan keeps its long hood and short rear deck, while the grille is bigger and wider. There are some nice Audi-esque cues with this car’s design, but the car maintains its own identity. The 2015 Genesis’ HID headlights with LED turn indicators draw attention to the car and everything is laid out in long horizontal lines that make the sedan look wider. At night, a custom Genesis puddle lamp serves as a nighttime reminder that this car is special. Hyundai did increase the car’s length by 0.2 inches, but that’s nearly negligible. However, the 2015 Genesis’ wheelbase has stretched by 2.9 inches to 118.5 inches to smooth out the ride and create more interior space. There were also some big improvements to the car’s frame and suspension. Hyundai uses more than 50 percent high-strength steel, more than any of its competitors. This improved stiffness by 40 percent and adds the car’s sportier performance. There’s an all new multi-link rear suspension and a beefed-up front suspension with aluminum shocks and greater wheel travel. In testing cars with the 5.0-liter V-8 and the 3.8-liter V-6, I found both sedans offered a sportier ride than the outgoing version. The rack-mounted electric power steering with variable gear ratio was firmer and the body felt more stable on the road. I wouldn’t call this car nimble, but the body did not roll much in fast corners. It lacks a true road feel but handles well. Drivers will feel more confident behind the wheel, though they won’t mistake the Genesis sedan for a sports car, even if they switch to Sport mode in one of the three selectable modes that include normal, sport, and eco. Those modes adjust a number of calibrations on the vehicle such as throttle response, transmission shift points, and other features. The changes are slight, but still noticeable. The 5.0-liter model also uses a continuous dampening control system to adjust to the road. However, when driving the 2015 Genesis V-8 sedan from Scottsdale, Az., to Los Angeles, this car was nearly perfect. It’s extremely quiet on the road, the 420 horsepower under the hood mated to a silky smooth eight-speed automatic transmission with standard paddle shifters provides more power than most people need, aggressive acceleration for high-speed passing and great cruising. The all-wheel-drive V-6 model, new to the lineup and a necessary for luxury buyers in certain regions, was also excellent, though the 311-horse 3.8-liter V-6 under the hood with the 3.8-liter felt underpowered after driving the bigger V-8. Even entering the highway with the Genesis V-6 left me feeling confident in this car. The HTRAC all-wheel-drive system can push all of the torque to the front or the rear if that’s where the car determines where the power should go. It also incorporates the car’s electronic stability control to stop some wheel spin and push torque from the left to the right. In a demonstration, a car was parked on three rolling platforms and the one front wheel was allowed to grab traction. It quickly rolled off the platform. Additionally, Hyundai has added a lot of technology for long hauls including adaptive cruise control and an aggressive Lane Keep Assist. The cruise control does a nice job of matching the speed of the vehicle in front and slowing down if that vehicle drops its speed. Once, I set the cruise control to 110 mph and just cruised behind a car going the speed limit. Dealer Pricing Research & Reviews Loan Quote Select Make Select Model

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