A few weeks back we posted a video of a South Korean automotive journalist performing one of the first road tests of the new Hyundai Genesis sedan, albeit the South Korean market model. Without getting into too much detail, he didn't like it and complained of body roll, mushy brakes, tires not up to the task, etc. It was as if someone gave this guy a Buick when he was expecting a BMW.
Hyundai Motor America was caught off guard by this video and contacted us with their concern. According to them, the U.S.-spec version of the Genesis sedan and the South Korean version are markedly different, with the Yank-ified version tuned much more for a sporty driving experience. The South Korean market, we're told, favors a different kind of large luxury sedan, one that's softer, more luxurious, and to be blunt, more Buick-like.
So we asked Hyundai, "What's so different about the U.S.-spec version?" While they couldn't divulge all the details, we were told that the U.S. version with have a 31% higher spring rate in the front and 13% higher in the rear. In fact, they say the entire suspension will feature many different components geared more towards dynamic driving, including different springs, shocks and tires. Will it live up to Hyundai's promise of a premium sports sedan? We'll let you know after we drive the U.S.-spec Genesis, a car which this South Korean journalist might enjoy a hell of a lot more than the one he drove.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
John R @ Mar 27th 2008 3:52PM
Looking foward to that read. My IT Overlord said he wanted to check this out, more specifically the 3.8 liter variant. I have a feeling that may be the most popular Genesis here.
Red @ Mar 27th 2008 3:59PM
Higher spring rates don't mean better handling necessarily. Could just mean a poor handling, stiff riding car. Are they addressing the mushy brakes too? This all just seems like a cop-out. If you built a world car, that looks the same and feels the same everywhere in the world, I'm not sure I'm buying the "we swapped out a lot of suspension pieces to make the car the US gets much more sporty." It just makes no sense that instead of engineering the car to be the best car they could make ANYWHERE by doing the job right in the first place, they'd spend even more money on R&D. By this logic, they're probably saying, "Oh, we spent even more money on the Euro-spec gets different components from both the USDM and KDM-spec models, for even sportier tuning". Sounds as if they saw the video and had an "oh sh*t, we didn't tune this quite as well as we hyped it, so let's correct it before America gets it" moment.
Guess Hyundai's "have your cake and eat it too" car-building and advertising hasn't had the bugs worked out yet. Makes me wonder how "dynamic" the Genesis coupe will be. Or rather won't be.
thesvtautox @ Mar 27th 2008 4:06PM
"If you built a world car, that looks the same and feels the same everywhere in the world"
-if they can pull off specializing for different market to suit the local taste while keeping the cost to be the same/similar to producing all the same models, why not. no different from mcd and kfc offering localized menu items for overseas
"I'm not sure I'm buying the "we swapped out a lot of suspension pieces to make the car the US gets much more sporty." "
-so if swapping out suspension doesnt make the car more sporty, what does?
Xcountryflyer @ Mar 27th 2008 4:10PM
Plenty of carmarkers tailor cars to different markets. The platform is the same but the details are different. Look at the Ford Contour, a world car that was very Euro sport that did not do well because it was not well-tailored to the US market.
Victor @ Mar 27th 2008 5:21PM
US specced BMWs, VWs, Audis etc etc....typically have different suspension setups (usually softer) tuned for the US market. It's not uncommon.
RJ @ Mar 27th 2008 6:22PM
Actually, spring rates have EVERYTHING to fo with handling, especially when it is too soft to begin with. Everything else being equal, it's one of the main components that dictates weight transfer.
The tires could also be giving the illusion of soft springs though. Put some high profile, Walmart "touring" soft sidewalled tires on an M5, and it'll feel no better than a Camry.
XJ @ Mar 28th 2008 10:26AM
Cars in Korea have softer suspension because the roads there are not as smooth as U.S. roads...not even close. That's also why Hyundai's tend to have a softer ride. Their cars were meant to be for Koreans first, rest of the world second. I think their newer offerings are changing that paradigm. Starting with their I30 and now the Genesis (US spec) sedan.
havoc @ Mar 27th 2008 4:17PM
stiffer front springs can reduce braking distance by reducing nose-dive and allowing the rear brakes to take more of the load.
maybe those stiffer springs also include a slightly lowered ride which means lower center of gravity and will inherently increase handling. also thicker anti-rroll bars reduce the amount of suspension geometry deformation.
from their description it sounds like korea will have a luxo model, and the us will get a more suited touring style.
also possibility that the KDM version may be 'softer' to reduce price, or ease the manufacturing or etc etc.
don't we often hear now that some cars have a 'european track tuned' suspension (in the U.S)? shouldn't we be upset at the cars that have our inferior us spec tuning?
Derek @ Mar 27th 2008 5:40PM
Except in extreme cases where there is a large change in the CG location of the vehicle, reduced nose dive does not mean that the rear brakes take more load. Forward weight transfer is solely a function of the wheelbase, CG height and deceleration rate. Softer springs just make the weight transfer more visible because for a given amount of weight transfer the springs will compress/extend more in reaction to the change in load on them. Back to physics class for you!
tekdemon @ Mar 27th 2008 4:17PM
While I hope that HMA is telling the truth and that the US spec will live up to the hype, I don't want to get my hopes up. Honestly that video review was really disappointing, and taking into account the fact that the Genesis is far more expensive in South Korea I just don't really see how the US Spec can really be that much improved if it's half the price.
Time will tell though, although it's not entirely confidence inspiring that the Korean review said it felt unstable at high speeds.
Derek @ Mar 27th 2008 5:52PM
Springs cost roughly the same amount regardless of the spring rate, same with differently valved shocks when you're on the OEM level. A larger anti roll bar is unlikely to cost significantly more to make as well. We're just talking changing adjustments here, not re-engineering the system.
John P. @ Mar 27th 2008 4:20PM
In the old days, pre-internet, we wouldn't have heard of this korean griping about the crappy dynamics of this hyundai. Now, we have some sort of response because of it, or maybe they are just blowing smoke.
We'll see.
John @ Mar 27th 2008 4:23PM
Not sure why they're naming all their new cars Genesis...will cause confusion like with Infiniti's G35 coupe and sedan.
Papi L-Gee @ Mar 28th 2008 1:08AM
Yes. Darn that Infiniti G35, Lexus GS 350, Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG, Pontiac G5/G6/G8/GTO, and Hyundai Genesis... I can never keep them straight.
faisal @ Apr 21st 2008 6:01AM
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HotRodzNKustoms @ Mar 27th 2008 4:27PM
Well I know that for the US spec car the 5 series, CTS, STS, and E class were used as benchmarks and the engineers from HMA spent countless hours driving some of my favorite roads. And the tires that Hyundai have used in the past for US spec cars have been supersoft compound high performance tires that actually go out of round if you let the car sit for a few days in the summer heat.
Aki @ Mar 27th 2008 4:53PM
Well stiffer springs up front compared to rear could help rotation somewhat, but I hope they stiffen the rebound dampening accordingly as well.
Brake feel can be changed, too--so who knows, until it comes out here we can't say for sure how it'll turn out.
As far as a car being the same across the world, that's ridiculous. Cars need to be marketed/geared toward the region's specific tastes. Heck, the Nissan GT-R supposedly has slightly reworked suspension to suit US tastes.
toronado455 @ Mar 27th 2008 4:53PM
"The South Korean market, we're told, favors a different kind of large luxury sedan, one that's softer, more luxurious, and to be blunt, more Buick-like."
Hmmmmmm...
Where do I sign up for the SKM version???
Sounds like my kind of car!!! :-)
Red @ Mar 27th 2008 4:58PM
@ thesvtautox :
-if they can pull off specializing for different market to suit the local taste while keeping the cost to be the same/similar to producing all the same models, why not. no different from mcd and kfc offering localized menu items for overseas
You're missing my point. There are plenty of manufacturers who swap parts between vehicles (Honda's Japan vs. US Civic comes to mind immediately, especially where the Si/Type R variants are regarded). But Hyundai's goal is to create a vehicle with the content and presumably the quality of a large Benz/Bimmer, at a price of an entry level Acura. They've claimed to at least match or come close to the Benz/Bimmer in terms of driving dynamics, but from the sounds of it, they haven't even matched the Acura. Like I said, what exactly was the point of spending the extra money (or at least, saying you've spent the extra money) when the job could've been done correctly in the first place? So, the car's supposed to be as good as its target Benz/Bimmer everywhere EXCEPT in its home market? That makes no sense whatsoever.
-so if swapping out suspension doesnt make the car more sporty, what does?
It takes more than a suspension swap to make a dynamic vehicle. Anybody can throw parts on a car and claim it to be sporty, but if they're benchmarking BMW, they're actually going to have to "engineer" the suspension. That was my point. I just see no point in spending extra money on something that just should've been done right the first time, before claiming it was done correctly. Obviously it wasn't and now they're backpedaling. If you're a manufacturer making claims, make sure the products you put out back them up, regardless of who you are.
Derek @ Mar 27th 2008 5:52PM
- So, the car's supposed to be as good as its target Benz/Bimmer everywhere EXCEPT in its home market? That makes no sense whatsoever.
If the home market wants a soft ride, wouldn't that make it better by the standards the home market will judge it by?
Perhaps Koreans don't think that BMW suspension tuning is the shiznit, or perhaps BMW sells more softly sprung suspensions over there to suit local tastes? Maybe Korean roads are worse than Michigan roads and a BMW suspension would be rattled to bits in a year. I for one have never been in a Korean car built for the Korean market, nor have I spoken with a Korean car buyer, have you?
- It takes more than a suspension swap to make a dynamic vehicle. Anybody can throw parts on a car and claim it to be sporty, but if they're benchmarking BMW, they're actually going to have to "engineer" the suspension.
This is engineering. They took the same components and altered the adjustments to make one version suit Korean tastes and another version suit American tastes. What would you have them do, design two completely different cars for the two different markets?
Changing spring rates, anti-roll rates, shock damper settings, suspension bushing compliance, maybe even steering ratio and power assist level will make a huge difference in any car. And, yes, it can easily take a mushy luxury ride and make it sharp and responsive. The cost difference between the different parts is also not going to be very much.