Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Hyundai, Lifestyle
Let there be victory: Hyundai Genesis trumps Lexus GS 350 in comparo
InsideLine, no strangers to luxury, recently put the Hyundai Genesis up against the kind of competition the Korean automaker wants to be associated with: the Lexus GS 350. The GS 300 first came out in 1993 and had the luxury re-defining LS and ES for siblings; at the time, Hyundai was still making do with Excel, Sonata, and Scoupe, and parking any of them next to a Lexus would have laid bare the gulf. Now the marques are going head-to-head. This, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call progress.
Still, issues of cost -- and perception -- skew the comparison slightly. The V8 Hyundai goes up against a V6 Lexus, because adding two more cylinders to the Lexus would have meant a $12,000 difference. As it is, there's still almost $8,000 between them. And there's the fact that the Lexus and the Hyundai don't exactly compete with each other (we'd have thought an ES comparo would make more sense) in brief, either.
Nevertheless, it's not a bad bout, and it turns out to be one of the closest fights InsideLine has ever judged. The Lexus gets a win-by-a-nose for things like fit and finish and speed, while the Hyundai returns the favor in the highway performance and space issues. The flying H takes home the silverware by a mere two points, aided in part by the price advantage -- which, as far as Hyundai's concerned, is the point. Follow the link for the full story. Thanks for the tip, Charles!
[Source: Inside Line]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Kumail891 7:36PM (8/20/2008)
wow, but they probably made that decision because the genesis is more bang for your buck. yes i would buy the genesis, if i had a family, but if i had the money, why not wait for the new gs?
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Flashpoint 9:02PM (8/20/2008)
The Genesis is A LOT MORE BANG FOR THE BUCK.
This car comes with almost everything you'd imagine a $70,000 lexus coming with. The problem is...its a Hyundai. No one makes big news for Hyundai's cause they are still considered as lowly as Kia's and Scions. This car should change all that though.
I've been to Hyundai to test the V6 Genesis with the technology package. That car feels like a Lexus LS inside (definitely better than the middle generation LS).
For $40,000, the V6 genesis comes with more than youd get from any car in this range...most closely comparable to a Lincoln MKS. For a couple thousand more, the V8 Genesis blows away well known cars like Chrysler's 300C and Infiniti M35.
zreeb 11:25PM (8/20/2008)
I went to the Hyundai dealership, and yes it is a nice car. However, they're charging sticker for it, and the dealership is a ghetto.
I'd rather just save $10k and get an M or GS with 20k on it.
tekdemon 1:04AM (8/21/2008)
The Genesis doesn't have power folding side mirrors, which is kind of funny since it's on the Azera.
But more importantly the 7K advantage in price is erased by the fact that it'll depreciate worse than the GS and the fact that it eats an extra $500 a year in gasoline.
Anyone who thinks a 42K Hyundai isn't going to depreciate horrifyingly is deluding themselves. No it doesn't matter if you drive your car into the ground, but since luxury car buyers are buying these cars to get the latest and craziest features on a car they usually don't drive them for a huge number of years.
tekdemon 1:30AM (8/21/2008)
Actually, if the inside line article is correct it'll actually eat more than an extra $500 a year in fuel since I was using the EPA numbers, but Inside Line says:
"The Lexus drank premium at the rate of 22.9 mpg, while the Hyundai slurped it up at a 17.6 mpg rate."
It will likely then use an extra $800 a year if you drive 15K per year, which is rather not good considering that the GS was the faster car in the article.
The Hyundai won solely because of price! It's passenger seat isn't cooled, it had cheaper plastics, and it was slower even though it had a bigger engine and drank more fuel, and it has an iDrive knockoff for the nav system.
Being that it's only advantage is initial cost, I'd say that it actually loses this stupid competition since the cost advantage is enitrely offset by the fact that it'll drink it's cost advantage back in fuel and depreciation.
Honestly, people who just want a practical and luxurious car without snob appeal would likely be best off just buying an Avalon instead of trying to engage in some sort of automotive pissing contest with badges and RWD. 99% of drivers have no use for RWD and will mostly just need the traction control systems to keep them from killing themselves.
ASEVENSEE4 2:31AM (8/21/2008)
Why are you comparing a V8's MPG to a V6's MPG? Lacking on the reading ability are we?
aknutson 8:04AM (8/21/2008)
The comparison IS between a V6 and a V8. But consider the motors beyond their cylinder numbers - Lexus has been making butter-smooth V6's for over a Decade (on North American Shores - many more back home) and has gotten pretty darn good at it. This is Hyundai's first stab at a V8 and like some of their smaller cars, the size and power of the motor doesn't always translate onto the road. The Genesis is not a slow car and should more than meet the needs of the driver that buys one, and the gearhead will get a new 6.1L Pontiac G8 anyways. For outright smoothness and luxury, the Lexus sticks to its game and is the winner here, despite the cost premium. Like some others have written, that will be recouped by slower depreciation costs and considerably better fuel mileage.
Tourian 1:06PM (8/21/2008)
@AKnutson
This is not Hyundai's first stab at a V8. They codeveloped an 8 cylinder with Mitsubishi; the 8A80 that was used in the Equus and Proudia in those full size cars. Granted Toyota has been at it longer, they have at least made a valid contender for this new car.
XJ 3:04PM (8/21/2008)
tekdemon, you're not making much sense. But I guess if you're trying to change the minds of the ignorant, here's something they can ponder...
1) First of all, how is saving $500/year better than saving $7,000 up front? Okay so it'll take, what, only 14 years to recoup? (And don't forget about the interest you can be making with up front savings.) Also, if you compare the V6 Genesis to the GS350 the price difference in gas is much less than $500 year, if any. Not to mention you save even more money initially with the Genesis. I know they compared it to the V8 Genesis, but almost all V6 Genesis reviews raved at how well it performs and have even reported it "feeling" faster then the V8 and definitely handled better. Plus 80% of Genesis buyers are expected to get the V6, so 80% of the Genesis buyers don't care about this argument.
2) Now about the depreciation... Wake up. It's 2008, not 1998. The Automotive Lease Guide (ALG) estimates that the 2009 Genesis will have a residual value of 50% after 3 years. Compare that to the 48% for a CTS, 47% for a 535i, and 44% for a GS350. You heard right, the Genesis is estimated to have a BETTER residual value than the GS350. Also, check out the Azera/Avalon residuals in Edmunds. Not only is the Azera cheaper to maintain, but it holds its value better than the Avalon.
Purifoy 7:43PM (8/20/2008)
Watch out Lexus! There might be a new sheriff coming to town.
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ZetoSanNi 1:05AM (8/21/2008)
Not really, not a lot of people (in the luxury car market) are going to cough up the money for a Hyundai over a Lexus. It's all about the badge, sir.
For the first time.. there's a Hyundai that looks good, IMO.
Torrent 7:45PM (8/20/2008)
I liked the car when I saw it over the internet last year, then I didn't like it when I heard it was 33K, now I love it because I can see how much more bang for your buck the Genesis is. And the Genesis is pretty big, too, and was surprised by the quality of it when I saw it in person. I'd definitely get this over any luxury car.
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Geeky1 7:50PM (8/20/2008)
Very impressive. It would appear that the manufacturers selling in this market segment may have some serious competition, which is definitely a good thing.
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mike 7:52PM (8/20/2008)
Now tell me again why is Rick Wagoner alone is making more than pot 9 Toyota execs COMBINED?
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KKAY 9:46PM (8/20/2008)
This is HYUNDAI, NOT TOYOTA! Toyota is the recall king of the year, and their cars are junk.
nighttime 11:00PM (8/20/2008)
@ kkay all their AMERICAN MADE cars are junk.
thank you.
Australian/Japanese toyota made cars are rarely recalled.
(once/twice a year! if that.)
mike 7:53PM (8/20/2008)
9 TOP execs combined.
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PJ 8:10PM (8/20/2008)
This is one of those newsstand-purchase/page-view-bait comparos that journos like to do with Hyundais.
More important than how the Genesis measures up to Lexus' worst overall sedan packags is how it compares to the 300C, Azera, TL, ES 350, Maxima, and Avalon. They're not all RWD, but I personally doubt luxo-boat buyers care which wheels do the driving.
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Geeky1 9:09PM (8/20/2008)
How is the GS Lexus' worst overall sedan? I've got no love for Toyotas, glorified or otherwise-in fact, I think they're laughable, for the most part-but the ES is just a Camry with a Lexus badge and a few tweaks. How is it a better car than the GS? The GS is one of the only almost passable cars Toyota is selling in the US right now. I'm curious what makes you say that the ES is better.
PJ 1:21AM (8/21/2008)
I personally find the GS to be Lexus' least-appealing overall package because it tries to be both a luxury sedan and a sports sedan, but ends up being neither. It rides too firmly and feels too tight inside to be the former, yet from the driver's seat, it's far too light, numb, and overassisted to pass muster as the latter. Like Volvo's S60, it falls in that bad place between the two.
The ES is equally boring and even softer to drive, but has loads of room and a very smooth, gentle ride. Plus, it's only $33K. IMO, the "Camry = ES" diatribe is overplayed, probably by people who haven't driven one or either of them. For $5-10K more, you get completely different sheetmetal, a lavish, top-notch interior, better sound insulation, smoother damping, and a richer, weightier feel to the primary controls. That's before you even factor in Lexus' customer service vs. Toyota's. I think people just get over-excited because they've learned what platform-sharing is.