The automaker has finally broken the seal on official pricing for the Genesis. Hyundai says that the V-6-powered sedan will start at a reasonable $33,000, while the V-8 version will command $38,000. Both prices include a $750 shipping charge.

The entry-level V-6 seems quite capable of providing a moving experience, making 290 horsepower from its 3.8-liters while being rated at 18 mpg in town and 28 mpg on the open highway. The 3.2-liter 32-valve V-8 engine is good for 370 horsepower, with economy ratings of 17/25 mpg.

























Winding Road

How can they say:
Fit and finish, stitching, touch, materials, and integration are all very good. Now, before anyone goes scanning pictures through an electron microscope and saying "Well, it kinda looks like...", remember, we're talking about a car that will probably come in well under $40K -- and that's for the V8. And while we don't want to hit the price refrain too often, this isn't about making excuses, it's about keeping in mind what the competition is. Is it as nice as a BMW interior? In absolute terms, no -- if the BMW is a 10, the Hyundai is 9-and-change.

And then show us pictures like:

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2009-hyundai-genesis-misc/827281/

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2009-hyundai-genesis-4-6l-v8/827233/

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2009-hyundai-genesis-misc/827295/


Those look they are straight out of a cadillac/GM product (PS: That's NOT a good thing to me). The buttons look cheap, and the plastics look cheap. Calling it a "9 and change" vs "10" for BMW (and i'm not even a BMW "fan" per-se) is a bit silly.

The exterior styling of the Genesis is not very attractive from my perspective.  I realize that to a large extent beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  I have an 07 G35 sedan, which I think is a much more attractive car.  But then I think the 07+ G35 sedan is quite bit more attractive (speaking of looks only) than the BMW 3 series sedans, which obviously is debatable, and that the 335i is quite a bit nicer looking than the prior 3 series sedans.

I do like the idea of more competition in this segement of the market, particularly from a company like Hyundai which is looking to push the value performance equation. 

the buttons around that radio/HVAC area... I hate to say it Mike... but they remind me a LOT of the buttons on the center console of my mom's RX400h.  I always wondered what was up with the black/silver mix.  I like all my buttons the same color.  It does look cheap.

Well, only time will tell if this thing works, but you have to hand it to Hyundai for being ballsy enough to try this market.

I'm one of the ones who actually likes the exterior styling ... it's an odd mix of M-B front end and 3-series tails, with some Acura, BMW and Infiniti styling cues in between, but it somehow works for me. Maybe I'm getting bland, too. LOL. I'm not suggesting it's a match for my LS, but then some people think IT'S boring.

As for the interior, I'm not feeling the silver horse shoe center stack, but I'll reserve judgement until I see it in person. Car pictures are notoriously misleading, and the real thing is sometimes a lot different from the images.

But the main thing is that it's price-competitive and by all accounts it's a well-designed and well-built car. I applaud Hyundai and hope their gamble works.

Mike