2015 Hyundai Genesis 5.0

LOGO GENESIS

 
When Hyundai launched the Genesis sedan in 2008, we all snickered at the absurdity of a luxury sedan with a Hyundai badge on the grill and steering wheel, but I quietly hoped that it would be good. After all, it's fun to root for the underdog. Watching Hyundai go up against established luxury brands was as fun as watching Daniel LaRusso take on Cobra Kai Jonny at the end of "The Karate Kid." And when the first generation Genesis turned out to be pretty good, it was just as satisfying.

3/4 VIEW OF GENESIS

After a few model years of revisions and evolution, the Genesis sedan has returned for a second generation. However, unlike "The Next Karate Kid" or "The Karate Kid" (2010), this reboot is even better than the original. The automaker gives us more of everything we liked about the original with a few clever surprises here and there. The sedan is also more attractive than ever with a new, bolder exterior design more befitting of its luxury aim.

INTERIOR GENESIS

 
When it comes to sequels, Hollywood could stand to learn a few things from this 2015 Hyundai Genesis Sedan 5.0.
The heart of the Genesis sedan carries over largely unchanged for the 2015 model year. It's still a Tau 5.0-liter V-8 engine with direct injection from the 2014 R-Spec model. It's still mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission in a rear wheel drive configuration. However, the 2015 Genesis Sedan 5.0 is rated at 420 hp and 383 pound-feet of torque. That's down 1 horsepower from the old R-Spec, but up 18 pound-feet on Regular fuel.

FRONT VIEW

 The eight-speed Shiftronic automatic transmission is one of the better slushboxes on the market with smooth, but quick shift sand some pretty good intelligence about its gear selection. The computer takes into account when the vehicle is headed uphill or down, whether you're braking hard for a corner or whether you're cruising on the freeway and seems to avoid the guess and check hunting that plagues many autoboxes. There's also a manual shift mode with standard paddle shifters for those moments where you'd rather do ratio selection for yourself.
On the road, the Genesis feels heavy, but appropriately so. Even with its drive mode and suspension set to their sportiest, the 4,541 pound land yacht will never be a dancer, but it remains comfortable no matter how hard you toss it, which is really more of the point.


Like the chassis, the engine also feels powerful, but heavy. The V-8 torque is available from pretty low in the powerband, which is good because the powertrain time to build steam before its power becomes apparent. Imagine a surge of power rather than a neck-snapping bang. Give it time to build steam and this engine gearbox combo will hum along happily and quietly at extra-legal freeway speeds without much, if any, effort.