Wrecked Magazine
Well-Known Member
Within a seven day span I drove the Hyundai Genesis to Formula D and back and then couldn’t stop driving the car once we got back to Los Angeles. I was looking for any excuse to go anywhere and drive this thing. We got our hands on a red V6 track pack which was sadly triptronic but we could suffer through an improper gearbox for a one week trip.
The last three cars I have owned are the Inifiniti G35, Infiniti G37S, and a Nissan 350z. With that being said I really was holding this Hyundai Genesis to a high standard of performance since it closely related to my personal car choices.We headed up to Seattle, Washington right up the I-5 and our twenty hour trip flew by.
Considering this was Hyundai’s first stab at making a rear wheel drive performance machine they really hit a grand slam. The car’s 306hp has great throttle response through the six speed automatic transmission. The northern California mountains and Oregon were really a blast to travel through.
Hyundai constructed the front suspension with a MacPherson strut dual-link setup and a five-link rear suspension setup. The MacPherson setup has been mounted to the body via a sold sub frame which is much better than a multi-piece component. Reducing body roll as we traveled through high altitudes was a 23-mm diameter front and 18-mm rear stabilizer bar.
The car is really a budget performance machine that doesn’t lack anything but a huge car payment. Our track pack came with a great four piston Brembo brake setup.The four-piston caliper Brembo brake system has a 13.4 inch rotors in the front and 13 inch rotors in the rear. They are great stopping power for street driving and really add a level of performance for more spirited driving when you are up for some fun. The factory 19’s hardly look that big and come wrapped with some nice Bridgestone Potenza rubber.
After the 1,200 mile trek up north we were ready to get behind the wheel again and head south. While shooting at this abandonded barn we found in southern Washington the local police kindly complimented our Hyundai and then escorted us back to the interstate.
Visibility while driving the car is great and safe. The driver seat adjustments are easy and flawless with mostly mechanical buttons. Your passenger gets a huge shaft with manual seat adjustments which feels disappointing while looking at almost a $30k price tag but luckily if your paying the car note you will be in the captain’s chair so this might not be something to worry about.
The interior is where my few complaints landed about the car but trust me, once your driving it these minors details were long forgotten in my head. The iPod/USB connectors operated better than any car in it’s market by far. It actually puts the Infiniti G37’s setup to shame. The bluetooth phone system also puts the expensive Infiniti’s to shame with a voice dialing that actually knows what you are looking for, allows people to hear and understand you, and allows you to pick a home/office/mobile number from the person you want to call. The system understood me on every shot which was very impressive.
Now the lady using the phone commands was a bit robotic sounding when I would of been much happier with a sexy sounding Korean lady instructing me what to do. Mine as well take some patriotism in your Korean roots Hyundai, right? The trip meter only has three digits which has to be the stupidiest thing I have seen in a car to date. That is why I couldn’t even tell you how far we drove because I got tired of adding the odometer rollovers. So let’s expand that trip meter to four digits Hyundai because not all trips fall under the 999 mile range.
The upgraded Infinity premium audio with 10-speakers is under impressive and if it’s a big upgrade from the normal system I would hate to hear that thing. If you are looking for a rave party on wheels and not a hoon mobile this might not be your pick of a machine or plan on some speaker upgrades.
The Xenon headlights are under impressive at best too but your steering a rear wheel drive budget rocket ship so not everything will be on easy street. As a hoon mobile and overall cruiser the thing is fantastic. The amount of people who wanted to speak with me about the car on the road was something I was not expecting either.
I went to Melrose Hand Wash to clean her up after our road trip and only three cars sat in the car wash this early in the morning. A Ferrari F430 Scuderia, Bentley Arange, and a new Range Rover. Right as I pulled in all the guys working at the car wash were asking me how fast it was, did I like it, etc… They could of cared less about the other “typical” cars in the wash and were so stoked that Hyundai made a great car. One guy even told me he has wanted one since the Perfect Lap Super Bowl commercial.
At the end of my seven day affair with this Korean red head I learned that the car is worth all the hype it has behind it. I almost didn’t want to let her go back home but then I realized it was time for someone else to enjoy this thing. If you want to spend less than $30,000 and have the ultimate hoon mobile with some basic luxuries like Brembo brakes and heated seats then this is your best choice by far.
Total Summary:
Total Miles: Not sure because our trip meter reset every 999 miles so I gave up!
Overall Fun Factor: 8.9
Daily Driver Factor: 8.2
Drift Machine Potential: 9.0
Trunk Space: 9.2
Road Trip Machine: 8.9
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