Genesis sedan receives New car of the year award from Cars.com
The 2009 Hyundai Genesis sedan has once again proved to be a very special Hyundai car. Its the first Hyundai that has been widely recognized by public and media not only as a great value, but also as a technologically advanced vehicle that can rival German and Japanese mid-sizers with no shame.
Additional proof for that comes from various awards that Genesis already received since it entered the North American market. During the North American International Auto Show in January, it was crowned as the 2009 North American Car Of The Year and just recently, Genesis received a similar title from renowned Cars.com, the leading destination for online car shoppers!
This years nominees for the Cars.com New car of the year award were Audi A4, Nissan Murano, Subaru Forester, Honda Fit and Mazda6, all of them 2009 models. From among 60 other vehicles and above mentioned finalist vehicles, a jury of Cars.com automotive journalists chose their favorite one. Their choice was based on vehicles features, driving quality, mileage and overall value.
According to Cars.com, the 2009 Hyundai Genesis outshines all other new and redesigned models, therefore it deserves to be titled as the New Car of the Year!
“The 2009 Hyundai Genesis rivals the feeling of extravagance found in many full-size luxury vehicles,” said Patrick Olsen, editor in chief at Cars.com. “Our editors chose the Genesis for Cars.coms 2009 New Car of the Year because we drove it - pondered the window sticker again - and our collective reaction was, Wow.”
February 3rd, 2009 at 4:43 pm
I just hope they can fix the suspension issues - if they did it would be even better.
February 3rd, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Can you tell us more about the suspension issues Doug! We haven’t heard anything on that!
February 3rd, 2009 at 9:02 pm
The suspension is a little on the soft side–it suffers from the typical Korean car issues of needing shock rates tuned about 15% stiffer. It’s not a deal-breaker, but Hyundai still needs some work on suspension tuning.
February 3rd, 2009 at 9:55 pm
I have an 06 Sonata and while I like the car alot, it’s suspension is def not tuned and engineered for the rough American roads (expecially Midwestern roads). That’s my only negative about the car.
If the Genesis is suspension isn’t very good either, that’s something Hyundai needs to address on all their cars sold in the U.S. We don’t have smooth, newly paved roadways like you’ll find in developed Asian and Euro countries!
February 3rd, 2009 at 11:18 pm
I’m sure this “problem” has been already addressed to Hyundai, and I’m also sure they will work it out soon. This is their first RWD car and they still need somemore experience to set up their “babies” perfectly.
February 3rd, 2009 at 11:28 pm
Several publications have stated that the suspension isn’t controlled enough over large crests, so I’m sure Hyundai knows it. “Consumer Reports” called it somewhat unsettled. “Motor Trend” hinted that the issue cost the Genesis their Car of the Year award or at least big points in the competition. But considering Hyundai’s retuned and revised the Azera’s suspension twice now since its introduction for the ‘06 model year, it’s a good bet Hyundai’s working on the Genesis, too.
February 5th, 2009 at 7:48 am
I have not yet driven it but my guess is that it is somewhere between a Deville and 5-series. A nice balance might be settings close to the E-class. From all the reports I have read, this is the first suspension ‘issue’ I have heard of however..
I think they are trying to find that happy medium so that it can be as attractive to as many people as possible. Certainly the baby boomers like a soft comfortable cruiser a la Crown Victoria/Cadillac Deville/Lexus ES but also want to appeal to a younger crowd who gravitate towards the 5-series. Perhaps 10% stiffer settings might be adequate.
February 5th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
If you think of the characteritics of the Sonata suspension/ride and magnify everything (good and bad) 10 times - that’s the Genny ride. The Genny (at least the one I and some others have) exhibits a perhaps dangerous level of bucking when it encounters a certain kind of pavement (undulating and/or surface ridges). The Azera had the same problem until about 2006 I believe. So far, after a week of dealing with Hyundai regional and national I can attest that they are not interested, have deemed it normal for the car and blamed it on the road. Others who raised the concern had the same response. Hence, I am asking the dealer to buy the car back or will proceed to arbitration. I would caution against buyng this vehichle until such time as the suspension is tuned properly. I’d be happy to elaborate further if anyone is interested.
April 8th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
I own a 4.6 Genesis and hate the suspension. I would like to know more.
June 28th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
I have a leased 2009 Genesis with the 4.6 engine. Prior to leasing the Genesis my last 3 vehicles were all high performance sport sedans with V-8 engines (2000 Lincoln LS with sport pkg., 2003 Infiniti M45, 2006 M45 with sport package (totally different from the 2003). All had firm, sport suspensions, and all rode and handled in an excellent manner. I was also in the car business for 15 years and worked in luxury dealerships (Mercedes, Audi, Lincoln, Jaguar, etc.) I have driven almost every luxury car out there. The Genesis suspension is “jarring”. It would be considered bad in any car, but is deplorable in what is considered a “luxury” car. The suspension beats you up, literally. If you like the way a school bus rides, you’ll love the Genesis. The car is excellent in so many ways, it is a shame that a major component such as th suspension is so poorly calibrated. How could this have happened? Hyundai needs to offer (at a reasonable cost) suspension modifications to owners unhappy with the ride quality, and they need to do it now.
June 28th, 2009 at 11:47 pm
David,Thats kinda wierd..im not saying your hating on hyundai or anything, cause after all you currently have the genesis…but most reviews i’ve seen don’t seem to have a problem with the ride…they just say, it’s too soft to be sports sedan, and needs a bit more feedback
November 27th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
I have a genesis v6 and I also hate the suspension. Any news on a fix or maybe a class action lawsuit to get this fixed? Im thinking this is a very dangerous issue if this continues.
December 10th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
I rode in a co-workers V6 Genesis sedan yesterday (techno package and 18″ wheels). I was hoping to really like the car, and I did; however, the suspension is a deal breaker for me.
I drive a 2002 BMW 5 series, and it is such a high maintenance car, I was thinking of trading it on a Genesis. Not any more. Nothing quite compares to the way my bimmer rides. It is firm, yet it glides. The Genesis is firm and jarring - like a Chevy camaro or something. The ride makes the car feel cheap.