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00:04 Now if you're shopping for a rear drive V8 powered luxury sedan,
00:07 then you'll likely have the Mercedes-Benz E550 and
00:10 the Lexus GS460 on your shopping list.
00:13 If you wanted to spend, say, $20,000 to $30,000 less,
00:16 you may even look at the Chrysler 300C.
00:18 But now Hyundai has a new name for you, Genesis.
00:22 For about the same money as the Chrysler,
00:24 this sedan gives you levels of luxury and performance
00:27 more akin to the Lexus and the Mercedes.
00:30 Under the hood of this Genesis is a 4.6 liter V8
00:33 that puts out 375 horsepower on premium fuel,
00:36 and even 368 on regular.
00:38 It's mated to a ZF six-speed automatic.
00:41 Now with the exterior styling of this Genesis,
00:43 Hyundai stayed conservative.
00:44 They didn't wanna go too wild, too crazy.
00:46 So what you have really is a blend of cues
00:49 from many other luxury sedans.
00:51 Up front, the grille is reminiscent of that
00:53 on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
00:55 The profile of this Genesis is similar to that of a Lexus LS.
00:58 It's actually about the same size as well.
01:00 The trunk line here looks like that on a BMW 7 Series,
01:04 while the rear looks very similar to that on a BMW 5 Series
01:08 or even an Infiniti M.
01:10 Now inside the Genesis, Hyundai's done a great job.
01:13 Very rich, very beautiful,
01:15 a very soft, luxurious leather trim,
01:17 even a leather-wrapped dash,
01:19 real aluminum trim on the center console,
01:22 this nifty driver information system,
01:24 very easy to use, much more intuitive than, say, BMW's iDrive,
01:28 and some really nice, luxurious features.
01:31 A Lexicon sound system.
01:33 The only other car out there to have this
01:35 is the Rolls-Royce Phantom.
01:37 Overall, this Genesis feels much like a Lexus LS inside,
01:40 about the same size, very similar feel,
01:43 the look, the leather, all very similar.
01:46 Now out on public roads, this Genesis 4.6
01:49 is really a combination of other luxury cars out there.
01:52 The ride is very smooth, very quiet, much like a Lexus.
01:57 Handling is reminiscent of a Mercedes-Benz E 550.
02:01 It feels light for its size,
02:03 got good turn-in, good grip, good balance,
02:05 yet it's not quite as sporty as, say, a BMW 550i.
02:09 And in acceleration, this Tau 4.6 makes 375 horsepower,
02:14 so really good acceleration,
02:16 much like the Chrysler 300C with a Hemi.
02:19 At the test track, the Genesis did better than Hyundai predicted.
02:22 Accelerated from 0 to 60 in only 5.5 seconds,
02:26 two-tenths quicker than they had predicted.
02:29 It also did the quarter mile in 14 flat at 103.7 mph.
02:34 Braking from 60 to 0, quite good.
02:37 This car comes with 13-inch front brake rotors
02:40 and four piston calipers,
02:42 so good brake feel.
02:44 And from 60 mph, it took only 116 feet.
02:49 In our figure-eight handling test, the Genesis felt quite nice.
02:53 It stayed very flat, was well-composed,
02:56 brakes very good, you can dive deep into the turns.
02:59 And through the turn, about mid-turn, it rotated nicely.
03:03 Unfortunately, the nanny stepped in pretty early,
03:05 the stability control, which affected its exit speed.
03:09 And even through the turn, it would step in a little too early,
03:11 a little too often.
03:12 So again, that kind of hurt it,
03:14 so not quite as quick as some of the other luxury cars out there,
03:16 but overall, quick and felt very nice.
03:19 So the big question is,
03:21 could Hyundai deliver a luxury sedan
03:23 that drives and feels like a Lexus or a Mercedes
03:25 at a cost of as much as a Chrysler 300C?
03:28 Well, for the most part, the answer is yes.
03:30 With the Genesis, Hyundai is entering new territory.
03:33 This is the most expensive car that's ever sold here.
03:36 That said, it defines a new category in this segment.
03:39 But will people buy it? Time will tell.
03:42 But what we do know is that whoever does
03:45 will be getting a great car at an amazing price.
03:49 (upbeat music)
03:52 (upbeat music)
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