Genesis to target Euro sedans

Hyundai believes its new Genesis sedan – which was benchmarked against German rivals including the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class – will shift the Korean brand’s reputation up another rung when it arrives in Australia later this year.

The second-generation Genesis -- and the first to be offered in right-hand drive -- is a vehicle Hyundai says offers “the interior spaciousness of a BMW 7 Series and the dynamics of a 5 Series — all at the price of a 3 Series”.

In the Australian market, that means the Genesis would need an entry price of under $60,000, placing it within reach of the entry-level BMW 3 Series ($52,800 plus on-road costs).

Hyundai Motor Company Australia (HMCA) CEO, John Elsworth, said it was a “safe bet” the Genesis will slip beneath the current luxury car tax threshold ($60,316).

But he would not be drawn on specific pricing and specification, saying we’ll need to wait until final model details are announced closer to the model’s local launch.

But just how will the Australian market take to a prestige Hyundai?

Elsworth says conquest buyers will form a large portion of those expected to put down their hard-earned for the marque’s new flagship sedan, but he doesn’t expect current prestige car owners to trade-in on a Genesis just yet.

“It’s very difficult getting people out of Benzes and BMWs,” admitted Elsworth. “The opportunity is to get those people that haven’t gone there yet.”

In its home market, the Genesis is offered with a choice of 3.3- and 3.8-litre V6 petrol engines mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission in either rear- or all-wheel drive configurations.

Elsworth said Australia will receive only the larger capacity engine, and only in rear-wheel drive.

“We had the choice between 3.3 and 3.8, [and] we went with the bigger capacity because I think the Australian market will favour a bigger capacity engine,” said Elsworth.

That engine is Hyundai’s Lambda direct-injected 3778cc V6, which makes 232kW at 6000rpm and 397Nm at 5000rpm. In this guise the Genesis is capable of hitting 100km/h in 6.5 seconds on its way to an electronically-capped top speed of 240km/h.

The figures put the Genesis’ powerplant within striking distance of the similarly-sized BMW 535i, which produces 225kW and 400Nm from its turbocharged inline six.

Conspicuous in their absence, however, were the Genesis’ official fuel consumption and CO2 emissions figures. The all-aluminium Lambda engine offers variable valve timing and a three-stage variable intake system, as well as a dual-stage oil pump aimed at reducing parasitic losses, but misses out on idle stop-start technology.

By way of reference, the BMW 535i consumes 7.9L/100km on the ADR combined cycle while emitting 183g/km.

Hyundai will not offer a more efficient turbo-diesel in the Genesis, saying it remains a vehicle suited only to vee-configuration engines, which also include a 304kW/505Nm 5.0-litre petrol V8.

Sadly, the V8 is also unavailable to right-hand drive markets for the time being.

Among the lashings of real wood, leather and aluminium inside, the stylish Genesis plays host to an impressive array of infotainment and driver assistance items, many found as costly extras on prestige European marques.

On the list are items including blind-spot monitoring, radar cruise control, automated braking functionality, a 360-degree camera system and rear cross-traffic alert.

Lane keeping assistance, variable-ratio electric steering and head-up display can be optioned in some markets, as can a 17-speaker Lexicon surround sound system with 9.2-inch HD touch-screen, 16-way electric seats with memory, heating and cooling, digital radio and television reception, and high-tech satellite-navigation.

In its home market the new Genesis is already attracting strong interest, with waiting times for some model variants extending to three months.

The entry-grade Genesis starts at 46.6 million Won ($A48,630) in Seoul, with the range-topping 3.8-litre all-wheel drive model priced at 69.9 million Won ($A72,670).

Visit motoring.com.au again soon for our full review of the 2014 Hyundai Genesis.