hyunelan2
02-17-2008, 08:37 PM
Went to the Chicago Auto Show today. My pictures aren't many becasue the camera battery was low, and I didn't have my backup. They had 2 Genesis Sedans on the floor, open to the public - plus a sedan and the coupe on turntables.
There were tons of people in the Hyundai Exhibit (which took over where Lexus normally is), and everyone knew what the Genesis was and was trying to find it. Apparently those superbowl ads did something for the general public.
Sitting in the Genesis, my first impression is - this car is perfect. Headroom is great, the all important legroom is more than enough (acutally moved the seat forward slightly). Even with the seat all the way back, I still easily fit behind it in the back seat, at 6'4".
The view out the front is complete, not obstructed in the least, or cut off by a hood/montrous dash as some modern cars are. Rear view is also good, blindspots are small.
The car I sat in was a V6, not the Tau V8, but it still had all the bells and whistles - it's not stripped down just because it's a V6. Overall the fit and finish and materials of the car are outstanding. It makes the Azera look like a base model Sonata. Sonata shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentance as the Genesis.
Genesis Sedan Pictures:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h11/hyunelan2/IMG_2244.jpg
The other Genesis I sat in had the wood inlayed in the wheel. I hated the feel of it, and am glad there is a wood-less option
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h11/hyunelan2/IMG_2246.jpg
Vents in the back of the center console, for rear seat passengers
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h11/hyunelan2/IMG_2245.jpg
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h11/hyunelan2/IMG_2247.jpg
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h11/hyunelan2/IMG_2248.jpg
I sat in the Elantra Touring (i30) which was also on display. I don't like it. I mainly don't like it because I felt the legroom was less than in my '02 Elantra. The car has the newer style "pump handle" seats, which took about 5 minutes of screwing with to get a close to correct fit. I guess that could be a good thing though. The materials are typical Hyundai - better and less plasticy than some other makers. I didn't fold down the rear seats, but it did look to have quite a bit of room behind the driver if you needed it. It's very "euro wagon," so if you like that you may like this car.
Pontiac G8
If you want the most power you can buy for under $30K, get in line for the G8. The G8 GT with the 6.0L engine starts around $28K, making it the most powerful car under $30K. The car is built very, very well. There is more than enough room up front for tall people, and you can dial in the fit of the seat pretty accurate with what seemed like a 29-way power seat. The interior felt more "sporty" than the "luxury" genesis. Back seat room was definately less than the Genesis, but if you don't need the seat back all the way, you might be able to put more than kids in the back seat. The materials are Pontiac's 'Rubbery Plastic' and it feels cheaper than the materials used in the Genesis. With a six-liter engine, I think the G8 will kill the Hyundai in performance marks, but the Hyundai is a "nicer" vehicle.
BMW M6 Coupe
Oh my sweet mother of God. If you ever have a chance to sit in this $100K work of art, do it. I was so taken back be the support of the race-styled seat and the clear view out the front, that I forgot to pay attention to what many of the plethora of buttons did on the car.
...different than normal...
Usually I go to the show every year with my brother. He couldn't make it this year. I was all set to just not go, because there was too much else going on. My wife offered yesterday that we move some stuff around and she would come with me. This would be interesting.
It was an interesting because normally when looking at cars, here are the criteria: do I fit, how much does it cost, what can it do? Having my wife there to throw in opinions on things that we would actually consider if REALLY shopping for a car made things interesting. She tried on a bunch of cars for what would be replacements for her Santa Fe, as well as cars that would replace my Elantra. Surprisingly, after talking about what the future holds (kids), the prices of cars, what we liked and disliked, here is basically the list (this does not take into account reliability data):
To Repalce 2002 Elantra:
Genesis Sedan
Subaru Outback
Subaru Legacy
Azera
Pontiac G8
Mazda 3
To Replace 2004 Santa Fe:
Subaru Forrester
Pontiac Torrent
Nissan Rougue
(in her dreams = Acura MDX)
Toyota RAV4
Santa Fe
It was weird, because I'd always been a big fan of the Sonata. But after sitting side-by-side in the Sonata vs. Azera vs. Genesis, the Sonata is just too plain. Perhaps in top-trim it could keep up, but the Azera and Genesis are leaving it behind, especially when you consider their price. My wife did not like the Veracruz (too big) and the Santa Fe was just alright, compared to her 2004. She thought the dash layout was just too plain and uninteresting.
I have some other pics I'll try to get up later.
There were tons of people in the Hyundai Exhibit (which took over where Lexus normally is), and everyone knew what the Genesis was and was trying to find it. Apparently those superbowl ads did something for the general public.
Sitting in the Genesis, my first impression is - this car is perfect. Headroom is great, the all important legroom is more than enough (acutally moved the seat forward slightly). Even with the seat all the way back, I still easily fit behind it in the back seat, at 6'4".
The view out the front is complete, not obstructed in the least, or cut off by a hood/montrous dash as some modern cars are. Rear view is also good, blindspots are small.
The car I sat in was a V6, not the Tau V8, but it still had all the bells and whistles - it's not stripped down just because it's a V6. Overall the fit and finish and materials of the car are outstanding. It makes the Azera look like a base model Sonata. Sonata shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentance as the Genesis.
Genesis Sedan Pictures:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h11/hyunelan2/IMG_2244.jpg
The other Genesis I sat in had the wood inlayed in the wheel. I hated the feel of it, and am glad there is a wood-less option
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h11/hyunelan2/IMG_2246.jpg
Vents in the back of the center console, for rear seat passengers
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h11/hyunelan2/IMG_2245.jpg
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h11/hyunelan2/IMG_2247.jpg
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h11/hyunelan2/IMG_2248.jpg
I sat in the Elantra Touring (i30) which was also on display. I don't like it. I mainly don't like it because I felt the legroom was less than in my '02 Elantra. The car has the newer style "pump handle" seats, which took about 5 minutes of screwing with to get a close to correct fit. I guess that could be a good thing though. The materials are typical Hyundai - better and less plasticy than some other makers. I didn't fold down the rear seats, but it did look to have quite a bit of room behind the driver if you needed it. It's very "euro wagon," so if you like that you may like this car.
Pontiac G8
If you want the most power you can buy for under $30K, get in line for the G8. The G8 GT with the 6.0L engine starts around $28K, making it the most powerful car under $30K. The car is built very, very well. There is more than enough room up front for tall people, and you can dial in the fit of the seat pretty accurate with what seemed like a 29-way power seat. The interior felt more "sporty" than the "luxury" genesis. Back seat room was definately less than the Genesis, but if you don't need the seat back all the way, you might be able to put more than kids in the back seat. The materials are Pontiac's 'Rubbery Plastic' and it feels cheaper than the materials used in the Genesis. With a six-liter engine, I think the G8 will kill the Hyundai in performance marks, but the Hyundai is a "nicer" vehicle.
BMW M6 Coupe
Oh my sweet mother of God. If you ever have a chance to sit in this $100K work of art, do it. I was so taken back be the support of the race-styled seat and the clear view out the front, that I forgot to pay attention to what many of the plethora of buttons did on the car.
...different than normal...
Usually I go to the show every year with my brother. He couldn't make it this year. I was all set to just not go, because there was too much else going on. My wife offered yesterday that we move some stuff around and she would come with me. This would be interesting.
It was an interesting because normally when looking at cars, here are the criteria: do I fit, how much does it cost, what can it do? Having my wife there to throw in opinions on things that we would actually consider if REALLY shopping for a car made things interesting. She tried on a bunch of cars for what would be replacements for her Santa Fe, as well as cars that would replace my Elantra. Surprisingly, after talking about what the future holds (kids), the prices of cars, what we liked and disliked, here is basically the list (this does not take into account reliability data):
To Repalce 2002 Elantra:
Genesis Sedan
Subaru Outback
Subaru Legacy
Azera
Pontiac G8
Mazda 3
To Replace 2004 Santa Fe:
Subaru Forrester
Pontiac Torrent
Nissan Rougue
(in her dreams = Acura MDX)
Toyota RAV4
Santa Fe
It was weird, because I'd always been a big fan of the Sonata. But after sitting side-by-side in the Sonata vs. Azera vs. Genesis, the Sonata is just too plain. Perhaps in top-trim it could keep up, but the Azera and Genesis are leaving it behind, especially when you consider their price. My wife did not like the Veracruz (too big) and the Santa Fe was just alright, compared to her 2004. She thought the dash layout was just too plain and uninteresting.
I have some other pics I'll try to get up later.