2015 Hyundai Genesis Sedan: Android, Atom, And More

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Hyundai is updating its luxury sedan with a new platform and design for 2015. We flew out to Arizona for a first drive of the 2015 Genesis.

A Much Improved Interior

Step into the driver’s seat and you’re treated to a completely new interior, and it’s leagues ahead of the previous generation. The materials are excellent, with an abundance of soft touch surfaces, and leather comes standard. The layout resembles the flagship Equus, but further refined, with an improved switch gear. We like that Hyundai coats all the switches with a rubberized texture that’s soft and smooth to touch.

The center stack features a clean-looking analog clock. While we complained about the lack of a digital clock on the Equus, the 2015 Genesis sedan solves this problem and also provides the function at the top of the infotainment screen. Overall, the 2015 Genesis sedan interior layout isn’t as good as an Audi, but it definitely gives BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Lexus a good run for the money.

If the standard leather and fake wood trim isn’t luxurious enough, the Ultimate Package adds real matte wood and aluminum trim. All of the vehicles present at the launch event had the Ultimate Package. We found the real wood and aluminum well-executed. It looks very good and gives the interior an extra touch of class.

Front heated seats are standard on the Genesis sedan, but those who want ventilated seats have to add the Signature Package, or step up to the 5.0 V8. Heated rear seats and steering wheel are only available on AWD sedans. We tested the heated and ventilated seats, but they were a little disappointing. The seat heaters got warm, but not quite as toasty as an Audi, VW, or Ford. The ventilated seats cooled enough to prevent your rump and lower back from sweating, but they never felt cold like seats that pipe A/C through.

Hyundai uses traditional analog gauges with an LCD display sandwiched in-between. The standard display is a 4.3-inch LCD, which we didn’t get to experience. The Genesis sedans we drove had the optional 7-inch LCD, which is part of the Technology Package. It looks good in the gauge cluster, but doesn’t offer any advanced functions as its German competition has, but still a step above the display used in the Lexus GS series.

Image courtesy of Chris Gampat (The Phoblographer)

The usual functions are available with a lane keep assist, audio, and turn-by-turn navigation displays. The audio tab is disappointing as it only shows the music source and station for SiriusXM. It would be nice if the display showed the track information as well. You can adjust your vehicle settings in the gauge cluster LCD too, which includes driver assists, door locks, HUD adjustments, and more.

Anh T. Huynh
22 Comments Comment from the forums
  • s3anister
    I can't be the only one that gets disappointed when a new article is posted and it turns out to be a car...
    Reply
  • danwat1234
    They should make a hybrid version with a powerful electric motor to boost acceleration and to regen with and start/stop the engine with.
    Reply
  • blackmagnum
    I can't get over to being interested in a product that is a hobo's Bentley wannabe. Thanks A.T.H.
    Reply
  • JOSHSKORN
    <yawn> Call me when they start making cars that run on photosynthesis, so we can do away with gasoline and make Al Gore shut up about Global Warming.
    Reply
  • Flicules
    I have become a little dissapointed lately with you guys covering only spaceships instead of more down-to-earth cars(price wise). I really doubt that a guy who affords an A8, a Bentley or this Hyundai really bothers to check reviews on the internet...It's nice to get a taste of the future...but a balanced mix would be better i think. Feels a bit like Top Gear :D
    Reply
  • Avro Arrow
    Strange car. Looks like an Aston Martin from the front and a Hyundai Elantra from the rear. One big mistake they made is they really overdid that fake wood paneling. That "wood dashboard" is hideous. It looks like it belongs in a Jeep Wagoneer.
    Reply
  • tuanies
    13045675 said:
    They should make a hybrid version with a powerful electric motor to boost acceleration and to regen with and start/stop the engine with.

    The problem with Hybrids on big vehicles is there's very little benefit. The next review will be of the Lexus LS600hL and the fuel economy is only about 2MPG better in the city but 1MPG worse on the highway, at the cost of 2 Equus'.

    13045840 said:
    I can't get over to being interested in a product that is a hobo's Bentley wannabe. Thanks A.T.H.

    Judging by that, anything in that $50k range is a hobo's Bentley.

    13046439 said:
    I have become a little dissapointed lately with you guys covering only spaceships instead of more down-to-earth cars(price wise). I really doubt that a guy who affords an A8, a Bentley or this Hyundai really bothers to check reviews on the internet...It's nice to get a taste of the future...but a balanced mix would be better i think. Feels a bit like Top Gear :D

    Interestingly enough, the GT-R, A8L, Equus and Bentley are the stories where there was someone that chimed in saying they owned one. But that's where there's all the advanced in-car tech. While I have come across lesser cars, there's not enough tech or new features from another model for a complete story. I do plan on having a quick story on the new WRX/STI, Fiesta ST, and eventually Mazda3. However, I believe the next round of updates to compact and subcompact cars should bring new tech that will be worth covering. We're working with vehicles on a 5-year development cycle so what was new 5-years ago is what shows up for production.

    We will also start a project car series as well with my new 2014 Mazda5 Sport 6MT that I'm working to upgrade with whatever bits of tech I can get my hands on from the aftermarket.

    13047022 said:
    Strange car. Looks like an Aston Martin from the front and a Hyundai Elantra from the rear. One big mistake they made is they really overdid that fake wood paneling. That "wood dashboard" is hideous. It looks like it belongs in a Jeep Wagoneer.

    That wood paneling is actually real matte wood. Its porous and treated.
    Reply
  • ubercake
    There's high-tech gadgetry going on all over this vehicle, but I always find it funny when auto companies throw in an analog clock to take up some space on the center console (in addition to the digital clock up in the main display). I guess if you never learned to read a digital clock you can always fall back on your analog clock reading skills? Personally, I'd prefer some iteration of a sundial in place of an analog clock.
    Reply
  • BranFlake5
    Nope! This is not a luxury car of my taste. I'd buy an Audi A4 Quattro before even considering this thing. Heck, I'd buy a Tesla for a bit more.
    Reply
  • g-unit1111
    13047884 said:
    There's high-tech gadgetry going on all over this vehicle, but I always find it funny when auto companies throw in an analog clock to take up some space on the center console (in addition to the digital clock up in the main display). I guess if you never learned to read a digital clock you can always fall back on your analog clock reading skills? Personally, I'd prefer some iteration of a sundial in place of an analog clock.

    Yeah I've always thought that's kind of random too. Let's put the highest tech you can possibly imagine in a car, charge $50K for it, then it's put a 10 cent time piece in the center of the dashboard. :lol:
    Reply