National Post

So luxurious it isn’t a Hyundai anymore

THE KOREAN GIANT TURNS THE GENESIS FROM A MODEL INTO A MARQUE,

- David Booth Driving. ca

KELOWNA, B. C . • Behold the G90: The car that dares not speak its name. It’s a Hyundai that Hyundai Canada vehemently protests is not a Hyundai.

Confused? No big surprise. For the past eight years, Hyundai Canada has been selling the Genesis through Hyundai dealers. But now the company says the G90 — essentiall­y the replacemen­t for the outgoing Equus — will not be marketed by Hyundai, will not wear a Hyundai badge and most certainly will not be sold at a Hyundai dealership. That’s because it is now a … Genesis.

Yes, what was once a mere model in Hyundai’s lineup — either as a semi-luxurious sedan or the slightly downmarket coupe — is now a brand unto itself.

Michael Ricciuto, director of the new brand, says the G90 is but the, er, genesis of Genesis, the full- size luxury sedan to be followed by two slightly smaller sedans, a couple of SUVs and even a sports coupe. When all is said and done in 2021, Ricciuto says, Genesis dealers will offer a six-vehicle lineup competing against all the major players in BMW and Mercedes-Benz’s lineup.

In other words, Genesis will be a brand unto itself, competing — or, at least trying to compete — headto- head with BMW and Mercedes- Benz, as well as Audi and Jaguar. It’s a noble ambition, especially given that Hyundai’s reputation was based on undercutti­ng the competitio­n, not overwhelmi­ng them with luxury.

And yet, the G90 does just that. I won’t tell you that Genesis’ new G90 is as sporty as a BMW 750i or as powerful as a Mercedes-AMG S63, but nothing — absolutely nothing, short of a Bentley Mulsanne — can out-luxury the G90’s interior.

Indeed, not even a Bentley — or a Rolls- Royce, for that matter — can boast leather as glove- soft as the G90’s. It is supplied by Italy’s Conceria Pasubio, and just gripping the steering wheel borders on the orgasmic.

Nor is the rest of the G90’s cabin in any way second rate. The wood trim not only is real, but looks real, avoiding the overwrough­t polish- ing common to many luxury dashboards. The chrome work is tastefully applied, the LCD infotainme­nt screen — unfortunat­ely, not a touch screen — is huge, and the audio system is a premium Lexicon item with 900 watts. Even the switchgear, which looks like it was copied from a previous- generation SClass, reeks of class. Genesis wants us to forget the G90 is a Hyundai and its interior decor is a huge step in that direction.

The G90 is roomy. Not only is it bigger than a Mercedes S550, the wheelbase is 125 millimetre­s longer, affording copious interior volume. Push the front seats as far back as you want and you still have LeBron James-accommodat­ing knee room in the back.

The G90 may also set some sort of record f or ( sub-$ 100,000) luxury segment seat adjustabil­ity; the driver’s seat, says Genesis, is variable in 22 different directions. The passenger has 16 ways to futz with his or her position, while the rear passengers have 12. Actually, there are 14 for the rightrear passenger; Genesis sees many G90s doing limo duty, so there are buttons for the right-rear passenger to move the front seat forward for even more legroom.

Genesis says the seats have been approved by Aktion Gesunder Rücken, a German organizati­on of doctors and therapists promoting research into the reduction of back pain. Good news for those, like Yours Truly, suffering from wonky lower lumbars. And the top-of-theline 5.0- litre V8 model adds ventilatio­n to the rear seats and a rear memory system.

Only two powertrain­s are offered — a base V6 and a top- of- the- line V8 — but there’s a good argument that the base engine is superior to the uplevel one. The V6 is a new, twice turbocharg­ed 3.3L engine sporting 365 horse- power and, more importantl­y, 376 pound- feet of torque. That’s only seven lb.- ft. less than the optional naturally aspirated 5.0- L and, more tellingly, it peaks as early as 1,300 r. p. m., compared with the V8’s 5,000 r.p.m. In other words, the smaller engine kicks in sooner and harder, and will likely have more punch off the line.

That said, the G90 is not a powerhouse, but the V6 is amazingly quiet and smooth. Genesis says the G90’s interior cabin noise is identical to an S- Class at 100 kilometres per hour and quieter at idle. But this is a car that moves briskly, not violently. My real- world testing averaged 9.7 L/ 100 km on the highway, exactly Transport Canada’s rating. Finally, a turbocharg­ed engine that doesn’t exaggerate its frugality.

The same applies for the G90’ s comportmen­t. The ride, thanks to adjustable ZF/ Sach suspension components, is buttery smooth and its compliance is perhaps the best among current uber- luxury sedans. On the other hand, this is not a Cadillac CTS-V — or even a 7 Series — and the G90, even with its Sport mode selected, is not a back- road bandit. This may not be your grandfathe­r’s Cadillac, but neither is it a budget M5.

The G90 ticks off all the major boxes in terms of safety features. The all- wheeldrive system — HTRAC in Hyundai parlance — is amazingly versatile, able to deliver 100 per cent of the engine’s torque to the front wheels if the road is slippery, 100 per cent to the rear when looking for maximum fuel economy, and any ratio in between to optimize the G90’s need for traction and stability. This AWD system is the equal of any.

The G90 also i ncludes t he expected el ectronic safety f eatures. In addition to nine airbags, there’s a suite of electronic safety gizmos called Smart Sense that includes autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, active blind- spot detection, lane- keep assist and Hyundai’s innovative Driver Attention Alert.

Ricciuto says future Genesis products will not be sold in Hyundai dealership­s. Initially, the G90 — and the soon-to-be rebadged Genesis sedan, to be called the G80 — will be sold in mall- based boutiques. Not only that, Genesis’ “Human Based Luxury” comes with five years of compliment­ary service that includes home pickup and delivery for any service or repair, not to mention a Genesis courtesy car. From purchase to trade- in, you’ll never have to visit a dealership.

In other words, you’ l l never know it’s a Hyundai.

The Genesis G90 will be available ( but not in showrooms!) in early November with a price tag starting in the $85,000 range.

NOTHING — ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, SHORT OF A BENTLEY MULSANNE — CAN OUT-LUXURY THE G90’S INTERIOR. JUST GRIPPING THE STEERING WHEEL BORDERS ON THE ORGASMIC.

 ?? HANDOUT / HYUNDAI ?? Hyundai’s G90 is the vanguard of a new six-vehicle luxury line that will be sold under the Genesis label. The G90 will retail for about $85,000.
HANDOUT / HYUNDAI Hyundai’s G90 is the vanguard of a new six-vehicle luxury line that will be sold under the Genesis label. The G90 will retail for about $85,000.
 ?? HANDOUT / HYUNDAI ?? Not even a Bentley or a Rolls-Royce can boast leather as glove-soft as the G90’s.
HANDOUT / HYUNDAI Not even a Bentley or a Rolls-Royce can boast leather as glove-soft as the G90’s.

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