A knowledgeable onetime editor of automobile reviews thought the 2020 Genesis G90 “looks like a Chrysler.”
That person shall remain nameless, having actually mentored a famous reviewer, who sadly is not among us any more but who learned the craft from the editor, now retired.
It can be viewed as a tribute to the infant Genesis brand, to be thought of in the same breath as some of the famed Chrysler and Imperial models of yore, which were right up there in prestige with Lincoln, Duesenberg and Cadillac in the homeland.
The Genesis G90 follows a modern trend in which popular automobiles have spun off their own luxury brands, taking the good will the manufacturers have developed from providing interesting, reliable and even exciting cars and developing new models to command higher prices and prestige.
Prominent in this concept are Japan’s Lexus, the luxury brand of Toyota, and Acura, gestated from Honda. In an earlier era, Ford begat Mercury and Lincoln, and now we have used-to-be humble Hyundai beguiling us with Genesis.
It’s just getting started. Originally introduced as the top-line Hyundai Equus from the South Korean manufacturer, the G90 became the pinnacle of a separate luxury brand in 2017. It is now on its way to becoming its own special entity with a lineup of premium sedans and upcoming crossover sport utility vehicles. Up first is the 2021 Genesis GV80 later this year.
For now, the G90 stands as the flagship, offering the performance, luxury orientation and reputation as established marques that include Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, BMW, Jaguar, Acura, Audi, Cadillac, Lincoln and even Volvo — but with the South Korean basic principle of offering more bang for the bucks.
Sure, if keeping up with and exceeding the Joneses at snazzy cocktail parties is your thing, prattling on about owning a Genesis G90 will not score as many conversational points as talking about your daily driver with the Mercedes three-pointed star or the leaping Jaguar on the hood.
The Genesis G90, as of now, doesn’t have that sort of panache. But if you’re in interested in a slick, smooth luxury car and you are without unlimited financial resources, you can substitute — in your psyche, at least — a G90 for that BMW 7-Series or Mercedes S-Class and pocket about 20 grand in savings.
The best part, except for the status that goes with the blue and white spinning propeller or the three-pointed star, is you won’t be short-changed from the feel behind the wheel. The G90 is as capable as any sedan in the large luxury class, with all the accouterments you might specify.
The tested Genesis G90 RWD 5.0 Ultimate four-door comes with a velvety 420-hp, 5.0-liter V8 engine that delivers 383 lb-ft of torque. The power gets to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. Also available is a turbocharged 3.3-liter V6 with 365 hp. All-wheel drive is an option with either engine.
The G90, with its imposing new grille, is an inch more than 17 feet long with 113 cubic feet of space for passengers and a trunk of 17 cubic feet. City/highway/combined fuel economy of 16/24/19 mpg is not outstanding but, hey, this is a luxury car, not a Chevy Spark.
With luxury cars, it’s about feedback and ambiance. The Genesis G90 communicates tactile sensations from the steering wheel that is characteristic of premium sedans. It’s also mausoleum silent in highway cruising, nearly as quiet as an electric, though there’s some muted growl under hard acceleration.
The ride is creamy but controlled and the handling on curving roads is competent and confidence inspiring. But don’t mistake the G90 for a sports sedan. Its forte is sedate motoring, even at extra-legal speeds.
The G90 Ultimate is set up for maximum comfort and serenity for four. Surroundings are done up with premium wood trim and soft, perforated leather seats with heating and cooling all around. In back, the outboard passengers get sun shades on the windows and power seat adjustments, along with infotainment screens mounted on the front seatbacks.
The center armrest in back houses climate and other controls, and can be tucked up to accommodate a fifth unfortunate passenger, who gets relegated to a hard, uncomfortable perch. There are seatbelts and headrests for three persons in back, as well as a pass-through into the trunk for skis or other long objects.
The suggested price for the G90 Ultimate came to $76,695, not for everybody — but in this snooty class it’s a bargain.
Specifications
- Model: 2020 Genesis G90 RWD 5.0 Ultimate four-door sedan.
- Engine: 5.0-liter V8; 420 hp, 383 lb-ft torque.
- Transmission: Eight-speed automatic with rear-wheel drive.
- Overall length: 17 feet 1 inch.
- EPA/SAE passenger/trunk volume: 113/16 cubic feet.
- Weight: 4,850 pounds.
- EPA city/highway/combined fuel consumption: 16/24/19 mpg.
- Base price, including destination charge: $76,695.
- Price as tested: $76,695.
Disclaimer: The manufacturer provided the vehicle used to conduct this test drive and review.
Photos (c) Genesis
Photos (c) Hyundai
Photos (c) Genesis
Even the name gives a hint toward Kia’s status in the automotive industry and toward its aspirations for the new vehicle. “Borrego” was inspired by the Anza-Borrego Desert, a region in Southern California near San Diego, best-known for the ecological disaster area, Salton Sea, which sits at an elevation of 15 feet above sea level. Telluride is a playground for the rich and famous in Colorado, perched at a lofty 8,750 feet above sea level.
I spent a week driving a 2020 Kia Telluride SX V6 AWD, a top-of-the-line model that carried a base price of $43,490. My test vehicle had additional installed equipment, including Snow White Pearl Paint ($395), SX Prestige Package ($2,000 for Head-Up Display, 110-volt inverter, Nappa leather seat trim, premium cloth headliner and sun visors, heated and ventilated second-row seats, and rain sensing front windshield wipers), carpeted floor mats ($210), carpeted cargo mat with seat back protection ($115), interior lighting ($450), a tow hitch ($395) plus freight and handling ($1,045) for an as-tested price of $48,100.
Driving the Telluride is a pleasure equal to admiring its design. It handles well, and accelerates briskly for a vehicle its size. It is not a rocket ship like some of the premium SUVs, but it never wants for power in normal (sane) operation. The smooth-shifting 8-speed automatic transmission keeps Telluride in its power band without allowing the V6 to get thrashy or noisy.
Unless outside forces like spiking gas prices or another economic crisis intervene, the 2020 Kia Telluride is likely to succeed in the marketplace in ways that its ill-fated predecessor never did. It is hitting dealerships at a time when the three-row crossover SUV is more popular than ever, a hot market segment with an appetite for well-equipped, stylish family SUVs. And Telluride is a very good option.
Photos (c) Kia
It’s not a breakthrough — yet. Solar panels have popped up all over the world as a way to reliably generate renewable clean energy. On the Sonata Hybrid, an array of solar-powered photovoltaic panels are installed on the roof under glass, right where you might find a panoramic sunroof on another car.
The Sonata Hybrid combines a 150-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine that makes 139 lb-ft of torque with a 51-hp electric motor that delivers 151 lb-ft of torque. The combined hybrid system generates 192 hp and, with the slight boost from the Solar Roof, has an EPA city/highway/combined fuel economy rating of 45/51/47 mpg.
Like other hybrids, the Sonata also features idle stop-start technology to enhance fuel economy. But there’s no hesitation off the line. With some other systems, especially those installed on gasoline-engine vehicles, there’s a hiccup on setting off as the engine re-starts. But on the Sonata Hybrid, the electric motor is poised to get things going with instant torque, or twisting force.
There are three versions of the Sonata Hybrid: Blue, SEL and Limited. The base Blue, which is estimated to start somewhere south of $30,000, gets the best city/highway/combined fuel economy: 50/54/52 mpg. However, it does not come with the Solar Roof, which is reserved for the upper trim levels.
After the national press introduction was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, a top-line Limited model was made available as a test vehicle delivered through a third-party vendor.
Specifications
Photos (c) Hyundai
But the show went on anyway, via YouTube from the Lot Studios in West Hollywood and headlined by José Muñoz, Hyundai’s president and CEO, along with other company heavyweights.
All new from the tire patches up, the seventh-generation Hyundai sedan is longer, lower and wider than its predecessor, but only by inches or fractions of an inch so interior space has actually increased slightly.
Though marketed as a compact, the Elantra likely will be classified as a midsize by the government based on its total interior volume. Without a sunroof, it has 116 cubic feet of interior volume, divided into 102 cubic feet for passengers and a trunk of 14 cubic feet. With a sunroof, the passenger space drops to 99 cubic feet but it is still comfortably in the midsize category.
The Elantra Hybrid uses a 1.6-liter gasoline engine with a 32-kW electric motor. Together they deliver 139 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque. Mated to a six-speed dual clutch automatic transmission, the Hybrid is projected to deliver a combined city/highway fuel economy rating of more than 50 mpg.
Optional equipment includes adaptive radar cruise control, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance and blind-spot warning. Other new available features include a navigation system, natural voice control for a multitude of functions, Hyundai’s digital smart-phone key with wireless charging, wireless Apple Car Play and Android Auto, and dual Bluetooth connectivity so a phone can be used simultaneously with streaming audio.
Photos (c) Hyundai
With a starting price of $18,550, including the destination charge, the entry-level Venue is aimed squarely at some of the buyers of 41 million used cars in 2019. The target group is younger people who are into urban night life — whatever that means. The idea is to provide them the opportunity to own an affordable new car with all the latest safety and infotainment equipment.
However, unlike the funky Kia Soul, which has 125 cubic feet of interior volume, 14 more than the Venue’s 111, the Venue has a more conventional crossover profile. Like the Soul, it comes only with front-wheel drive but it looks the part of an attractively styled small SUV. That along with the low price should easily attract buyer attention.
However, the Venue makes up for any shortcomings in performance with outstanding city/highway/combined fuel consumption of 30/34/32 mpg in a vehicle that weighs 2,732 pounds. That betters the Soul’s 27/32/29 with a curb weight of 3,036 pounds.
CVTs use a system of belts and pulleys to multiply engine power, usually without shift points. But the Venue’s CVT uses a durable chain instead of a belt and is programmed to operate like a conventional automatic transmission with stepped shift points. Drivers used to the feel of upshifts will not notice anything different.
The Venue also offers a six-speed manual gearbox. There was no opportunity at the national introduction to drive the stick shift but if it is anything like the manuals on Hyundai’s other vehicles like the Elantra and Veloster, it should be delightfully manipulative.
Both trim levels come with advanced safety equipment that includes forward collision avoidance with pedestrian detection, stability and traction control, lane-keeping assist, driver attention warning, tire-pressure monitoring, and a full suite of airbags and a rear-view camera.
Specifications
Photos (c) Hyundai
The strategies vary. But from a consumer standpoint, the basic hybrid still makes the most economic and convenience sense, as exemplified by the Toyota Prius, the most successful electrified vehicle in history. Although it now also offers a plug-in model, Prius hybrid sales since it started 20 years ago now total more than 2.3 million in the U.S.
For 2020, Hyundai has redesigned the Ioniq with attractive fresh styling inside and out. It is still the same size and configuration, with similar power, as when it first was introduced as a 2017 model.
For 2020, the power train has not changed. It consists of a 1.6-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine paired with a 32 kilowatt electric motor, which together make 139 hp and deliver city/highway/combined fuel economy of 55/54/55 mpg on the tested Limited model. (The basic Blue model gets 58 combined).
The 2020 Ioniq — the name is a combination of ion, an electrically charged particle, and unique, or one of a kind — comes in four trim levels: the base Blue at $23,930, including the destination charge; SE $25,880; SEL $29,130, and the tested Limited. The last, with a price tag of $31,930, comes nearly as fully equipped as some luxury cars. The only option was $135 for carpeted floor mats.
With 27 cubic feet of space in the cargo area under the rear hatch, the Ioniq hybrid can do double duty as a compact crossover sport utility vehicle. The rear seatbacks fold to expand the load-carrying capability. However, there is no spare wheel under the cargo floor. An emergency tire-puncture repair kit substitutes — okay for leaks but useless in a blowout.
Specifications
Photos (c) Hyundai
Frank A. Aukofer
Jason Fogelson
Jeff Taylor
Tod Mesirow