FIRST DRIVE

2012 HYUNDAI

This year’s Genesis has undergone a mild redesign. Front and rear styling is freshened, but with the arrival of direct injection and a new automatic transmission, it’s the powertrains that are garnering the most attention. The Genesis is offered in three trim levels with the V6 and one with the V8.

Under the hood, the V6 engine retains its 3.8-litre displacement but is now equipped with a direct-injection system. Direct injection allows it to develop 333 horsepower, up from 290, and to produce 291 pound-feet of torque, up from 264. The compression ratio increases from 10.4 to 11.5. Direct injection also allows the catalytic converter to warm up 40% faster. Thanks to all these improvements, this V6 is nearly 5% more fuel efficient than before, according to Hyundai.

The 4.6-litre V8 gives way to an all-new, 5.0-litre V8, Hyundai’s most powerful engine to date. Likewise equipped with direct injection, the new V8 produces 429 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque. Its DI system injects gasoline at 2200 pounds per square inch of pressure. Cylinder bore increases from 92 mm to 96 mm, and the compression ratio goes from 10.4 to 11.5. Hyundai claims that the new V8 delivers roughly the same fuel economy as the old one, despite the increase in power.

Both engines are mated to an all-new 8-speed automatic transmission developed by Hyundai. Previous transmissions were exterior sourced. The Korean builder registered 130 patent applications for this transmission. When an automaker starts filing patents, it’s considered to have stepped out of the parade of imitators to become a leader in its own right, worthy of respect and recognition.

Along with the powertrain improvements, Hyundai opted to refine the suspension and beef up the brakes. Suspension calibrations were revised, and the front stabiliser bar diameter was increased by one millimetre, to obtain a better compromise between ride and handling. The front brake rotors of both versions are larger, and the V6 version gets 4-piston front calipers.

Photo: Hyundai On the very smooth roads of Nevada, the Genesis proved to be a powerful, comfortable touring car. Evidently, acceleration is livelier with the V8, but the V6 provides better balance. Unfortunately, for the time being, the Genesis is not available with all-wheel drive, an advantage shared by its main rivals.

Pricing of the various models, before delivery and preparation is $39,999 for the base V6, $44,999 for the Premium V6, $49,999 for the V6 Technology and $53,499 for the V8 5.0 R-Spec.