Evaluated against the Lexus ES 350, Acura TL, Nissan Maxima, Pontiac G8, Lincoln MKS, Toyota Avalon, Buick Lucerne and Saab 9-5, the Hyundai Genesis sedan came out on top. Consumer Reports stated, “Its luxurious and spacious interior and
quietness far transcend its relatively modest price."

This backs up Ray’s Hyundai Genesis review, in which he said a lot of stuff about Kimchi, but also that the Genesis easily satisfied the needs of entry-level luxury buyers if they're willing to look past the badge snobbery.

Consumer Reports’ Press Release Follows:

Hyundai Genesis Outscores Competitors, Becomes Consumer Reports' top-rated "Upscale Sedan"

Genesis narrowly outpoints Lexus ES 350 to take top spot

YONKERS, NY - The Hyundai Genesis outscored four competitors to become Consumer Reports top-rated vehicle in the competitive "Upscale Sedan" category. The Genesis, which achieved an "Excellent" overall road test score, now outranks 12 vehicles from Lexus, Acura, Lincoln and others including the Lexus ES 350.

The Genesis' performance in CR's battery of tests solidifies the automaker's reputation as a builder of high-quality vehicles in several diverse automotive segments. Previously, Consumer Reports named two Hyundais, the Elantra and Santa Fe, as "Top Pick" vehicles in the small sedan and midsize SUV categories respectively.

"The Hyundai Genesis rivals high-end luxury sedans but costs considerably less," said David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports' Auto Test Center in East Haddam, Connecticut. "Its luxurious and spacious interior and quietness far transcend its relatively modest price."

The Genesis was tested against four other new or redesigned upscale sedans—the Acura TL, Nissan Maxima, Pontiac G8 and Lincoln MKS-for the February issue of Consumer Reports. Prices ranged from $33,660 for the Pontiac to $40,880 for the Lincoln.

Two other vehicles in the test group also earned Excellent overall road test scores, the TL and Maxima. The G8 and MKS achieved Very Good overall scores.

The eight other vehicles in the Upscale Sedans category including the ES 350, Toyota Avalon, Buick Lucerne and Saab 9-5, were all tested previously.

In addition to the five upscale sedans tested, CR also purchased and tested the Jaguar XF luxury sedan. Though it obtained a Very Good overall score, it still ranked near the bottom of the group of 12 luxury sedans that Consumer Reports has rated.

But the redesigned Honda Pilot has slipped from being one of Consumer Reports' top-rated three-row SUVs to midpack. The Pilot now ranks eleventh out of seventeen midsized, three-row SUVs that have been tested by CR.

Full tests and ratings of all six sedans appear in the February issue of Consumer Reports, which goes on sale January 6. The reports are also available to subscribers of www.ConsumerReports.org. (Road test vehicles of recently tested vehicles are also available free at CR's web site.)

The issue also contains a report on the conversion of a hybrid Toyota Prius to a plug-in hybrid. Consumer Reports chose a Hymotion L5 conversion kit sold by A123 Systems, which the company claims can yield more than 100 mpg. Fuel economy in CR's converted Prius jumped from 42 to 67 mpg overall for the first 35 miles of driving. At almost $11,000, the plug-in conversion clearly won't save consumers money overall. However, the technology itself proved viable.

The TL is the only vehicle in this month's test group that is Recommended by Consumer Reports.

CR only Recommends vehicles that have performed well in its tests, have at least average predicted reliability based on CR's annual Car Reliability Survey of its more than seven million print and web subscribers, and performed at least adequately if crash-tested or included in a government rollover test.

CR doesn't have reliability data yet on the Genesis, MKS, Maxima, G8 and XF.

Spacious and well appointed, the rear-wheel-drive Genesis offers good value and is a compelling alternative to luxury vehicles costing thousands more. This car's forte is swaddling passengers in silence. The engine sounds polished and road noise is strikingly absent. The interior rivals those of the very best luxury cars, with its optional stitched-leather dashboard facing and consistently high-quality materials. The only real drawback is its ride, which can be unsettled at times and doesn't live up to the standards set by other luxury cars. The Genesis 3.8 ($36,000 Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price as tested) is powered by a 290-hp, 3.8-liter V6 that feels quick and smooth and delivers a decent 21 mpg in CR's own fuel-economy tests. The six-speed automatic transmission provides smooth, quick shifts. Braking is excellent.

The redesigned Acura TL is a nice car, with responsive handling, a slick powertrain and commendable fuel economy. But when compared with the previous TL, which was CR's Top Pick in this segment for years, the latest generation is not as impressive. Vague steering saps the fun out of its handling, the trunk opening is small, and other competitors have roomier rear seats. The base-model TL ($35,715 MSRP as tested) is powered by a 280-hp, 3.5-liter V6 that delivers excellent acceleration and a respectable 23 mpg overall on premium fuel. The five-speed automatic transmission is both quick and smooth. Brakes are excellent overall.

The Maxima is a quick car, but it doesn't add much over the less costly Nissan Altima overall. While it's pleasant, it falls short in some ways. Handling is responsive, but at low speeds the steering is overly light. The car is quiet and the ride is decent. But the new coupe-like silhouette compromises visibility, trunk room, and rear-seat comfort. The Maxima 3.5 SV ($33,700 MSRP as tested) is powered by a 290-hp, 3.5-liter V6 that gives the car quicker acceleration than some V8s. Expect 22 mpg overall on premium fuel. The continuously variable transmission works very well overall; it's also the only one available. The Maxima's brakes are very good overall.

As a bargain sports sedan that can challenge the performance of models from BMW and Mercedes, Pontiac's G8 is a success. It handles and rides as well as the best cards in its class. The G8 GT's acceleration is very impressive, with a zero-to-sixty time of 5.7-seconds. But the downside of that is poor fuel economy-at just 17 mpg overall on regular fuel. The G8 GT ($33,660 MSRP as tested) is powered by a huge 361-hp, 6.0-liter V8 engine that makes it blisteringly quick. The smooth six speed automatic transmission with a tall sixth gear makes highway cruising relaxed. The brakes are very good overall. (A 256-hp, 3.6-liter V6 with a five-speed automatic is also available in the base G8, but CR didn't test it because a more powerful V6 with a six-speed automatic will arrive in 2010.)

In the tradition of large domestic luxury cars, Lincoln's MKS is built for pampering, not for spirited driving. Handling lacks agility, and the engine is too noisy for a car in this class. The interior amenities and finishes are pleasant, but the MKS feels too much like the Ford Taurus, on which it is based, to justify its luxury price tag. The MKS ($40,880 MSRP as tested) is equipped with a 273-hp, 3.7-liter V6 engine that performs well, but is not as quick or smooth as its competition in this class. CR measured its fuel economy at just 20 mpg overall on regular, which is not impressive. The six-speed automatic transmission is not as slick as most in this class. Brakes are very good overall.

The exterior of the Genesis is certainly handsome from afar, chrome bits and pieces glinting in the Korean summer sun against the deep red pepper-paste colored spaceship-like exterior of one of the two sedans we test-drove. The interior's quite plush, filled with NASA-level doodads like a hard disk-drive-based navigation system complete with voice recognition, gadgets like Bluetooth connectivity and doohickeys like a USB/iPod connector and the well-bred Lexicon Logic 7 audio system.

It's not just the exterior and interior that're packed to the chromed-out gills. At a rocket-like 375 horses, the optional 4.6-liter Tau V8 packs the rails under the hood with the right figures for our taste, while the 290 HP standard 3.8-liter V6 ain't too shabby-sounding either. That's enough power to take the V6-powered Genesis up to a top speed of 130 MPH and the V8-powered sedan up to an Autobahn-like 155 MPH — and a 5.7 second 0-to-60 time. Gear shifts come by way of a more-than-capable ZF 6-speed automatic transmission mated to either engine selection. And did we mention the size? The Genesis is big — a wheelbase measuring 115.6 inches, a length measuring 195.9 inches and a width of 74.4 inches. Despite being bigger, longer and more uncut than many in this class, the Genesis still manages an astonishing 17.95 foot turning radius. And even with the beefy proportions, Hyundai expects the Genesis to eek out a commendable-for-the-class 18/27 MPG fuel economy rating with the 3.8-liter V6 and 17/25 MPG fuel economy rating with the 4.6-liter V8.

So on paper, the Genesis is certainly an attractive looking package, packed with all the goods you'd expect from other entry-level mid-size cars with alpha-numeric names like 550i, E550, CTS, GS 460 and TSX. But a true entry-level luxury sports sedan isn't built merely by ticking boxes on a list of options, there's more that's different between the Genesis and the rest of the segment than just naming convention.

For starters, buyers in the KDM (Korean Domestic Market, for the uninitiated) look for a more comfy ride than their U.S. market brethren. Hyundai's HATCI (Hyundai KIA America Technical Center, Inc) team deserves some credit for trying to rework the suspension on the Genesis with a set of stiffer springs, damping and shocks to match that differing set of preferences.

But the tuning shouldn't confuse buyers into believing the Genesis is a sports sedan. The buyer-in-the-know will realize that particular truth the first time you take a hard turn. Despite an admirable performance on Hyundai's Namyang R&D Center's ride-and-handling course, the now-stiffened Genesis still felt like it was floating through a bucket of marshmallow fluff. Combine the ride feel with an inability to steer with your right foot, a traction control system that (like many in the segment) can't ever be turned all the way off, limited steering feedback and thick levels of engine-sound-dampening and you have a feel that's more Posh than Sporty on the Spice scale.

But many buyers in the segment are finicky enough to be focusing as much on the looks as they are on the ride. At first glance, the interior certainly looks plush enough to deliver, and in some areas exhibited quality levels higher than others in the segment — fit and finish on the center console and over the transmission tunnel were top-notch. But I also found material choices inappropriate for the the segment. Despite the limited mileage, the perforated leather seats already showed significant wear and tear and the rear-seat plastics were below those of the segment's standard-bearers. Step outside the sedan and the exterior of the Genesis that looked so good from afar, on closer inspection showed larger-than-expected panel gaps and doors that shut with a strong shudder from the body.

Pop the trunk and again it looks right from first glance. There's a set of very nicely plastic-coated trunk hinges, the pull-handle's in the right place and they've even installed the battery there to increase rear-weight bias. But a closer inspection shows off a finish level approaching that found in a malaise-era Oldsmobile, with the backs of the rear-seat shelf speakers sitting exposed and naked and a carpet loosely covering the foam-coated floor. Although it may seem like we're nit-picking here, it's what buyers in the segment are prone to do.

And here's what kimchi has to do with it. You see, I'd become interested in the spicy stuff after reading a recent story in the International Herald Tribune about the Korean government spending millions of dollars on a multi-year program to take the pungent slimy stuff and create a more space-friendly version for the first Korean astronaut to take aboard the International Space Station. That's right, space age kimchi.

What I should have learned from that story — other than not to touch kimchi with a ten-foot-long set of chopsticks — is that I shouldn't have doubted the ability of Korean engineers to defy conventions and create something for the space age. The Genesis is so light-years beyond anything Hyundai's ever brought to market, it's hard not to be astonished. Seriously, who knew Hyundai could build a sexy-looking, rear-wheel-drive four-door with an attractively luxurious interior on their first try? The Genesis won't be right for the average entry-level luxury buyer. But those brand-snobs won't be buying this car anyway. No, the real market for this sedan will be one step below — that $30,000-level of the market littered with domestics like the 300C, the G8 GT and the Taurus — those buyers looking for the accoutrements and power one expects from a big rear-wheel drive sedan (or AWD, in the case of the Taurus), but who could care less about the pretenses. And they'd be getting a steal by choosing Korean — and less heartburn and need for Kaopectate.

Specifically the top-end Genesis sedan will get the new Tau V8 and all 375 of its rampaging horses. The base model will end up receiving a V6 Lambda engine of the 3.3-liter variety and the mid-level gets the 3.8-liter. We're still expecting the world premiere of the new power-sedan to drop cloth at the Detroit Auto Show next month. Fear not, we'll be there.