The Hyundai Genesis Is A Great Value, But Is It Good Enough To Compete With Lexus?

Hyundai started as a small company making Ford Cortina's and in 1975 made the first Korean car, the Hyundai Pony. The Pony was designed and built by Hyundai, but had Mitsubishi power train. In 1988 Hyundai made its first car with their own chassis and most parts, the Sonata and in 1991 they made their first engine. In 1998 Hyundai merged with Kia and in 1999 they introduced the 10 year/100,000 mile warranty. Hyundai continued to extend its model lineup with the Santa Fe SUV and XG300/XG350 large sedans. In the last few years Hyundai has been making more quality products. The current Sonata is very well priced, safe, has better build quality than the Toyota Camry, has a great V6 engine, and drives as well as the Camry. The new Santa Fe is safe, roomy, good to drive, great value, and is even luxurious. The Hyundai Azera is a largish sedan that competes with cars like the Lexus ES350 and is better. Hyundai's mid size SUV, the Veracruz is a competitor to the Toyota Highlander and Honda Pilot, it's just as good as those. Hyundai aimed for the Lexus RX350 with the Veracruz and made a better vehicle than the Lexus. The Hyundai Entourage is another good Hyundai, it's safe, a great value, and the Entourage is beat only by the Honda Odyssey and maybe the Dodge Grand Caravan in the minivan class. Now Hyundai has made its first real luxury car, the Genesis.

The Genesis has everything a modern luxury sedan needs. It has rear wheel drive, available V8 engine, high tech navigation systems, and all the comfort features luxury car buyers can expect. The base price of the V6 Genesis is $32,250 and for that you get 290hp from a 3.8L V6, leather, and lots of luxury. For $39,250 you can have the full 17 speakers, one of the most advanced navigation systems of any car, and just about any luxury feature you might find in a Lexus. For $37,250 you can have a 375hp 4.6L V8 powered Genesis and for $41,250 you can have the technology package, which adds all the high tech features of a fully loaded V6 Genesis. The V8 Genesis is were the value lies. Compared with the $44,600 BMW 528i the closest equipped Genesis V6 is $32,250 over $12,000 less. The most similar new car to the Genesis V8 is the Lexus LS460, which at $63,000 is more than $21,000 more expensive than a similarly equipped Genesis. The closest car I can think of that you can buy to the Genesis is  a 3 or 4 year old Lexus LS430, one of the few cars that is better than its replacement. The Genesis has lots of newer technology that the LS430 misses out on because of being older, so I would still buy the Hyundai. The Cadillac STS V6 is $44,515, but with the likely discounts becomes the Genesis's main new competition,  but the STS happens to be a pretty much terrible car. That makes the Genesis by far the best luxury car value there is and while is isn't fun or exciting car to drive it is enjoyable. With the money you save over a Lexus LS460 you could easily buy a fun sports car, the Mini Cooper S, Mazda MX-5 Miata, or Volkswagen GTI for example. There is a coupe version that will have a more sport tuned suspension and will be much smaller than the sedan. Hyundai is really moving forward and I think will become one of the best car companies here.

Has BMW's Design Gone Wimpy With The New 7-Series?

The BMW 7-Series has always been a car that has a striking and recognisable. The first generation (E23) 7-Series was a clean and attractive looking car, but nothing else looked quite like it. The 7-Series also had many of BMW's signature design elements like the rear door kink, BMW's kidney grille, and the pointed shark nose. BMW have always been about performance not styling and performance is what separates every 7-Series from the Jaguar, Mercedes, and more recently Lexus. The second generation (E32) of the 7-Series was larger, added the long wheel base, V8, and V12 engine options. The second generation 7-Series had all sorts of unique options including a telephone, fax machine, a wine cooler, stability control, and windshield wipers designed for the Autobahn. The E32 7-Series was also the first car to have BMW's 155 mph governor, but BMW still claimed a 750iL could go 186 mph without the governor. The third generation (E38) 7-Series (my favorite 7-Series) was a great balance of classic BMW and modern(-ish, it came out in 1995) styling. The E38 had a wonderful chassis and a great suspension setup. To drive the E38 feels extremely solid, handles impressively, and still manages to be comfortable and luxurious. That car had some drawbacks, the basic sat nav was useless and it had flimsy cup holders, but when you pull out to pass on a two lane road and the 740i's 4.4L V8 slams you into your seat with its 325lb.ft. of torque (more than a Toyota Land Cruiser's 4.7L V8) none of than matters. On a highway road trip the 740i could average 30 mpg despite the EPA rating of 22 mpg. The E38 BMW 740i was pretty much every car you could ever need. Now you can find buy a 2001 740i in great shape for under $18,000, but the most of them are the gas guzzler Sport version or the huge 740iL. There are even bullet proof and bomb proof versions for available used for under $27,000, since when would a Toyota Camry protect you from a bullet. In 2002 BMW brought out the E65 7-Series which had the extremely odd Cris Bangle design and the "Bangle Butt". The fourth generation 7-Series had grown in length and especially in width and height. The worst feature of  the E65 7-Series is the iDrive, which is so unintuitive to use that a BMW salesperson I talked to couldn't use the iDrive even after 5 years of selling them. The iDrive caused huge reliability problems in most 2002-2004 E65's, because of faulty software. The iDrive problems could be disastrous, because the iDrive controls so much of the car. The E65 did at least drive well and sold well, but it really wasn't a good car. In 2006 BMW improved the E65 7-Series (it became the E66) with cleaned up styling, a new 360hp 4.8L V8, and a few changes to the iDrive.

For 2009 BMW is introducing a new fifth generation 7-Series and it should be much better. The old E65/E66 7-Series's Achilles heel was the iDrive system. The new one has a heavily revised iDrive that works more like Audi's extremely intuitive MMI. It has several buttons that access different functions of the iDrive system and a large button that you can point, spin, and click with. The gear change lever is now on the center console, not the steering column like before. The interior will be good, but the exterior styling isn't anywhere near as extreme as the E65/E66's. The exterior has been smoothed out a lot and gets a rear end just like the Lexus LS460. People have adjusted to the old car's styling and want something more extreme than this, it seems like BMW may have wimped out on the design. Hopefully BMW can redeem itself in performance. The engines are planned to be the 400+hp 4.4L twin turbo V8 (750i), a 320+hp version of the twin turbo 3.0L I6 from the 335i, and possibly a diesel or V12. The engines sound good, but BMW will need to work hard if the want to beat the Mercedes-Benz S550 on handling and driving pleasure, weight was a problem with the last one. This 7-Series needs to be great, but if the rest of the car is like the styling it won't be good enough.

Subaru's Are Great Cars, But They Get Overlooked

Subaru started out as an aircraft research lab called Nakajima Aircraft Company. Later they became Fuji Heavy Industries and in 1954 made the Subaru 1500 (also called the P1), their first car. In 1958 the Subaru 360 came out with 16hp and was only 117 inches long. Subaru made various mini cars though the 1960's and 1970's. Subaru entered the U.S. Market in 1987 with the Justy, the first production car to offer a CVT transmission. In 1989 Subaru brought out the Legacy. It was was the largest car they had ever made and the first one that had a chance in the large car dominated North American market. The Legacy had optional all wheel drive and a 2.2L Flat-4 with 130hp or a turbocharged Sport AWD version with 160hp. In 1993 Subaru introduced the Impreza, a small sedan with optional AWD. The engines started with a 110hp 1.8L Flat-4, and later a 142hp 2.2L Flat-4 and a 2.5 RS version with a 165hp 2.5L Flat-4. That car was made from 1993 until 2001. In 2001 a new Impreza came out with Subaru's 2.5L Flat-4 Boxer engine and standard AWD. It was also available in a Wagon body style and there was an Outback Sport version that had added ground clearance. That Impreza went through 3 design changes. The first design was simple, but a bit boring. The second one was similar, but looked better than before. The final design change was when Subaru went crazy and put the B9 Tribeca grille on the front, making the car uglier than either previous design. The Legacy was first redesigned in 1994 and the Outback version with higher ground clearance was introduced. It was Subaru's first properly good car, it was well built, safe, solid, and better to drive than the Honda, Toyota, or Nissan competition. The second redesign of the Legacy, brought out in 2000,  was even better, it was very solid, safe, and much nicer in every way, engines, luxury, the way it drives, and space. The best version of the that Legacy is the top of the line Outback H6 VDC, which had stability control, side airbags, leather seats, and more luxury features. In 1997 Subaru brought out the Forester, a small SUV that had a low ground clearance and was built off the Impreza and had Impreza engines. The first generation Forester was a solid and dependable vehicle. In 2003 Subaru redesigned the Forester and created a great car. It drive very well, was safe, and could do almost anything its owners would need it to do. The XT version was very fast, it was basically an Impreza WRX in a larger, more practical body. The Subaru Baja was another great idea that never caught on. It was an Outback with a small pickup truck bed on the back and could have a 210hp turbocharged Flat-4 engine.

The new Subaru's are better than they have ever been. The new Impreza is great, but unfortunately it has become too heavy and its performance leans more towards comfort than spotiness. The WRX however is is faster and nicer than any version before, but the WRX STI has taken soft and comfortable too far, it's the first time I like the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo more. Unlike the Impreza, the Legacy is extremely good. The Legacy is an IIHS Top Safety Pick, it has lots of space, but what makes it really great is how it manages to drive better than every it competes with and is still very comfortable. The build quality is world class and it will of course be extremely reliable since its a Subaru. The Outback is just as good as the Legacy, it loses some of the Legacy's handling because of weight. Instead you get lots of extra space and more ground clearance for snow and some off-roading. The new Subaru Forester has been completely redesigned for 2009 and it's now a very competitive vehicle. The Forester drives very well, is an IIHS Top Safety Pick like every new car Subaru makes, has a lot of space, and costs under $21,000. The turbocharged XT trim level is extremely good too, it's fast and drives very well. The Subaru Tribeca is the one Subaru that isn't a good car. It is far to impractical and is pointless compared with Subaru's own Outback and the competitors. Subaru's biggest problem is their image of cheap and undesirable cars that turns some people off. They are one of the best car companies in the world.

The Lincoln MKS is Good, but Confused

Ford is in a lot of trouble. Their cars aren't selling well and they're losing money. Their biggest problems are to be found in their other brands, Lincoln and especially Mercury. One important step would be to lose the Mercury brand like GM did with Oldsmobile. However, there are some problems with that: The Lincoln Mercury dealers. There are lots of them and it costs a lot of money to build and run them. They could switch the dealers to Lincoln only, but that isn't very cost efficient because Lincoln is a small brand. They could make servicing for all three brands, or at least Mercury, be at all Ford dealers because the cars are mechanically all the same. There is no way for them to turn Mercury around since everybody knows the cars are identical to the Fords. Ford can turn Lincoln around. Lincoln was the last word in American luxury 30 years ago, thought of as the American Mercedes-Benz or even Bentley. In the last fifteen years people who bought Lincolns and Cadillacs have switched to BMW and Mercedes. In the last ten years Lincoln has been making large SUV's like the Navigator and cushy sedans like the Town Car that only sell to limo drivers. They had a credible German luxury car competitor with the Jaguar S-Type based LS. The LS had almost everything they needed to compete: An independent rear suspension, rear wheel drive, a great V8 engine, and a reasonable price. It had two serious problems. It looked too dull and it didn't have the technology of the German competition. They now have the ford Fusion based MKZ. It's overpriced and doesn't have the features that would make it beat the Lexus ES350. Lincoln has the MKX, a Ford Edge with an AMC Eagle front end and a $40,000 price tag. The Navigator is the only vehicle that is actually good, but the Ford Expedition does the same job for a lot less money. For 2009 Lincoln has a new large "mid-luxury" sedan called the MKS. The Lincoln MKS is built off the new Ford Taurus (the Taurus is built off the old Volvo S80), but the MKS has a new multi link independent rear suspension (the Taurus has a different independent rear suspension). The MKS is front wheel drive normally or available in all wheel drive. The MKS has a 273hp 3.7L V6 from the Mazda 6 and it will get a twin turbocharger to make 340hp soon. The MKS has extremely comfortable seats and lots of space. Lincoln has done a great job of making lots of complicated technology like real time traffic and weather maps easy to operate. The MKS isn't terribly fast, 0-60 takes 7.9 seconds. It is at least nimble and enjoyable on twisty back roads and in the city it doesn't feel big and overwhelming like Lincoln used to. Where the MKS really shines is on the highway were it rides nicely, is very quiet, and will pamper you in a way that much more expensive luxury cars do. The reason I say the MKS is confused is that it has no clear competitors. It's 10 inches longer than the cars they should target like the Infiniti M35 at 200in. long, making it larger than the normal length large luxury sedans like the Lexus LS460. Its price is closer to that of smaller luxury sport sedans like the BMW 3-Series and Infiniti G37 (for 2009 the G35 sedan gets the 3.7L V6 from the G37 coupe). Some possible competition for the MKS is the top of the line Toyota Avalon Limited and Buick Lucerne Super. Both are the same size as the MKS, both are similarly luxurious to MKS despite the less equipped base models of both cars, and all three have similar power. The Hyundai Genesis is priced near the MKS, is the same size, has similar features and comfort. There are two huge differences with the Genesis and the MKS, the Genesis is rear drive and the Genesis has a 375hp 4.6L V8. Some other competitors are the Nissan Maxima, the Lexus ES350, and the Acura TL, but those compete with the MKZ. The Cadillac STS is a possible competitor, but it costs more. This is one car that Ford's strategy of under-cutting the competition's prices by making a car that isn't as good could work. That is only because it is still a good design that offers a much nicer car for the money than the money than the Germans. This is now Lincoln's best car.

Is the Updated Porsche 911 Better Than the Updated Aston Martin V8 Vantage?

For 2009 Porsche is introducing an updated 911 Carrera and Carrera S with direct injection engines among the improvements. Power is now 340hp up from 325hp on the Carrera and the Carrera S now has 375hp up from 355hp. One of the biggest changes is the 7 speed dual clutch "PDK" transmission that replaces the old 5 speed automatic. The new PDK transmission is like Volkswagen's DSG, which will soon be available as a 7 speed. Of the changes the most noticeable would be the new taillights, but the changes to the front bumper are much less noticeable. The extra power makes these cars much faster. With a PDK transmission the new Carrera S will do 0-60mph in under 4 seconds. The dual clutch transmission makes the 911 faster and more fuel efficient. These are very good improvements, but the 911 seems to have gone a little to technology crazy. The Aston Martin V8 Vantage has also undergone some extensive updates for 2009. The most important change is the new 4.7L V8 with 420hp. It's the same Jaguar derived engine as before, but it has been enlarged from 4.3L to 4.7L and an extra 40hp has come with the larger V8. That will fix the V8 Vantage's biggest problem, it felt like it had been made slower than it could be on purpose. Originally they didn't want to make the Vantage to be as fast as the 450hp V12 DB9, but the DB9 gets 470hp for 2009. Now the V8 Vantage has enough power to be the great car it should have been all along. The DB9's flappy paddle gearbox is also available (it was available on the V8 Vantage before the 2009 update), but unlike most flappy paddle gearboxes the Aston Martin one is really an automatic. That makes for smooth shifting in the city and none of the clunkyness of manual based flappy paddle gearboxes like the Ferrari transmission. With both of these cars the manual transmissions will provide a more satisfying driving experience and in the case of the Aston Martin it will be faster. The Porsche 911 has been a better to drive than the V8 Vantage ever since they both came out. The 911 handles better, is faster, a better value, is more reliable, gets better gas mileage, and is more practical. However the Aston Martin isn't bad in most of those areas (gas mileage is the only area were the 911 is significantly better. The Aston Martin looks absolutely stunning coupe and roadster form, but the 911 design is always the same as last one except for a few head and taillight changes. The V8 Vantage roadster is almost as stiff as the coupe unlike the 911 Cabriolet which looses much of the coupe's stiffness when the roof is gone. The practicality of the 911 is one of its important appealing features, but in an Aston Martin that just isn't very important. The Aston is carefully hand built, the craftsmanship is very important to Aston Martin, but the Porsche is built in a factory were efficiency is very important. The car to buy if you want to be sensible is the 911, but the car you buy with your heart has to be the Aston Martin.

When Will Volkswagen Give us the Scirocco?

In 1974 the Volkswagen Scirocco was brought out.  It was a compact coupe built off the Mk1 Golf that came out 2 years later.  The first Scirocco's attractive Guigiaro design was one of the main appeal of the car.  The Scirocco was very successful in the United States and Europe.  The second generation Scirocco was introduced in 1982 and used the same platform as the first Scirocco.  However, the second generation had a much more plain and boring design.  It didn't sell nearly as well.  The Scirocco's replacement, the Corrado, came out in 1988.  The Corrado platform was part MkII Golf and part Passat. It also had an attractive design and powerful engines like the 2.8L V6 (VR6) with 172hp.  Now there is a new Scirocco, but it won't come to North America.  Like the Corrado the new Scirocco's platform is part MkV Golf/Rabbit and part Passat.  The front suspension is from the MkV Golf/Rabbit and the rear suspension is a aluminum version of the Passat's rear suspension.  The main engine is the 197hp 2.0L I4 Turbo from the GTI, but there is a chance that the Passat's 280hp 3.6L V6 will become available.  The Scirocco does 0-60 MPH in 6 seconds flat with the 2.0T engine.  The Scirocco has a four seat interior layout similar to that of the Volvo C30, one of its main competitor.  The new Scirocco looks extremely good, some elements of the design are similar to the first generation Scirocco.  The Scirocco will drive much better than the C30 though, mostly because of its suspension.  In many ways the Scirocco is a more practical Audi TT for a lot less money.  It has the same magnetic suspension that allows the TT to be comfortable or sporty without any of the usual drawbacks like a rough ride or sloppy handling.  This is a truly great car, but Volkswagen won't send them here.  That is because of the weak Dollar and fear that it would take sales from the GTI.  In England they can sell a 2.0T Scirocco for 21,000 Pounds or over $41,000 and here the Scirocco would sell for under $25,000.

Will the 2009 Camaro be a Good Car

In 1967 Chevy introduced the Camaro muscle car as a competitor to the Ford Mustang. Like the Mustang the Camaro was a powerful, good looking, and inexpensive coupe, but the Camaro was overshadowed by the Mustang's success and appeal. The base model Camaro had a 3.8L I6 with 140hp and the engines went up to a 7.0L V8 that GM claimed had 430hp, but actually had closer to 550hp. In 1970 the second generation Camaro came out. It was larger and more successful than the first Camaro. Again the engines started with an inline six cylinder with around 150hp, but the most powerful engine was a 6.5L V8 with 375hp this time. The 1970's oil crisis caused GM to start putting less powerful engines in the Camaros like a 145hp 5.7L V8 and a 120hp 4.4L V8. It was really pathetic that a 4.4L V8 could have less power than a 3.8L I6 made 10 years earlier. The third generation Camaro was brought out in 1982 and started with a 2.5L I4 and a 2.8L V6 that had 112hp (in 1985 it was raised to 135hp). The other engines were 5.0L and 5.7L V8's with 190hp and 215hp. This car's best strengths were its looks and good handling for a 1980's American car. The fourth generation Camaro was introduced in 1993 with a 160hp 3.3L V6 and a 275hp (later 285hp) 5.7L V8. Later those engines got more power, 200hp for the V6 (the V6 was 3.8L by that point), 310-325hp for the 5.7L V8. That car was never very good though. It was ugly and the looks were no longer as tough or cool as previous Camaros. Its other problem was a seriously outdated design.  In the 35 years (1967-2002) they made the Camaro it always used the GM F-body chassis with very few changes.

The new 2009 Camaro seems like it will be by far the best Camaro ever. The new Camaro is a replacement for the Pontiac GTO (2004-2006), because of its Australian Holden Commodore based platform. That Commodore chassis is the best part of this new Camaro.  It's the same chassis that the Pontiac G8 has. The G8 GT has been compared to the BMW 550i and Automobile magazine says it has better handling than the BMW. The G8 GT also beat the Dodge Charger R/T in a Motor Trend comparison.  That means the G8 based Camaro should beat its main competition, the Dodge Charger based Dodge Challenger.  The new Camaro has the retro styling down as well.  I think it looks much better than both of its retro styled 60's muscle car remake competitors, the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger.  In fact I think the Camaro has a good chance of being the best looking American car in a long time. The Mustang's two worst flaws are two of the Camaro's three best strengths.  Those are the Camaro's thoroughly modern independent rear suspension versus the Mustang's ancient rigid axle. The other weak area for the Mustang is engines, the V6 is gutless and the V8 should have 30-50 more horsepower. Chevy has great engines in the Camaro the 3.6L V6 has 304hp thanks to direct injection. The Mustang GT has a 4.6L V8 with less power than the 3.6L V6 and will get much worse gas mileage. For a V8 the Camaro has a 6.2L V8 with 400hp or 420hp and that V8 will manage good gas mileage for such a large, powerful engine (if you need proof the 2008 Corvette with the same engine is rated at 26mpg highway by the EPA). The Dodge Challenger is good in all those key areas, but the Camaro is better in all but interior space. Ford does have one way they could beat the Camaro. They need to make a Mustang with a FG Falcon platform and the efficient, but powerful 360hp 4.0L I6 turbo engine from the Falcon. They would need some more powerful V8s as well, but it would work. Until Ford makes a better Mustang the Camaro will be the best new muscle car. There is a Camaro convertible as well, but it doesn't look nearly as good as the Coupe.