2017 Genesis G90 Luxury Sedan Aims at European Flagships

Just how serious is Hyundai at tackling the luxury market? Very. In fact, it has created an entire Genesis sub-brand, because reconciling upscale luxury with Hyundai's budget-minded origin story makes for a tough sell.

Eventually, the Genesis brand will have a luxury crossover, a sports sedan to compete with the BMW 3 Series, and a renamed version of the current Hyundai Genesis sedan. First out of the blocks is the new 2017 Genesis G90 flagship, the large sedan replacement for the slow-selling (and mostly forgotten) Hyundai Equus.

While European prestige brands, like Audi and BMW, use their flagships to showcase weight-reducing aluminium or carbon-fiber-intensive bodywork, the 2017 Genesis G90 remains relatively conventional in its construction. Two different engines are available: a 375-hp, 3.3-liter twin-turbocharged V6 and a 430-hp, 5.0-liter V8. Both are mated to an eight-speed automatic, and both are available with optional all-wheel drive, addressing a shortcoming of the rear-drive-only Equus.

While rival luxury brands Acura and Infiniti avoid this uber-luxury segment, the 2017 Genesis G90 goes head to head with the BMW 7 Series, Lexus LS, and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Competing against those heavy-hitters requires a decadent interior. The spacious cabin is bathed in soft-touch materials and flanked with wood and chrome trim. However, it comes up short on wow factor, feeling more conventional than artistic.

Then again, the G90's interior is no penalty box: far from it. Thick and wide, like a favorite armchair, the driver's seat has standard 22-way power adjustments. However, as is typical for this oft-chauffeur-driven class, the back seat is really the place to be. Power massaging chairs face optional rear seat monitors, and a bank of controls in the center armrest control audio and climate settings.

The G90's electronics go far beyond entertaining rear seat passengers. Standard equipment counts numerous advanced safety systems, including forward-collision warning with automatic braking and pedestrian detection, a head-up display, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist (similar to Tesla's AutoPilot self-steering system), and a surround-view camera. Despite their high base price, rival sedans typically reserve these features as expensive added-cost options.

Interacting with all of the features in a high-end luxury sedan can often lead to frustration. Hyundai strives to provide more driver-friendly controls than peers. Indeed, there are plenty of familiar-looking buttons and knobs, plus a console-located controller knob and a touch screen. Our brief experience playing with the not-done-yet system revealed that finding some common functions, like browsing a smartphone's music library, takes another step or two than desired. The 2017 Genesis G90 also has a unique shifter that isn't totally intuitive; the separate Park button gets hidden from view by the chunky lever.

Despite our minor gripes, Hyundai is swinging for the fences with their 2017 Genesis G90 flagship sedan. The brand is even offering delivery for test drives, complimentary maintenance, and free pick ups for service. Another goal of Genesis is to develop more driver-oriented cars; the Equus proved to be anything but engaging. We'll see if the G90 lives up to that goal after the embargo on driving impression passes.

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