2009 Hyundai Genesis

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Exterior - What the Auto Press Says

The 2009 Hyundai Genesis has won over much of the automotive press with its refined, masculine looks. Hyundai left the badge off the grille of the car, and the psychological effect of that minor detail is striking -- this is a stealth luxury car. From the front, it forces people to wonder exactly who made the sharp car they turned their head to watch...then it hits them with the surprise of a Hyundai badge on the trunk. Hyundai hopes it will pull the brand's reputation up.

• "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." -- Jalopnik
• "At first glance, the Genesis easily can be mistaken for one of its competitors. The logo-less grille is the same shape as the Mercedes-Benz E-Class', while the large canted headlights look eerily similar to those of an Infiniti M45. When seen from the side, there's little to differentiate the Hyundai from a Lexus GS 460." -- Road and Track
• "On the outside, the Genesis looks like the lovechild of a BMW 5 Series and a Mercedes-Benz E Class. Hyundai says the design is "athletic, not so aggressive, assertive, but not polarizing." We agree, though, we feel a little more flavor might draw more customers." -- New Car Test Drive
• "If Hyundai's designers borrowed from the Mercedes S-class, the Infiniti M35/M45, and the 5-series-and they most certainly did-the net effect is at worst benign, the car assuming a kind of generic upscale visage" -- Automobile Magazine
• "The Genesis can be perceived as derivative, too, but pinpointing the origin of the derivations provokes debate. Mercedes? BMW? Lexus? The S-class-style grille is eye-catching, and the short front overhang suggests athleticism, but the overall look is a little generic." -- Car and Driver
• "The Genesis face is predatory, with a tapered aluminum hood framed by backswept high-intensity headlamps resembling the eyes of a raptor. A trapezoidal grille with winglike vanes accentuates the curvature of the snout above a low-to-the-ground air scoop that represents the predator's mouth." -- Detroit News
• "Luxury look with luxury amenities." -- Chicago Tribune