Luxury appointments and high-quality materials mark the 2018 Genesis G90s interior. More Info
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I've wondered how long rear-seat entertainment systems will last, given all the tablet computers and internet hot spots available today.
If my 11-year-old son is any indication, DVD video systems still delight children of a certain age. On his first commute with a friend in the back seats of our 2018 Genesis G90 tester, my son began frantically looking for the DVD slot so he could slip in "Despicable Me 2."
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It took him awhile, but with persistence - and an assist from the owner's manual - he finally located the video DVD slot in the glove compartment. (Or as he used to call it, the "glove department.") For the next hour, I didn't hear a peep from the back seat boys, except for an occasional giggle.
That's when I realized the magic of rear-seat video systems. They allow the drivers of luxury cars to enjoy the crypt-like quiet of cars such as the G90 while the kids fall silent.
Genesis Motors, the upscale offshoot of the Korean car- maker, Hyundai, was late to the luxury party, but it is gaining traction by offering products that undercut the established brands by thousands of dollars. The big G90, which compares to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the Lexus LS and the BMW 7-series, is a relative bargain.
Locally, Long Genesis on International Drive has three G90s in digital inventory this week starting at $69,325 for a 3.3-liter V-6 turbo model. Our tester, provided by the manufacturer, is a top-of-the-line G90 Ultimate rear-wheel-drive model with a 5.0-liter V-8 power plant and an MSRP of $72,825.
STYLING AND FEATURES
Like most Luxury cars, the G90 features a restrained exterior design that has more presence than flare. Body lines are handsome but somewhat predictable. A seven-bar trapezoidal grille puts a chrome signature on the design. Nineteen-inch alloy wheels feature a 15-spoke design, with the spokes angled to look like a jet's turbine. Spears of chrome above the rocker panels are nice visual accents.
Huge LED tail-lights bracket the rear of the car, which is high and wide to accommodate an voluminous trunk. Our tester is coated in Casablanca White paint, which gives the big sedan a clean, cool look. To our eyes, white is the right color for the G90, which otherwise looks nondescript in silver, often the default color for luxury sedans.
Inside is where the G90 is fully revealed as luxury transportation. Seating surfaces are covered with sumptuous Nappa leather, and the headliner is made of soft microfiber sued. Wood accents are the real stuff, not plastic veneers.
For audiophiles, there's a 17-speaker Lexicon sound system and a complimentary 90-day trial of Sirius XM radio. The rear-seat entertainment system features dual, 10.3-inch, high-def monitors. The front seats have a wireless charging pad for your devices, so there's no need to clutter up the space with cords and plug-in chargers.
The G90's list of safety-tech features is long and comprehensive. On standby to protect you and your precious cargo are emergency braking, driver-attention alert, blind-spot detection, lane-departure warning, front and rear parking sensors, and smart cruise control.
DRIVING EXPERIENCE
G90 buyers have two engine options: either a 3.3-liter turbocharged six-cylinder engine or a 5.0-liter, V-8 power plant. The V-8 features about 64 more horsepower than the V-6, but with some sacrifice of fuel economy. The government estimates our tester, with the V-8, will get 24 mpg highway and 16 mpg city.
The suspension in the G90 is tuned for maximum comfort, while the big V-8 is quiet and composed until your need to dig in your spurs to pass or merge. The 420-horsepower engine has a deep well of reserve power that can get you out of almost any jam.
Genesis engineers have equipped the G90 with an adaptive control suspension, which senses when road surfaces are uneven and then firms up steering control and collision avoidance. Meanwhile, Genesis also equips the G90 with an "intelligent drive mode system" that changes throttle response and shift points to match your driving style. These are systems that would have been incomprehensible a decade ago.
BOTTOM LINE
If you are looking for an objective reason to check out the G90, try this: J.D. Power and Associates recently tapped Genesis as the highest-rated luxury brand in "initial quality." In a segment where excellence is a given, this award is a big deal, and reason enough to hop down to your Genesis store to test drive the G90.
Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6645. Follow him on Twitter @TFPCOLUMNIST. Subscribe to his Facebook updates at www.facebook.com/mkennedycolumnist.