Genesis G90

– Cleveland, Ohio

Hyundai had already entered the fullsize luxury sedan market in 2010 with the Equus, a car you’ve probably never heard of because it was entirely forgettable. Recently, though, it launched an entirely new luxury car brand called Genesis and introduced the Equus’ replacement: the G90.

The G90 is better in every way than the Equus and brings Hyundai that much closer to competing on the same level of luxury as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, and others. There’s still a gap, though, between the G90 and its fullsize luxury sedan classmates, one that Hyundai is entirely capable of bridging but hasn’t yet with this first generation car.

Pros

Super standard engine. The G90 comes standard with a 3.3-liter biturbocharged V6 engine that makes 365 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque. A 5.0-liter V8 is optional, but all the numbers are in the standard engine’s favor and it’s anything but standard in how it performs. The V6 makes more than enough power for the rigors of daily driving and has some extra in reserve for backroad excursions. Perhaps more important, it operates with nary a vibration or decibel escaping the engine bay. Plus, it’s more fuel efficient than the V8 (EPA-rated at 20 miles per gallon combined versus the V8’s 18 mpg) and costs $1,600 less ($70,600 versus $72,200 with all-wheel drive).

High-quality materi...