2009 Hyundai Genesis V6: Can it take down the Acura TL?

I see plenty of new TLs around here unforunately. Truly horrible design considering how attractive the previous model was (same thing with the disgusting new Mazda3).

Personally, I don't see how anyone could find the design appealing an any particular way. Every single view is worse than the last. Front, side, 3/4 and rear are all just hideous. The front overhang is laughable and the where does the rear bumper even begin? Whoever designed this car should simply be banned from any future design studio. And too think people balked the Bangle 7 series but let this new TL, Maxima and 3 get a pass...

@chavis10: I've actually seen a handful of the new TLs on the road and I have not warmed up to it at all. The front overhand, as you said, is huge, and the trunk opening is small and high.

I've seem a few of the new Mazda 3's and I'm not minding them much anymore. I've never had a problem with the new Maxima though. It looks quite nice in person, pictures do not do it justice.

@carguy622

The Miata converted me to that same religion.

I used to love TLs (the previous gen) but now so sad to see this. But design aside, after experiencing RWD, I would go with the Genesis, period.

design: Genesis wins
drive train: Genesis wins big time (RWD)

Saw a few TL's in the northeast. i test drove one; the salesperson said he has a "kit" that can paint the uber-schnoz for me for free.

i actually saw one that has a kind of matte finish grille, black car, looked a good bit more acceptable. (went for the G37x, just can't resist the power and price)

That would be a tough choice for me. I think the Genesis is an amazing car, but the Acura is more techno-laden and would probably be a lot more fun to drive in the long run.

Still, I never like to place an emphasis on styling, but I'm just not sure I could ever get past the TL's schnoz to appreciate the rest of it. As derivative as the Hyundai is, at least it's elegant.

Of course, I am having enough trouble deciding on my own car purchase right now let alone talking about a hypothetical one.

Carguy- since I have an '07 3, I just don't understand why they destroyed a nice looking little car for no reason. Why do the tail lamps no protrude and inch away from the sheetmetal? What's up with the grille? Just a pointless reconstruction that was not needed.

I can't take the front of the Maxima- the lights, the curvy hood contours, the pinched greenhouse, the fake exhaust tips, the short wheelbase. Not feeling it. But hey, it looks better than the Fit so I guess there's some hope.

Both ends of the TL are hideous. I've seen a few regularly and I can't say I'm warming to them. The Genesis seems like a better deal.

The TL looks like it could bite the Genesis in half with that massive buck tooth.
I'd be more inclined to the Genesis because of -- you guessed it -- the RWD.

I can probably count on one hand the amount of TLs that I've seen in the OC/LA region. When I do see one I just can't get over the fact that someone wasted money on something so god awfully ugly. The front is horrible, the rear is disgusting and the overall design comes across as being bloated. How the designers went from the previous gen TL to this is beyond me.

Oh and it gets worse......

It's slower, still missing a cog in the transmission and even with Acura's ballyhooed SH AWD it handles OK.

Then you have the Genesis....

I could care less that it isn't sold through a luxury dealer network. It's not like with an Acura you are getting scheduled maint., an uber cushy customer lounge or a Hyundai-esque warranty built into the price. On top of that the TL comes across as a tarted up uglier Accord.

RWD and a V-8. Enough said.

Ugly cars tend to grow on me over time. For instance, I can now tolerate the styling of the new Accord, Infiniti FX, 6-Series, C30, and so on. But, I never have viewed any angle of the new TL Attractive. This goes as well for the RL, and RDX.

The Genesis is the attractive, well-mannered girl you bring home to mom and dad.

The TL is the one you're sleeping with on the side, bold and passionate in comparison.

Being single and desperate, I'd gladly take either, but given a choice, I know which one I'd marry.

I can't decide whether the new TL is the fugliest or the Aztek.

I can stand the front of TL if it is silver. But the back hurts my eyes & haunts me at night.

I predict Acura would redesign this & other Acura monstrosities very very soon.

I can't believe Acura could be this stupid. The previous gen TL became success after so many older iterations had failed.

Great great post!
Not well written, but promising.

Now, my question:
how would you compare these two vehicles?

Thanks in advance!

he's baaaaack....

@ adavis: they tarted up the TSX, too.

kissel1 is back!!!! Hopefully with less Jerkiness & more Trolliness....

Hm..
Can I have a 2008 TL instead?
I like the new TL, especially in SH-AWD form, but for its price, I'd much rather have a G37, like DLu. It really is too bad. Acura messed up a beautiful car (IMO the previous generation was GREAT looking). Hopefully, the next generation will be better looking.

The TSX is the nicest looking of all the new Acura's. I don't understand why they had to go overboard and make the new ugly grill 10x more uglier. I think the back of the TL is better looking than the front, but that's still not saying much...

The new TL actually makes the TSX look nice. That's saying a lot.

I chose a TL over a G37 after test driving both. The engine was harsh in the G37 for a luxury car, and the interior seemed a lot cheaper than the TL. I always liked the design of the TL rear, the grill hasn't grown on me but I rarely see it anyway.

I'm not sure how the Acura can qualify in this class. RWD cars don't qualify in my book.

That is, FWD cars don't qualify. Brain cramp.

I don't know why people find the TL so objectionable. The front's not great, nor is the profile, but the rear end is amazing. It's like they actually tried to do something with it. Other than the front clip, which is iffy, I think people will come to like the TL in time. Another Bangle'd 7-Series, if you will (although I don't see this one being so influential to future cars).

To the Maxima,too, which people are mentioning here and there, I think that car looks fantastic all around. Sure the front overhang is a little long, but it's a front-engined, front wheel drive car. I think Nissan did an amazing job.

@chavis10: The hood of the Maxima is practically interchangeable with the G's. Dunno if you like that one either, but just saying.

@aquaticko,

Any new design takes a while for people to like it. Anytime a new car is released, you'd see people complaining about the design. But over time, people get used to the design & it grows on them.

But the new TL has been out for more than a year now & it is still considered ugly. The sales of the TL have fallen off the cliff.

This is a design that failed for Acura. I bet Acura would change the design much earlier than it usually does.

I FOUND A SOMEWHAT ATTRACTIVE TL!

http://www.casmiami.com/inventory/displaycar_9593.html

It looks good in the 4th Picture.

Seriously.

The TL is too ugly to win.

I look at the front end of the TL and all I can think of is a Parrot Fish.

http://fishpix.kahaku.go.jp/photos/NR0031/NR0031697AI.jpg

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/NGSPOD07/116238.jpg

@mopho,

Actually, I think the TL is the one you sleep with because she's good in bed, but are reluctant to admit to your friends you're actually doing that.

If it were my money and I was dead set on owning a Honda product, I'd either snag an Accord or get the TSX. Even then I could not imagine owning one of these over a Genesis. In fact I'll take it a step further, I couldn't imagine owning this over a Taurus SHO.

Id actually like to combine these 2 cars. Id take the Genesis exterior and RWD chassis, add Honda...err Acura chassis DNA, TL interior, and a 6MT/J37 VTEC V6.

Acura did an excellent job with the 07-08 TL Type S as that car consistently posted better lap times around Button Willow(?) than some of its smaller and/or more powerful RWD competition. That said, a RWD sport sedan from Acura would be the sh*t! Of course we will never get to see that potential.

When I was deciding what car to buy this spring, it came down to the TL w/ Tech versus the Genesis V6 w/Tech. I also considered the Maxima, as it has the sexiest, most athletic exterior styling of cars around this price-point/class. It's interior dimensions are just too tight and warranty too ordinary, so I disregarded it.

Anyway, the TL's interior dimensions were smaller than the Genesis' and the seats were way less comfortable, too. The Genesis has DVD playback capability and a better overall sound system along with one year of free XM, versus 3 months for the TL. The TL has XM radar weather. The TL gets a little better mileage, though it requires premium gas while the Genesis will run on regular.
Lots of buttons on the interior of the Acura, versus the elegant, aesthetically pleasing function layout on the Genesis. I give Acura credit for thinking "out of the box" with regard to styling. I sorta dig it. However, I also dig that Hyundai 5yr/60K warranty.

So, in the end, I went with the Genesis. However, for all of its advantages over the TL, the poor ride quality of the Genesis makes me wonder if I did the right thing.

Neither car is very attractive to me (Acrua is the ugly car of the two) but honestly I'd just get a G8.

i hate the new TL it looks like a dead horse .

As the former owner of an 06 TL I have to agree that the new TL is fugly. If given the choice between that and a G37, I would RUN to the Infiniti dealer.

I can't wait to see how the Genesis holds up on the used market. If past Hyundai values are an indication the genesis will be a steal in 2 yrs or so.

A few minor engineering tweaks, especially in the ride and exterior appearance(grill!!) and the Genesis is light years ahead.

One has to wonder if Acura is purposely designing unappealing cars to cause extinction.(I can't imagine any design head approving the TL design, or any of the products carrying the Acura grill and price)

Corporate Honda/Acura is arrogant and the new designs from this company reveal an arrogance that is starting to cause problems. They've completely lost touch with the consumer and are force-feeding designs and platforms that the public will not stomach(Insight, Pilot, MDX, TL, Element, etc).

In Canada, Hyundai is nearly outselling Honda. This was unheard of just 3 years ago.

The more I see the Genesis the more I like the exterior styling. Its better than the TL in every way and yet I see TL's all the time in Philly. Its proof positive that many folks will buy ANYTHING Honda/Acura puts on the road. The fact that folks are buying the Pilot and Accord in droves is also proof. Acura deserves to be punished for releasing the TL and its ridiculous that people are buying such an ugly car when the CTS, G37 and Genesis are available for similar money. I can't think of ONE good reason to buy the TL. Not only is it ugly, its lost much of its price advantage relative to the competition.

the honda/acura design team has been on a long long vacation...at least the good designers. why do they keep bringing out fugly crap?

Sorry to interrupt your lynching, but I for one LIKE the new TL. I also like the old ones! I sat in one at the car show this year and the seating position and steering wheel is fantastic compared to everything else.

With that said, I bought the G8GT. RWD wins.

The TL is one of the very few cars whose looks are IMPROVED by crashing it. And they said the guy who designed the Aztec would never find work again. Oy!

I'll take the Genesis in a heartbeat. And if I needed a little more sport, the G37 would be just as easy a choice over the vehicular monstrisity which is the TL.

I see an equal amount of the new TL and Genesis on the road, they are both still pretty rare though because of how new they are.

With most things being equal, RWD wins, hands down.

Although I don't hate the TL's styling as much as most people, I also think the Genesis is much more handsome and stylish.

Genesis would be my choice.

Two questions...

First, after all the talk about the wonderful MPGs on the Genesis, why does the odometer read 14.something average????

Second, again with all the talk of the "best new car" madness of the Genesis, why would anybody opt for a rear wheel drive automobile anywhere north of the frost line?

I would think that if added SHawd the TL would out perform the one trick Genesis even more.

Paul

Albert - You erred in saying the Genesis is larger than the TL...maybe in useable space but they are literally the same exact size - the Genny is plus 0.6" inches in length but the TL is wider by 0.6" inches. Just more of the "bloat" that is effecting more and more former compact and midsize sports sedans like the TLaztek. The Genny's longer wheelbase definitely helps in the interior room dept...I HATE the TL and love the Genny, so no need to tell you which one I'd pick...In fact I'd pick the Genny over a lot of semi-popular rides inc the Lexus GS...

Genesis for luxury or G37 for sport, but TL for nothing other than to induce vomiting.

Just like the Lincoln Navigator. Only the true Ford loyalist could own one. It's like having an ugly child... with a face that only a mother could love.