2009 Hyundai Genesis V6: ULEV The Good Life

Hell, I'd rather walk than drive a Prius.

this Genesis is an assault on our environment. Too big, too heavy, too much hp, too much irresponsibility. A Prius shipped from Japan on a unregulated diesel burning freighter is much greener.

This engine is very quiet, almost too quiet. I remember the first time I went to take a testdrive in it. I pressed the start button & I wasn't sure if the engine had turned on until the salesman told me that it was.

I know there are lots of ULEV cars out there so not sure if the Genesis 3.8 having ULEV status is anything special. Would be cool if edmunds.com could show the ULEV/SULEV/etc status of its LT cars in the next fuel economy update..

for once, I might actually agree with 1487...

...what's all that gunk by the sticker?

My Prius is a PZEV (partial zero emissions vehicle) not SULEV but now Subaru Outback, Legacy and Forester are now PZEVs. I would take any of the Subarus over my Prius anyday though. My Tribeca is a LEV.

"They're Priuses?"

I'd take the cover off. Looks like an engine and not a chunk of plastic.

ugh, man. smug hybrid drivers. them and their hypermiling makes it tough for those of us who know how to coast and accelerate properly.

I don't think hybrids are all that great. a well-made diesel engine and with a good car around it is a much better short to mid-term solution until we make something that doesn't rely so heavily on crude oil-based fuels.

europe has got it right, and they have for a LOOOOONG time.

@ 1487

Whoa, dude! I had to read that twice just to make sure, but you actually made a joke. A sarcastic one too. That's pretty rad, man. Sorta made me tear up a little bit...

Isn't the California 08+ Focus PZEV? You don't really hear about many vehicles being PZEV.

The appearance of the engine under the cover means squat. I don't know why there is so much emphasis on it.

yeah my 06 Legacy is PZEV... I'm shocked that you were able to sneak the Genesis into Cali with "only" having an ULEV rating!

Actually, the california focus is pzev, the 3.5L impala is pzev, several subarus are pzev, the altima with the 4 cylinder is pzev, and so on. I don't think that ulev is that much of a selling point these days...

My 08 Accord (in Cali) is PZEV too...

Engines aren't supposed to look pretty.

@1487

Funny. But how does the Genesis get here from S. Korea?

Its a mountain of plastic under that cover to the point that you can't id any part of the engine besides the intake.

A beautiful engine is a fairly simple and brutal masterpiece of mechanical engineering. IMHO

God this stupid environmental BS is just driving me up the wall. Is there any way you could tell me which car pollutes the MOST because thats the one I want....

1970 Plymouth Barracuda with the 440 ci engine
Veyron at full throttle
I'll think of a handful more eventually.

Looks like the intake manifold covers the starboard valve cover. Do you have to remove the intake manifold to change the plugs? Sounds like a $300 tune-up bill if that's the case.

dg0472 I think your'e missing the point mate the Genesis could be manufactured on Neptune and that wouldn't affect the unabashed smugness of your average Prius owner

I'd have to agree with hybris that its all about the masterful engineering not necessarily the looks. Engine design for aesthetic purposes is not that big of a deal for me, as long as it puts a smile on my face thats all that matters.

"Whoa, dude! I had to read that twice just to make sure, but you actually made a joke. A sarcastic one too. That's pretty rad, man. Sorta made me tear up a little bit..."

I'm a funny guy.

"@1487

Funny. But how does the Genesis get here from S. Korea?"

Since a Genesis buy likely isn't delusional enough to believe that their car purchase is enough to tilt the scales of global warming they probably don't go around with a chip on their shoulder and thus don't fret over how the Genesis gets here. I know it comes on a ship but thats a little easier to tolerate when you aren't berating others for not being "green" and driving "more car than they need".

Still waiting for those Prius drivers to show me a US built Prius shipped by rail only. Toyota cares about being green, but not enough to assemble Prius' outside of Japan to reduce pollution from shipping.

norsairius - you are 100% correct...drive a modern diesel like the Jetta TDI back to back with a Prius...I've done it and it should be required for any greenie...The Jetta is at least 1000% better as a vehicle you'd want to get into everyday...the Euros may all be skinny and smoke a lot, but they know the gig with modern vehicles.

Getting back to Hyundai - they have upped their game big time in terms of emissions and mpg efforts...The Elantra is a good case - REAL world 28/34 mpg and low emissions...My dad can hyper mile his 09 Elantra (with the AT) into the low 40 mpgs...And like the Jetta, it's a real car that is semi-fun to drive...

Is the V8 version also ULEV? I doubt it, but I wonder how much more emissions it has than its V6 sister.

I bet changing spark plugs is loads of fun on this one.

I'll take my straight six over this any day.

Cripes almighty, that engine looks like Predator's face.

Only in America could we call something "partial zero" does that mean it's half zero? I missed that math class.

"Cripes almighty, that engine looks like Predator's face."

It took me a moment but yeah I agree.

"Cripes almighty, that engine looks like Predator's face." Ha ha ha ha! +2

I've known lots of Prius owners over the years and I can't think of one that would even remotely be called smug.

They seem to want a quiet, practical, reliable car that uses the minimum amount of fuel and aren't concerned with luxury or sportiness.

Boring maybe but not smug.

Must be a California thing.

There once was a driver of a Prius,
Whose “Greenie” conviction was quite pious.
If you did not own a hybrid,
His friendship he highly forbid.
Showing all his eco vehicle bias.

Definitely from California.

Prius drivers have no friends.

^Just like M3 drivers^ LOL

I have to agree with firstwagon. I know many Prius owners and none of them are, "smug". (at least not about their cars!) Like firstwagon said, "Boring maybe but not smug."

I have no real desire to own a Prius because I enjoy spirited driving, but I see no reason to keep bashing people because they want a car that gets good gas mileage. It's starting to sound like people are just trying to justify their lust for more power and make themselves feel better about commuting in their F150.