Hyundai’s all-new 2015 Genesis

2015 Hyundai Genesis

3.8L 6-cylinder, 8-speed automatic
Power/torque: 311 hp & 293 lb-ft

Read it online at Autonet.ca.

Top photo is looking good, eh? No branches sticking out of the roof?

Because this is happening behind the car.

Clean and ergonomic interior, and the materials are really well chosen. That’s open-pore wood, a rarity.

There’s also a happy absence of chrome and shiny bits, which as a mega-minimalist, I like.

This trip’s driving partner was Jim Kenzie.

We had a great time cackling down the road, so much that we missed an exit and made a 60km mistake.

We were in Kelowna, BC, home of the Ogopogo, one of Canada’s mythical creatures.

Hi Chad!

So arty.

Hyundai’s done a great job on its showcase vehicle – this is where the badge is headed.

All the features and finishings found in the BMW 5-series, Mercedes C-Class and Audi A6, but for $10,000 less, because the Genesis is a less known badge, which so much of the luxury sedan segment is about.

Take advantage of this. Get the second trim, “Luxury” at $48,000 and since Hyundai’s only bringing in about 2,500 of these to Canada, there’s the exclusivity.

 

 

There’s No Avoiding Paying the Destination Fee

Different than the “delivery fee”, the destination charge is the cost of shipping the car from factory to dealership.

It’s never included in the price, and you can’t negotiate out of paying it, it’ll just never happen.

Read it online at Autonet.

Favourite line:

When you’re shopping, I’d recommend adding at least $1,200 CDN to the price, and then do your math based on that total.

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Talking About Rat Rods

Rat rod – a custom built luxury machine, with an exterior designed to look the opposite -ratty and worn down.

Read it online at Autonet.

Favourite line:

Then, couple those 500 hp specs with the niche’s bare essentials styling, and the power-to-weight ratio of some of these cars is excellent. They’re also not easy to drive. In fact, the idea is that the harder it is to drive, the better the rat rod.

These are some of the aforementioned rat rods built by the crew of the show ‘Vegas Rat Rods‘, premiering April 17 on Discovery Canada.

And this is Twiggy, the female star of the show, whom I interviewed for this column, and great Canadian girl.

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The Fuel Economy Ratings are Changing

It’s moving from 2 cycles of tests to 5.

Starts with 2015 models, onwards.

Read it online at Autonet.ca

Or read it counter-clockwise.

It’s good this is happening, because these laboratory, perfect-enviroment tests are unattainable for the average driver.

Favourite line:

The air conditioning is switched off, as are all the features and aids, the car is kept as light as possible, and the professional driver is using a very fuel-conscious driving style, which requires deep focus and concentration, and a style I’m not convinced we always drive with.

This also means that in a dealership, a 2014 model could be beside an almost identical 2015, but with a big discrepancy in ratings, like this:

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