Hyundai has made the biggest strides of any carmaker in the last 30 years, but is it enough to match the Germans?

Karl feels that Hyundai has made the biggest strides of any automaker in the past 30 years, but needs to go that little bit further to match Germans levels of luxury…

“Close but no cigar.” It’s a saying that comes from fairgrounds in the early 20th century, where the prizes they used to hand out at games stalls were cigars. Accordingly, if you missed the pins, or didn’t hit the target, you were close – but you got no cigar.

Thankfully, in our health conscious day and age, we’re more prone to taking home a stuffed toy than a death-stick. And instead of the aforementioned saying, we’re more likely to hear, “Nice try.” Which were the words I uttered recently when I had stepped out of my week with the Hyundai Genesis.

Sure, the Genesis isn’t currently seen on Indian roads (the most expensive car Hyundai sells is the excellent Santa Fe), but spending some time with this luxury car gives you an appreciation for how the South Korean company has been climbing the quality ladder.

There can be no doubt that Hyundai, and its sister company Kia, have made the biggest strides of any car company in the past 30 years. Its cars are now taken very seriously, and with good pricing, plenty of kit and a better drive experience than before, Hyundai is looking up and up. And, at first glance, the Genesis is too.

Unlock the car and the mirrors swing out with a Genesis logo projected from the puddle lamp onto the ground. Land Rover started that with the Evoque, so Hyundai’s playing a bit of catch up – but it does look good at night. Cast your eye over the car and it’s actually quite a handsome thing. There are elements of Mercedes, BMW, and Lexus about it. Someone even asked if it was the new Jag, so its styling is certainly good. However, there’s one thing very wrong with it – the badge.

It’s the most contrived, unoriginal piece of design to grace a car in years. Wings, seriously? Strangely, the boot still has a Hyundai badge, whereas everywhere else on the car is the Genesis logo, including the steering wheel. Mixed messages there.

Inside, it’s well presented, with nice leather, some trim that looks like it could have come from a tree at some point, and splashes of unconvincing satin-chrome. There was also an intermittent rattle from one of the air vents. The stereo is very good, the infotainment is reasonably easy to work out and the rear seats get navigation, stereo and front seat controls as well. Yes, you read that right – the rear passenger can push the front passenger forward by a press of a button. The kids had a ball.

Despite all the tech (HUD is nice), the ride isn’t plush enough, the plastics are still hard and the ESC never fully switches off, despite saying it has. The engine, while smooth and quiet, is working hard to lug around all that weight, and is crippled by a harebrained auto. An off-the-shelf ZF box would have been a far better choice.

The Genesis is good, but it’s not great. And it’s certainly not competing in the category Hyundai desperately wants it to, despite its cost. A high-price does not make it a luxury car, good quality does.

Yes, Hyundai has lifted its game, but it’s going to have to lift it further to properly fit into the Germanic segment.

As they used to say, “Close, but no cigar.”