Photos: 2009 Hyundai Genesis 4.6

Hyundai shoots far above its economy car roots with the Genesis, a car that has been much-anticipated since it was shown at last year's auto shows.

Back to 2009 Hyundai Genesis review.

Hiding its identity, Hyundai leaves the H badge off the front of the car.

Back to 2009 Hyundai Genesis review.

The fact that Hyundai was building a big V-8 got the attention of the automotive press. This engine puts out 375 horsepower and gets the car to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds.

Back to 2009 Hyundai Genesis review.

The Genesis' styling lets it fit comfortably among Lexus and Mercedes-Benz models. It's not stunning, but generally looks unoffensive.

Back to 2009 Hyundai Genesis review.

The Genesis damps out most road jolts well enough, but you can feel the harder hits.

Back to 2009 Hyundai Genesis review.

The Genesis is a little more bold from the back, proclaiming its big engine with twin exhausts, and sporting a large H badge.

Back to 2009 Hyundai Genesis review.

The cabin looks amazingly good, with metal switchgear and leather along the dashboard.

Back to 2009 Hyundai Genesis review.

Buttons on the steering wheel are well-designed, easy to manipulate without getting in the way of driving.

Back to 2009 Hyundai Genesis review.

The gauges have a clean look, and the center display contains useful information.

Back to 2009 Hyundai Genesis review.

The shifter controls a six-speed automatic. The car's application controller sits just below that, and moves similar to BMW's iDrive controller.

Back to 2009 Hyundai Genesis review.

We were very impressed by the map resolution in the navigation system.

Back to 2009 Hyundai Genesis review.

The navigation system integrates traffic information, such as flow and incidents, but doesn't dynamically route around bad traffic.

Back to 2009 Hyundai Genesis review.

The oval track for entering letters and digits is an interesting design, and works well.

Back to 2009 Hyundai Genesis review.

Impressively, the Genesis has an HD radio receiver, and can navigate multicasts.

Back to 2009 Hyundai Genesis review.

The iPod interface is excellent, letting you browse artists, albums, and genres.

Back to 2009 Hyundai Genesis review.

The Lexicon stereo system uses 17 speakers and pumps out 525 watts. It produces top audio quality.

Back to 2009 Hyundai Genesis review.

Along with CDs, the six-disc changer also plays DVD movies.

Back to 2009 Hyundai Genesis review.

The phone integration in the Genesis is fairly basic, requiring you to manually enter phone book information.

Back to 2009 Hyundai Genesis review.