I appreciate everyone's responses so far, and I did see the reviews. I am more looking for actual owners that live with the car and have experienced the little things that may be annoying (or greatly enhancing the ownership experience).
As to the Genesis G80, here is my experience after 3 years. I will point out that I did tons of research before getting that car and ended up totally unhappy, to the point where I hate getting into my car every-time I have to drive:
I got the "Ultimate" spec G80 with the 3.8L V6 (non-turbo) with RWD (there were no AWD models available in TX when I was looking over a 3 months period) - this is the top spec with all the goodies, including driver assist features
- Gas mileage is atrocious - 18 mpg on a 3.8L RWD
- Transmission programming is dangerous - in SPORT mode when doing a full kick-down to pass it more often then not doesn't shift into a rev band where you actually get power - you then have to manually (paddle shifters) shift down another two gears to get the vehicle to move) - this happens regularly and has put me into one or two hairy situations when trying to avoid accidents while entering intersections or merging into faster traffic
- The car vibrates hard when in gear (i.e. when waiting at a light) - so hard that passengers ask if the seat massage function is on (which isn't available on this vehicle)
- The car vibrates at all speeds while driving - vibrates as in: the steering wheel moves 1/2 inch to the left and right) - car was balanced 12 times, new tires were fitted - no change
- The "Ultimate" Spec radio (17 speaker whatever super duper radio) doesn't support Android Auto or Apple Car Play. They offer map updates twice a year for $250 each (so over a three year lease I would have to pay $1,500(!) for updated maps). The lower spec trims got a free software update for their head units that enabled AA and ACP, the Ultimate spec got nothing. So I paid $15,000 more for an "Ultimate" over a base model and am in return asked to pay $1,500 for the privilege of having somewhat up to date maps (way worse than Google maps in term of being up to date). Dealer and Hyundai response was: "yeah, deal with it".
- Satellite radio receiver failed, needed head unit replacement. Took weeks to get a radio and then time to get it replaced, all the while I am paying a monthly subscription for a service (SiriusXM) I have no access to.
- The car was in the shop for more then 11 weeks in the 3 years I leased it (that's almost a month a year). Loaners provided: Chevy Cruze base model, Nissan Versa (that's the worst car I have ever driven, and the only one worse than the Genesis), Hyundai Elantra, other low end rental cars. So I pay for a top of the line "luxury" car and get to drive an entry level compact for my lease payment. Hyundai - after much fighting from me - reimbursed me for a one month lease payment.
- No remote start on they key fob - app only. OK, but the app costs $300/year to have access to ($900 for the three year lease), because the remote start is part of the highest level package. Since my car is garaged (home and work), the remote start would only be useful a few times (parked outside in the very hot or cold). My estimation is that with 2 remote starts per week I would be paying about $2-3 per remote start in app fees. Best thing, during the trial period when I did use the remote start in the majority of attempts it didn't work - in places like Austin Bergstrom International airport (surface parking), downtown Austin (street parking) and Houston and Dallas. Some "couldn't connect" message - Hyundai's response was "Whatever" - so I never subscribed to the service after the initial trial period was over.
The list goes on - for a very long time. My car was at three different service centers, I had Hyundai dealer representatives and techs out from Hyundai corporate twice. In the end, no-one wanted to make sure that I was satisfied with their vehicle. Here's a statement from the Genesis website:
THE GENESIS EXPERIENCE. AT YOUR SERVICE.
True luxury is about the complete experience. Designed around real needs and wants, respecting how you actually live. This is the Genesis Experience, our thoughtfully crafted suite of owner benefits.
My experience was the complete opposite. Cheap fixes that would unravel after 50 - 100 miles (on the vibration issues), representatives that would do anything to dismiss my concerns as long as it didn't cost Hyundai any money. Everyone finally just told me "that's normal" when I pointed out issues during test drives with service managers, Hyundai mechanics, etc. I'm a Mechanical Engineer (30+ years of experience) with a specialization in Automotive Engineering - I know what's normal and what's an issue. My car has issues that passengers notice who have zero automotive background.
It looks to me that Hyundai designed that car to a spec sheet (this is what Audi, BMW, Lexus, MB have on their cars -> match the specs) and executed on many things to the minimum level to get the specs covered. Looks great on paper, but 18 mpg average, ongoing vibration issues, and "old" tech doesn't cut it when your competition is executing everything better. My 2005 Audi A6 had most of the features the G80 has in 2015 (10(!) years later), had quattro AWD and got better gas mileage and had zero problems in 3 years. It didn't have a HUD or the driver assist features (these were simply not available anywhere at the time), but otherwise it was simply a better car. Better performance from a 3.2L engine as well. My Chrysler 300C was a better car with better UI and better mpg at similar performance and levels of luxury.
The dealership experience is abysmal, you get the same dealership experience as the people who want $99 on a base model Accent - no offense to owners of this car, but they are at the dealership because they want small payments, not a luxury experience.
I cannot wait for the day I take possession of my new lease and the Hyundai is gone ... All the research I did was on reviews, and they were mostly glowing in magazines and with people who do Youtube reviews. They don't live with the cars though, so I am looking for feedback of actual Mazda6 Signature owners to find out the real story ...