CHEAP and cheerful has given way to luxe and large and the result is by all accounts impressive. The new Hyundai Genesis luxury sedan is an upscale sedan from the Korean carmaker best known hitherto for its affordable mass market models.

This second-generation Genesis gets slicker styling, which makes it look extremely German with its deep grille, eyeliner driving lights and LED tail lamps.

And unlike its front-wheel-driven stablemates, the Genesis has a classic front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. In other words, just like the competition it is eyeing. A 3.8-litre naturally aspirated V6 petrol unit is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and gives the Genesis a near perfect 51:49 front/rear weight distribution. With almost 400 Newton-metres of torque on tap, the nearly 1.9-tonne Genesis is surprisingly nimble. The steering is precise, and there is a choice of Normal, Sport or Eco driving modes, each of which modifies the electronically controlled dampers accordingly.