Sheer presence on the road is worth something, certainly—status expressed in acres of gleaming sheet metal set off by polished accents of metal and glass. Although the new Genesis G90 is a couple of inches smaller than a Mercedes S-Class sedan, it looks bigger and sleeker, ready to be turned over to a chauffeur.  

In fact, it’s a toss-up whether the front or the back is the best place to be. This exceptional car is sinfully comfortable and whisper-quiet. 

Would you feel differently about it if you knew this was a Hyundai? The Koreans evidently think so, as they’ve made Genesis a stand-alone brand, like Lexus is to Toyota, Infiniti to Nissan and Acura to Honda. Smart move, I think.

Still, every car deserves to be judged on its merits, not its badge. The Genesis has many merits, but let me point out that this is the “economy” G90, the one with a V-6 engine good for 365 horsepower; the slightly pricier G90 5.0 Ultimate packs a 420-horsepower V-8 (and even more comforts). Both versions are rear-wheel or all-wheel drive; both share the same silky 8-speed automatic transmission; both drive like great, silent cats.

G90s offer about all of today’s performance, luxury and safety features. I particularly enjoy the electric latches that snug the doors shut, the driver’s seat that adjusts 22 ways and the all-around camera system that makes parking a breeze. While it breaks no new ground—it’s not electric, for example—the G90 refines the status quo at a surprising price. 

That’s where this Korean truly outshines the big German luxury sedans: The G90 Premium AWD V-6 lists for $75,695, full stop—there’s no long list of pricey add-ons to agonize over. But a 6-cylinder Mercedes-Benz S450 with AWD starts at $98,245 and goes nowhere but up. In the V-8 models, the dollar gap widens even more: A G90 AWD 5.0 Ultimate costs $79,200, no options, while an AWD S560 starts at $107,450.

Feel free to visit each maker’s website and do a line-by-line comparo of these cars, but it’s hard to overlook such a difference in price, especially in light of Hyundai’s enviable reputation for quality. 

The re-done-for-2020 G90 is a lovely large car—seamless, hushed, elegant and, in its lack of hybrid or electric or hydrogen drive, kind of old-school. And I have to add that although I have reached my biblically allotted three score and ten years, I still don’t feel old enough to drive one.