...But on the note of renting, I can pick up an Avalon, Camry, Corolla, 14 Rav at Thriftys 10 minute drive from here. WTF is with that? In the other direction as I pull into Cornwall, ditto, at Nationals.
Rental costs make up very little of the revenue the corporations see: it's buying fleets at discounted prices and subsequently reselling them as used cars for around the same money or even for a profit.
Enterprise in Windsor, for example, switched their fleet to 75% minivans - Dodge Caravans - because they got them at $15k even and after 1.5 yrs and 30,000km, they were sold for $17k (and then there's the $65.99/day rental fees).
So if you're wondering why you're seeing more and more imports in the rental lots? Better resale value.
As far as the Genesis goes - my biggest draw away from buying one - can't imagine spending upwards of $40-50k on a Hyundai. The brand just isn't there for me yet. If I'm buying cheap, then I want something reliable and with strong resale value (hence the Corolla). If I'm buying something a bit pricier, then I'll buy it used and in the US at a steep discount and enjoy its reliability (hence the RX400h - almost 8 years strong and not a single issue).
RWD and V8 sound lovely...but for Canadian winters, Canadian gas prices, and the fact that I just don't trust Hyundai with $55,388.70 +++.
Hyundai promised big-time quality control back with the first big re-do of the Sonata...and then we find:
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-hyundai-sonata-santafe-recall-20130819,0,1557888.storyNo car is perfect, but Toyota/Lexus has consistently topped the reliability charts and that's where my money went. When I lease, reliability means a little less...but Subaru won my heart with that beautiful 2.5 XT engine.