Hyundai's lineup of cars and crossovers is impressive, with many leading their respective segments in terms of both value and performance.

The Genesis has a problem finding a segment to fit into because it is priced so far below some competitors from Infiniti, Lincoln and Lexus and higher than a Chrysler 300 or Nissan Maxima.

Can a Hyundai compete on status levels with the premium brands? Probably not, even if the car is on par or better than many of them. On the other side, it seems too expensive to non-luxury shoppers, making it a hard sell indeed no matter how good a vehicle it may be.

I would say this, though: Ford has been trying for years to rebuild Lincoln's car lineup to match the historic view of that brand's powerful, elegant cars of the past. Hyundai may have in fact built a better Lincoln at a better price than Ford.