Lucid, Genesis, Hyundai top 2024 Best of the Bay Awards.
Oct. 18: The all-electric LUCID Air Pure has been named 2024’s Best Overall Vehicle in the annual Best of the Bay awards, handed out this week by Northern California’s top automotive journalists. The judges, all members of Western Automotive Journalists (WAJ) heaped praise on the Lucid Air Pure, saying “the Lucid is a tour de force of technology and suspension tuning. And now, with the entry level Pure model ($69,900 base, lease for less than $600 a month), it's a real option for mid-luxury shoppers. 430 horsepower, cheek deforming acceleration, and 420 miles of range due to incredibly efficient motors. Hard to beat.”
Runners up for 2024’s top award, (with judge’s comments,) are the HYUNDAI IONIQ 5 N (“an EV that’s also an old-fashioned sports sedan/hot hatch”), the RANGE ROVER SE 7-seat LWB (“clarity of purpose. No silly sport modes, just comfort and off-road ability”), the DODGE Durango SRT Hellcat (“the motor is epic.”), and the GENESIS G80 3.5T Sport Prestige (“not sure how you could improve it.”).
BEST OF THE BAY: BEST PASSENGER VEHICLE – GENESIS G80 3.5T SPORT PRESTIGE
The 2024 Best of the Bay Passenger Vehicle is the GENESIS G80 3.5T Sport Prestige. Jurors praised the G80 3.5T Sport Prestige for its appealing dual personality. “I just love a luxury sedan that can Jekyll and Hyde from a limo to a sports car,” said one juror. The runners up in the Passenger Vehicle category were the TOYOTA Camry Hybrid XSE and the KIA Carnival Hybrid MVP. Said one juror: “The Camry surprised me the most. I expected the great fuel economy and Toyota reliability, but here’s something I never thought I'd say about a Camry: It handled really well! The sport suspension was really impressive.” Said another about the KIA Carnival MVP: “More than 600-miles of range in a comfortable, family vehicle? What's not to like?”
BEST OF THE BAY: BEST SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE – Tie: GENESIS GV80 3.5T PRESTIGE & GV80 COUPE 3.5T
The most closely contested category turned into a family feud, with a tie between the GENESIS GV80 Coupe 3.5T, and its sibling, the GENESIS GV80 3.5T Prestige. Of the coupe version of 2024’s Best of the Bay Best Sport Utility Vehicle, one judge said, “The GV80 Coupe was also my favorite luxury vehicle. Outstanding interior. Most comfortable car in the group. Just the right mix of road feel and soft ride.” The GV80 3.5T Prestige got high marks for its slightly softer ride, and its interior, described by one judge as “a palace… taking SUV luxury to a new level.”
Sport Utility runners up are the KIA Sorento PHEV, (“the best daily driver,”) the RANGE ROVER SE 7-seat LWB, (“if there was an award for the most civilized car, the Range Rover would have won it,”) and the LEXUS GX550 Premium+ (“a Lexus that would be at home charging through the woods.”).
BEST OF THE BAY: BEST EV – LUCID AIR PURE
The LUCID Air Pure, the Best of the Bay Best Overall winner, was also named 2024’s Best EV. Jurors again cited the Lucid’s combination of luxury and sportiness, as well as its great range and intuitive controls. “Truly next generational,” said one juror. Said another, “It’s got energy efficiency and innovations, along with great attention to detail.” The runner up in the EV category was the sporty HYUNDAI IONIQ 5 N, which impressed jurors with its “ridiculous” acceleration, sports-car handling, and unique sound and shifting simulations.
BEST OF THE BAY: BEST TECHNOLOGY – Tie: HYUNDAI IONIQ 5 N & LUCID AIR PURE
The judges fought to a draw over the Best Technology award. So the 2024 award is shared between the HYUNDAI IONIQ 5 N and the LUCID Air Pure.
The judges loved the Hyundai’s simulated engine sounds and shifting. Said one, “It's not just cool engine sounds that pump into the HYUNDAI IONIQ 5 N. When you "downshift," you actually feel the resistance in the drivetrain. It makes the car really fun to drive. Hats off to the Hyundai engineers who did this.”
The judges were impressed with the LUCID’s ultra-efficient electric motor and range, saying “as efficient in technology as it is elegant in design. It’s real EV luxury in an elegant package; this car is the benchmark against which all other luxury EVs will be measured.”
The ACURA ZDX Type S heads-up display (HUD) was the Technology Award runner up, receiving kudos from the judges for its fantastic HUD projection graphics and solid driver information, allowing the ZDX driver to absorb all necessary information while never taking their eyes off the road.
BEST OF THE BAY JURORS: WHAT WOULD YOU BUY?
Finally, for the first time, WAJ asked all jurors, after they evaluated all contending vehicles, which they would buy “with their own money.” Not surprisingly, when spending their own funds, personal taste led to the jurors in vastly different directions. All told, 11 different entrants were coveted by jurors when the competition was complete.
Said one: "There aren't any bad cars here. We're splitting hairs.” The “I’d buy one of these myself” Best of the Bay winners were the RANGE ROVER SE 7-seat LWB, the LEXUS GX 550 Premium+, the DODGE Durango SRT Hellcat, the LUCID Air Pure, the KIA Sorento PHEV, the GENESIS GV80 Coupe 3.5T, the GENESIS GV80 3.5T Prestige, the TOYOTA Camry Hybrid XSE, the HYUNDAI IONIQ 5 N, and the KIA Carnival Hybrid MVP.
One juror, when asked which of 2024 Best of the Bay competitors he would buy for himself, answered this way: “When I was 25, the HYUNDAI Elantra N. Now (I’m 50), the GENESIS G80. When I’m 75, the RANGE ROVER LWB.”
Best of the Bay is an annual awards event. Jurors are working automotive journalists and content creators, members of WAJ, a non-profit professional association of automotive journalists in the Bay Area.
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