Genesis GV80 2020 review

The Genesis GV80 is a brand new nameplate for a young Korean luxury brand owned by Hyundai, and we headed to its homeland for a chance to get our first sample of what it will look like.

On a global scale, it is arguably the most important Genesis brand vehicle to date. It's a big SUV, with demand proportional to its size in premium-hungry markets across the board.

Indeed, the all-new 80 Genesis GV2020 lineup will arrive in Australia later this year to take on some long-standing hallmarks of the luxury SUV market, including the Range Rover Sport, BMW X5, Mercedes GLE and Lexus RX. 

With multiple powertrains, a choice of two- or four-wheel drive, and a choice of five or seven seats, the components look promising. But is the 2020 Genesis GV good? Let's find out...

Genesis GV80 2020: 3.5T AWD LUX
Safety Rating
engine's type	3.5 L turbo
fuel type	Premium unleaded gasoline
Fuel efficiency	11.7l / 100km
Landing	5 Places
Price from	$97,000

Is there anything interesting about its design? 9/10

If you don't find the GV80 interesting in terms of its design, you may need to go to an optometrist. You might argue that it's ugly, but it definitely looks different to most of the established players in the market, and it means a lot when you're trying to make a strong first impression.

The bold grille, split headlights and sculpted front bumper look slender and almost intimidating, while there are also bold character lines that run down the sides of the car.

The neat greenhouse tapers towards the rear, and the rear gets its own twin headlights, familiar from the non-Australian G90 limousine. It's amazing.

The interior has some beautiful design elements, made very high quality.

And the interior has some beautiful design elements, not to mention the extremely high level of craftsmanship. Yes, there are some items that stand out from the Hyundai catalog, but you won't mistake them for a Tucson or Santa Fe inside. Don't believe me? Check out the pictures of the interior to see what I'm talking about.

How practical is the interior space? 7/10

It's a big SUV, but don't think you're getting a level of practicality. It's definitely pragmatic, but there are elements that make us think that the car's presence may have taken precedence over pragmatism.

The third row, for example, would be too cramped for anyone approaching adult male size like me (182cm), as I struggled to fit back there. Younger children or small adults will be fine, but head, leg and knee room could be better (and that's in a seven-seater Volvo XC90 or Mercedes GLE). Getting in and out isn't as easy as the clearance is smaller than some competitors due to the lower roofline.

The third row in the test cars we tested had electric folding seats, which I find useless. They take a long time to raise and lower, although I think doing things at the touch of a button rather than using physical force is something that luxury car buyers can appreciate. 

The upright seven-seat luggage compartment is enough for a couple of small bags, though Genesis doesn't have confirmed trunk capacity in this configuration yet. It is clear that with five seats, the boot volume is 727 liters (VDA), which is pretty good.

Second-row adult seating is okay, but not exceptional. If you have passengers in the third row, you will need to install the second row to give them room, and in this configuration my knees were heavily pressed into the driver's seat (also adjusted for my height). Watch the video to better understand what I'm talking about, but you can also slide the second row back and forth in a 60:40 ratio.

Second-row adult seating is okay, but not exceptional.

In the second row, you'll find the expected amenities, such as cup holders between the seats, card pockets, air vents, bottle holders in the doors, power outlets, and USB ports. In this regard, everything is excellent.

The front of the cabin is really nice, with a neat design that makes it quite wide. The seats are very comfortable, and the driver's seat in our test cars had an air massage system, which was very nice. These test models also featured heated and cooled seats, multi-zone climate control, and a host of other nice touches.

The front of the cabin is pleasant, with a neat design that makes it quite wide.

But what stood out was the 14.5-inch multimedia screen with a clear display that supports touch control and can also be controlled using the rotary switch between the seats, and there is also voice control. It's not as easy to use as, say, the Santa Fe media system, but it has a lot more features, including an amazing augmented reality satellite navigation system that uses the front camera to show you which direction you should be heading in real-time. time. This is very impressive technology, even better than the same system used in the Mercedes models we tested in Europe. The technology is expected to be offered in Australia, which is also good news.

The 14.5-inch multimedia screen with a clear touchscreen stood out.

There's all the connectivity you'd expect, like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and there's also quirky elements like "natural atmosphere sounds" that you can tune in to. Have you ever wondered what it's like to sit by an open fire on your way to your destination? Or hearing the sound of footsteps crunching through the snow as you walk to the beach? These are just a few of the oddities you'll find as you dig deeper into the GV80's stereo system.

Now, if you're interested in dimensions - I've mentioned "large SUV" several times - the Genesis GV80 is 4945mm long (on a 2955mm wheelbase), 1975mm wide and 1715mm high. It is built on a new rear-wheel drive platform that is shared with the upcoming replacement for the current G80, which is also likely to be sold in Australia in late 2020.

Does it represent good value for money? What functions does it have? 8/10

There is nothing to see here. Actually, wait there... we could risk some guesswork.

Genesis has yet to reveal pricing or specifications for Australia, but the brand has a history of confidently pricing its vehicles and very well equipped vehicles.

With that in mind, we think there will be multiple trim levels available, and the GV80 could well beat the cheapest BMW X5 or Mercedes GLE by tens of thousands of dollars early in the lineup.

The GV80 comes standard with LED headlights.

Think of a potential starting price of around $75,000, all the way up to the top-spec variant dwarfing the six-figure mark. 

You can expect long lists of standard equipment across the lineup, including leather, LEDs, big wheels, big screens, and plenty of safety features expected to be installed across the lineup.

But you'll have to wait and see what Genesis Australia does with exact pricing and specs closer to the GV80 launch in Australia in the second half of 2020.

What are the main characteristics of the engine and transmission? 7/10

There are three engines that will be offered worldwide, and all three powertrains will also be sold in Australia - though it's not yet clear if all three will be available from launch.

The entry-level engine is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder turbo engine with 226 kW. Torque figures for this engine have not yet been disclosed.

The next step in the engine range will be a 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 with 283kW and 529Nm. This engine is the next generation version of the turbocharged 3.3-litre V6 currently used in the G70 sedan (272kW/510Nm).

Three engines will be offered worldwide and all three powertrains will also be sold in Australia.

And finally, a 3.0-liter inline-six turbodiesel that is said to produce 207kW and 588Nm. This is the engine we tried in Korea as no petrol versions were available to drive.

All models have Hyundai's own eight-speed automatic transmission. There will be a choice of rear or all-wheel drive for diesel and top-end petrol models, but it's not clear if the base engine will be available with both.

Notably, the lineup lacks any kind of hybrid powertrain, which Genesis head William Lee says is not a priority for this model. This will definitely reduce its appeal to some buyers.

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How much fuel does it consume? 7/10

The official combined cycle fuel usage for each of the Australian powerplants has yet to be determined, but the Korean-made diesel model we drove is claimed to consume 8.4 liters per 100 kilometers.

During the test, we saw that the dashboard reads from 8.6 l / 100 km to 11.2 l / 100 km, depending on the car and who was driving. So count on 10.0L/100km or so for a diesel. Not super economical. 

What is it like to drive? 8/10

Without driving the car in Australian conditions, where its driving style, tuned by Hyundai experts, will be honed in accordance with local wishes, it is difficult to say whether this model is the best in its class. But the signs are encouraging.

The ride, for example, is very good, especially considering the models we spent most of our time in were equipped with huge 22-inch wheels. There's also a forward-facing road-reading camera that can adapt the damper setting if it thinks a pothole or speed bump might come along. 

The engine is very quiet, well honed and excellent in the mid range.

Our drive around Seoul and Incheon and their surroundings found this technology to work well, as there were bumps that would see a few compressed sphincters in other SUVs if equipped with wheels of this size. But the GV80 drove confidently and comfortably, which is an important consideration for a luxury SUV buyer.

The steering is also quite precise, although it hardly feels nimble or nimble - all-wheel-drive models have a maximum weight of around 2300kg, so that's to be expected. But the steering turned out to be responsive and predictable, and much better than what we've seen straight out of the box on Korean models in the past. It will also be tuned to suit local tastes, but we hope the Australian team doesn't just make the steering too heavy as some other locally tuned cars have. The light steering is nice when you're parking, and the GV80 currently ticks that box. 

The steering was responsive and predictable.

But the most impressive thing about the drive program was the diesel engine. That and the smoothness of the eight-speed automatic transmission.

That's a big compliment, but if you put a blindfolded German executive in a GV80 and ask him to guess which car he's in based on the engine alone, he'll most likely guess a BMW or an Audi. It's a super-smooth inline-six that offers commendable towing power, even if it's not a beacon of outright power.

The engine is very quiet, well-honed, and excellent in its mid-range, and there is very little low-end turbo lag or stop-start grunt to complain about. Transmission is smooth too, even if the rotary adjuster isn't one of your humble tester's favorite parts of the cockpit.

Quietness in the cabin is another huge plus, as the company's active noise-cancelling technology clearly helps limit road noise from entering the cabin. We can't wait to see if it can hold its own on Australian gravel roads when the GV80 launches at Down Under.

Warranty and safety rating

Basic Warranty

5 years / unlimited mileage


guarantee

ANCAP Safety Rating

What safety equipment is installed? What is the safety rating? 9/10

There are no '2020 ANCAP crash test results for the 80 Genesis GV at the time of writing, but we estimate it will have the equipment and technology to achieve the maximum five-star ANCAP crash test rating because it is equipped with safety features.

There are 10 airbags, including dual front, front and rear (second row) side, curtain, driver's knee airbags, and front center airbags (this airbag deploys between the front seats to prevent head collisions). We've asked the local Genesis team to confirm if third-row curtain airbags extend and will update that story as soon as we're sure.

In addition, there are many advanced safety technologies, including advanced automatic emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, a new machine learning intelligent cruise control system, an artificial intelligence-based system that can apparently learn behavior driver. and implement a level of autonomous driving when cruise control is on, as well as automatic lane change at the direction of the driver, driver attention monitoring with fatigue warning, combined assistance with blind spot monitoring (including a blind spot view monitor that is displayed in the dashboard using side cameras, if fitted), rear cross-traffic alert, and a forward collision avoidance system that can arm the vehicle if a potential T-bone crash is predicted.

Of course, there's a reversing and surround camera, front and rear parking sensors, and more. There will be ISOFIX child seat anchor points and top-tether child seat restraints, as well as a rear seat occupant reminder system.

We'll let you know the full details of the Australian spec cars when they become available, but expect an extensive list of standard equipment locally.

How much does it cost to own? What kind of guarantee is provided? 10/10

If the Genesis GV80 follows the current path set by the brand in Australia, customers will benefit from the best luxury car warranty available, a five-year plan with unlimited mileage.

This is backed up by the same five-year free maintenance coverage. That's right, you get free service for five years/75,000 miles. It's pretty tempting, and Genesis will even pick up and return your car to your home or work after maintenance is complete. And if you need access to a car when your GV80 is being serviced, you can also rent a car.

If the GV80 follows the current path set by Genesis in Australia, customers will receive a five-year/unlimited mileage warranty plan.

The Genesis lineup is also backed by five years of free roadside assistance. 

In short, this is the gold standard in luxury to own.

Verdict

Genesis GV80 is not only a style statement, but also a deep content. This is a feature-packed luxury SUV that will no doubt be positioned as an expensive proposition when it arrives in Australia in 2020.

We can't wait to see how the company positions the GV80 locally because this SUV will be the brand's most important model.