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First Drive: Genesis G80. Image by Genesis.

First Drive: Genesis G80
Genesis has launched in the UK and is aiming to take a chapter out of the book of Lexus with its new G80

   



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Genesis G80

4 4 4 4 4

This is Genesis. That probably needs to be said in a James Earl Jones voice. And this is the Genesis G80 saloon, a premium luxury model that goes up against some serious rivals such as the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Volvo S90. It has its work cut out for it so here's our initial impression of not just a new model but a whole new brand.

Test Car Specifications

Model tested: Genesis G80 2.5T AWD
Pricing: £57,750 as tested; starts at £45,800
Engine: 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol
Transmission: eight-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Body style: four-door saloon
CO2 emissions: 205g/km (VED Band 191-225: £1,345 in year one, £490 years 2-5)
Combined economy: 31.2mpg
Top speed: 155mph
0-62mph: 6.0 seconds
Power: 300hp at 5,800rpm
Torque: 422Nm at 1,650-4,000rpm
Boot space: 424 litres

What's this?

Basically, Genesis is to Hyundai what Lexus is to Toyota and Infiniti is to Nissan, essentially the South Korean car company's luxury brand. Except that Hyundai doesn't want it seen that way - Genesis must be seen as a standalone brand, a luxury car company on its own.

We're here for the cars, not the company politics, so what is the plan? Well, Genesis first launched in South Korea in 2015 and since then it has grown to be the number one premium car brand in sales there. Last year the company sold 130,000 cars around the world, mostly in its home market and the US but in 2021 it not only launched in China but in select European markets too, including here in the UK.

Before you assume it's just another brand that will go the way of Infiniti, Genesis does have an interesting approach to things. Its brand DNA is all about audacious, progressive and distinctly Korean.It won't have dealerships as such, but rather Genesis Studios, around six in the UK and the first one has already opened in the Westfield Centre in London. There you will be able to relax and ponder a purchase rather than being pushed into it by a salesperson. There will be no salespeople, only what Genesis is calling, personal assistants. And if you want a test drive, the car will be delivered to you, as it will be if you buy it. If you need it serviced then it will be collected from you and a similar spec courtesy car will be provided. Plus you'll get five years servicing included in the price, which we'll get to in a bit.

That's enough about the company, what about the car? Well the G80 is a large executive saloon in the same category as a Mercedes-Benz E-Class or a Volvo S90. It's big, luxurious, packed with tech and most importantly of all, not expensive compared to some of its rivals. It is in fact, decent value for money. Granted it's still quite a lot of money, but not compared to an Audi, BMW or Merc.

It has some unique design features like the "two-lines" design across the front, sides and rear and that large grille. It's rather limo like, even Cadillac-ish, a made up word we admit, but one which seems appropriate and confirms the important of the US market for the brand. The rear has a fastback look in the style of the Bentley Continental GT.

The similarity to Bentley continues inside, so much so in fact that while stopped chatting to a classic car owner during our drive, he asked which Bentley it was. Given the quilted Nappa leather, beautiful open pore wood and the knurling on the real metal surfaces of some of the switches, it's not surprising someone could be confused with a new model from Crewe.

It's all very luxury, very posh and very well equipped. This is where we get into the value for money aspect, because the range starts at £37,460 for the 2.2-litre diesel but standard equipment is extensive. It includes a nice digital instrument cluster, which also shows you the very cool video from the blind spot cameras. There's an easy to use touchscreen infotainment system that not only connects to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto but features augmented reality tech. Lane keeping assistance, smart cruise control, high beam assistance and a whole bunch of auto functions are all part of a comprehensive safety package. The list is very long indeed and even the options are nicely grouped into packs such as Innovation, Executive or Comfort.

How does it drive?

The 2.5T we drove starts at £45,800 (£57,750 as tested) and for that you can a smooth turbocharged petrol motor producing 300hp and 400Nm. It's extremely comfortable without being too wafty and practically floats over bumps with ease.

The engine feel as though it's been engineered more for comfort than for sporty driving, although there are driving settings for eco, comfort and sport to select. It also has paddle-shifters but on a few occasions we found them slow to react which somewhat spoils the fun when you find some twisties. What was also a little concerning was after an average pace drive over the first ten miles or so, the fuel consumption was showing 11.4mpg, possibly not a Bentley similarity that Genesis would want. Fortunately we improved this to get into the early 20s but it is a thirsty thing.

The steering is excellent, the driving position easy to find courtesy of a multitude of adjustments on the very comfortable driver's seat and all-round visibility is quite good. The controls are all easy to use but if you are expecting minimalism then you'll be disappointed because that element of tradition also extends to quite a few buttons and dials. It was rather nice actually and there's still a fair bit you can do in the touchscreen to appease the tablet generation.

Verdict

It's not going to be easy for Genesis, no matter how simple it makes ownership, how much value you get for your money or how good the cars actually are. However, our impression from the G80 is that there is a very serious rival to the German trio in town and it plans to re-write the book of premium.

3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 Exterior Design

4 4 4 4 4 Interior Ambience

4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 Passenger Space

4 4 4 4 4 Luggage Space

5 5 5 5 5 Safety

4 4 4 4 4 Comfort

3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 Driving Dynamics

3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 Powertrain


Mark Smyth - 15 Jun 2021



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2021 Genesis G80. Image by Genesis.2021 Genesis G80. Image by Genesis.2021 Genesis G80. Image by Genesis.2021 Genesis G80. Image by Genesis.







 

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