Genesis

GV80

The Genesis GV80 is a generously-equipped, stylish and competitively-priced SUV that is available with five or seven seats. It boasts all-wheel drive and is packed with high-end tech. It’s great to drive and very practical too.

The good

Design, technology, practicality and performance

The bad

Up against well established competition

Tech Specs

Price from

£54,000

Combined Fuel up to

31.4mpg

0-62 from

5.0 seconds

max speed up to

147mph

co2 from

241g/km

Test Drive

Genesis GV80 2.5T Auto AWD Luxury Line (2021)

When you decide to launch a new brand into the motoring world then the cars really need to make a statement and the GV80 – a full-sized SUV – does just that for newcomer Genesis.

It’s very big on the outside, big on the inside and very big on appeal with premium-styled fixtures and fittings throughout.

Although the Genesis name has been around for some time now in other regions and it was labelled as the posh arm of Hyundai, the car maker is now a stand-alone manufacturer and this year has launched its first models in the UK.

With the promise of seven new models over 12 months, including three electric cars, Genesis is certainly a company on a mission and if the GV80 is anything to go by, it’s exciting times ahead for us all.

We have already seen the G80, which is a fully-sized saloon and the GV80 is the SUV equivalent. And, with seven seats, it is large enough to transport a five-a-side footie team, a couple of coaches and all the necessary kit.

The vehicle has plenty of road presence too with a huge G-matrix grille that simply can’t be ignored, twin tail pipes, sweeping light clusters, tinted windows and striking alloy wheels.

Move inside and its impossible not to be wowed by the premium styling and impeccable craftsmanship throughout the cabin. There is a certain quality about this Genesis car that is often only experienced in premium marques.

The leather seats offer sublime levels of comfort and all three rows of seats are power-operated for convenience. The front seats are heated and offer a massage function, along with memory settings.

The main focal point within the cabin is the high-definition, 14.5-inch dashboard-mounted colour touchscreen and there is a wealth of on-board tech to explore, including a premium Lexicon audio system, a head-up display, full smartphone connectivity via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12.3-inch 3D instrument cluster, DAB radio, Bluetooth, plus over-the-air software updates to keep everything bang up to date.

The GV80 is available in five or seven-seat guise and customers can choose from two generously-equipped trim levels called Premium Line or Luxury Line.

We opted for the range topping seven-seater version in Luxury Line powered by a 2.5-litre petrol engine delivering 304PS of power and 422Nm of torque. This results in impressive performance figures with the car completing the 0-62mph dash in 7.7 seconds and topping out at 147mph.

According to official figures, the GV80 can deliver a combined 31.4mpg with carbon emissions of 220-231g/km.

Thanks to its upright design, the driver benefits from an elevated seating position, which in turn results in excellent all-round visibility and the GV80 is more than happy to put in a good shift when it comes to performance.

The acceleration through the eight-speed automatic gearbox is smooth and constant, plus there are steering wheel-mounted paddles for added fun.

It’s a car that eats up the motorway miles with ease cruising effortlessly at 70mph, but it can also turn on the style when faced with twisting B roads. The grip into tight bends is assured, but the GV80 does feel quite wide as it fires through the narrow lanes.

There are drive modes called Eco, Comfort and Sport that alter the reactions of the car. In addition, the all-wheel drive GV80 is happy to venture off-road or tackle more challenging driving conditions with terrain modes to cope with Snow, Mud and Sand.

The vehicle has had extensive development on European roads so is well suited to UK motorways and B roads. The ride concentrates more on comfort than dynamism, but at the same time, it’s no slouch. And when you are cruising along the motorway there is plenty of semi-autonomous technology to make life simpler. Systems include lane keep assist, highway drive assist and smart cruise control to automatically stay a safe distance from the car in front.

The boot is well sized with a capacity ranging from 727 to 2,144 litres and the seats are all power-operated which makes getting into the third row much easier.

And when a break in the countryside is called for, then the SUV can tow a caravan or trailer weighing up to 2.7 tonnes.

Admittedly, the GV80 with all the trimmings is not exactly cheap. Our test car started life costing £59,600, but after all the options were fitted, the price had crept up to £71,300.

But, all in all, the Genesis GV80 is a fabulous new SUV that will take on and conquer a number of big guns in the premium sector. And any competition has to be welcomed as it means manufacturers have to keep improving their ‘A’ game.