by Anthony Fongaro - Photos via Genesis- 09/06/2021
“Go build an SUV!” That’s what Hyundai said to its luxury arm, Genesis. It makes sense. Back in 2019, Genesis had three cars, but they’re not as popular as an SUV, so they needed to make it. What they did make was something quite handsome called the GV80. It’s the size of a BMW X5, but it goes by the beat of its own drum. The Genesis GV80 I had was the 2.5T AWD Prestige and I wanted to see a few things. First, is it just an SUV version of the G80 sedan? Second, is it worth all of the praise it has received? Let’s see!
I may be a sucker for Genesis’ design, but the GV80 just looks great. The unique design along with those double lines for the headlights and taillights really make the GV80 standout. This particular GV80 had a deep Lime Red paint along with striking 22” allow wheels. The front has a large grill with those cool headlights with a squat side profile and a large GENESIS logo on the rear. The theme of these two lines can also be seen on the side with two-line accent pieces. It’s a bold look, but it works.
When I drove the Genesis G80, it was the lowest-ring model. It still impressed me, but I knew that Genesis has some great interiors. It’s the same here with the GV80. Standard equipment includes heated and ventilated seats along with a heated steering wheel, a large panoramic roof, and every safety system. These are adaptive-cruise control, collision avoidance assist, lane keep assist, and more. The interior colors were beige with taupe which gave an airy and colorful interior. Like the G80, I thought the infotainment swivel wheel and swivel wheel gear selector should be swapped. The infotainment system is a touchscreen with that swivel wheel, but I only used the touchscreen which is simple to use.
Powering the GV80 is the same 2.5-liter inline-four producing 300-horsepower and 311 lb-ft. With all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic, 0-60 MPH comes in 6.1 seconds. While you can get an optional 3.5-liter V6, it is about a $10,000 difference due to trim levels. GV80s look sporty and can drive sporty with the various drive-select modes. For something like the GV80, I kept it in a more comfort mode to let it just waft around. Apart of the Prestige Package, I’ll talk about later includes Road Active Noise Cancellation. This really helped for the more relaxed driving position.
There is a ton of tech in this GV80 since it is the Prestige, so here are a few stats and features. The standard features are impressive but a fully-loaded GV80 has everything you’d want and more. There are two packages that are required for the Prestige. First is the $4,350 Advanced Package which includes smaller 20” wheels, full leather seating surfaces, a Lexicon 21-speaker sound system, surround-view monitoring, remote smart parking assist, and rear collision warning. Step up one more and the Prestige includes larger 22” wheels, a heads-up display with information about speed, speed limits, navigation, and more, 3-zone climate control, and heated second-row seats for $4,400.
The GV80 starts at $54,650 and with options comes out to a little under $65,000. That’s really good value considering everything this 2.5T Prestige has. In fact, if you want the smaller engine, I would include the Prestige Package. Personally, the upgraded V6 sounds great and is more powerful, but you would be at around $72,000. It really depends on if you need the extra power or if you want around 25 MPG in the 2.5T. Whichever one you get, it will have a smooth ride, excellent fit-and-finish, and a strong engine. I would definitely recommend the GV80, especially in this trim level. It’s worth all the praise it has received.
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