First drive: Genesis GV80 2022 Review

Genesis is slowly but surely building a portfolio of cars that can compete with the long-standing leaders in the luxury car market. There have been many attempts to break into this executive class that the German trinity have dominated for so long. Audi, BMW and Mercedes have only really had each other and sometimes a stylish swede for competition as they’ve traded blows for what seems like an eternity. The new entrants into the market usually run out of steam before they do any real damage.

The parent company to Genesis, Hyundai, has had great initial success in the premium EV battle as the motoring world makes major shifts toward a greener future. However, with its new flagship model, the GV80, it’s attempting to take on the Germans in the lucrative luxury SUV market, also known as their bread and butter (or the German equivalent).

We’ve spent a good few days putting the Genesis GV80 to good use and in some ways we were surprised, in other ways less so.

It’s hard to make such a large vehicle look refined, but Genesis has absolutely nailed it. So often new brands enter a market without any distinctive and unique designs and if you want to make an impression, getting this right can be a big factor.

The front of the GV80 certainly has familiarity with some luxury British brands. You’ll notice a few pedestrians double-taking when they clock the grill as they try to figure out which Bentley or Aston Martin they’ve just seen, especially in the British Racing Green model we reviewed. The headlights’ thin design helps to reduce the impact of the grill making it feel less imposing, but there’s no denying that it has a lot of presence. This is only emphasized when you see the 22-inch wheels.

The rear also gets things right with a clean and simple design that leans a little closer to a more generic look, but the designers have managed to avoid the pitfall of being either too aggressively radical or simply falling in line with standard trends.

The first area where the GV80 struggles a little in comparison to its rivals is the engine performance. The stats are decent, with 0-62mph achievable in 6.9 seconds, but when you’re behind the wheel, it does feel ever so sluggish. When paired with a gearbox that has a slow kick-down, it becomes apparent that this is the compromise you’re making when opting for the GV80, but it’s certainly not poor enough to ruin the experience.

Where this Genesis does shine is ride comfort. We had a couple of four hour plus drives in the GV80 and we feel confident enough to say that it’s, at the very worst, an equal to its German rivals. We’ll come onto the interior comfort shortly, but the ride comfort really is almost class leading, and for such an important factor in luxury SUV purchasing decisions, Genesis has understood the assignment.

Adding to the smooth and comfortable drive, the handling is another plus point. The steering is light enough when pootling around town, but firms up nicely for those motorway miles. For a car of the GV80’s size, it is surprisingly accomplished when being pushed around corners a little faster than the manufacturer might have intended. There is a slight numbness to the feedback, but it’s acceptable for a car of this size that’s majoring on driver comfort rather than engagement.

I do have one small qualm with the driving experience and that’s the assisted driving suite. The list of features looks pretty impressive at first glance. It has adaptive cruise control and lane assist which work fairly well, not much to complain about there, but there really needs to be a shortcut button to turn off the speed limit assist warning.

Now, before you start lambasting me for speeding, let me explain. The route from Manchester to Goodwood has a plethora of variable speed limits currently and I’ve managed to come to terms with them. However, the GV80 continuously ‘bongs’ even if you are doing 40mph in a 40 zone. So, in order to enjoy the four-minute guitar solo in Pink Floyd’s ‘Comfortably Numb’ without a continuous bonging sound, I have to sit at 39mph and have traffic slowly but surely creep up to the back of the Genesis and get mildly frustrated at me. As a British man, this is what’s known as extreme social embarrassment.

The interior is another strong weapon in the GV80’s arsenal. As soon as you get yourself set up in the driver’s seat, you can see where a lot of the work has been put in. Everything around you has a real sense of quality. There’s an almost Scandinavian minimalist feel about the interior, the kind of style that is warm and has some substance to it.

The one downside that didn’t quite sit right was the chunkiness of the steering wheel. Admittedly, this is a personal preference, but it was a little difficult to get completely comfortable on longer journeys. Although, I’ve been told that if my hands were at the correct 10 and two positions at all times, I’d have nothing to complain about. So perfect drivers, please ignore this information.

There’s plenty of storage in the centre console and big deep cup holders are all present and correct as you’d expect. The boot is an impressive 727 litres once you’ve stowed away the extra two seats in our seven-seat model, so it doesn’t fall down in the space department.

Genesis has rightly put a lot of time and effort into the interiors of its entire range and that may be where the battle is lost and won for the longevity of the brand.

I won’t go on about the assisted driving suite and its annoyances, but the general technology levels in the GV80 are impressive. The infotainment system is one of the best on the market, stolen straight out of the Hyundai range. However, in the Genesis those clever designers have gone one step further with an easy-to-use touchpad controller. This makes typing addresses into the sat nav a lot more satisfying – more so than entering addresses directly onto the touchscreen as it sits roughly 2.3 miles from your seating position. This is most likely part of the safety package to discourage you from engaging with it whilst driving. It works.

The driving experience is improved with little touches such as the head up display and digital dials. The digital dials doubling up as blind spot cameras as you indicate are a particularly nice feature, so you’re less likely to shunt anyone off the road, not that you’d notice in something as big as the GV80.

You’re provided with ample charging ports and there is even wireless charging as an optional extra, all completing a high-quality and high-tech feel to interior.

Trying to nestle itself into the luxury SUV market was always going to be an uphill battle with such established competition - but Genesis is going the right way to do exactly that. It’s not been shy with its designs, a move which we think has paid off. Its customer service approach also sets it apart from its rivals – it has bypassed the dealership model in favour of a more personalised experience. It’ll bring a car to you to test drive, help you spec your order, and deliver your new car to your door when it’s ready. It’ll even retrieve the car when it’s time for a service. This attention to detail has carried into the cars themselves.

The Genesis GV80 ticks all the right boxes for the luxury SUV market. The driving experience is comfortable both in road performance and interior finish, and you’ve got all the space and tech you’d need. The only big question mark is over engine finesse and performance, but this is only a slight blemish on the overall package. When the Genesis GV80’s prices are significantly lower than the German stalwarts, it really does make sense as an alternative.

Only time will tell if Genesis has hit the mark with the GV80, but this is by far the best attempt by any manufacturer to grab some of that lucrative luxury SUV market for a number of years.