Hyundai’s luxury brand, Genesis, has been producing some excellent vehicles lately. Although the luxury brand is fairly new, their products have been receiving praise from automotive journalists and consumers. A couple of weeks ago we brought you the excellent Genesis GV80 mid-size SUV, this week we bring you a review of the 2021 Genesis G80 sedan.
I reviewed the last generation Genesis G80, which was (based on) the old Hyundai Genesis carried over into their brand-new Genesis luxury division. The second-generation Genesis G80 is fully designed under the Genesis brand and shares a lot of its styling cues with the rest of the genesis family of sedans and CUVs.
2021 Genesis G80 Canadian Prices
Like I mentioned in my GV80 review, Genesis has done a great job at keeping pricing and trims simple. Unlike the Europeans manufacturers, where the starting price looks good but if you want to add any of the modern bells and whistles, you end up paying 50% on top of the starting price. And it’s also confusing, if you want a particular option in a package, sometimes you end up having to add a different package.
Thankfully the Genesis G80 is only offered in two trims in Canada. The G80 2.5T Advanced AWD, which is priced at $66,000, and the G80 3.5T Prestige AWD, priced at $76,000. And that’s as simple as it gets, no packages to add, just choose the exterior color and a few accessories (if you’d like), and you’re done. The price also includes Freight & PDI.
2021 Genesis G80 Engines
In Canada, the 2021 Genesis G80 is offered with either a turbocharged 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine or a turbocharged 3.5-liter V6, the same engines found on the GV80. The 2.5-liter engine produces 300 horsepower at 5,800 rpm and 311 pound-feet of torque between 1,650 – 4,000 rpm. The 3.5-liter engine produces 375 horsepower at 5,800 rpm and 390 pound-feet of torque between 1,300 – 4,500 rpm. Both of these engines require premium fuel.
Power is sent to all-four wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission. According to Genesis, the 2.5T should consume 10.8/7.9/9.5 liters/100 kilometers in city/highway/combined driving. The 3.5T should consume 12.9/9.0/11.2 L/100 km.
Driving the 2021 Genesis G80
Our review Genesis G80 was equipped with the 2.5T, which is the same engine we had in our GV80 review from a few weeks ago. I was pleasantly surprised by that engine in the GV80 and it wasn’t any different on the G80.
The 2.5T 4-cylinder is smooth and quiet, there is a bit of noise under heavy acceleration from standstill but that noise dissipates as you gain speed. The 300 horsepower is more than enough to move this rather large vehicle. The engine performs well in city driving and is quick to respond on the highway. It doesn’t have any trouble passing at highway speeds. The engine is pretty lively in the sport mode and the transmission works well with the engine.
The ride on the G80 is smooth and seems to focus more on the comfort side of things rather the sportiness. Like the previous generation G80, the 2021 G80 is more of luxury sedan than a BMW 5-Series-fighting sports sedan. But I still enjoyed the overall driving dynamics of this vehicle, even with the smaller engine.
Genesis G80 Styling
I’m personally a huge fan of the styling on the second generation G80. It has the signature quad-headlights at the front with a massive diamond-shaped grill, which really suits the car. The headlight design extends to the side with dual side-markers, and goes onto the rear with quad-taillight strips. The overall design looks extremely good, to me at least.
The overall shape of the G80 is athletic, with sweeping rear window. The rear window/trunk area reminds me of the Audi A6, however the G80 is not a hatchback. The trunk features a subtle integrated lip spoiler. The bumpers feature dual exhaust tips, which are feature the same diamond shape as found on the front grill (this feature is also present on the GV80).
Our review car came in the more conservative silver color, but it still turned many heads. The silver paint is also absolutely fantastic, and it really popped in the sunlight. The paint looked really high quality with no sight of “orange peel” anywhere. The G80 makes use of some very clean lines, it looks classy and the design should age well.
Genesis G80 Interior
Just like the exterior design, I’m a huge fan of the interior on the Genesis G80. It’s luxurious, has a modern look and feel, and is quite easy to understand and use. The interior layout is very similar to the GV80, with minor changes. My biggest “complaint” about the GV80’s interior was the 2-spoke steering wheel, which is found on the G80 as well but Genesis decided to give it an additional two small spokes. The addition of these spokes on the steering wheel gives it a modern look, rather than the 80’s look on the GV80’s steering wheel.
The quality of the materials used, the fit and finish, and the overall layout/look of the interior on the Genesis G80 is top notch. All the surfaces are covered with leather with a few spots making use of soft plastic. The interior feels like what a true luxury car’s interior should feel like. The interior quality is on par with the best European and Japanese luxury carmakers.
The interior has a clean layout and features all the latest tech and gadgetry we’ve come to expect from modern cars. At the center of the interior is a 14.5” widescreen touchscreen that displays the standard navigation, radio/media information, and front, rear, and side cameras’ output. The graphics on this screen are crisp and easy to see. The screen can be controlled by touching it, although it is a bit far, which could be on purpose to discourage you from touching it. Instead, you can use the large circular touchpad on the center console to move between menus or use voice commands.
Below this area is another display for the climate control, this area utilizes buttons, knobs, and a touchscreen to change the airflow direction, fan speed, temperature control, and heated/cooled seats. Below it is small storage area for keys, phones etc., it also houses the wireless phone charging pad. The center console has a small area for the volume and tuning, the circular pad for controlling the infotainment system, another knob for changing gears, a smaller knob for the different driving modes, and a pair of cup holders.
The interior is really comfortable and quiet. Even with the small 4-cylinder engine, which are usually noisier than 6-cylinder engines, there isn’t too much engine noise making its way into the cabin. The seats are extremely comfortable and have good support for the back. There’s more than enough room for even the tallest of occupants in the front and back seats. The rear seats are also very comfortable and there’s plenty of head, shoulder, and leg room. The back seats are a perfect place to be on a long journey.
Tech/Safety/Convenience Features
All Genesis vehicles come with the latest tech, convenience, and safety features we’ve come to expect from luxury carmakers. The G80, even in the “base” trim is loaded quite well. Below are some of the highlights from the G80’s roster of standard equipment on each of the two trims.
- Full LED Headlights
- Automatic Headlights
- High Beam Assist
- LED Daytime Running Lights
- LED Taillights
- LED Outside Mirror Turn Signal Indicators
- Power-Folding Mirrors
- Auto-dimming Side Mirrors
- Panoramic Sunroof with Tinted Glass
- Acoustic Laminated Glass (Noise Reducing)
- 12-way Power Driver Seat
- 16-way Power Driver Seat (Prestige)
- 12-way Power Passenger Seat including 4-way Power Lumbar (Prestige)
- Front Passenger Seat Walk-in Device
- Heated Front Seats
- Ventilated Front Seats
- Heated Rear Seats
- Rear Center Folding Armrest with Dual Cup Holders
- Lexicon premium audio system with 21 High speakers
- Android Auto & Apple CarPlay
- 4 USB slots
- Bluetooth Hands-free Phone System
- Touch type Dual Zone Climate Control (Select)
- Fully Automatic 3 Zone Climate Control
- Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go
- Wireless Charging Pad
- Proximity Key with Push-Button Start
- Rear view Camera with Parking Guidelines
- Surround View Monitor
- Blind Spot View Monitor
- Head-up Display
- Power Hands-free Smart Liftgate w/ Auto Open
- Soft-close Doors (Prestige)
- Remote Smart Park Assist (Prestige)
- Vehicle Stability Management (VSM)
- Electronic Stability Control System (ESC) with Traction Control System (TCS)
- Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
- Brake Assist (included with ESC)
- Hillstart Assist Control (HAC)
- Parking Distance Warning (4 sensors in front and rear)
- Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist (BCA) and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (RCCA)
- Parking Collision Avoidance-Assist Rear (Prestige)
- Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
- Lane Keeping Assist (LKA)
- Lane Following Assist (LFA)
- Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist
- Driver Attention Warning (DAW)
- Forward Attention Warning (Prestige)
- 10 Airbags
Overall Thoughts on the Genesis G80
I absolutely loved spending a week behind the wheel of a 2021 Genesis G80. Genesis has done an amazing job at brining a luxury car at an affordable price. Even without taking price into consideration, the G80 is an extremely enticing executive sedan. If I was in the market for a vehicle like this, the Genesis G80 would be at the top of my list.
For more information on the G80 and other Genesis vehicles, please visit Genesis Canada website.
