5 things I learned driving the 2021 Genesis G80

It's gorgeous, as luxurious as the GV80 sport-ute, but it could use more sporty feel

David Booth

Dec 17, 2020 • December 17, 2020 • 4 minute read • Join the conversation

2021 Genesis G80

In case you haven’t noticed, Hyundai is putting a big push behind its new(ish) luxury brand, Genesis. After years of doddering with Genesis — first as a luxury model in the Hyundai lineup, and then as an upstart high-end brand — it’s recently upped the ante dramatically with two all-new mid-sized siblings, the GV80, its first sport-utility, and its G80 sedan sibling. Having now tested both, here’s how the new sedan version stacks up to its sport brutish sibling, not to mention other mid-sized luxury sedans.

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Hey, good-looking…

Hyundai Motor Company’s styling department is finally firing on all cylinders. The GV80 shares a platform and powertrains with the G80. It’s quite svelte, but it’s the coupe-ish sedan sibling that really speaks to the headway the Korean company is making in the design department. The slinky silhouette screams sophistication; the front grille is extremely aggressive without being comical; and the wheels, at least the G-Matrix items on my tester, are the best I have seen short of magnesium Lamborghini rims.

It looks like Genesis has finally said sayonara to the somnolent stylings that plagued its previous large sedans, and unlike with the first G80, bystanders actually take notice of the 2021 version, gaining compliments its predecessor never could. In the luxury segment, you must first stand out before you can capture a new audience, so well done, Genesis.

2021 Genesis G80

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The interior impresses me as the GV80 did

That’s mainly because they are twins separated at birth. There’s the same sumptuous leather, the same ornate quilting, and the same premium materials — aluminum and tempered glass — that distinguished Genesis from pretty much every player in this price range ($66,000 for the 2.5T Advanced and $76,000 for the 3.5T Prestige). The transmission’s rotary dial is a work of art, as is the Apple-iPod-like infotainment system controller, although not as intuitive as that association might have you believe. Said infotainment system is controlled by a 14.5-inch touchscreen, gargantuan as well as well-organized. Genesis might have overdone it a little in the submenu department, and I wish there were fewer tiles to scroll through sideways, but the system is still a marked improvement over previous Genesis systems.

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The front seats are roomy, though the rear quarters are a little cramped because of that sloping roofline. Trunk volume also suffers a little for the slinky silhouette, and if one is looking for an excuse to opt for its GV80 sibling, trunk room is all the reason you need. That said, the cabin is as quiet as the proverbial church mouse thanks to Genesis’ intuitive noise cancellation system.

The little turbocharged four is all right, all right, all right

The entry-level turbocharged four makes 300 horsepower and an even more impressive 311 pound-feet of torque, more than some of its competition. That’s because it displaces 2.5 litres rather than the 2,000 cubic centimetres that is the norm in its German competition.

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It’s pretty punchy at low revs and particularly powerful in the mid-range. It gets a little buzzy when you really wind it out, but considering how rare the need for redline in this four, it’s really no bother. The 3.5-litre V6 is also turbocharged, and pumps out an even-more-impressive 375 horses and 391 pound-feet of torque. It feels a little gruntier than the four, but not especially so. Its main advantage is that it’s smoother as the revs hit redline. Again, like the GV80, I was plenty satisfied with the base engine, enough so that I wouldn’t bother upticking to the V6.

Rear-wheel bias for sportier performance

Like the best of luxury segment all-wheel-drive systems, the G80’s AWD is based on a rear-wheel-drive platform, and only sends torque to the front axle when slippage is detected. That marries the sportier torque split of a rear-drive platform with the security of AWD. It pretty much works as advertised.

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I got to test the G80 on the slippery sideroads of wintery Northern Quebec and the G80’s handling was almost perfectly benign, with neither under- nor oversteer noticeable despite some earnest exercise of right foot. Between the tractive abilities of the computerized AWD and the quick reactions of its traction control system, wheelspin was all but unnoticeable. Some appropriately-treaded Pirelli P Zero winter tires helped, of course, but the G80 is a pretty adept road warrior for inclement conditions. Opt for an SUV if you must, and say you need greater ground clearance if you want to justify that decision, but never fool yourself you’re getting better traction in a sport-brute — even the GV80 — than you’ll get from the G80.

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But I do wish Genesis had spiffed up the suspension

SUVs are all the rage right now, so any sedan needs an extra raison d’etre for someone to choose it over a faux-by-faux. That certain something for the G80 should have been the handling. SUVs tend to be roly-poly by design and the GV80 is a softly-suspended one at that, leaving the door wide open for Genesis to create its own version of the Ultimate Driving Machine in the G80.

It did not. Even though the G80 3.5T Prestige does offer the same adaptive suspension as the GV80, the calibration of said suspension and steering doesn’t feel dramatically sportier than in the SUV – at least, not decidedly so. I think this is a lost opportunity. A sedan needs more than just a different body style to sell itself successfully against an SUV sibling these days. Indeed, my main — in fact, only complaint — about the G80 is that Genesis didn’t give consumers enough reason to opt for it over its SUV sibling. They are simply too close in personality and, such things being equal, I suspect most Genesis shoppers will opt for the GV80. And that’s too bad, because the G80 is one sly, sophisticated sedan.