2021 Genesis GV80 SUV and G80 Sedan First Look

This is the all-new Genesis GV80. I'm taking it for a walk because I'm not allowed to drive it, but I can show you all around it. Let's do that right now, right here on Driving Sports TV. Today we're looking at not one, but two new vehicles from Hyundai's luxury brand Genesis. And like I said at the intro of this video, I can't give driving impressions on either of them. That's because these are early pre-production models. Funny story. When Genesis called and offered us a first look, they said that we couldn't drive them on public roads. I said that was fine. I'll just rent an airstrip. But then the real story came out. The drivetrain and suspension aren't finalized. So impressions wouldn't be accurate compared to the final product. Okay, that's fair. To be honest, at first I wasn't terribly thrilled about this whole arrangement. But then again, these cars are a big deal. I mean, the GV80 is the first platform-up crossover from Genesis. And it's said to be a rival to BMW and Mercedes. So with that said, let's go ahead and dig in and see if these cars are worth all the fuss. On my left is the G80. It's basically a sedan version of what you see on my right, the GV80. The crossover is the one I'm more interested in. So we'll start with the big boy. The GV80 competes with the Mercedes GLE and BMW X5. Pricing on the Genesis starts at just under 50 grand. The model we're looking at here is the top of the line V6 Prestige, which starts at just under $71,000. Base models get a turbo four and rear wheel drive. However, this one came with the optional 3.5 liter twin turbocharged V6, churning out 375 horsepower. It is connected to an eight speed automatic transmission, and it powers all four wheels through an electronically controlled all wheel drive system. The V6 Prestige models like this one also get an E differential in the back to help shift power around. In the cargo area is an optional third row, allowing for up to seven passengers. You can fold this third row down with a push of a button. A second set of buttons lowers the second row. We don't have numbers for the cargo area yet, but it does appear to be slightly smaller than the Mercedes GLE, with the GLE having a lower and flatter floor. Under the floor of the GV80 is a cubby, which is next to the battery. As you see, they move the battery to the back to help improve weight distribution. Returning the third row to their original position is as easy as pushing a button. Even though the third row isn't really intended for adults, it's always worthwhile to give it a try. And yeah, it's pretty bad for an adult, just as expected. Hopefully the second row is better. Okay, so the floor feels really high, probably to get, you know, that extra ground clearance. It's very light in here because of the panorama sunroof, which I can actually pass my hands through. That's interesting. I get an armrest with integrated cupholders. I also get AC power, USB. It's interesting, it's old style USB, not the USB-C. And then I also get seat warmers and seat coolers in the second row. This is pretty nice, actually. We get a sunscreen. Hey, sunshade. Up front is an interior that is definitely unique. Quilted Nappa leather and sweeping design envelops the driver. Even the knee knockers are quilted. Fancy. Actually, I haven't seen this many quilted surfaces since I visited my grandmother's house. It's a bit much, but I can't deny that it's comfortable because it is really comfortable. The seats have lots of adjustments available. You can even move the passenger seat with a convenient side mounted button. Hitting the power switch and immediately this was different. Three words. Holographic. Gauge. Cluster. Unfortunately, there's no real way to show you on camera just how cool these look. Best I can figure is that this tech uses a face sensor to detect your eye position and changes the viewing angle on the fly. When it can't see a pair of eyes, it automatically renders the whole cluster in two dimensions, like you see here. There are selectable drive settings, but you will take note of the absence of a trail mode. You can lock the center coupler, but that's it. The air con buttons are easy to use and give haptic feedback as you make selections. This temperature dial, in particular, feels a bit loose and cheap, which is disappointing. To control the infotainment system, Genesis introduces yet another way to interact. Of course, you can use touch, but the innovation here is a spinny dial. In the middle of the dial is a concave multi-directional selector and a touchpad for writing in navigation directions. It works pretty good. As expected, the map graphics are all very nice, finally making a visual departure from the system that you would find in a Hyundai. This was something that I complained about in my Genesis G70 review, and I'm glad to see a new direction for the premium brand here. Switching into reverse brings up one of the best-looking parking views you'll find outside of a Hyundai Palisade. You even get an interactive 3D model to play with. You will notice another departure here with the transmission selector. This one is a twist, left or right, for drive or reverse. I actually like it better than the Ford dial, but it's too bad they couldn't hide the maintenance access door a little bit better. That's a pretty ugly wart in plain view. So far, this is looking to be a very interesting entry in the crossover market. It's unique, and that is rare these days. But we're not done yet. I'm not allowed to even drive this car, but I am allowed to park it, and I think I'm gonna go park it right over here. Parking on a couple lifts allows us to take a look under the chassis. As we go up, notice that looks like a pretty good approach angle. Underneath, we can see that Genesis has done a lot of work to improve aero under here. Also, a very tidy job with those dual exhaust pipes. Let's move on now to the G80 sedan and see what's up there. Clearly, both of these share a common design theme. I think this look works better on the larger GV80. From the angles on this Tasman Blue G80 sedan, I'm seeing some traces of RX-8 in the design, some Mercedes, and even a little bit of Chrysler Crossfire. But thankfully, it's only a passing reminder of those older cars. This is loaded with way more luxury and tech than a Crossfire owner could even dream of. It even has the parking assist feature that I showed off at the beginning of this video with the GV80. I have no idea why it's steering all over the place. Where are you going? Come back. Wait, where? Here. Why are you steering like that? I don't get this. Are you looking for? You're done? You're done? Okay, fine. I didn't know it at the time, but actually, this system was smarter than I thought. If I stood in front of it, it would have stopped completely. That is what I expected. But here, I'm just enough off the line, and it has enough distance to steer around me. So that's actually what it was doing. It was doing its job. I just didn't recognize it at the time. Under the hood of the G80 is the same 3.5 liter twin-turbo V6 found in the SUV variant. But where the SUV is only available with this engine when paired with all-wheel drive, the G80 gives you an option to get the full 370 horsepower along with rear-wheel drive, which should be fun. The one they gave us, however, does have the optional all-wheel drive system. Trunk space appears to be normal for the class. You also get a pass-through for longer objects. Under the floor is a spare. The second row is comfortable like the GV80, but not exactly the same. For example, some controls have been relocated to the fold-down armrest, while the side screens are fully manual. But those minor differences aside, the rest of the interior is almost an exact copy of the GV80, down to the same holographic gauge cluster. The G80 also gets paddle shifters, which have a very nice feel. One thing that does confuse me is why do car makers put in such small charging pads for mobile devices? Both the GV and G80 have trays that are too small for larger devices. Also, no Wi-Fi CarPlay. You need a plug-in. Even so, the 14.5-inch display is one of the best you'll see. CarPlay looks great on it. And you still get a secondary area that you can use to display car data. Both these cars point to a very strong future for Genesis. They're unique and full of useful features that most buyers are looking for, for thousands less than the comparable Mercedes-Benz or BMW. But will that really matter in this category? Some buyers simply won't buy a luxury car unless it's German. And knocking down that wall will take some time. But with this new GV80 and G80, Genesis might just be the first one to finally win over some Mercedes diehards. Of course, we really won't know if these are as good as a Mercedes or a BMW until we get some real driving time with them. We should have full production models available for test driving in the fall. And we look forward to putting those vehicles through their paces. So what do you think? Based on this review, do you think that these vehicles are that much better than BMW or Mercedes? Post a comment below. Also, please give us a like and a share. For Driving Sports TV, I'm Ryan Douthit. Thanks for watching. We'll see you again next week. Oh, and next week, Carlina's back. Yeah!