It’s uncommon for an automaker to do all the pieces proper, however Genesis is in that place proper now. From the G70 sport sedan to the G90 flagship and all the pieces in between, each car Genesis makes is stellar. That continues with the 2025 GV80. Not too long ago refreshed, Genesis’ greatest SUV enters its fourth mannequin 12 months with small impactful tweaks however no main adjustments, as a result of why mess with a profitable formulation?
Full disclosure: Genesis loaned me the GV80 on a whim with a full tank of fuel. It dealt with Costco runs and college journeys in lovely, quiet luxurious.
For those who’re wanting luxurious with a presence, the GV80 is the way in which to go. Certain, badge snobs will cry over the truth that it doesn’t have a German emblem on the hood, however at this level, I feel we’re somewhat previous having to clarify the winged Genesis badge to folks — although for those who’re on the lookout for a “price range” Bentley Bentayga, this actually is the SUV for you. Simply Genesis gross sales over the previous couple of years reveals how properly obtained the model has been. Genesis’ gross sales have elevated yearly since 2018, when it bought slightly below 10,000 autos within the U.S, to just about 69,000 vehicles being bought in 2023. Genesis is aware of it has a very good factor going, that’s why the updates to the GV80 are delicate.
You’ll should squint to see the distinction, however the GV80’s entrance fascia has been tweaked for the 2025 mannequin. There’s a brand new grille that Genesis calls the Two-Line Crest, with double the variety of interconnecting lattices making up the mesh sample. Under which can be bigger air intakes together with a wider fake skid plate that ought to have been left off the design, but in addition someway works. On the rear, the deletion of exhaust retailers cleans up the rear design.
Whereas the GV80’s design is refreshed, its powertrains are carryover. The GV80 is powered by both a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-4 with 300 horsepower or a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 with 375 hp, the latter of which is what powered my tester. Prospects who go for the new-for-2025 GV80 Coupe can get that V6 with an electrical supercharger added on for a complete of 409 hp, but it surely’s not supplied on the usual SUV. My GV80 was a Status AWD trim, which meant it was loaded. Pricing for this trim begins at $80,650 together with vacation spot. The one choice on my tester was its wonderful matte Storr Inexperienced exterior paint for $1,500, bringing the whole to $82,150.
Getting behind the wheel of GV80 you’ll rapidly discover it’s a large car. The GV80 measures simply over 194.5 inches lengthy, 77.8 inches extensive and 67.5 inches tall, making it about the identical size as a Mercedes-Benz GLE and barely shorter in peak than a BMW X5. That’s all emphasised by the massive 22-inch wheels that come on the Status trim. You actually really feel the GV80’s 5,148-pound heft when driving, and it’s on no account a sporty SUV. Don’t go on the lookout for again roads to deal with on this factor.
Physique lean will rapidly remind you that you need to decelerate earlier than issues get unhealthy. That isn’t to say it’s as unhealthy as a luxo boat from the Eighties or ‘90s, but it surely’s sufficient to make you come to your senses and decelerate. The dual-turbo V6 pulls strongly, although, and regardless of the GV80’s dimension and weight, the powertrain has no bother getting the SUV in control; unbiased testing reveals the GV80 with the twin-turbo V6 can hit 60 mph in slightly below six seconds. And with almost non-existent turbo lag, passing and merging are a breeze.
The GV80 is greatest skilled when calmly cruising alongside so you possibly can benefit from the serene, tranquil inside. Nearly no exterior noise seeps its manner into the cabin. It’s actually one of many quietest vehicles I’ve been in exterior of a Bentley due to Genesis’ lively noise management. The system is admittedly complicated however basically, microphones positioned in every seat actively hear and cancel exterior noise earlier than it reaches passengers in milliseconds. The result’s an inside that Automotive and Driver says is one decibel quieter than a Bentley Bentayga. Much more tech is used to present the GV80 a buttery easy experience. A know-how referred to as Street Preview makes use of the car’s entrance digital camera to scan the highway forward and alter the suspension accordingly. It actually helps decrease the hit you are feeling from going over issues like potholes and velocity bumps.
It’s additionally simply plain lovely inside. Genesis’ designers appear to be impressed by house interiors and fashionable artwork. Each floor, shade, texture and angle is attractive and prime quality. The inside of my tester was completed within the Earth Brown Smoky Inexperienced shade mixture, which used a stunning inexperienced on the higher half of the doorways, the dashboard, the outer rim of the steering wheel and the decrease half of the middle console, whereas all the pieces else is a heat shade of brown. This consists of the Nappa leather-based seats and the microfiber suede headliner. It was topped off by an equally lovely mild coloured matte wooden end that wouldn’t look misplaced in a house.
The spotlight of the inside is the huge 27-inch OLED instrument cluster, which is new within the GV80 for 2025. Whereas different automakers have been releasing comparable curved shows, they’re not one complete seamless display screen; there’s normally some type of clean or false area between the screens. Not so within the GV80. The show is really one large seamless unit.
Genesis is forgoing what different automakers are doing by burying all controls into the display screen. There are precise bodily knobs and buttons for the audio and local weather features. Properly, they’re not buttons per se as they’re haptic, however nonetheless, it’s good to have them be wherever else however in a rattling menu.
My tester was additionally loaded to the hilt with options. Within the Status trim you get issues like a Bang & Olufsen audio system, a dual-pane panoramic sunroof, three-zone local weather management, soft-close doorways, a head-up show, and heated and cooled entrance and rear seats with energy changes for the second row. It even has a temper curator that lets you chill out with completely different themes that play sounds, present photos and alter the colour of the inside lighting. Talking of which, the ambient inside lighting of the GV80 is a few of the coziest I’ve skilled, particularly at evening.
The GV80 isn’t with out faults. Certainly one of them is the fuel mileage. A twin-turbo V6 and a 5,000-plus-pound curb weight means this factor is thirsty. Its EPA scores of 16 mpg metropolis, 22 mpg freeway and 19 mpg mixed are V8-like; I averaged one lower than its mixed ranking at 18 mpg throughout my time with the GV80. What’s wild is that these gasoline economic system numbers aren’t far off of a Bentley Bentayga. Regardless of the GV80 being down two cylinders and 167 hp to the Bentayga’s twin-turbo V8, EPA scores are simply off of the Bentley: simply two mpg higher within the metropolis, one mpg higher on the freeway and and three mpg higher mixed. An absence of an even bigger engine or hybrid choice would possibly flip some consumers off as properly, particularly given the truth that the GV80 performs in a section the place each can be found elsewhere.
An absence of a third-row seat can be an issue. For some purpose Genesis relegates the GV80’s accessible third row to the Superior trim, which sits one rung down from the Status. The dearth of this third row does release cargo area, because it has 36.5 cubic ft behind the second row and 71.7 cubic ft with each rows folded. That shrinks to only 11.6 cubic ft when outfitted with the third row.
So is the GV80 actually nearly as good as a Bentley? Sure and no. As our personal Erin Marquis identified, the 2 SUVs take completely completely different approaches to luxurious. Nothing can beat the Bentayga’s opulence as a result of it’s a Bentley, after all. And with its $200,000+ price ticket, the Bentley’s presence speaks for itself. That doesn’t imply you need to rely out the GV80. Regardless of being on a lower cost and status stage, the GV80 is superb and ought to be the envy of each one who drives a German or Japanese luxurious automotive. Its good mixture of luxurious, efficiency, consolation and high quality matches or beats what its opponents are doing, for much less cash and with a superb guarantee on prime of that. For being a fledgling model in a stacked section, it’s wild that the GV80 actually is that this good, and as time goes on, Genesis will in all probability make it even higher.
