Genesis GV80 Coupe review: price, specifications, driving impressions

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Would you drive a luxury car to be associated with a famous brand, savour the best possible driving experience, or because you want to be pampered?

If it’s the latter, Genesis should be on your shopping list.

Though it can’t compete with the likes of BMW, Mercedes or Porsche for badge recognition, the big Euro brands can’t come close to matching the generous features list of the Genesis GV80.

The latest version of the GV80 is a bold move by Hyundai’s luxury arm.

The brand has dropped four-cylinder and diesel variants from the range to focus on a fully-loaded V6 petrol version and a new coupe-like body style.

Priced from about $147,000 drive-away, the Genesis GV80 Coupe is available in a single specification powered by a 279kW/530Nm twin-turbo V6 engine.

Those are satisfactory numbers for a premium SUV, returning effortless power without the real wow factor of high-performance machines.

The Genesis is thirsty, though, requiring 11.7L/100km of premium unleaded, though your fuel bills will be offset by five years of free servicing.

This is not a cheap car, but it does undercut key rivals such as the BMW X6 (about $157,000 drive-away and 280kW of power), Porsche Cayenne Coupe ($159,000 and 260kW) and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe ($170,000 and 280kW) while delivering similar performance.

As with those rivals, the Genesis hopes to turn heads with a coupe-like silhouette, enormous 22-inch wheels and a bold chrome grille.

The interior makes a strong impression thanks to an enormous 27-inch OLED display stretching across the dashboard. The display looks brilliant, particularly when used in an “augmented reality” mode that combines a video feed of the road ahead with navigation information on which lane to use or when to turn.

A flat-bottomed steering wheel and carbon fibre trim suggest the GV80 is sportier than your average SUV, though sofa-like massage chairs with 18-way electronic adjustment reflect its true priority.

Those chairs can introduce subtle movements to prevent body stiffness during a long drive.

They’re heated, of course. So are the armrests, sparing elbows the horror of chilly leather on a winter morning.

Speaking of which, you can have the seats trimmed in an impressive array of colours – we like the oddball combination of smoky green with vanilla beige, accompanied by deep red seatbelts, a crystalline gear selector and multi-coloured ambient lighting.

We don’t have space to list all of the car’s features here. Porsche customers need to spend an extra $30,000 on optional features to match the Genesis’ standard kit.

There are clever touches everywhere you look, from the Michelin tyres with special insulation to minimise road noise, to the centre console with a UV-C radiation lamp that kills germs on your keys and phone.

It has all the safety gear you could hope for, including advanced driver assistance tech that helps ease the burden of driving in stop-start traffic.

But there are a few features that are missing, including the sophisticated air suspension offered by rivals.

The GV80 makes do with conventional steel springs accompanied by multi-mode shocks tuned for comfort – so much so that the car can develop a heaving, waterbed-like sensation from time to time.

It misses out on rear-wheel steering that reduces the turning circle of luxury cars, and active anti-roll bars that prevent heavy cars leaning over while cornering.

All of this means it’s not a particularly engaging car to drive. You feel all of its 2.2-tonne mass in tight turns, and you might feel unsettled from time to time over lumpy road surfaces.

A more focused “Magma” version promises to sort that out, giving Genesis an answer to the likes of Mercedes-AMG and BMW’s M Division.

VERDICT

Three stars

This won’t be the pick for people who truly love driving, or want to impress friends with a flashy badge. But folks who appreciate luxurious tech and materials will be thrilled with the Genesis GV80 Coupe.

GENESIS GV80 COUPE

PRICE $147,000 drive-away

ENGINE 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6, 279kW and 530Nm

WARRANTY/SERVICE 5-yr/unlimited km, 5-yr free servicing

SAFETY 10 airbags, auto emergency braking, active cruise control, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert

THIRST 11.7L/100km

BOOT 644 litres

SPARE Repair kit

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