Tag Archives: Genesis G80

2026 Genesis G80 3.5T Sport Prestige

Posted on by

Sleek, statement-making and fun to drive. . . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

In 2025, some 76% of the vehicles sold in the US were either light trucks—as in those things with boxes on the back—or SUVs—as in things that are either bodies-on-frames that can actually drive under more demanding (sometimes sporty) conditions or vehicles that are exceedingly car-like in their underpinnings although a bit higher than cars such that they seem more robust when, in many cases, they aren’t what they seem.

Yes, if you have four vehicles sold in 2025 next to one another, three of the light truck/SUV variety and one in the car category, then there is a 100% chance there will be two adjacent light trucks/SUVs and a 50% chance there will be three light trucks/SUVs in consecutive order.

This isn’t a recent development. People have been buying these bigger or higher vehicles for the past few years. They are now familiar with them. Comfortable with them. Accepting of them.

And they don’t realize that “them” probably subtract significantly from the pleasures of driving.

The Genesis G80 is a sedan. In the 3.5T Sport Prestige it is a sport sedan.

On the exterior it has stylish lines that many SUV designers can only wish they could active on the skin of their vehicles:

(Image: Genesis)

On the interior it has a look that is certainly not something you’re going to find in a whole lot of vehicles of any configuration.

Look—there’s red Nappa leather, quilted seats, not the usual desaturated colors that are found inside vehicles of all varieties:

(Image: gsv)

And also look—there isn’t what simply “appears” to be carbon fiber material used for the trim: that is the real stuff, not the result of hydrographic printing:

(Image: gsv)

What’s more, the vehicle is enjoyable to drive.

Yes, you are sitting lower than you would be in an SUV (like, say, the GV80: yes, Genesis has on offer SUVs, too).

Which means you are closer to the surface you are driving on, which provides a better sense of where you need to be pointing your vehicle.

As this model so happens to have AWD and 375-hp (there is a twin-turbo V6 under that long hood), it provides the stuff needed—and I should also mention that this package has a rear limited-slip differential and rear steering—to put the car where it needs to be among the behemoths that are likely surrounding you as you drive.

And on the subject of being surrounded by what is largely a sea of sameness (if we just consider the number of pickups sold in 2025 by Ford and GM it is on the order of 1.8 million so odds are there is a truck in the lane next to you), the number of G80s sold in the US in 2025 was rather small (on the order of 4,000 units), which is great for you if you get one (sameness is something you won’t be about), but not so good for Genesis and its retailers.

2025 Genesis G80 3.5T Sport Prestige AWD

Posted on by

Why this model deserves serious consideration. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

Genesis was launched as a stand-alone brand in the U.S. in 2015.

In 2008 Hyundai started selling large, lux models in the U.S. that were labeled “Genesis.” Like the “Hyundai Genesis” model.

The thing is, Hyundai was largely recognized back then as a purveyor of economical vehicles, whether it was the entry-level Accent or the sporty Tiburon.

The design revolution that was launched by the Hyundai Sonata didn’t happen until the sixth generation, starting with the model year 2011 car.

The success of that car led to a transformation of the perception of the brand from frumpy to forward.

But still, there was the association of value with Hyundai. Certainly not a bad characteristic, but most luxury buyers probably aren’t worried about whether the vehicle they buy have “America’s Best Warranty.”

The situation was not unlike that experienced at U.S. Volkswagen dealerships from 2004 to 2006, when the $70,000 Phaeton was available.

Imagine taking that car into the service department and seeing a 1978 Beetle (the last year the original was available in the U.S.) covered with Deadhead stickers up on a lift.

Somehow the exclusivity just wasn’t there.

A similar situation would be between an Accent and a Genesis

So the decision was made to make Genesis a brand onto itself.

The first two models offered in the U.S. in 2016 were the G80 and the G90.

Both sedans.

As you may recall, 10 years ago there was a real upswing in demand for lux SUVs.

But Genesis didn’t have one.

And it followed the G80 and G90 with the G70 in 2018—another sedan.

The GV80, an SUV, was launched in the U.S. in 2020.

Dealers must have sighed with considerable relief.

But the company continues to produce sedans. Including the G80.

The thing is: when the first G80 was brought on the U.S. market it was received with a “How are they able to do that?” with the “that” being producing a vehicle with features and amenities that were then primarily associated with the German marques, yet with a sticker price that the Germans had only on their entry-level vehicles.

Genesis designers and engineers have kept at it. They have made improvement after improvement to the interiors and exteriors, to the tech and to the powertrains.

2025 Genesis G80: Style and substance. (Image: Genesis)

The 2025 G80 3.5T Sport Prestige AWD starts at $77,000.

You climb inside it, sit on the quilted Nappa leather seats, look at the actual carbon fiber surfaces, assess the information on the 27-inch OLED instrument cluster and infotainment system, and you know this is something special.

You depress the Start button and the 375-hp turbocharged V6 makes a subdued rumble.

You turn the rotary shift knob located on the center console to put the car into gear, and the car moves with alacrity.

You smile.

Genesis now has a full suite of SUVs. The GV60, GV70, Electrified GV70, GV80, GV80 Coupe.

Yet it still has sedans, like this one.

At some point, I think, people are going to go into a dealership planning to get an SUV, take a sedan like the GV80 for a spin, and forget about that SUV.

2021 NACTOY Finalists Announced: The Top 9 Vehicles Introduced This Year

Posted on by
1

The 50 jurors* of the North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year (NACTOY ) awards—50 people who work for a variety of outlets, so these are manifold perspectives, not that of just one brand—have announced their list of finalists for the 2021 awards, which will be presented in Detroit on January 11. (Actually, they will be presented virtually, given the prevailing pandemic conditions. And while on that sad subject—the pandemic, not the presentation—it is worth noting that this year was a particularly challenging ones for the jurors and OEMs alike, as in (1) getting into a variety of vehicles and (2) launching vehicles.)

So here are the vehicles that have made the short list (in alphabetical order, lest someone read something into the order).

Car of the Year

Genesis G80: the still-young luxury brand brings tech and comfort to its middle-of-the-pack offering (i.e., there are the G70 and the G90 sedans, too)

Hyundai Elantra: they didn’t just launch one version with some trims, but a “regular” one, a hybrid and a performance variant, all at once

Nissan Sentra: compact cars have always had stand-out models, but this one is several dozen levels above of what you might expect

Truck of the Year

Ford F-150: given that the F-150 has been breaking sales records for decades, let’s face it—when they do a new one, they’re not going to risk the crown

Jeep Gladiator Mojave: that name as in the desert, and while other variants of the Gladiator eat rocks, this one can handle the runs across sandy terrain

Ram 1500 TRX: take a Ram 1500, stuff in a HEMI and add a suspension system that can take on conditions that other pickup trucks wouldn’t dare get close to

Utility Vehicle of the Year

Ford Mustang Mach-E: this is arguably the first real EV to come from the North American domestic automakers—there have been others, but this one has the stuff

Genesis GV80: yes, that nomenclature is similar to the car previously mentioned, but this time it is the crossover that John Legend and Chrissy Teigen appropriately introduced in a Super Bowl ad

Land Rover Defender: not only is this a venerable marque, not only does this vehicle have the wherewithal to handle demanding conditions, but it has a design that can’t help but make you smile

*FYI: I am a juror.