Genesis G80 2019 Review

Cast aside your conventional wisdom, premium brand preconceptions and badge allegiances. This, we’re told, is Genesis for real.

Backed by parent company Hyundai, the South Korean luxury brand has formally entered the Australian market with two models purportedly ready to take on the might of Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Whereas the original 2015 Hyundai Genesis was conceived to test the waters of Australia’s chauffeur market, this time round Genesis plans to shake-up the private sector by entering the water like a pirouetting cannonball.

Like Nissan’s Infiniti and Toyota’s Lexus before that, Genesis wants to be a segment disruptor. It wants to rewrite the terms of owning a luxury car and the car-maker’s global boss, Manfred Fitzgerald, is unapologetically bold in his vision.

“We are here to take on Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz,” he proclaimed at the Genesis Australia launch, adding that Lexus and Infiniti are in a different league.

“I don’t understand what they’re doing with their brands right now, neither are competitors for us.”

For now, after several embarrassing delays, Genesis is using two vehicles to tackle the German triumvirate: the mid-size G70 sports sedan and the full-size G80 sedan driven here. An SUV will join them before year’s end, followed by a fleet of other offerings including an electric car in due course.

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class rival is anchored by the $68,900 (plus on-road costs) Genesis G80 and moves upwards through three other derivatives: the G80 Sport Design ($72,900), G80 Ultimate ($88,900) and the flagship G80 Ultimate Sport Design ($92,900).

Closer inspection reveals almost carry-over equipment and technology from the original Hyundai Genesis. Despite that, entry pricing between the two has increased by $7400 since the Hyundai Genesis was last offered in 2017.

All Genesis G80 models employ the same 3.8-litre naturally-aspirated petrol V6, sending drive to the rear wheels via a smooth-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission. Power is rated at 232kW and torque at 397Nm.

A healthy standard equipment list in entry form comprises 18-inch alloy wheels, adaptive LED headlights, LED daytime running lights, and LED fog lights and tail-lights.

Inside there is leather seat trim, heated front seats, a 9.2-inch infotainment screen with sat-nav, 360-degree camera system, 17-speaker audio system, wireless phone charging, keyless entry/start and 12-way powered front seats with driver’s memory.

On the safety front, the Genesis G80 packages nine airbags, automated emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control and more, evidenced by our existing pricing story.

Each Genesis G80 is offered with the marque’s connected services app, which enables smartphone-activated functions such as remote engine start, scheduling services, location data for accidents and breakdowns, and key driving data.

Genesis raises the stakes in aftersales provisions, too. A five-year warranty, five-year roadside assist and five-year inclusive servicing is packaged into the new vehicle price, which perhaps begins to explain how Genesis can justify the premium over the outgoing Hyundai Genesis.

If you live within 70km of your local Genesis ‘studio’ (read: dealership), the manufacturer will arrange pick-up and delivery for your G80 and also supply a courtesy vehicle during the transaction.

The caveat here is that there is currently one solitary studio in Australia -- in Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall.

However, plans are afoot for upwards of 10 studios, and Genesis insists it will do the legwork to assist early adopters in logistics and aftersales – potentially flying technicians to locations.

An equally unknown quantity for the Genesis G80 remains resale value. According to data on valuation site Redbook, a three-year-old Hyundai Genesis that retailed for $61,500 when new is now worth between $31,600 and $34,500.

Relative to its rivals – identified as the E-Class, Audi A6 and BMW 5 Series – the basic $70,000 outlay for the Genesis G80 appears strong on paper; but there are a few holes in the sales pitch upon nestling into its broad, 12-way adjustable driver’s chair.

In earnest, the interior is feeling its age, with myriad buttons adorning the centre fascia and a slightly-dated mish-mash of timber inlays and beige panels occupying the eye-level areas of the cabin. There’s also no availability of digital radio.

There are no complaints around quality or build construction, even though there are some loose ties with the car’s Hyundai origins. Shut lines are consistent and there are no squeaks or rattles to speak of.

Against the sleek, immersive new digital displays over at Audi and Mercedes-Benz, the Genesis’ centre screen and mostly analogue digital cluster feel about five years off the pace. Clear and concise they may be, but-segment leading they are not.

Withstanding that, space is strong throughout the spacious five-seat cabin, with adequate leg and head proportions commensurate with chauffeur driving duties, and soft-touch materials at the contact points.

The car’s door pockets aren’t bottle-friendly, though there are a couple of USB points across the two rows.
A drop-down centre arm rest in the rear houses access to the car’s key climate controls, infotainment and sunshades within the rear window.

Access to the big 493-litre boot is via a narrow ski-port only; the Genesis G80 misses out on conventional split/folding rear seats. Furthermore, the tailgate is manually operated only, though the boot does house a space-saver tyre under its floor.

Say what you want about the G80’s origins, but the large sedan has at least gone one step further than most luxury aspirants in Australianising its ride and handling. Officials from the car-maker say they undertook an exhaustive tuning program on Aussie soil to ensure the car is a worthy adversary to our network of chopped up rural roads.

The changes appear a masterstroke on launch, going some way in redeeming the G80’s age and lack of equipment in some areas. Its steering, ride and handling set-up feels well attuned to the big-car/big-country ethos that made cars like Holden’s Commodore so enduring.

The Genesis G80 nonchalantly wafts its way over country roads, effortlessly dispatching pitter-patter bumps and shaking off larger jolts in the road without any crashing or thudding. This is irrespective of 18-inch or 19-inch wheel sizes, the front and rear multi-link suspension systems teaming nicely with adaptive suspension damping.

From a dynamic capacity, the G80 feels composed and mature, with adequate levels of steering feedback and excellent body control to happily facilitate the occasional backroad blast.

The cabin is hushed and refined too, suppressing road and wind noise in line with the segment expectations.

Then there’s the V6. Yes, its 10.3L/100km fuel consumption might be outdone by newer, smaller turbocharged mills on paper, but our 500km test loop presented a markedly different reality.

The 3.8-litre six is completely under-stressed in regular driving, working with the smooth-shifting eight-speed automatic to build speed effortlessly and progressively.

Fuel use is kept within sight of the claim, at 10.6L/100km in a mix of conditions, and the engine can be willingly called upon for a quick flash of speed. Pushed harder, the engine returns a 0-100km/h time of 6.5 seconds, says Genesis. That’s quite spritely, given the car weighs about two tonnes.

Long-range amenity is also assured with the big six at play. At highway speeds, it happily plods along at less than 2000rpm, consuming well under 10L/100km.

In many respects, the Genesis G80 feels more like a tarted-up Hyundai than a brand-new luxury disruptor, although some of that is to be expected given the car’s direct lineage from the original Hyundai Genesis.

Notwithstanding all the rhetoric around inclusive servicing and the like, the newcomer makes arguably its biggest impact on the road as a composed and refined long-distance machine.

Are those factors alone enough to wrest a significant number of (dwindling) large premium sedan sales from the German triumvirate? Conventional wisdom suggests not, but it’s still early days.

How much does the 2019 Genesis G80 cost?
Price: $68,900-$92,900 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.8-litre V6 petrol
Output: 232kW/397Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 10.8L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 253g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP)