It’s been a good couple of years for luxurious automotive manufacturers, particularly Genesis, one of many latest guys on the block. After initially launching with a sedan-only lineup, the corporate’s GV80 SUV premiered in 2020 as one of many crown jewels of its lineup, and now the GV80 is the recipient of a refined refresh to present its lifecycle just a little gross sales oomph.
Earlier than us journalists might even get into the automobiles, Genesis introduced that it’s greater than doubling the U.S. states it operates in, with the variety of standalone dealerships rising from 9 to 35. There are extra alternatives than ever earlier than to deliver Genesis on to the lots and the GV80 will gentle the way in which. The GV80 alone accounts for one-third of Genesis gross sales within the U.S. general; within the first quarter of this 12 months, Genesis bought a report 14,777 autos with 4,768 of these automobiles being GV80s. That’s the sort of success Genesis doesn’t need to mess with, and after driving the up to date GV80 by way of the Texas countryside, fortunately I can affirm it hasn’t.
Full disclosure: Genesis introduced me out to Fort Price, Texas, and put me up in a pleasant resort to take the GV80 for a drive across the Texas countryside.
Not a lot has modified for the GV80 on the drivetrain entrance. Prospects can nonetheless select between a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-4 engine good for 300 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque or the twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 engine with 375 hp and 391 lb-ft of torque. Each include all-wheel drive and an 8-speed transmission, and the GV80 has 5 normal drive modes.
Base pricing stays across the similar as final 12 months’s fashions. The AWD bundle (thought the entire GV80s are all-wheel drive) would be the base mannequin at $58,700 MSRP, at the least till a $57,700 mannequin hits dealerships later this summer season. Up on the high of the bundle ladder, nonetheless, you get into child Bentley territory certainly. The highest of the 2025 mannequin 12 months is the three.5-liter Status bundle at $79,300. Status patrons get all the things from an influence folding second and third rows, Nappa Leather-based seats and heated rear seats. The priciest bundle you may get a GV80 within the final mannequin 12 months is $69,200.
Styling is the place many of the updates had been made. A brand new and intricately engraved emblem graces the hood, the LED headlamp design has been up to date for higher efficiency and the net-like grille will get a second layer of diamond mesh, including to the dedication to the two-line design Genesis is understood for.
Genesis additionally closely redesigned the decrease entrance bumper on the GV80 to be extra aggressive. Whereas it doesn’t look unhealthy, man, I hate the main target round “aggressive” styling. Genesis is nice as a result of the automobiles are elegant, lovely and filled with surprising particulars (the carved beveled traces on the window switches are significantly memorable within the 2025 mannequin.) However aggressive? That’s actually each different automaker’s schtick. Troy Saito, Genesis’ Director of Gross sales Operations within the U.S., informed a gaggle of journalists that that is the overall design course for the corporate’s SUVs.
“We’ve been noticing the tendencies within the segments are a bit extra aggressive and a bit extra in your face. So we’re shifting, gently, in that course,” Saito stated. I hope Genesis does follow, at most, mild aggression. The precise change is nice and provides the entrance bumper extra construction by turning it from a smile to a grimace, which is, I suppose, aggressive.
I simply love the artwork deco grace of those automobiles, and I’d hate to see that design go by the wayside to chase trying like each different automaker, however with the likes of the Mercedes-Benz GLE and the BMW X5 and the Lexus RX in its crosshairs, the GV80 is eyeing patrons on the lookout for aggressive SUVs. The little luxurious firm that would continues to be chasing as many conquest clients as it will possibly, so just a little aggressive improve is to be forgiven.
The rear design now additionally accentuates the width and “highway presence” of the car. Genesis hid the exhaust behind the identical type of “aggressive” cladding from the entrance bumper, which I believe appears nice. And together with aggressive type comes the large wheels beloved by automakers, with 19-inch wheels normal on the four-cylinder and as much as 22-inchers supplied on the high-er finish trims.
Inside issues are as luxurious as ever. Every thing is wrapped within the supple leather-based you’d count on from a luxurious SUV, with two new shade combos popping out for the 2025 mannequin. As a fan of all issues further, I’m keen on the green-black and cognac brown leather-based inside possibility paired with the brand new matte inexperienced exterior end that Genesis calls Storr. The season for the inexperienced automobile is upon us as soon as once more my youngsters, and I couldn’t be happier about it. Exhausting surfaces can are available unfinished wooden grain, brushed aluminum or a neat materials made out of recycled wooden and compressed newspaper.
The steering wheel — already a beefy boi — is even thicker and extra richly leather-wrapped within the 2025 GV80. It feels just like the wheel of one of many big luxurious vehicles we move on the freeways outdoors of Fort Price, Texas. The GV80 doesn’t have that cool crystal ball shifter of the GV60, as a substitute utilizing a shift-by-wire built-in knob selector that didn’t make me really feel like a magical SUV wizard whereas driving, however it was wonderful. The fingerprint sensor that can begin the automobile, nonetheless, does really feel vaguely magical, or at the least futuristic. It didn’t work for my digits, in fact, however then once more I’m not The Chosen One.
Simply past the chonky wheel, in fact, is a display screen. Right here we have now a 27-inch OLED show that stretches seamlessly throughout two-thirds the size of the cockpit, combining collectively the infotainment and gauge cluster screens, relatively than the smaller, extra centrally situated display screen of the final era and its standalone gauge show. The driving force show is customizable with all the weather you’d count on, like odometer, speedometer, fuel gauge in addition to temperature and climate.
The proper half of the display screen is dedicated to navigation and infotainment, and it’s a lot simpler to make use of than the centrally situated tablet-style screens which might be lastly going out of favor. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are in fact accessible, although restricted in what options the automobile can use when Bluetooth is engaged. My drive associate and I ended up connecting our telephones to our GV80 utilizing a wire. That is positively the sentence they’re going to learn at my trial for being a category traitor, however can you actually be luxurious with cables hanging round like so many tape adapters plugged into moveable CD gamers?
The display screen is vibrant and fantastically designed, if not at all times simple to make use of. As soon as once more, menus are the enemy of the fashionable driver. My drive associate and I, after a lot looking out and flipping by way of the proprietor’s guide, ended up flagging down an engineer to determine how you can zero out the highway journey odometer. No less than your butt is planted in a really comfy seat. In my stretches behind the wheel I bought to expertise the Ergo Movement Seating, and it actually does make a distinction in lengthy hauls to have a seat that does the uncomfortable shifting round for you.
As for driving dynamics, not a lot has modified in any respect. It’s a steer-by-wire car with high-performance fuel shock absorbers that appeared significantly bouncy to me; there’s just a bit an excessive amount of air time when hitting medium bumps or washboard-like imperfections at pace. In different phrases, it floats like a luxurious SUV, however doesn’t do a lot to offended up the blood. Highway noise, by no means actually an issue within the GV80 earlier than, has been additional decreased with acoustic dampening laminated glass, which actually offers the flowery Bang & Olufsen–designed sound system area to work its magic. I’m not operating out and dropping large cash on audio system simply but, however I may very well be satisfied.
I additionally bought to check out Genesis’ Stage 2 superior driver help programs, which had been impressively unremarkable. I say that as a result of the lane-keeping help and adaptive cruise management behaved completely and with out observe, which is about one of the best praise you may give these instruments.
The 2025 GV80 begins at $59,050 (together with vacation spot) for the four-cylinder, the identical as earlier than, and $75,150 for the V6, which is now supplied with the Superior trim as normal and is barely costlier than the outdated mannequin. All informed, Genesis will proceed to promote a ton of GV80s, and these design updates will solely assist it acquire extra followers and develop extra of a following.
