Genesis Electrified G80 review

Driving position 

The whole point of a car like this Genesis, is to be chauffeured around, hinted at by the dedicated chauffeur drive mode and electric rear doors and blinds. 

But what if you just want to drive it around normally like every other car? Well, that’s what we did and were pleasantly surprised. 

The driver’s seat itself is very comfortable, with lots of electronic adjustability and heated and cooled functions. Legroom is fine, but headroom could be better. 

If you’re over six feet, you may find yourself clanging your head on the sun visor occasionally. 

Tech and features 

Genesis Electrified G80 trims 

–  Dynamic 

It's become very common for car brands to offer just one trim on their models, namely the Leapmotor C10 and OMODA 9. 

This makes it easier to know what you’re getting and cuts out all the noise of ‘what features do I want to spend loads on to add?’. 

Our Dynamic trim test car had everything but the kitchen sink thrown at it. It had just shy of £10,000 worth of options, including quilted Nappa leather seats, Comfort Pack and the 2nd Row Comfort Pack. 

These added extra features such as ventilated seats, electric seat side bolsters, front and rear heated seats, rear passenger vanity mirrors in the ceiling, power-closing rear doors, an electric rear window curtain and a rear central armrest with controls for media functions. 

These are truly luxurious features, and we’ll go into more detail on the rear of the car later on. 

For now, you also get a large 27-inch screen that spans the dash, with built-in wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Additionally, there’s a wireless phone charger, a UV light inside the central armrest to sterilise your device, USB-C ports and physical buttons... yes, you heard that correctly. 

A real bugbear in modern cars is how few physical knobs and buttons there are. In fact, so many controls are now only available via the touchscreen, which can be hazardous while driving – something picked up on by ex-Apple designer Jony Ive when he redesigned Ferrari’s first electric car interior. 

The Electrified G80 has a perfect balance of the two, with a screen dedicated to these controls and physical knobs to adjust the temperature, plus a dial to control the infotainment screen if you don't fancy reaching for it with your grubby fingers. 

Electric motors and power 

Genesis Electrified G80 performance stats 

• Power: 370hp 

• 0-62mph: 5.1 seconds 

• Top speed: 139mph 

• Driven wheels: All-wheel drive (AWD) 

The Genesis Electrified G80 comes with only one trim level, and this extends to its powertrain, too.  

All versions have the same all-wheel drive (AWD) setup with 370hp (185hp at the front and 185hp at the back).  

This, plus 700Nm of torque, means it’s no slouch. 

We spent a couple of days running it up and down the A1, covering hundreds of miles, and we have to say there’s not much else that can tackle motorways quite like an Electrified G80. 

There’s instant torque on tap for overtakes, and the ride is simply sublime. Even around town, the silent nature of this five-metre-long behemoth comes into its own. 

Its all-wheel drive system is handy in harsh conditions, but also means the car always feels well-planted and secure. 

Handling and ride comfort 

The reason the Genesis Electrified G80 is so comfortable on the motorway and around town is thanks to its rather unique suspension setup.  

It's made up of traditional steel springs and adaptive dampers, but these are informed of what the road surface ahead is like via a forward-facing camera. This helps to smooth out any upcoming bumps in the road before you even get to them, and it works remarkably well. 

Activate chauffeur mode, and this increases its wafting ability by softening the ride even more. Finally, a way to stop rear-seat passengers from spilling their 1989 Château Pétrus all over their copy of the Financial Times. Happens to us all... 

On top of this, and a way to tackle multi-storey carparks, is the G80’s rear-wheel steering system, which helps turn this barge-shaped saloon on a dime. 

It might feel a little odd to begin with, but it works wonders in practice. 

Boot space 

Genesis Electrified G80 boot space: 

• Boot space: 354 litres 

• Incl. Rear seats folded: N/A (seats fixed) 

• Front boot (froot): N/A 

It's all been so good up until now, but this is where the Genesis slightly lacks compared to its rivals.  

The old petrol Genesis G80 had a 424-litre boot, but this drops to 354 litres in the newer electric G80, making it smaller than a Golf’s. 

Against rivals such as the BMW i5 (490 litres) and Mercedes EQE Saloon (430 litres), it’s a hard pill to swallow, especially when there’s no front boot (froot) you can rely on. 

Rear seats 

Now, the pièce de résistance is by far the rear seats. If you’re buying a G80, then the chances are your aim is to give rear-seat passengers the best and most comfortable experience there is. 

We’d go as far as to say it’s Bentley levels of comfort on a budget. Okay, that budget is still north of £75,000 when new, but still a chunk less than the Flying Spur’s £200k price tag. 

So, what do you get for your money? 

Our car came fitted with the 2nd Row Comfort Pack, which adds rear heated seats, ceiling-mounted vanity mirrors, electric curtains that cover the side windows and back window, power closing rear doors (because handles are so 2008), soft-closing doors and a clever centre armrest. 

This isn’t just for leaning on as there’s all manner of controls there, such as the button to operate the rear blind or the dial to adjust the radio volume. No more disturbing the driver to change your tracks. 

Additionally, there’s loads of space back there, as you’d expect from a car as long as a Range Rover. 

Even if you’re above six feet, you can comfortably lounge out back there, with plenty of headroom and what feels like acres of legroom. 

Storage solutions 

There’s a decent amount of smart storage solutions in the Electrified G80, but there aren’t as many as you may think, considering its size. 

In the front, there’s a very shallow centre console, but it does come with UV cleaning for your devices, which is thoughtful. 

Door bins are decent, and the glovebox can hold all the relevant documents, but there isn’t much more than that. 

Genesis Electrified G80 dimensions 

• Height: 1,470mm 

• Width: 1,925mm 

• Length: 5,005mm 

• Kerb weight: 2,325kg 

Safety 

The Genesis G80 scored a full five stars in its 2021 Euro NCAP safety test, which is a testament to its solid build quality and range of onboard safety features. 

This is quite an outdated test score now, and can’t be fairly compared with more modern, stricter testing, but we’d still like to think it would perform well if tested today. 

Onboard safety features include adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection and rear cross traffic alert. There's also a load of cameras and sensors to help with parking and to manoeuvre this long car. 

There's also a handy Highway Driving Assist feature that can even change lanes for you on the motorway. 

Genesis Electrified G80: electric range, battery and charging 

Range: 354 miles 

Battery size: 94.5kWh 

Max charging speed: 187kW 

Charge port location: Front grille 

Charge time (AC): 0-100% in 13hr 30min using a 7kW charger 

Charge time (DC): 10-80% in 25 mins 

Efficiency: 3.3mi/kWh claimed (2.8mi/kWh in our testing) 

Charging cost: From £6.62 

We can hardly say the Genesis Electrified G80’s range is poor, but it does lag behind its key rivals, namely the Audi A6 e-tron (463 miles) and Mercedes EQE Saloon (429 miles) – and that’s with similarly sized batteries. 

The G80 EV has a 354-mile range, which is pretty accurate, though we found ourselves getting closer to 300 miles in real-world testing. 

Admittedly, we did a lot of motorway miles in ours, so if you’re mostly pootling around town with the highest regenerative braking (dubbed i-Pedal) activated, you’ll barely notice a loss in range over shorter distances. 

The Genesis has a claimed 3.3mi/kWh efficiency, but over 300 miles, we saw 2.8mi/kWh. 

As for charging, the Electrified G80 can take up to 187kW to charge its mammoth 94.5kWh battery, which can be topped up from 10% to 80% in just 25 mins. 

Alternatively, plug it in at home overnight, and it’ll charge up in the background, costing you less than a fancy sandwich in London. 

Reliability 

Being a part of the Hyundai Motor Group means that any Genesis should be a reliable companion, and it certainly feels that way when you live with one for a bit. 

It all feels very sturdy and well-put-together. Every new Genesis Electrified G80 comes with a five-year warranty, which extends to subsequent owners. 

And if you’re buying a used car from cinch, you can add on extras like cinchCover for added peace of mind.