This luxurious and wicked fast sedan comes at a cost.
2023 Genesis G80 Electrified review with The Road Beat
Words and pictures by Mitchell Weitzman
It costs over $81,000. I groaned, too, when I first read that price tag. This is a pill that becomes harder to swallow when you remember the G80 starts at just $50,000, and it's maybe the best fifty grand you can spend on a new car today. Seriously, I was so impressed with the base G80 that I wonder: how on earth can this be worth 60% more than an already terrific car?
To start, Genesis made it exceptionally luxurious to the nth degree and rather quick, even if it loses out to most Teslas in regards to drag racing bragging rights. But the real story and wow moment comes from when you first open the door. It's not quite as a sucker punch of goodness that is the G90 ultra-luxe sedan, but the G80 is about as nice of a car as one can get for 80 grand. Though you might think an electric car ought to be environmentally friendly, this G80 is far from vegan, with pounds of the most delicious Nappa leather cowhides covering the seats. Microfiber suede adorns the pillars and roof, a variety so soft that petting it can soothe you during a traffic jam, and then there's metal controls and switches that have a feeling of substance to them, almost like jewelry, not to mention being silky smooth to the touch thanks to the exemplary finishing and machining.
I've been in lots of recent BMWs, and let me tell you, there isn't a 5-series that touches this G80; it is, quite unbelievably, on an another realm almost of luxury. But it isn't just the raw materials that make it impressive, but rather, it's how well put together everything is. I do think some of the modes of communication through the user interface can be convoluted and in need of polish, like how the PRND selector is a similar shape to and adjacent of the knob for the infotainment; I'm sure many others have mistakenly twisted the wrong knob when trying to change to reverse. Oh well, for the sake of luxury, it certainly looks the business and beyond. This is comfort with all the pizzazz you could hope for of a glamor product.
There's lots of standard features and tech included at the high asking price at least, including pretty impressive driver assistance functions that can be highway hauling a breeze. However, one strangeness that inflicts Genesis is a lack of wireless Apple CarPlay, so be sure to bring your cable if you're a fan of that as your entertainment source.
Once the pinnacle and embodiment of the 'ultimate driving machine,' this is another segment where Genesis has assumed control over. BMW used to make such brilliant driving cars, and Genesis may just as well looked into Bavaria's past catalogue for inspiration, as the steering and chassis are straight out of Bavarian sedans of old. The feel through the wheel is muted, as is expected in new (and especially inluxury) cars, but the weighting is what you'd expect from the great sport sedans of yore and with an accuracy that instills confidence and encourages momentum. Drive the G80 with some intent, and yeah, this is what how a new BMW is supposed to behave. Controlled, minimal understeer and a penchant for controlled power-on oversteer are G80 trademarks at this point, and while this AWD Electrified model doesn't capture the heights of the RWD gas model in that regard, it still is a complete excerise in showing dominance in the category among its peers. Who would have thought that the South Koreans would make a better German car than the Germans?
The power is instant at any moment in time, and the electric motors dish out gobs of horsepower in a smooth plateu that only lets up once your velocity nears triple digits. 365 horsepower and a towering 516 pounds of torque mean 0-60 HP takes just 4.2 seconds, further helped by AWD traction that cleanly applies power to the surface below. Brakes take a small minute of adjustment to make for smooth stopping, as the pedal is a little wooden, but the amount of regeneration can be adjsuted on the fly and is easy to predict and acclimate to for comfy cruising.
Range is even good from this sleek and sexy sedan. Over the course of a week, I averaged a solid 3 miles per kWh of battery capacity, which means the large 87 kilowatt storage should last about 260 miles in mixed driving. And because it's part of the larger Kia/Hyundai family, that means this G80 inherits their ultra-fast 350 kWh charging capabilities, meaning you can, according to Genesis, charge from 10-80% in 22 minutes on a applicable high-output charger. In the real world, I think it's safe to say that you can consistently juice up about half your battery in, say, only about 15 minutes when you do have access to one of these demigod chargers.
While it might be safe to consider the G80 Electrified an excellent car and offering, I'm not sure it does enough to warrant the asking price. When you take into the account the most impressive base offering at $50,000 that does so much to punch way above its weight, or the upgraded full-spec 3.5L twin-turbo model that can be had with similar luxury for $70,000, and has the same horsepower, does this model make any sense? I'm not sure it does to be completely frank. As much as I do like the car, I don't see how it's worth an additional $10,000 over the V6 model, let alone 30 grand over a base four-cylinder model. Heck, you could buy the V6 and buy a Rolex Submariner if you want to show off on all accounts. That said, compared to other rival electric luxury sedans, the price is surprisingly right, but its biggest challenge comes from its own kin.
2023 Gensis G80 Electrified AWD
As-tested price: $81,495
Pros: Gorgeous inside and out; Smooth and powerful electric operation
Cons: The price
