2022 Genesis G80 Sport Review: More Smooth Than Sharp

The Genesis G80 has generally been good, even back when it was termed the Hyundai Genesis. Around the many years, the Korean automaker refined and re-refined this midsize sedan into a a lot more proficient and cozy luxurious vehicle. Now, Genesis is bringing again an older trim that, though inferring some corner-carving prowess, retains the story mostly the very same, in the very best attainable way.

The latest Genesis G80 is almost two several years previous, but it appears as fresh as the working day it debuted. The G80’s tapered rear end appears wonderful from any angle, and the two-line lighting style and design is one particular of my favored things throughout the overall automotive marketplace. The Prestige trim’s exceptional 20-inch wheels are slick as hell, also, with people diamond-carved components in the spokes. There are a handful of Activity-precise touches outside, as very well, this sort of as somewhat more intense bumpers, though it’s going to take a eager eye to decide up on people tweaks.

Within, the G80 is flat-out outstanding. The very low roof and tallish middle console give the G80 a cozier feel than it had in generations past, and the headliner may possibly be a bit lower for individuals in excess of 6 ft tall, but which is seriously the only explanation to split out the purple pen. The rest is just charming, with a lower-drama dashboard design that retains just more than enough actual physical switchgear for the infotainment and climate controls. My tester genuinely ramps up the visible exhilaration with bright splashes of pink leather-based that deal with the seats and the decreased fifty percent of the inside. The thatched carbon-fiber trim feels a tiny plasticky, but it appears to be fabulous. The seats are supportive with no currently being restricted.

Cabin usability is high. The G80’s door pockets can manage a reasonable bit of pocket things, but more substantial water bottles will have difficulty fitting everywhere, as the cup holders are not able to handle far more than an normal-sized thermos. You can find a good little bit of storage in the armrest cubby, though. Out again, the G80’s trunk will stash up to 13.1 cubic toes of stuff, which is a few massive suitcases’ really worth, but it can be on the low stop of the segment, tying with the Mercedes-Benz E-Class but falling shorter of the Audi A6’s 13.7 cubes.

Let us appear at what tends to make the Activity so, um, sporty. Under the hood is a 3.5-liter, twin-turbo V6 generating a sound 375 horsepower and 391 pound-feet of torque and despatched through an 8-speed computerized transmission. All-wheel drive is common for every single G80 Activity, and considering just about every G80 with a V6 is now a Sport, you can no for a longer time get a RWD drivetrain with the six-pot. It’s rarely a challenge, though, for the reason that the AWD set up can deliver all its torque to the rear axle, and four driven wheels will usually give drivers a minor excess peace of mind if they dwell exactly where, you know, weather conditions takes place.

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Driving the G80 Sport is under no circumstances a tedious affair. The V6 presents lots of thrust, specially in the midrange passing maneuvers are met with a fast, knowledgeable downshift and some enjoyable noises emanating from the tailpipes. The Sport’s suspension is 4% stiffer in the front and 12% stiffer in the rear in comparison to other G80s, but it’s actually only obvious when the street high quality is bad. Otherwise, this sedan is however a incredibly clean cruiser and helps make no tries to disguise its inherent plushness. It’s still a luxurious automobile, right after all, even if it truly is a sprightlier 1. My tester also has rear-wheel steering, which is ideal appreciated for its turning-circle reduction at reduced speeds.

One particular spot exactly where the G80 Activity isn’t going to excel, while, is gasoline economic climate. At an EPA-estimated 17 mpg town and 26 mpg freeway, that normal all-wheel-generate set up absolutely punishes at the pump. It is really about 4 or 5 mpg below similar figures from the competitiveness, which is a disgrace, but at minimum the feds’ estimates are simple to get to with a light-weight foot. Heck, I was brushing up towards 30 mpg on the highway.

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Genesis and its parent corporation Hyundai have been definitely slaying the infotainment game for many years, and the G80 Sport is hardly an exception to the rule. A 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster provides simulated 3D graphics for a minimal more wow aspect, and it truly is great for displaying pertinent info with minor distraction through the dials and buttons on the steering wheel.

The real star of the clearly show is the trim 14.5-inch heart show, which runs the most recent iteration of Genesis’ great infotainment procedure. The touchscreen may possibly be over and above the access of all those with shorter arms, but the dial on the center console is deceptively effortless to grasp if that is the case. USB ports abound in both equally rows, which you can require, mainly because Apple CarPlay and Android Automobile are wired affairs only, a notable omission when numerous much less expensive Hyundais give it wirelessly.

Like most other luxurious automakers, Genesis masses its motor vehicles with all fashion of standard energetic and passive basic safety programs, like ahead-collision warning, lane-holding support, blind-location monitoring, computerized crisis braking, parking sensors and whole-pace adaptive cruise regulate. Freeway Driving Assist II is a fingers-on system that brings together lots of of the aforementioned units to hold the vehicle in its lane and retain pace with website traffic. The Status trim adds rear automated braking and Distant Good Parking Help, aka Smaht Pahk.

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The 2022 Genesis G80 Activity is every single bit the luxury car you’d hope from a phase complete of impressive stalwarts. It will complete just as nicely as a equally equipped Audi A6, BMW 5 Sequence or Mercedes-Benz E-Class, but the Genesis unquestionably trounces the others on benefit. While 4-cylinder G80s start out at $49,345 including destination, V6 Sport styles get started at $64,795. The Status trim is the only accessible improve, costing an excess $6,300 (or $6,800 if you also want summer months tires), and merged with a $575 Makalu Gray paint career, my tester rings in at $71,670. It may not seem like a deal, but if you package out the levels of competition in the same way, the price tag delta would be plenty of to obtain a 2nd, lesser automobile.

That’s the authentic crux of the Genesis G80: price. Not only is it a stellar luxurious car or truck, outfitted with almost everything one expects in this phase, but it manages to exist for thousands of bucks (if not tens of countless numbers) much less than what the typical offerings will operate you. It’s a rough act to beat.