Genesis GV80 2021 review: 3.5T

I got a lot of comments on this car. People stopped me in the street to ask about it, my neighbour came over to look at it, and generally people just loved it. 

The test car's colour helps; a glorious matt green. There are three matt paint colours in the range, 'Matterhorn White', 'Melbourne Grey' and 'Brunswick Green’, and they cost an extra $2000, but this green is worth it. 

Our GV80 was finished in 'Brunswick Green’, which costs an extra $2000.

The shape of the car is classic, it has that huge grille at the front, but the headlights are rectangular slits which also carry around to the sides, and when you put the blinkers on, they are very conspicuous. It’s all a little space-shippy and flashy, but it works. 

Inside the car is luxe and decked out in cream and taupe nappa leather, with quilted seats and soft finishings on the dash and doors, it almost feels a little old British. 

The centre console is nicely designed and the large multimedia screen takes centre stage.

The seats are heated and cooling and power adjustable in the front. The steering wheel is leather and feels good but when I first got in, it felt a little large, this is something you get used to, though. The panoramic glass sunroof is standard across the range. 

The centre console is nicely designed and the large multimedia screen takes centre stage. Volume control is via cool textured silver rolls on the steering wheel and centre console, and the gear shifter is a circular knob, like a Land Rover. It all works cohesively in the Genesis and it feels good to be in this car on the road.

This model is a three-row car and seats seven people, though there are five seaters if you just know you won’t use two extra seats.  

The front is nice and spacious, with loads of leg room for tall passengers and comfortable head clearance even with the sunroof. It’s a wide car and there is lots of space for large shoulders. 

The front is nice and spacious.

The second row is also roomy, my two children are aged seven and nine so they had lots of space to play together in the back. I can sit easily in there at 161cm (5'3") with lots of space between my knees and the seat in front, so taller adults will also be able to sit comfortably. 

The second row offers plenty of space.

The last two seats in the third row are not as big as some competitors but I still found them fine to sit in. 

If you’re super tall you might not want to be relegated to the back row, and regardless, you may not want to put your children back there full-time as the side curtain airbag only covers the window area, it doesn’t go all the way to the back where heads will be, so you’d probably only use the back row as spare seats rather than every day. 

The third row seats are not as big as some of the GV80's competitors.

Boot space is large. With the third row down, it’s 727L which is a lot of room. I was able to fit in everything I needed in this pre-Christmas week, which as any parent will tell you (while Christmas shopping), is a lot. 

It’s got enough room for a large, medium and small suitcase and will also easily fit a double pram or sporting equipment. 

Being the top-of-the-range, this GV80 is fully automated. Both front seats are power adjustable, all the functionality is on the large 14.5-inch multimedia screen including the air conditioning, which took a moment to work out but once you do it’s actually very easy. 

Almost too easy - brush past the screen with your hand and you’ll accidentally turn the heat/cooler on, then suddenly wonder why your legs are freezing. Easy to do.

The other thing I had slight issue with was that the climate control for both the front and the rear of the car can be controlled by both the front and the rear. 

The temperature for the dual zone climate control is controlled by two rotating dials.

This is fine if you plan on travelling with responsible humans but I had my kids in the back, who loved turning the air up full-blast suddenly, while I was driving! Up, down. Up, down. Up, down. You get the picture. 

Storage is good, there’s a large centre storage bin, two cupholders in the front, a spot for your phone, a wireless charger, and bottle holders in the doors. 

Second row passengers also get two cupholders in the centre armrest and third row passengers have one on either side of the car, plus there’s directional air vents in each row. 

The second row and third row seats go up and down via a button in the boot. 

There’s a 14.5-inch multimedia screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. 

It’s a great tech system which replicates your phone’s interface and means you don’t actually have to touch your device while driving, you can do everything from the touchscreen including navigating, making calls and sending text messages via the voice control. 

At the centre of the cabin is a 14.5-inch multimedia screen.

And if there’s one thing you do in the Genesis GV80, it’s turn the sound up when listening to music. There are 21 Lexicon by Harman speakers in 17 locations through the car, with an external digital amplifier and 'QuantumLogic' surround sound. It’s goooooood. 

The Genesis GV80 3.5T costs $108,500, before on road costs and extras. The matt metallic paint is an extra $2000.

Fuel consumption is a claimed 11.7L/100km, and this week I did 15.8L/100km which I found quite high, though it was mostly suburban driving with just a bit of highway running. It needs 95 RON premium petrol.

It’s covered by Genesis’ five year/unlimited km warranty. Servicing is required every 12months/10,000km and unlike all rival brands, these services are free of charge for the first five years. Genesis will also come and pick your car up for servicing if you live within 70km of a dealer, leaving you with a loan car.