David Booth: I’m learning quite quickly to hate gadgets, especially those that interfere with normally simple tasks in the operation of my automobiles. Things that, no doubt, sound good on paper — and, by paper, I mean any advertisement, brochure, or influencers’ regurgitated press missive — and in some techie’s wonderful world of digital improvements, but turn out to make the simple unnecessarily complicated.
To wit: the 2025 Genesis GV80 Coupe I tested for a week has seven buttons on its key fob, four along one side of its spine and three on the other. The problem is that what was once a quick feel in my pocket for the fob and a press of the top button up its one spine to open or lock the doors may now instead open or lock said door, but might also be the remote parking assist, if you just happen to hit the same button on the other spine.
On paper — this time, reading this analysis — it doesn’t sound like much, but I can tell you that my aggravation only got more intense as the week went on because, unlike, say, learning to operate a particularly poorly designed sub-menu on your infotainment system, no amount of practice can solve the problem of choosing the top button on physically identical spines. Seriously — and this goes out to all the automakers following suit — this multitasking of key fobs sucks.
The second one is the haptic MAP button right beside the audio system’s volume control. It’s very sensitive and mounted suspiciously close, which means that about half the time I massaged the volume control — for, you know, “Uptown Funk” by Bruno Mars — Apple CarPlay would switch to default Maps view. Besides taking too long to figure out — hey, I was barely brushing it — it still happened after I figured out the problem.
Just another pain-in-the-ass modernity that serves absolutely no purpose. Seriously, haptic control is a benefit because, what, it takes too much effort to actually push a button? It’s not as big an issue as the key fob — I could at least see the button so I could try to avoid it — but it was all pain and no gain nonetheless.
So, did anything about the GV80 piss you off, Renita?
Renita Naraine: Yes, in fact, there are some things that I did find quite annoying in an otherwise enjoyable Genesis GV80 SUV. The first thing is the price. Yes, I know it’s a luxury vehicle, and a high price is expected. But with an elevated MSRP, I’d expect comparable, if not better, technology than in a mainstream brand, including the Hyundais. I wasn’t quite as annoyed by the key fob as you, David, nor do I recall that MAP button bothering me.
However, I found it odd that, for nearly $100,000 ($95,500 to be exact, plus taxes, but at least Freight & PDI are included in that price) I couldn’t wirelessly connect to Android Auto. Note that I can do that in the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid, which is a lower trim in that lineup. It’s not the end of the world that I can’t wirelessly connect, but I really think I should be able to, especially when there is a wireless phone charger. Additionally, I’ve always liked the blind-spot camera that pops up on the dash when you flick the turn signal, but after seeing it so many Hyundais, it just doesn’t feel as special in the Genesis, nor as much of a luxurious feature as it used to be.
Personally, I’m not a fan of haptic buttons, but while you found it to be too responsive, I found the opposite for the GV80’s infotainment screen that took a few swipes to do what I wanted. Note: you can also use the rotary dial in the centre console area, but who really does that?
All that said, for $100k, you are getting quite a bit of luxury, which includes a lot of cool features, whether it pisses you off or not. One thing that likely won’t piss you off, David, are the heated and ventilated front and second-row seats (including a heated armrest for the front) and the massage front seats that aren’t that bad on a long drive — but it’s no deep-tissue massage. Third-row passengers may not have heated seats, but my son’s favourite feature in the GV80 is the tri-climate zone, meaning the third-row passengers have access to change their own temp settings. And that Bang and Olufsen sound system is truly amazing.
There’s a head-up display that’s easy to personalize, and that can also be turned off entirely if you’re not a fan. The digital rearview mirror is appreciated because a bit of the back window may be blocked by passengers/headrests in the third row, but more on that in a bit, since you didn’t have a third row to annoy you.
DB: Well, Renita, I completely agree with you regarding the heated seats. Love ’em, the more heat the better. Not so the massage seats, despite my creaky old age. While I appreciate the effort, I don’t find any of the GV80’s magic-fingers options to my liking. I would like to know what your son was doing back there in the third row. Countering your heated front area with a cold zone? Hoping to create a monsoon? Or at least a tempest in a teapot?
OK, onto more pressing matters, then, like the powertrain. The plus side of the GV80 is that Genesis’ 3.5-litre turbo V6 is perhaps the best engine in Genesis’ lineup. In Canada, we only get the GV80 Coupe in the top-of-the-line version of this engine, which adds an electric supercharger to the twin turbochargers already force-feeding fuel to the engine. Not only does this reduce turbo lag, but the thrice-force-fed V6 pumps out 409 horsepower and 405 pound-feet of torque in this guise. Yanks get the option of the same basic motor sans the supercharging and less power.
It’s hard to imagine a better example of internal combustion. It’s powerful, throaty when you want it to be, subdued when you don’t, and so creamy-smooth, you’ll swear it’s electric. Actually, this last sounds better in French — cremeuse — especially when my wife, Nadine Filion, says it. I am not sure if she was thinking something delicious or, uhm, flirty, but either way, I’m pretty sure she liked it.
Things perk up even more when you slip into Sport mode. Besides the speedo and tach dial turning bright red, the exhaust note is amped up to full symphony. Even the eight-speed transmission gets in on the deal, the shifts both quicker and crisper.
In fact, the powertrain’s only fault is that, while it makes all that power and delicious noise, it also sucks gas like fossils aren’t being taxed to death. We averaged 13.6 L/100 km, not that far off the 12.7 L/ 100 km that Genesis claims the GV80 AWD consumes. According to Natural Resources Canada, that means the big GV is going to run through $4,699 worth of hi-test annually. You didn’t think cremeuse came cheaply, did you?
Did you do any better, Renita?
RN: First, I think you used the words “speedo” and “cremeuse” much too closely together. Second, I averaged roughly the same fuel consumption numbers that hovered right around 13 L/100 km. During one long highway drive, we managed to get it down to the mid-10s. So, I guess technically we did do a bit better, considering you’ve also got some supercharged power?
I do agree, though, despite missing that supercharger and being a bit less powerful (375 hp and 391 lb-ft of torque) the regular GV80 is really a driver’s car. It’s so smooth and quiet, and super-comfortable to be in for long periods. In the first drive review, Brian Harper noted an issue with body roll, saying cornering “put a tilt on the crossover, even with the Sport drive mode selected.” I didn’t notice too much of that, but I also don’t live in an area that has quite as many sweeping curves to throw my passengers around.
And speaking of passengers, David, your tester was, of course, the five-seater Coupe. While the U.S. does offer a five-seater GV80 that isn’t a coupe, in Canada, we only get the non-coupe SUV with three rows of seats; or the two-row coupe. I tested the seven-seater GV80 that features a bench in the second row and two seats in the third; I wish that seating configuration was flipped.
The bench seat is a 60-40 split, but you can split it up to be 40-20-40, where the 20 can be folded down, but not completely taken out, as it’s still attached to one of the 40s. A quick tap of a button on the second-row seat will fold it down for third-row passengers to climb in, but it’s extremely heavy to push back up. I’d prefer two captain’s chairs in the second row.
The other thing I always complain about with a bench seat is if you have two car seats latched into the ends, it would make it extremely hard for someone to get to the third row. And on that note, it seems that perhaps the GV80 isn’t necessarily meant to be a three-row SUV. The third row is a bit tight, and if you are going to use it frequently, then you won’t have a ton of trunk space, and if you don’t have much trunk space, then you can’t really pack much for travelling long distances. In other words, it kind of defeats the purpose, especially for something so big. Otherwise, it would make such a good traveller.
The coupe, on the other hand, despite having that sloped rear, is probably a little more practical for quick access to the provided areas.
DB: Yeah, no longer having toddlers — though my 40-year-old son oft-times still acts like he’s a dependent — I was driving the sportier coupe. And, like you, I see little practical use for three-row sport-brutes. If you want a minivan, buy a minivan. It’s sort of like wanting a sports car shaped like an SUV. Oops, we have those, don’t we?
Key-fob foibles aside, I had precious little to carp about the GV80 Coupe. As big, giant boat-like SUVs go, it was most appealing to drive. The interior is appealing, the exterior comely and the performance — but perhaps not the handling — stellar. Its biggest problem, I think, will probably be that key ingredient, the magic ingredient that gives badge-hounds a reason to shop their trusty — but not trusted — BMWs and Audis. That said, that’s always been Genesis’ problem. Great cars, but lacking that key ingredient that makes them must-buys.
RN: The Genesis GV80 is a premium vehicle, and therefore should compete in a segment of luxury SUVs. However, and correct me if you think I’m wrong, David, but I don’t know if there’s anything that really and truly competes with the GV80. There’s definitely competition such as the BMW X5 and X7, the Mercedes-Benz GLE and GLS, as well as the Audi Q7. Customers searching for something a bit smaller might look to the Lexus RX, but for additional third-row space, there’s the TX, or even the Jeep Grand Wagoneer, if you want to go big and go home.
However, those luxury brands have the advantage of a loyal fan-base who will probably overlook anything from Genesis. Which is such a shame, because the GV80 and other vehicles in the lineup are truly refined luxury automobiles.
DB: The only thing I disagree with you about is the point about nothing competing with the GV80. I think Genesis’ biggest problem is that everything in the big luxury-ute segment competes with it. Once you hit 100 large, everything is fair game. And, like you said, Hyundai’s big brother doesn’t have the loyalists that more established players do. That said, its product — in this case the GV80 Coupe (as I tested) and the SUV (that you drove) — is more than up to the task.
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