THE NEW GENESIS G80 IS READY to take on Europe’s best, and it will be an intriguing sales battle.
The G80 is a stylish large sedan, combining distinctive and progressive design with luxury-focused technology.
The all-new G80 sedan’s exterior incorporates well-balanced proportions to accentuate the vehicle’s dynamic, rear wheel drive architecture created by the long dash to front axle ratio and short overhangs. The signature Crest grille with G-Matrix pattern and the two-stripe Quad Lamp headlights are born out of the Genesis emblem crest and wings.
The G80’s interior is based on the concept of the ‘Beauty of White Space’. The concept is inspired by Korean architecture and carefully balances function and tranquillity. The function presents itself in the right moment, at the right place, utilising a minimalistic yet intuitive and ergonomic driver-optimised design.
Overview
The all-new G80 will be offered with a choice of two all-new engines, a refined in-house developed 8-speed automatic transmission as standard and either 2WD (Rear Wheel Drive) or AWD (All Wheel Drive) configuration.
The G80’s standard powertrain is an all-new powerful and efficient 2.5 litre turbocharged inline 4-cylinder petrol engine. This engine provides a high output of 224kW of power and 422Nm of torque. The 2.5T engine is available with 2WD, driving the rear wheels.
For impressive performance, the flagship is the all-new 3.5 litre, 279kW / 530Nm twin-turbocharged petrol V6, exclusively paired with an electronically controlled Genesis AWD system for superior roadholding performance.
Options choices are commendably kept to a minimum. For the connoisseur who wants it all, the G80 will be available with an optional Luxury Package, to further enhance G80’s already impressive standard equipment list across both its variants.
The G80 will offer a wide range of choice with eleven exterior colours, five different interior colours and two different open pore real wood trims, allowing each customer to personalise their own G80, suiting their individual preferences.
Interior luxury
The interior of the G80 presents a minimalist and horizontal layout. The dashboard is dominated by a large 14.5-inch central floating touch screen, with a 6-inch haptic touch climate control display on the centre console.
Genuine Nappa leather, real open pore wood, stainless steel and suede material all enhance the luxury ambience.
Power, or more power.
The G80 entry engine is the G2.5 FR T-GDi turbocharged inline 4-cylinder petrol engine, generating 224kW of power @ 5800 rpm and a 422Nm of torque between 1650 and 4000 rpm. This engine features various state-of-the-art technologies to help reduce fuel consumption and emissions and to improve engine power and responsiveness.
The Euro5 emissions standard compatible G2.5 FR T-GDi, is calibrated to run on 95 RON premium unleaded petrol, all while providing a competitive combined fuel consumption figure of 8.6L/100km.
For higher performance, G80 is also available with the flagship high-performing G3.5 FR T-GDi twin turbocharged 3.5-litre V6 engine. This all-new engine develops 279kW of power @ 5800 rpm and a high 530Nm of torque between 1300 and 4500 rpm. This engine, as per the G2.5 FR T-GDi, also features various state-of-the-art technologies to help reduce fuel consumption and emissions and to improve engine power and responsiveness.
Over and above the G2.5 FR T-GDi features, this engine also includes: twin turbochargers, a central injector position for the T-GDi system and an Integrated Thermal Management System (ITMS) for the cooling system. The Euro5 emissions standard compatible G3.5 FR T-GDi, is calibrated to run on 95 RON premium unleaded petrol, all while providing a competitive combined fuel consumption figure of 10.7L/100km.
Eight-speed auto transmission
The lightweight, in-house developed 8-speed automatic transmission, provides refined smooth shifting of the gears, efficiently transferring power to the wheels. All engines also feature a CPA (Centrifugal Pendulum Absorber) torque converter, helping to improve shift comfort and fuel efficiency. The tempered glass Shift By Wire (SBW) gear shift rotary dial facilitates efficient shifting and optimises interior space. This electronic gear shift dial is also backlit with G80’s adjustable ambient lighting. Combined with the steering wheel mounted paddle shifters and downshift rev-matching, G80 provides optimal control for the driver.
Clever suspension technology
G80 is equipped with a multi-link front and rear suspension (4-link) with High Performance Dampers as standard.
In addition, the 3.5T AWD variant features Genesis Adaptive Control Suspension (GACS) as standard. GACS includes Road Preview Electronic Control Suspension (Preview ECS) and Dynamic Stability Damping Control (DSDC). Preview ECS utilises continuously variable dampers at each corner, where compression and rebound forces are intelligently adjusted up to 100 times per second via internally mounted control valves. This system determines the optimal damping force required for each individual wheel and any given situation based on several vehicle sensors, including g-force (wheel and body), steering angle, steering velocity, throttle position and vehicle Drive Mode. The Road Preview technology utilises the front windscreen mounted camera to detect speed bumps and potholes ahead and then optimally controls the damping force of the vehicle’s continuously variable Electronic Control Suspension (ECS) to optimise ride comfort and minimise any harsh impact ahead of time. Unlike some competitors with adaptive dampers that only offer fixed modes (not continuously variable), the continuously adjustable nature of ECS allows for outstanding cornering performance, whilst still retaining a very high level of ride comfort. In addition to ECS’s continuous adjustment, the DSDC function provides driving stability during abrupt steering manoeuvres or obstacle avoidance above 50km/h, by optimising the suspension damping to the given situation.
All-wheel drive on the 3.5
The Genesis All Wheel Drive (AWD) system is an advanced rear wheel drive biased system that automatically allocates optimal front and rear drive torque distribution as necessary. This is achieved through its multi-mode system, providing an electronic, variable-torque-split clutch with active torque control between the front and rear axles. The vehicle delivers a sportier yet more comfortable drive with outstanding driving response and agility.
G80 is equipped with an integrated Drive Mode system, which includes four modes: Comfort, Eco, Sport and Custom. These modes are driver selectable via the centre console dial, depending on the driving situation. This system can control engine throttle response, transmission shift pattern, steering response, active engine sound level, electronic suspension settings and all-wheel drive settings, dependant on the mode selected.
‘Comfort’ mode is the default option and offers a driving experience optimised for moderate daily driving, whilst ‘Eco’ mode smooths out the throttle response and encourages early upshifting in order to maximise fuel economy. ‘Sport’ mode offers improved engine response, increased steering weighting and on the 3.5T AWD variant, sportier and firmer suspension settings. Coupled with delayed transmission up-shifting and more dynamic AWD settings, this mode maximises the dynamic driving offered by G80. Finally, ‘Custom’ mode allows the driver to customise each individual engine, transmission, steering, suspension and all-wheel drive parameters to their liking, or to suit the driving situation for a fully tailored driving experience all via the 14.5-inch multimedia screen menu. When the system detects uneven or slippery road surfaces, the all-wheel transfer technology automatically delivers up to 90 percent of the driving power to the front wheels as necessary. The AWD system has different characteristics dependent on the Drive Mode that is selected. Each mode alters transmission mapping, power distribution, throttle responsiveness and stability control settings. ‘Comfort’ mode helps provide further driver confidence and control in all-weather conditions. The ‘Sport’ setting sends more available torque to the rear wheels for even greater agility with progressive and controllable handling characteristics that are more like those of a rear-wheel drive vehicle, while the ‘Eco’ mode optimises the AWD system for fuel efficient driving.
Coasting function for improved fuel consumption
Standard on all variants, the Coasting function, when active, improves G80’s fuel efficiency. When coasting in ‘Eco’ mode or ‘Smart’ powertrain driving style in ‘Custom’ mode, the transmission is automatically decoupled from the engine by selecting neutral, minimising friction loss to improve the fuel efficiency by between one and two percent. Eco Coasting is active between speeds of 50 and 160 km/h with no accelerator or brake pedal input and on road gradients within -5 to +5 percent. Once active, a ‘Coasting’ notification is displayed in the instrument cluster display. For further driver customisation, this function can be turned off if so desired via the Vehicle Settings menu in the multimedia screen.
Stereoscopic 3D instrument cluster
G80 introduces the world’s first 12.3-inch full screen stereoscopic 3D instrument cluster that recognises the driver’s eyes through a cluster mounted infrared (IR) camera and outputs the display in 3D without the need for special glasses. The optional 12.3-inch 3D instrument cluster has three themes, Comfort, Sport & Eco, which can also be linked to the vehicle Drive Mode.
Local input
Genesis G80 features an Australian-specific chassis tune, which includes suspension and steering settings, developed over thousands of kilometres of local on-road testing. This Australian program adds to the already extensive global testing in places such as our global R&D centre in Namyang, Korea, the famed Nürburgring in Germany, Death Valley in the United States and Arjeplog in Sweden. The local tuning programme was carried out on a variety of road surfaces, including urban roads, highways, mountain passes, country roads as well as high speed closed circuits. The localisation programme ensures that all-new Australian Genesis vehicles share a common set of ride and handling characteristics; any Genesis vehicle will offer a similar driver experience in terms of comfort and dynamic performance. Through the extensive tuning process, the G80 offers exemplary comfort, control, and ride quality, whilst delivering dynamic capabilities exceeding segment expectations.
Competitively priced
Value for money is, of course, in the eye of the beholder, but with an entry level price of $84,900 for the 2.5T (plus on road costs) and $99,900 (plus on road costs) for the 3.5T AWD, the new G80 comfortably undercuts its most obvious European competition.
The optional Luxury Package adds $13,000 to each, and matte paint is another $2000.
Once we have tested and assessed the new Genesis G80, seniordriveraus will bring you a comprehensive review, including everything the over-50 driver needs to know.