2023 Genesis Electrified G80 Review: old-money luxury gets an electrical edge
MSRP $81,495.00
“The Electrified G80 is each an excellent EV and an excellent luxury automobile.”
Pros
- Old money style
- Excellent chassis
- High-power charging
- Surprisingly efficient
Cons
- Awkward touchscreen
- Unimpressive driver-assist tech
Luxury automakers are quickly embracing electric cars, but Genesis is making the shift at whiplash pace. Hyundai’s luxury brand has only existed since 2015, nevertheless it’s now rolling out two EVs that represent very different approaches to electrification. The GV60 is a small crossover SUV designed from the bottom up as an EV, while the 2023 Genesis Electrified G80 is predicated on an existing gasoline automobile.
It’s the latter that we’re concerned with here. While “electrified” is usually utilized in the auto industry to indicate hybrids, the Electrified G80 is an all-electric version of the Genesis G80 luxury sedan with no tailpipe to talk of, It replaces the usual G80’s four-cylinder and six-cylinder engines with a pair of electrical motors.
Latest for 2023, the Electrified G80 starts at $80,920 with destination. With so few electric sedans in the marketplace, the Genesis occupies an area between the cheaper Tesla Model 3 and BMW i4 and the dearer Tesla Model S, Lucid Air, and Mercedes-Benz EQS, with more concentrate on luxury and luxury than the sporty Audi e-tron GT and Porsche Taycan. And in contrast to most other EVs, the Electrified G80 gets nearly every feature as standard equipment. The one option on our test automobile was $575 Capri Blue paint, bringing the as-tested price to $81,495.
Design and interior
The Electrified G80 is the automotive equivalent of strutting about wearing a top hat and monocle. While not wholly anachronistic, it doubles down on old-money styling cues, resembling the chrome fender vents and leering disco ball grille. Mix that with Genesis’ signature quad LED headlight and taillight strips, plus a sleek fastback roofline, and also you get a really distinctive design — distinctive from other brands, not less than. Other than the shiny grille and lack of exhaust suggestions, the Electrified G80 is virtually indistinguishable from the gasoline G80.
The posh aesthetic continues on the within. The Electrified G80 has standard Nappa leather upholstery, with heating and ventilation for the front seats. Rear-seat passengers get a fold-down armrest with cupholders. Genesis can be bolder with color and material selections than other luxury brands. Our test automobile’s white upholstery was paired with blue trim as an alternative of the same old black or gray, together with matte wood trim. Granted, the latter looked a bit just like the countertops at a Long Island diner.
The G80 is the automotive equivalent of strutting about wearing a top hat and monocle.
The Electrified G80 felt pretty spacious, but on paper it gives up some room in comparison with its gasoline sibling. It has less headroom in each rows, and while front-seat legroom is in regards to the same because the gasoline version, the EV has significantly less rear-seat legroom. The BMW i4 comes fairly near the Genesis on passenger space, although its seats are nowhere near as comfortable.
At 10.8 cubic feet, cargo space can be about three cubic feet lower than the gasoline G80. While there may be a small passthrough between the rear seats, they don’t fold down completely. The trunk floor also has a hump, so the space that’s available will not be completely flat. The BMW i4 once more offers a comparable amount of space, nevertheless it’s also a hatchback, which makes loading and unloading items a bit easier. Neither automobile has the “frunk” popularized by Tesla.
Tech, infotainment, and driver assist
The usual infotainment system features a 14.5-inch touchscreen, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a head-up display, and 4 USB ports (two front, two rear). A 21-speaker Lexicon audio system and wireless device charging are standard as well. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also standard, but wireless versions aren’t available.
We liked the digital instrument cluster, which has a 3D effect like a Nineties baseball card that makes the virtual speedometer needle appear to face out from the background. However the touchscreen was awkward to make use of due to its positioning. It’s set far back on the dashboard behind a hump that you’ve to succeed in over. Genesis’ voice control can be less sophisticated than that of German luxury brands like BMW and Mercedes. You do get a rotary controller with its own small trackpad, not less than.
Like other Genesis models (and people of parent Hyundai), the Electrified G80 also gets Digital Key, which turns a smartphone into the important thing fob. As a substitute of carrying a separate fob, drivers can use a compatible phone (this feature is Android-only for now) to unlock or lock the automobile, start it up, and drive.
The touchscreen was awkward to make use of due to its positioning.
One other carryover feature from other Genesis and Hyundai models is Distant Smart Parking Assist. While other automakers offer parking-assist systems that may steer a automobile into spaces, you don’t need to be within the automobile to make use of this one. And the Electrified G80 gets the now-familiar Hyundai/Genesis/Kia Blind-Spot View Monitor camera system, which shows a camera view within the instrument cluster. While not novel, it’s still very helpful when merging or overtaking.
Blind-Spot View Monitor can be standard, together with a number of other driver aids including forward-collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, a driver-attention monitor, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, protected exit assist, and a rear occupant alert feature that reminds you to envision the back seats before leaving the automobile.
Also standard is Highway Driving Assist, which levels up the adaptive cruise control by adding automated lane centering. Tech like that is already common in cars of all price ranges, and Genesis’ version doesn’t exactly distinguish itself. While we appreciated the simple controls and the flexibility to routinely match posted speed limits, acceleration was frustratingly slow, and steering movements awkward. As a substitute of following curves, the system all the time gave the look of it was attempting to cut them, only pulling the automobile back in line when it approached the bounds of a lane. And also you’ll definitely get your hand-strength exercises in while gripping the steering wheel, which is the one way the automobile knows you’re still being attentive.
Driving experience
The all-wheel drive Electrified G80 has one electric motor powering each axle, fed by an 87.2-kilowatt-hour battery pack. Combined output from the 2 motors is 365 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. The electrical model can’t match the 375 hp of probably the most powerful gasoline G80, but outdoes that model’s 391 lb.-ft. of torque. That extra torque was definitely noticeable when accelerating away from stoplights; it was easy to chirp the tires despite the Electrified G80’s all-wheel drive.
The Electrified G80 has the character of a classic luxury automobile, combining speed and luxury while keeping the drama to a minimum. Standard adaptive dampers provide the pillowy ride expected in the luxurious category, together with excellent body control which means passengers won’t be disturbed by jarring sideways motion in corners. Genesis’ selection of 19-inch wheels likely helps as well. The wheels are large enough to seem properly scaled with the remainder of the automobile, but still leave room for thick tire sidewalls, which give an extra cushioning effect.
The Electrified G80 has the character of a classic luxury automobile.
While not a performance automobile per se, the Electrified G80 was also surprisingly game for twisty roads. The identical suspension elements that coddle the driving force and passengers with a smooth ride helped the G80 glide through corners with the agility of a smaller automobile. The steering was nicely weighted — especially in Sport mode, which also quickens accelerator response — and the rear end provided just the appropriate amount rotation to assist expedite cornering. Like an actual performance automobile, the G80 communicated the feeling of the road, but in a more subtle way that preserved the luxurious atmosphere.
The Electrified G80 is an important automobile to drive, nevertheless it also works well as an EV. It has strong enough regenerative braking to enable one-pedal driving, and might even (step by step) slow to a stop with none application of the brake pedal. And while converting a gasoline automobile to electric power can often uncover unpleasant sounds normally masked by the engine, the Electrified G80’s cabin was as quiet as an abandoned shopping center.
Range, charging, and safety
Official range and efficiency rankings haven’t been published yet, but Genesis estimates a decent 282 miles of range. A normal heat pump and battery heater should help maintain maximum range even in cold weather. We also saw average energy use of between 3.7 kilowatt and three.9 kW per mile during every week of driving — greater efficiency than we expected.
Probably the most impressive elements of the Electrified G80 is its 800-volt electrical architecture, which enables DC fast charging at as much as 350 kW, and might charge the battery pack from 10% to 80% capability in 22 minutes, in accordance with Genesis. That’s a few of the quickest charging currently available, although actually finding a 350-kW fast-charging station can still be difficult. Genesis can be including three years of free 30-minute charging sessions at Electrify America locations.
Hook up with a 240-volt Level 2 AC charging station — the type normally installed as home chargers — and the Electrified G80 can charge at as much as 10.9 kW, taking the battery pack to 10% to 100% in seven hours and 22 minutes, Genesis claims. The Electrified G80 also has vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability that may discharge power at 3.6 kW to run devices or appliances.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) haven’t published crash-test rankings for the Electrified G80, although each organizations did give the gasoline G80 high marks. While that’s encouraging, those rankings may not translate to the Electrified version because the addition of the battery pack and subtraction of the engine may change the way in which it performs in a crash.
The Electrified G80 does get the identical warranty coverage as other Genesis models, including a five yr, 60,000-mile new-vehicle warranty and a 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty. Genesis also provides a separate 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty for the battery pack and other EV components.
How DT would configure this automobile
There isn’t much configuration to be done, because the Electrified G80 is simply sold in a single all-inclusive trim level encompassing every little thing from Nappa leather and premium audio to a dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain and a full suite of driver aids. That doesn’t make the Electrified G80 an important value, though, as this is solely the extent of feature content one should expect in a roughly $80,000 automobile.
The value point does position the Genesis well against other EVs, undercutting the Audi e-tron GT, Lucid Air, Mercedes EQS sedan, Tesla Model S, and Porsche Taycan. With its 800-volt electrical architecture, respectable estimated range, and one-pedal driving capability, the Electrified G80 can be an excellent EV that nicely replicates the experience of traditional luxury cars.
It could be harder to search out an Electrified G80 than other EVs, nevertheless, because it’s only available in eight states: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Nevada, Latest Jersey, Latest York, Utah, and Washington. Its base price and the proven fact that it’s assembled in Ulsan, South Korea, also disqualifies the Electrified G80 from eligibility for the federal EV tax credit under the newest rules.
More competition can be on the way in which. The Lucid Air Pure is scheduled to reach within the fourth quarter of 2022 with an $87,400 base price (before destination), but 406 miles of range. The Mercedes EQE sedan must also reach dealerships soon at a major discount from the EQS. So while the Electrified G80 is a powerful first effort, relating to EVs, change is constant.
Editors’ Recommendations
