LIKES
- Alluring fastback design
- Luxurious interior
- Potent twin-turbo V-6
- Electric option
- Excellent warranty
DISLIKES
- Limited Electrified G80 availability
- Limited trunk space
- Lacks performance variant
- Suspension compromises
- Small dealer network
BUYING TIP
- The 2023 Genesis G80 3.5T Sport combines twin-turbo V-6 power with luxury features.
The 2023 Genesis G80 proves its mettle among luxury sedans.
What kind of car is the 2023 Genesis G80? What does it compare to?
The 2023 Genesis G80 is a mid-size luxury sedan with two turbo engine options, as well as a full battery electric model in the Electrified G80. It rivals class leaders such as the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes E-Class, as well as the Cadillac CT5 and Volvo S90.
Is the 2023 Genesis G80 a good car?
It’s gorgeous and sumptuous, and worth a long look against rival mid-size luxury sedans. It earns a TCC Rating of 7.5 out of 10.
What’s new for the 2023 Genesis G80?
Genesis expands the availability of the Electrified G80 to eight states this year, and Genesis now has a couple standalone dealerships.
The starter G80 features a 300-hp turbo-4 paired with an 8-speed automatic and rear-wheel drive, though all-wheel drive is an option. It’s standard with our recommended engine, a 375-hp twin-turbo V-6 in the 3.5T model. It hits 60 mph in about five seconds, but the Electrified G80 does it even quicker, with its dual motors generating 365 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque and shedding the electric sedan’s prodigious weight. The 3.5T and EG80 sport adaptive dampers with predictive sensors that adjust to the road ahead, and rear-wheel steering that enhances turning at higher speeds.
The suspension might be too firm for drivers who prefer to cruise, yet too soft for enthusiasts, but it exists comfortably between these two preferences.
The G80 has a sublimely comfortable cabin, with standard heated and power front seats that only get comfier with quilted leather and a kind of seat massager on top trims. Four adults can fit in comfort, though the Electrified G80 has less headroom and rear legroom, and the relatively small trunk gets smaller.
Genesis loads the G80 with driver-assist tech that’s usually an additional charge from other automakers. Standard automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and blind-spot monitors help the G80 earn a Top Safety Pick+ from the IIHS, and the NHTSA gave it a five-star rating as well.
How much does the 2023 Genesis G80 cost?
The 2023 Genesis G80 2.5T costs $50,595, including a $1,095 destination fee. Genesis bundles it with luxury features such as 12-way power front seats that are heated and a 14.5-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. All-wheel drive adds $3,150, or it comes standard on the $66,345 G80 3.5T Sport. The Sport Prestige grade boosts it at least $6,000 more for nappa leather and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, but the Electrified G80 tops the price chart at $81,000.
Where is the 2023 Genesis G80 made?
It’s made in South Korea.
Styling
With European curves and a cosseting cabin, the G80 demands long, appraising looks.
Is the Genesis G80 a good-looking car?
Absolutely. It lacks the goofy grilles of the latest BMWs, and subdues the lightshow paraded by recent Mercedes’ cars. There’s a maturity to its fastback shape, which is ironic since it’s a relative newcomer to the class. The inside is as impressive, earning two more points to score a 9 here.
A wide crest grille stretches more uniformly across the face than other big and bold grilles, and Genesis splits its headlights with an LED ribbon that wraps around the fenders and accentuates the body line to the rear, where the taillights reconnect with this interrupted halo of light. It looks good day or night, and the fastback rear lends it a look of captured motion.
The interior dazzles with a low dash stretched horizontally and the touchpoints range from buttery leather to knurled metal knobs and buttons. Every surface feels thoughtful and the look calm and pleasing, from the steering wheel to the available wood-covered console. The touchscreen is a reach, but voice commands and one of two control dials in the console limit the need to lean.
Performance
The G80 cooks, but lacks the pure chops to be an executive chef.
A potent turbo-4 or more potent twin-turbo V-6 provide willing and able power, and an electronically controlled independent suspension button the G80 to the road and help to earn it an 8. It lacks the performance arms of German rivals (and Cadillac’s Blackwing) but its overall grace and power encourages drivers to get out and go.
Is the Genesis G80 AWD?
The base 2.5T comes with rear-wheel drive while all-wheel drive splits the torque between the axles, with up to half of the available torque going to the front wheels for improved traction. It adds $3,150 to the base model, or it comes standard on the G80 3.5T twin-turbo V-6 and Electrified G80.
The base 2.5T has a 300-hp 2.5-liter turbo-4 that hustles from 0-60 mph in about seven seconds. We haven’t spent much time in it, but our taste prefers the bite of its bigger brother.
The G80 3.5T AWD uses a 375-hp 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 that best channels the G80’s sporting intentions. With 391 lb-ft of torque, an 8-speed automatic, and drive modes that fine-tune its personality from economy to sport, it’s a pleasing performer. A touch of turbo lag dampens the bite off the line, but it still sprints to 60 mph in about five seconds. At speed, quick flicking paddle shifters return some power to the driver’s hands and minimize the lag, but Sport mode shifts just as well on its own.
With a front strut and multi-link rear suspension and standard 18-inch wheels, the base G80 rides with ease, though it tends to the soft side for comfy cruising on the long stretches between more spirited opportunities.
Electrified G80 performance
Built similarly to the gas G80, but girded with an 87.2-kwh battery pack under the floor and a 136-kw motor powering either axle, the Electrified G80 generates 365 hp and 516 lb-ft to hit 60 mph in less than five seconds, according to Genesis. It lacks the gut surge off the line of other luxury or performance EVs, instead opting for a more gradual surge that really takes off above about 25 mph.
It has the same rear-axle steering as the 3.5T, but it’s stiffer and weighs about 500 pounds more at 5,047 pounds, so it feels both more powerful and more planted. It’s also much quieter, with only the 19-inch wheels contributing to a pitter patter of pavement from outside.
It has an estimated range of 282 miles, which likely won’t get you from state to state in the eight states it’s sold in: Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Washington, California, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York.
Comfort & Quality
The G80 marks Genesis as a full-fledged luxury brand.
With front and rear seats as contoured and supportive as shoe inserts, and an interior with an exceptional fit and finish, the 2023 Genesis G80 earns an 8. The Electrified G80 is more snug.
The mid-size sedan comes standard with heated front seats with 12-way adjustment with power lumbar support for all-day comfort. Top grades sport nappa leather upholstery and have power side bolsters, leg-rest extenders, and a pseudo massaging seat function that automatically adjusts seat positions during extended driving time to reduce fatigue. They’re not Lincoln-level of comfort, but they’re pretty close. Unfortunately, Genesis makes it a reach to touch the screen and to close the soft-close doors.
Four bigger adults can fit in the G80, with 38.7 inches of rear legroom and enough headroom to accommodate longer trips. The flat middle seat is best as an armrest and can also double as a pass-through for longer items to extend the 13.1 cubic feet of trunk space.
In all but the trunk, Genesis lavishes the G80 with the finest luxury touches, such as metallic trimwork, beautifully stitched leather on top grades, and wood dash pieces. Even at its flashiest, it never looks cheap or gaudy and it all feels warm and luxurious.
Safety
The G80 aces crash tests.
How safe is the Genesis G80?
With a five-star rating from the NHTSA, and a Top Safety Pick+ award from the IIHS, the G80 and Electrified G80 earn top marks in safety. Add in a suite of standard driver-assist tech designed to avoid crashes, and options such as a surround-view camera system, a blind-spot monitor that appears in the instrument cluster when turning, and the 2023 Genesis G80 nearly aces our safety score with a 9.
The only limitation is outside vision. The low stance and tall sides of the sedan pinch vision to the rear sides especially.
Features
The 2023 Genesis G80 swaddles drivers with luxury, then challenges them with infotainment.
For $50,595, the G80 2.5T Standard comes with 12-way power front seats that are heated, and a 14.5-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay that can be as distracting as it is unnecessarily layered. Options ranging from nappa leather to massaging seats go deep in the luxury class, and Genesis assures the G80 with a 5-year/60,000-mile warranty with three years or 60,000 miles of free scheduled maintenance. It’s a 9.
Advanced ($4,700) grades add a panoramic sunroof, 19-inch wheels, cooled front seats, matte wood trim, and 21-speaker Lexicon audio to take the G80 from the premium to luxury class, and Sport Prestige ($10,200) doubles down on that with leather upholstery, a massaging driver seat, a heated steering wheel and heated rear seats, a surround-view camera system, wireless smartphone charging, and a crystal clear 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.
Which Genesis G80 should I buy?
How much is a fully loaded Genesis G80?
The 2023 Electrified G80 costs $80,920 and comes in one fully loaded grade with all of the loveliness from the Sport Prestige grade. It’s plush and posh, for a price.
Fuel Economy
The 2023 Electrified G80 is efficient; the gas G80 is average.
Is the Genesis G80 good on gas?
It depends. The EPA rates the turbo-4, rear-drive G80 at 22 mpg city, 32 highway, 26 combined. All-wheel drive lowers it to 22/30/25 mpg. That’s a 3 here.
More power means less efficiency, mostly. The AWD twin-turbo V-6 G80 only gets 17/26/20 mpg.
The Electrified G80 benefits from an 800-volt DC fast-charging architecture, and with a 350-kw connector it can charge from 10% to 80% in as few as 22 minutes, according to Genesis. Owners get three years of 30-minute charging sessions at Electrify America stations. At home, on a 240-volt outlet, the EG80’s onboard charger accepts 10.9 kw and charges overnight. A Vehicle to Load (V2L) function outputs up to 3.6 kw to power tools or appliances in a pinch.
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