Genesis may be late to the SUV party, but the South Korean luxury brand is making a big splash with the GV80. Up until now, Genesis has been relying on nothing but sedans, despite the rest of the industry moving toward SUV-heavy lineups. Finally succumbing to peer pressure and consumer interest, Genesis introduced the high-tech and luxurious midsize GV80.
The GV80 looks completely different compared to anything else in Genesis’ arsenal. The split headlights, liberal use of chrome, quad taillights, and stylish creases all give the GV80 an upscale look that ensures the SUV will punch above its weight, well above its weight. Underneath the dashing design sits a high-strength steel structure that also features an aluminum hood, tailgate, and doors to help save weight.
If the exterior design of the GV80 is impressive, the interior is even more striking. There’s an air vent that runs the majority of the dashboard, while a massive 14.5-inch touchscreen with split-screen functionality sits atop the dash. Genesis kept the number of buttons and switches to a minimum, helping passengers find things easily and to maintain a streamlined look. Three rows of seats are available, as are high-end things like real wood trim, ambient lighting, and quilted leather upholstery. The SUV also has an active motion driver’s seat that has seven air cells that help reduce fatigue during long drives.
Having flashy exterior and interior designs aren’t enough to help the GV80 stand out in the competitive midsize segment. What will, though, is the impressive technology the SUV will come with. As with other Genesis models, the GV80 will come with handwriting recognition, which can be used through a small touchpad on the center console. In certain markets, the GV80 will also come with augmented reality navigation that provides drivers with virtual driving guidelines portrayed over real driving images for more recognizable directions. The GV80 also comes with what Genesis claims is the first application of Road Active Noise Cancellation (RANC) analyzes road noise in real-time and then creates opposite phases of sound waves in 0.002 seconds.
Hyundai’s also using the GV80 as the new benchmark for safety with its vehicles. The SUV will come with multiple driver-assist features, including a driver monitoring system, rear cross-traffic alert, rear automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, forward collision warning, and forward automatic emergency braking. Beyond those features, the GV80 will also come with Highway Driving Assist II (HDA II) and Smart Cruise Control with Machine Learning (SCC-ML). The former can now assist the driver in making lane changes and merging in traffic, in addition to being a semi-autonomous system on the highway. SCC-ML is an advanced feature that uses an artificial-intelligence-based navigation system to help the GV80 learn characteristics about the way the driver drives. The SUV uses the data it collects to drive similarly when operating semi-autonomously.
With the GV80 being based on the next-gen G80, the SUV has a lot more safety features than the rest of Genesis’ other vehicles. No other vehicle in Genesis’ lineup comes with SCC-ML, and while the refreshed G90 sedan does have HDA, the version in the sedan isn’t capable of merging in traffic or changing lanes. Instead, HDA in the G90 is a semi-autonomous feature that utilizes lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control to handle most aspects of driving on the highway.
Competitors for the GV80 include the BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class, Audi Q7, and Lexus RX. When it comes to advanced safety features, the GV80 has an edge thanks to its SCC-ML system as no other SUV in the luxury segment has something like that. Nearly all of those aforementioned competitors come with high-tech driver-assist features that can drive semi-autonomously on the highway, just like the GV80’s HAD II system.
Genesis hasn’t announced pricing for the GV80 yet, but we expect the SUV to start at roughly $60,000, which is above the mark for well-optioned trims of the Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade, the Genesis’ cousins. The automaker hasn’t announced specific powertrains for the SUV, either. We expect to hear on the GV80 before the SUV’s official sale date in the U.S.
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