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So my dad bought one of the first GV80's in America and I figured I would share the first impression of the car with people.
To give a follow up he had a 2008 Acura MDX Tech with 245k that he's given to my sister. That car is still trucking along and running well, but it definitely isn't as tight as when he got it. It's only had 3 things go wrong with it since he bought it new: drivers door actuator failed ($200 to fix), hose for HVAC broke ($200 to fix with a recharge), and the Bluetooth Module died (no cost, just unplugged). Overall, a great car.
The first step was finding his car. He wanted a 3.5T Prestige Package with blue exterior and a Dune interior. There were only 3 blue ones on the entire east coast with the Prestige Package. He couldn't get one with the Dune interior but he found with the black interior and decided he liked the black too. We are located in North Carolina and the dealer was in Florida. They agreed to $400 to ship the car to NC, which seemed fair. Overall the dealer experience was good. Everyone was nice and friendly minus the finance guy. He wasn't very knowledgeable or nice, but everyone else was great. I know that the dealer network is probably the biggest issue for Genesis but my dad had an overall good one.
Now to the car itself. First things first. If you want to be a sleuth.... DO. NOT. BUY. THIS. CAR. Seriously, this car turns A LOT of heads. In just the short time driving I've had multiple thumbs ups, along with people turning to look at it. My dad said when he first got there someone told him "you have a nice Bentley." Someone put a window down at a red light and said "that's the new GV80, do you like it?" I think a lot of people are staring out of curiosity because they don't know what it is. This car definitely sticks out in a crowd.
On my own personal opinion on the styling is that it's stunning. The entire car on the outside looks fantastic and the blue is beautiful in person. When you unlock the car all the LED lights on car line up all along the side with the front and the back and it's really cool looking. The rims are 22" rims that are beautiful and the brake calipers say "Genesis" on them. The Grille is beautiful in person, but we are lucky in that North Carolina only requires a rear license plate. I am not sure it would look as nice with a license plate in the middle of it. The rear of the car also looks very nice with the way the taillights wrap around the back of the car.
On to the interior and it's just as nice. Genesis used high quality materials throughout the entire car. Everything is either a very soft touch feeling or real metal. The leather seats are top quality too. I haven't found a surface yet that I have touched and thought "this doesn't feel good." The 3D digital screen for the dash is very nice and I do love the inverse tachometer. At first it was a little weird seeing the tachometer go the other direction but once you get used to it it's very cool looking.
The technology on this car is also unbelievable. It does almost anything you could ever think of. It has the "Smaht Pahk" feature from the super bowl commercial which is very cool. The 360 camera automatically comes on when pulling into the garage which is great for parking. A camera also shows you your blind spot on both the right and the left when you put your blinker on in addition to the traditional BSI system. The screen itself has an HD display and the maps are crisp and look very nice. You can check almost anything from the app on your phone, including using the app as the key to the car. The heads up display is done well and you can clearly glance down at the important information. The controls for the infotainment are very easy to use, it has a scroll dial you can use but it also has an option for the touchscreen. The HVAC and some radio buttons are the tradition push buttons to make it easier too. Apple CarPlay takes up the entire screen which is really cool, but the one negative I would say I've found is that it's not wireless CarPlay. You still have to use a cord, which is annoying for such a high dollar car. This is one of those things we are still learning all of what the car has to offer because there's so much there.
Driving the car is great too. The 3.5T engine has incredible power and a lot of low end torque. The car is still in the break in phase so nobody has driven it hard yet but even still you can just feel the power there. It takes corners very well and while nobody has pushed it yet, you can tell how well it handles a turn. The ride is smooth, but the only thing I've noticed is that it doesn't seem to love speed bumps. If you take those too fast it's not terrible but definitely not as smooth as it normally is and my dad has two in his neighborhood between the entrance and his house. However, if you're uncomfortable just turn on your massaging seat. Both the front and rear have the option for heat and cool, and when you hit the button it's almost instant. Don't leave it on level 3 for too long because you'll get too hot or cold.
Genesis offers 3 years maintenance included with concierges service. So they'll just come pick up the car at his house and service it for no charge. The car also comes with 10 year / 100K powertrain warranty which is the best in the industry.
These are just some initial thoughts and I am sure I am forgetting some stuff, but overall it's a really great car. The price point for this makes it very attractive compared to it's rivals and it's nice to see Genesis enter the SUV market which is growing so rapidly here in the US. I am excited to see them start selling the GV70 as well.
Most of these are photos the dealer took (been raining here so I'll have to wait for a better time to take more pictures) but here's some photos of the car:
Last edited by Curious3GTL; 12-30-2020 at 08:27 PM.
The way the rear end is shaped, aside from the taillights and the Genesis badging it definitely bears more than a passing resemblance to the Bentayga, and while the shape of the front grille is different, the sheer size and diamond mesh design is also Bentayga-esque. I wasn't a huge fan of the front grille at first, but it's definitely growing on me.
awesome mini review!
looking forward to more pics!
Originally Posted by knight rider
That thing is sweet! I really like that blue too. Nice wheel design, diamond stitch seats. Genesis when all out on this one.
Thank you both! And yes they definitely did!
Originally Posted by mrmako
I can see why it can be mistaken for a higher end vehicle. Looks sharp. The old Mercedes CLS headlight treatment and that massive grille.
Yeah, they really did a great job with the design.
Originally Posted by fiatlux
The way the rear end is shaped, aside from the taillights and the Genesis badging it definitely bears more than a passing resemblance to the Bentayga, and while the shape of the front grille is different, the sheer size and diamond mesh design is also Bentayga-esque. I wasn't a huge fan of the front grille at first, but it's definitely growing on me.
Yeah, the designer for Genesis is the same guy that did the Bentayga so I think that's why they look similar lol
Originally Posted by NSXNEXT
Great review. She's a beaut. Congrats to your Dad.
Thank you!
Originally Posted by SamDoe1
Awesome, thanks for the review! I'm adding this to our list of contenders... Any insights into the cargo space it has? How big is it back there?
Oh, one other question. If you don't mind me asking, did he buy for MSRP or did they discount it for him?
Here's some photos of the cargo to give you a better idea. It's about the same as the MDX it's replacing.
When they first came out they actually wanted $9,000 over. My dad didn't want to pay but told him "hey, I get it. If you have a customer that's willing to pay that much for it you should sell it to them over me." They eventually came down to the sticker.
Honestly, I would take any gensesis over a comparable bmw or benz these days. The best bang for your buck. However, I'm looking for bigger and more rugged right now, so I have the Telluride in my sights over the GV80 due to extra seats & offroad ability
Honestly, I would take any gensesis over a comparable bmw or benz these days. The best bang for your buck. However, I'm looking for bigger and more rugged right now, so I have the Telluride in my sights over the GV80 due to extra seats & offroad ability
The Telluride has less off road ability as a Subaru, it's not going to take you deep into the wilderness, just a fair warning in case that was your plan. I know it has the name and all but that's about it. No way a Telluride is going up Imogene pass in Telluride.
If you want a big 3 row that can off road I'd recommend the Lexus GX, Toyota LC, Nissan Armada, or any of the big Chevy models. The Jeep GC Trailhawk (not a 3 row) is also pretty capable.
^ Or, if you wait a bit & don't mind a first-year model. The next-gen JGC is supposedly getting a 3rd row option.
Toyota 4Runner also has 3rd row, but I'm pretty sure it's for small children or anyone without legs [/clarkson]
Awesome, thanks! We need something that will carry all of our shit for road trips and such so need to make sure cargo capacity is there.
Nice! What else are you looking at?
Originally Posted by gatrhumpy
Holy crap! That looks awesome!
Thank you!
Originally Posted by leedogg
Honestly, I would take any gensesis over a comparable bmw or benz these days. The best bang for your buck. However, I'm looking for bigger and more rugged right now, so I have the Telluride in my sights over the GV80 due to extra seats & offroad ability
Those are super popular around here. The dealers are having issues keeping enough in stock. Great cars though!
Congrats to your Dad on his new very nice looking car.
My grandson got a Genesis R-Spec Coupe for his University Graduation a few years ago. Been a great car for him. Think once they get the dealership thing worked out they will be in the big leagues with Lexus. They are building a very strong fully rounded product line.
That said we have had a very good dealer experience with the NC Hunyadi dealer we got the car from. The Raleigh dealer we get service e from has also been very good but lacks the ambiance as part of a Hyundai, Mazda (granddaughters CX5 serviced there) Subaru store. Would buy another one of either.
12-30-2020, 08:22 PM
