2025 Genesis GV80 review

Genesis GV80 Cons

The Genesis GV80, currently the Korean luxury brand's flagship SUV, has received a mid-life update with revised styling, a new coupe SUV body style (reviewed separately), and some slick new technology.

That's the good news – the bad news is it's more expensive than ever.

Genesis says the flagship twin-turbo petrol V6 accounted for around half of GV80 sales, and 95 per cent of buyers opted for the optional Luxury Pack.

To that end, all models now come standard with both. But this means the cost of entry into the GV80 range has soared by $24,300.

The turbo-diesel option has followed the previously discontinued base 2.5T petrol out the door, but Genesis reckons the introduction of a new coupe SUV body style will prevent sales from sliding.

The overhauled interior is headlined by a new 27-inch OLED display, with changes also made to the centre stack and console.

Exterior updates are more minor – redesigned headlights with Micro Lens Array (MLA) technology and a refreshed grille and front bumper.

The changes down back are a lot more subtle. Unlike the Coupe, which has exhaust tips with a crest shape resembling that of the grille, the GV80 wagon's tips are concealed.

There is, however, kinked chrome trim intended to call to mind the crest grille. Not to kink shame, but I think the Coupe's more conventional rear bumper treatment, with its visible exhaust surrounds, is classier.

This is still a distinctively styled, seriously premium-looking SUV that confidently wears Genesis' design language both inside and out. Against this, its German rivals look decidedly conservative.

Instead of offering a wide range of powertrains as rivals like the BMW X5 and Audi Q7 do, Genesis simply gives you the option of either a six- or seven-seat SUV or a five-seat coupe SUV.

All GV80s are loaded with every conceivable feature Genesis could offer, with the only options being matte paint ($2000) and a rear-seat entertainment package ($4500).

2025 Genesis GV80 pricing:

To see how the GV80 compares with its rivals, use our comparison tool.

Genesis has given the GV80 interior a major tech upgrade without making any negative changes in the process.

The old infotainment system and instrument cluster worked quite well and had attractive interfaces, but this new 27-inch screen takes a huge step forward.

The trend at the moment is to put a digital instrument cluster and an infotainment touchscreen in one assembly, providing a high-tech, wraparound-type look. But in many cars, these screens are completely separate, so it's really just an illusion of one large screen.

Not so the 2025 GV80. It is one large screen, and should you choose you can even have maps stretch out across the entire array.

Everything looks crisp and high-tech, the display is extremely configurable, and it's all fairly easy to navigate to boot.

Like BMW and Mercedes-Benz, there's an augmented reality (AR) mode for the satellite navigation. You can even have this appear in the instrument cluster, with camera footage of the road ahead appearing with superimposed graphics indicating where to go next.

It works well, although you may find having all this motion on a screen while you're driving quite distracting. One thing missing from this slick screen setup is wireless smartphone mirroring. The company hasn't confirmed whether this will come as part of an over-the-air update.

If I have one other gripe about the front of the cabin, it's that the sides of the centre console – where your knee may rest – are too hard. It's a bit of a surprise, given the plethora of soft surfaces inside the car.

That includes even the lowest reaches of the doors, something some luxury brands have been known to skimp out on, while the door pockets have a soft bottom.

The paddles look and feel like actual metal, the wood is real, and the interior even smells nice thanks to the swathes of Nappa leather trim.

The GV80 I drove was a seven-seater and not a six-seater. The six-seat model gets individual captain chairs plus a centre console containing a wireless phone charger, while the seven-seat model gets a three-seat bench in the second row.

Even if you opt for the seven-seat model, there's heating and ventilation for the outboard second-row seats. The second row has plenty of room in every direction, plus a pair of USB-C outlets, a 12V outlet, and controls for the second-row climate zone.

There are three top-tether points for child seats in the second row, plus ISOFIX anchor points on the outboard seats.

Step into the third row – easily done by pressing a button on the side of the second-row seats – and you'll find ample amenities but not ample space. Kids should be happy, but adults will grumble.

At 180cm tall, my head was pressed up against the roof when I sat back in the farthest row. There's just enough toe room, while knee room is so-so with the second row in its regular position. You can, however, slide the second row seats from back here with the push of a button.

Other amenities include air vents, cupholders, and controls for a fourth climate zone, though there are no child seat anchor points back here.

Open the power tailgate – the button is hidden at the base of the rear wiper – and you'll find 735L of luggage space behind the second row; Genesis doesn't quote a figure with the third row up, but you won't fit a whole lot.

Luggage space expands to 1097L with the second and third rows folded.

Folding the seats is easy, as you simply press a button and they're automatically lowered. Not only that, but these buttons can also be used to raise the seats once more.

Since its 2020 launch, the GV80 has gone from offering three engines and both rear- and all-wheel drive to just one engine with standard all-wheel drive.

The GV80's suspension tune is unchanged from 2024, but that's not a bad thing.

As part of a running change, deployed here first in 2023 and subsequently rolled out globally, Genesis tweaked the suspension "to better manage body control movements across certain road speeds".

The GV80 features adaptive suspension with what Genesis calls Road Preview, which uses a windscreen-mounted camera up front to scan the road ahead and, combined with navigation data, adjusts the suspension accordingly.

The last time I drove a GV80 before this update I found it floaty, with lots of up and down movement over undulations, and yet an occasionally crashy feel over certain imperfections in the road. In short, it was too soft to be sporty, but not absorbent enough to feel truly luxurious.

Driving this 2025 model, it's still abundantly clear this isn't being pitched as a sporty SUV. It still feels a bit floaty, and you will notice what's arguably a bit too much suspension travel in the default Comfort mode. Driving behind another GV80, we observed the Genesis' habit of bobbing more than rival luxury SUVs.

What we didn't observe, though, was any untoward crashiness. We drove this across rural roads on the Mornington Peninsula, including some unsealed ones, plus roads with tram tracks in Melbourne and the GV80 was comfortable.

The good news is Sport mode does make the vehicle feel a bit more tied down. If you want to do without the more aggressive shifting and throttle response this brings, you can program a custom drive mode with, for example, the powertrain set to Comfort but the suspension set to Sport.

But ultimately, the GV80 isn't intended to be a BMW M wannabe. If you like your large luxury SUVs on the softer, more comfortable side, this approach to luxury should appeal. If you don't, its upcoming Magma performance models may better scratch that itch.

In short, a BMW X5 arguably offers a better balance of ride and handling, but the GV80 is thoroughly luxurious.

Even with the soft suspension tune, the GV80 doesn't fall over in a corner; this doesn't feel like a truck when the road gets twisty. The steering is nicely weighted too, if not brimming with road feel.

Genesis says it axed the old turbo 2.5-litre petrol four in Australia because it wasn't effortless enough. We felt it was a fine member of the family – not as alluring as the defunct diesel – and it's a shame the range has become so limited.

The 3.5T's outputs look impressive on paper, but this is about effortless, smooth performance, not about tearing off from every set of traffic lights.

To that end, the GV80's power is delivered linearly and its transmission shifts between gears smooth and unobtrusively.

There's a bit of a growl in the cabin, and you can adjust the Active Sound Design to make it louder or quieter – though there isn't a massive amount of difference among the settings. Nevertheless, the engine never comes close to being unrefined.

The cabin is extremely quiet, with well-suppressed wind and tyre noise even on coarser-chip surfaces or at highway speeds.

On a trip from Genesis' Prahran retail location to the Mornington Peninsula, we saw fuel consumption of 10.7L/100km; on the return leg, we saw 9.6L/100km. Keep in mind both trips had a lot of highway driving.

The active safety and driver assist technology works well. Highway Driving Assist combines the adaptive cruise control and Lane Following Assist to keep you centred in your lane and at a set speed, and can even do lane changes for you when you flick the indicator stalk. However, if it detects any steering intervention, it will make you finish the lane change yourself.

As with recent Hyundai Motor Group products, there's an annoying speed limit alert that automatically turns on whenever you switch on the vehicle, even if you had it off last time you were driving.

Pro tip: program the star button on the steering wheel to take you to the driver assist menu so you can easily switch it off each time. You can have the car simply display the speed limit, rather than sounding a chime every time it changes or you exceed it.

The GV80 now comes standard with all the equipment from the previous Luxury Package.

Standard equipment across the range includes:

The six-seat option features second-row captain's chairs and a fixed centre console with a wireless phone charger.

GV80 Coupe adds:

A rear-seat entertainment package is $4500 on all GV80s, and brings dual 14.7-inch touchscreens, a remote control, a USB-C port and an HDMI port.

All models have Genesis Connected Car Services, which include:

You can also use a smartphone app to access the following functions:

The Genesis GV80 is currently unrated by ANCAP, as the five-star safety rating awarded in 2021 applied only to discontinued 2.5-litre turbo-petrol and 3.0-litre turbo-diesel models.

Standard safety equipment includes:

The GV80 range is backed by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty with five years or 50,000km of complimentary scheduled servicing.

Servicing is required every 12 months or 10,000km, and Genesis offers its Genesis To You service during the warranty period.

This sees a valet come pick up your Genesis for servicing and leave you with another Genesis vehicle. The complimentary pickup service is only available if you're within 70km driving distance from the Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane CBDs.

There's five years of roadside assistance, extending to 10 years if you service your vehicle with Genesis.

Genesis is still an upstart brand in Australia, so removing the most affordable GV80 models seems an odd decision.

But despite the $20,000+ increase in its base price, the GV80 still undercuts a comparable X5, Q7, or GLE. With a base price of $130k before on-roads, it's $7200 less than a Q7 55 TFSI quattro S line, $8900 less than an X5 xDrive40i and a whopping $14,900 less than the most affordable GLE.

None of those models can match the GV80's extravagant equipment list. The difference with the X5 and Q7, if not the GLE, is you can technically haggle on pricing.

With Genesis' fixed-price model, you won't find out later you missed out on a sharp discount afforded to your neighbour or co-worker, but you won't be able to put your negotiation skills to work.

Genesis' approach to sales and service has some more obvious positives, though. The complimentary servicing and available (depending on your area) concierge service makes crossing over from the established European brands tempting.

The car itself remains a compelling alternative to the establishment options, and there isn't even a whiff of Hyundai to the way it looks or feels – good for a brand trying to take on the likes of BMW and Benz.

It's a shame to see the diesel go, but the twin-turbo petrol V6 is smooth and powerful… if thirstier. Dynamically, the GV80 is still on the softer end of the spectrum, but it has a more tied-down and resolved feel than when it first launched here in 2020.

The interior is still arguably class-leading in terms of presentation and materials – we love the wide range of colourways and inlays – while the technology has gone from simply good to perhaps the best in the segment… or certainly close.

Distinctively styled, luxuriously appointed and comfortably tuned, the GV80 ought to be on your shortlist if you're looking for a large luxury SUV.

MORE: Buy a Genesis GV80 MORE: Everything Genesis GV80

Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au