Genesis GV80 – suave and safe

THE Genesis car brand hadn’t even been launched in the UK when champion golfer Tiger Woods gave the Korean manufacturer some unwitting advance publicity.

He was behind the wheel of a courtesy Genesis GV80 and reckoned to be travelling at 75mph when careering off the road and smashing into a tree in the Los Angeles suburbs.

The car, and its extensive safety systems including 10 airbags, was later credited by LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva as saving the golfer’s life, saying he was lucky to be alive.

Now the big SUV is here in the UK, and once again at the centre of countless discussions – all with the same theme. People think it’s a Bentley.

To a point that’s perfectly understandable, because it looks like a new, more dramatic version of the Bentayga with its winged bonnet badge and giant honeycomb grille.

There the comparison ends though, considering the GV80 costs about a third as much as a Bentley – even if it does come packed with kit and dripping in quality.

For those still wondering where Genesis comes from it is actually the luxury division of Hyundai, in much the same manner Lexus is to Toyota.

Petrol and diesel models started arriving here at the start of this year and have now been joined by the brand’s first electric vehicles.

The GV80 is the flagship model and as a big brute of a car it needs a strong engine, in the case of our tested version a 2.5-litre turbo petrol unit producing a hefty 304bhp.

Prices start at £58,320 and both the 2.5-litre petrol and 3.0 diesel models have four-wheel drive and an eight-speed auto gearbox while there’s a choice of five or seven seats.

Our tested Luxury Line variant sits in the middle of the three available trim grades and comes loaded with an extensive list of goodies – as well as safety gear like forward collision avoidance assists, auto emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert, blind spot monitor and lane-keeping assistance. It also has a five-star Euro-NCAP safety rating.

Hop inside and there’s loads of room up front and ample shoulder and leg space for three across the back plus a huge boot which expands to 2,152 litres with the rear seats flipped down.

Electrically operated seats with lumbar support ensure the ideal driving position while the steering wheel adjusts for reach and rake at the press of a button.

As for tech there’s plenty of it, most of which can be accessed using the 14.5-inch touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard and operated either by swiping or using a spinning controller placed between the front seats.

The car’s augmented reality navigation provides a real-time feed of the road and superimposes info like direction arrows and street names and voice activation lets you control the heated seats, air-con, windows or sunroof.

You also get Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and Genesis Connected Services as standard along with a nine-speaker sound system which can be upgraded to an 18-speaker Lexicon set-up with its QuantumLogic Surround sound.

Out on the road the GV80 is comfortable and well mannered to drive and the car’s Terrain Mode lets you switch its set-up for sand, mud or snow.

And there’s even a preview camera that scans the road ahead and alters the suspension to deal with the likes of speed bumps, sunken drains and potholes.

It may be early days for Genesis in the UK but in the GV80 they have a halo model that looks dramatic, feels like the premium product it is and is jam-packed with tech – go for the dark Cardiff Green metallic pearl paint choice and it looks super distinguished.