Genesis G80 review - Engines, performance and drive

While the G80 grabs your attention with its sleek exterior style and sumptuous cabin, out on the road it doesn’t offer up quite the same level of dynamic polish. Compared to the class leaders from Mercedes and BMW, the G80’s ride is a little firm and it struggles to deal with the typical pockmarked tarmac of UK roads. 

Things feel better when cruising along on the motorway, with the eight-speed automatic gearbox proving itself to be a smooth shifting unit. Driving with a little more urgency doesn’t really suit the G80. It will struggle at times when you’re looking to kick down to a lower gear, while we’d suggest leaving the manual paddle shifters well alone. 

During our own test, we found the Mercedes E-Class’s nine-speed auto ‘box more in tune with the actual driving conditions, while the CVT transmission in the Lexus ES was also quicker to respond to inputs. The G80’s overly light steering is a further reason not to treat the Korean exec as a performance driving tool. It doesn’t provide much in the way of feedback, and things can feel slightly unsettled through quicker turns.

A drive mode select function is included for all models and provides an augmented engine sound piped into the cabin via the speakers. It’s not overly intrusive and is dependent on which drive mode you opt for - which is a good thing as the G80 is particularly quiet inside, even at higher speeds.

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Engines, 0-60 acceleration and top speed

With 300bhp on tap and a meaty 422Nm of torque available from just 1,650rpm, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the G80 2.5-litre petrol model delivers impressive straight line speed. It dispatches the 0-62mph sprint in 6.0 seconds and is capable of a 155mph maximum.

Most buyers will probably seek the performance/efficiency balance that the 206bhp 2.2-litre diesel provides. The oil-burner still manages to accelerate from a standstill to 62mph in 8.0 seconds, with a top speed of 147mph, all while bringing the usual fuel economy advantages.