New Genesis G90 luxury saloon begins Euro adventure, but UK still off-limits
Genesis confirms its G90 Mercedes S-Class rival is coming to Europe and has been tuned to European tastes, but no UK sales have been confirmed so far
Genesis has announced that European sales of its flagship G90 luxury saloon have started with immediate effect, in Germany and Switzerland. The dramatic looking four-door limousine will take on the likes of the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes S-Class, with buyers able to choose from either standard or a long wheelbase model.
The former will be available with either four or five seats, while the longer version will exclusively seat four, granting its rear occupants an extra 190mm of legroom compared to the standard car. The rear seats recline and have extendable calf rests, while the large central console includes a touchscreen for the rear occupants to control a range of climate and entertainment functions.
Externally, the G90 carries the trademark Genesis split headlights, which flank a vast diamond-shaped grille. The clamshell bonnet blends into the upper line of the headlights and the side repeaters, eliminating panel gaps around the front of the car. At the rear, there are echoes of the smaller G80 saloon, but the split light treatment is more dramatic, extending across the full width of the boot lid.
Engines and technical specs
Genesis hasn’t yet confirmed any engine specs, but in the North American market, power comes from a 3.5-litre six-cylinder turbocharged petrol with 375bhp and 530Nm of torque in standard wheelbase form. In the long wheelbase model the 3.5-litre unit is supplemented by an electric compressor powered by the G90’s 48-volt mild hybrid system.
Genesis hasn’t confirmed a power output for the unit assisted by its electric supercharger, but unlike the rear-drive-only standard wheelbase car, the long wheelbase model’s eight-speed automatic gearbox sends power to all four wheels.
The G90’s chassis has been fine tuned to suit European tastes and there are different suspension set-ups for the two versions. Multi-chamber air suspension and rear-wheel steering - boosting manoeuvrability at low speed and stability at high speed - feature as standard on the G90 Long Wheelbase.
The regular G90 offers Genesis’s Preview-Electronic Control Suspension, a system that scans the road ahead of the car and uses data from the sat-nav to adjust the suspension dampers according to the road for maximum comfort. This adaptive tech features on the air-sprung set-up, too.
According to Genesis, if the technology senses a hump in the road 100m ahead, it raises the car’s ride height by 10mm and optimises the suspension settings to reduce the jolt to passengers; on rough roads the system can raise the suspension by as much as 25mm at both the front and the rear to avoid the body contacting the ground over harsher bumps.
There’s also a Brake Mode function with a ‘Chauffeur’ setting - one of three modes that adjusts the parameters of the braking system depending on driver preference.
Continuing the focus on refinement, Genesis has equipped the G90 with active noise cancellation tech. This picks up frequencies from road noise and sends signals to the car’s speakers to cancel this out. It’s helped by laminated glass.
Other tech includes flush door handles, keyless entry via Genesis’s Digital Key 2 and a fingerprint recognition system to start the car, which also pre-loads specific driver settings that have been previously assigned to that fingerprint.
An easy-close system for the doors allows them to be closed at the push of a button so driver and passengers don’t have to reach out and pull them shut; the driver’s door can also be set to shut automatically when the brake pedal is depressed.
Genesis has not yet revealed full details of the G90’s infotainment system but has confirmed it will be compatible with over-the-air updates. The navigation system, digital cluster, Head-Up-display (HUD), brakes, steering wheel, suspension, airbags, and driver assistance tech are all compatible with upgrades via a remote data connection.
The G90 has been designed with a focus on rear-seat comfort. Features include air bolsters in the seats that deflate to allow easier entry and exit, as well as leg and foot rests behind the front passenger seat.
The car’s 10.2-inch rear screens can adjust their angle in accordance with the rear seat positions for easier viewing, while a centrally mounted eight-inch touchscreen in the armrest controls the climate and massage functions.
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