I have driven several dozen cars this year, and the 2025 Genesis G80 is my favorite of the bunch.
Does that mean it’s the best? I’m not sure. That’s a more complicated question. But nothing else I’ve driven felt as right for me.
If you allow me, I’ll talk about the tricky part of my job for a moment. The tricky part is taste.
At Kelley Blue Book, we sometimes step outside our taste to do our jobs well. Taste is a simple matter — some things are “for me,” and others are “not for me.” What’s for me may not match what’s for you.
Our experts have to review cars reasonably, even when they’re not for us.
Generally, the smaller a car is, the more I will enjoy driving it. I like a low center of gravity. I want some power, but I’m more charmed by great handling. I’ll take a car that corners with confidence and balance, even if it loses the drag race.
So, if you put me in a 3-row SUV, my immediate reaction would be, “This is not for me.”
I understand that some people need to carry eight, tow often, and love a commanding seating position. So, I have learned to put aside my taste and describe how a 3-row SUV compares to others of its type, and why you might want one over another.
But I slid behind the wheel of the 2025 Genesis G80, settled into the Sevilla Red quilted leather seats, tapped the throttle and heard the turbocharged V6 growl subtly, took the first corner and felt the rear-wheel steering sharpen my inputs. Instantly, every fiber of my being said: “This is for me.”
Let me explain why and see if I can convince you.
Our tester was a G80 3.5T Sport Prestige AWD (all-wheel drive) without a single option. It retails for $78,250 after a $1,250 delivery fee.
A Confident Engine With Nothing to Prove
Automakers these days sell cars on flashy cabin technology. But the heart of any car remains its engine. This sedan has a good one.
Under the hood of the G80 3.5T, a twin-turbo V6 makes 375 horsepower. It sends power to all four wheels through an 8-speed automatic transmission. That matches the output of the BMW 540i xDrive and the Mercedes-Benz E 450 4Matic. It seems that 375 hp is the figure luxury automakers agree is appropriate for a modern sports sedan.
They’re right. This engine is fantastic. In Comfort mode, it’s an easy machine for errands around town. In Sport+ mode, it’s truly quick, with a thrilling growl – but never an ostentatious one. It’s a confident athlete not desperate to shout about what he can do.
Buyers also have the option of a 300-hp turbocharged 4-cylinder. I haven’t driven the car with that one, but I suspect 300 hp, with a slightly lighter weight, feels similarly confident.
Steering From All Four Wheels
We care more about handling than straight-line speed, agreed? The G80 excels on a winding road.
Part of the reason is rear-wheel steering. Mercedes and Genesis both build it into their midsize luxury sedans this year, and they’re both right to do so. You have to spring for the Sport Prestige model to get it on this car. But I’d argue that it’s worth it. You would, too, after a few minutes on a snakey road.
It makes parking easier at low speeds and gives the car striking stability at high speeds. Combined with the sport-tuned adaptive suspension of the Sport Prestige, it gives the G80 a newly athletic character.
Is it threatening the 5 Series on track yet? Probably not. But it’s not far behind now, and this powertrain is protected by a 10-year/100,000-mile warranty; that BMW’s isn’t.
A Deep Understanding of Beautiful Design
The best designers understand that simple design elements, done consistently over time, bring more elegance than changing your mind all the time. Most exquisite designs aren’t outlandish. They stand out from workaday things based on a few simple choices, not a dramatic deviation from the norm.
Genesis has quickly developed a signature look — two parallel lines of lighting. The G80 wears them in the front and the rear. They instantly identify the car as a Genesis to those in the know and something new worth noticing to those outside it. The lines sit beside a big shield grille with large diamond mesh.
The look has real elegance. More than once, friends who know nothing about cars asked me what this was in an impressed tone. If Genesis has the spine to stick with it across decades, the double-line theme is the kind of thing on which they could build a reputation for beauty.
A Bold Colored Interior That Will Feel Special for Years
However, Genesis’s best design choice is its embrace of interior color.
If you’re fortunate enough to be shopping for a luxury car, the color of your interior is a choice you’ll make. It’s also something you’ll get used to.
Every day, you’ll walk out to your car—something that’s yours in a day filled with things that aren’t — and open the door. Will you be greeted with neutral sameness roughly like everyone else chose? Or will you be shocked by bold color in a gray world and decide to settle into it again, surrounding yourself with something dramatic and all for you?
Many automakers limit interior choices to grays, blacks, and beiges. Genesis lets you choose blood-red quilted leather. In some models, the company has offered greens, blues, and purples. It’s wonderful because it’s so unique. Opening the door to your Sevilla Red G80 cabin, you see a choice you made long ago to be bold and distinctive. I struggle to understand why other automakers don’t offer shoppers that chance.
Like most cars in its price range, the G80 displays all the info you’ll need on large, elegant screens. It lacks for nothing – the seat bolsters even cinch tighter as you flick it into Sport+ mode. But those things are expected.
The dash of color is unexpected and the best reason to love this car.
Two Technologies Away From Perfect
All praise aside, two things keep the G80 from being astonishingly good.
One is its sound system — an 18-speaker Bang & Olufsen setup that is quite nice but easily bested by the Mark Levinson systems in Lexus ES sedans. Adjusting it through the Beosonic equalizer system helps, but knowing you can get clearer sound with greater range for a similar price doesn’t.
The other is the lack of a true partial automation system like GM’s Super Cruise. Most of the time, I wouldn’t want to take my feet off the pedals or my hands off the wheel of this car. But, for an hours-long road trip, the option would be nice.
