2023 Genesis Electrified G80 review

In some weird twist of fate, the humble sedan is making a comeback.

Whereas it has spent the past 15 years being phased out as an internal-combustion offering – often replaced in the model line-up by an SUV or 'crossovers' – the last five or so have seen it make a comeback.

It also seems electric vehicles are the driving force behind the great sedan renaissance. First we had Tesla almost define the electric car with its Model S and Model 3 sedans, then brands like Porsche and Audi make it better with their fearsome Taycan and classy E-Tron GT sport sedan pair.

Don't forget about the Chinese-backed Swedes either, as the Polestar 2 sedan is another absolute ripper – and dare I say it – offering great value for money.

Genesis has joined the righteous cause too by offering its fully electric G80 large sedan in Australia. It's a big luxury beast, with two electric motors, over 270kW of power and over 500km of range.

Let's jump behind the wheel and see what it has to offer.

The 2023 Genesis G80 EV is offered in a single high-specification trim called Luxury from $144,247 before on-roads and options.

While there is a plethora of free colour configurations both inside and out, the only option you can tick is premium or matte paint for $1690. Our test car's Matira Blue finish is absolutely stunning and worth the extra cost.

It also looks far darker in real life than the online configurator shows, so make sure you check out the paintwork in the flesh before ordering. Our test car's total price comes out to $158,636 drive-away in NSW.

It's worth noting that you also receive a complimentary choice between the blue pill and red pill when you buy a Genesis G80 EV: five years of free charging via public infrastructure, or the option of a free home charger.

A tough choice, but a nice one to have after spending over $150,000 on a vehicle.

We'll start in the second row, since it's a large luxury limo.

At 185cm tall, I had plenty of room to relax and get comfortable. The rear seats themselves are nicely contoured to support your lower back and bum nicely, plus a large and deep seat base has good thigh support for lankier-than-usual passengers (like yours truly).

However, the ability to truly stretch out is inhibited by the front seats. It's impossible to get your toes under them, and requesting Jeeves (or mum/dad) to lift the seat all the way up doesn't help either. Although comfy, I was expecting more leg room in the back.

General amenity remains great, however. Obviously you'll find rear air vents and air-conditioning controls, but there are also sun blinds galore back here. You'll find manually operated ones in each rear door and an electrically operated one across the back window.

Both rear seats also have their own infotainment system, so both rear occupants can fight over who gets to use the single fold-down central command station.

Aside from buttons for the seat heating and sun blind, guests can use the rotary controller to navigate through your screen's settings, or simply plug-in their headphones and enjoy some R-and-R. A few misses include one USB port in the back (instead of two) and no bottle holders – just a pair of small cupholders.

The only storage solutions here are a pair of rectangular door pockets either side, and a small covered storage pit in the rear armrest behind the control centre.

Moving over to the front, it's clear to see how hard Genesis is trying to stick it to the Europeans. There's no denying the sense of grandeur that wafts out the second you open the door, particularly with our test car's Havana Brown and Forged Wood interior colourway.

The naturally dyed brown leather looks every bit high-end and the unique interior inlays really threw the crowd. One Drive team member described it as cork, another claiming it looks like oil on a wet road. Some hated it, some warmed to it, others instantly loved it.

The material is actually a mostly natural wood composite that's made by forging (heating and squashing) timber off-cuts from furniture production. If knowing the material is natural and created via upcycling doesn't help soften your eye, you can instead opt for a more regular-looking brown ash timber veneer instead.

Much like the second row, the front seats are really comfortable too. If you're driving, you'll love the ergo-massage function that has enough power to knead your lower back and derriere with gumption.

The static lumbar adjustment is great if you're not into massages anyway, and both seats are heated, cooled, and 12- to 18-way adjustable. The trinkets continue to be seen wherever you look, with the digital gauge cluster being no exception either.

Genesis uses 'clever' technology to give its driving instruments depth or a three-dimensional perspective. Given the system uses two images to fool our integrally linked pair of eyes to pull off this party trick, it can sometimes be distracting and annoying.

Sometimes it'll look fuzzy, and it might come down to your type of glasses, prescription and general health of your eyes. I got used to it over time, but you can turn it down to reduce the distraction.

Lastly, a word on boot space. On paper it's small at 354L – due to batteries and EV things – but it's still wider than most. It'll take a set of golf clubs easily, and our collapsible pram also fits pretty well on its own.

However, a big suitcase might get caught out, as although being wide, the aperture itself is also quite narrow. Under the boot floor you'll find room for an emergency 240-volt charger and a tyre repair kit.

The Genesis G80 EV features an awesome 14.5-inch widescreen infotainment system with 32:9 ratio and blue light filter.

In terms of details, it's up there with the best in the class. The software looks elegant and upmarket, plus the hardware has enough grunt to make interactions seamless and fast. It also boots up quickly too.

The whole shebang is controlled by a simple hand controller with a rotating outer ring and touch-sensitive inner circle. I quite like using it; however, if you want to simply lean forward and poke things, you thankfully still can.

It also features the usual forms of wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, DAB+ radio, and in-built 3D-navigation.

Sadly, the infotainment system is not connected to the internet, meaning you cannot check the range of your car remotely when charging or easily use the air-con's cabin pre-conditioning function.

When asked why, the brand said locally that its "Genesis Connected Car Services are already available in overseas markets" and that it's "still working through the details, but expects to make an announcement sometime this year".

It also means that all cars sold before it becomes available will not feature connected services and it is not possible to retrospectively add it to your vehicle later.

Another thing that did not impress was the 20-speaker Lexicon stereo with 14-channel amplifier. Although it made Bjork's Play Dead and Underworld's If Rah sound upbeat and forward, it struggled with Baroness' Front Toward Enemy, making it sound muddy and cluttered.

That was with the sound system set to Reference – a mode the car describes as most accurate and faithful whatever it's fed. To be fair, things got better when set to Audience mode; however, it does add a layer of un-tuneable processing that some will hate.

The Genesis G80 EV has not been crash-tested by ANCAP; however, the petrol and diesel versions have been tested. Results may not apply directly, given differences in weight and structure between the different models.

The internal-combustion versions were awarded a five-star ANCAP safety rating, performing well in terms of adult occupant protection (91 per cent) and child occupant protection (86 per cent).

All Genesis G80 models feature a front-centre airbag too – a requirement to earn the latest five-star safety rating.

Of course, a fully electric luxury car is loaded with safety systems.

On top of the usual forms of autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot detection and lane-keeping assistance, there are things like blind-spot view.

When you tap a blinker, the car shows you imagery up the side of your vehicle (where the blind spot most often is) in the gauge cluster. Most upmarket Hyundai and Kias have the same system, and it's a bloody good one to have.

Other features include matrix LED headlights that provide the biggest and brightest beam possible while not dazzling others on the road, lane-following assist (if there are no lane markings), and even smart reverse lights that project beams of light on the ground behind it to warn others of the travel path.

The last one is really smart considering the car makes little to no noise when backing up. Just think about a public car park for a second.

Nearly all of the safety systems are calibrated to work seamlessly; however, its lane-keeping system can sometimes be intrusive. Luckily there's a button on the steering wheel to quickly adjust it or turn it off completely.

The cost to maintain a Genesis for five years is included in its purchase price.

The brand also goes one step further by offering a free courtesy car, and even offering to pick the vehicle up from wherever you may frequent, up to 70km driving distance from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane CBD.

An insurance quote for the Genesis Electrified G80 came to a hefty $3894 per year, quite a bit higher than the $2911 per year quoted for a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 version of the same car (which offers similar performance), based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

Genesis claims its G80 EV's 87.2kWh battery is capable of yielding 520km of range at a usage rate of 19.1kWh/100km.

Our initial testing of 40 per cent around town and 60 per cent freeway saw 18.8kW/100km, meaning we were overachieving against the claim. The vehicle was set to maximum regeneration mode.

However, with some more around-town use thrown into the mix, we saw a final average of 19.2kWh/100km, or basically spot-on to the claim. Consider the 500+km range genuinely achievable in the real world.

Put simply, the Genesis G80 EV is fast.

It's one thing expensive electric cars always deliver on. Back in the old days, this sort of performance at this sort of price tag would have been temperamental, volatile, or both to deal with.

Nowadays, even luxo-barge electric cars have simply staggering performance. Even though it looks heavier than 2.4 tonnes and is longer than five metres, the big G80 will still dash to 100km/h in around five seconds in the real world.

Help making it easy is all-wheel drive, too, so the performance remains gnarly and brutal even in the pouring rain. We had some shocking weather in New South Wales during the time of the loan, and in these low-grip situations the G8 still felt good, if not fun to drive.

The suspension system has a predictive mode that reads the road ahead to pre-tense or soften the suspension beforehand, but you never actually feel it working.

What you do feel instead is a consistently smooth and controlled ride. It's confident at higher speeds, with the rutted yet flowing country roads throughout Glenquarry in NSW feeling excellent despite the rain.

I was half expecting the car to feel every bit as heavy as it looks, but it did surprise when dialled into its sportiest handling program. Mid-corner bumps above 90km/h didn't cause grief either, proving its suspension is also high-quality as well as multi-faceted.

It's around town at 60km/h where the G80 EV is most happy, however, and arguably more S-Class-like than the circa $330,000 Mercedes-AMG EQS electric car I drove late last year.

The only thing you'll notice in a suburban environment is that shopping centre car parks can make it feel long, but a quick-enough steering ratio helps to counteract the sensation and make it feel responsive. The G80 is actually quite manoeuvrable despite its size, and the 360-degree camera vision makes it all too easy to park at your local Westfield.

It's a funny one, as it certainly feels more sporty than it ever intended, but still retains that luxury limo hallmark of low noise, vibration and harshness. Maybe the ideal grand tourer?

If the idea of the Tesla Model Y appeals, then the same should apply for the Genesis G80.

The looks are very overt, however, so be prepared to walk into your local Genesis retailer and either be bedazzled or bewildered. Hopefully it's the former, as once behind the wheel, you'll get exactly the car you're probably seeking.

That's a fast, quiet and uncomplicated car with room in the back for grown adults yet still loaded with luxury. It's a genuinely comfortable car, too, and I think if boot space isn't a concern, it's a far better drive than other electric SUVs in and around the same price point.

Although it won't sell its socks off, it's a nice flagship product for Genesis to have on sale in Australia. And those who do buy one will be treated to something extremely lovely to motor.