Electrified G80 Charts A New Course For The Brand

Genesis is still very much an upstart in the luxury scene in America. After lagging with a lineup of 3 sedans for years, they just got their first few crossovers the GV80 and GV70 to start building their momentum. But where they are jumping out to a potential leader role for the industry is in the realm of electrification. The GV60 Crossover (more like little power hot hatch) was the first, that model being a dedicated ground up EV.

Hot on its heels is this, the Electrified G80, taking their core G80 sedan, anchored by turbo 4 and 6-cylinder engines and swapping all of that out for a giant 87.2 kWh battery and dual electric motors providing 365 horsepower and a massive 516 lb-ft to torque, put down to the ground through all-wheel drive. Estimated range is a fairly respectable 282 miles, but we’ll touch on that later. Genesis just announced pricing for this single spec, fully loaded configuration to be just over $80,000 including destination. There aren’t many electric luxury sedans within direct competition at the moment.

For that price of entry, you get a wonderful luxury car experience. The electric powertrain and driving experience transform the G80. While the G80 Sport with its turbo V6 is fun, it never quite feels as sonorous as say, the liquid swell of the powertrain in the BMW 540i. The Electrified G80 removes all of that with a remarkably smooth, powerful and pleasing electric drive experience. Genesis and parent Hyundai have a strong EV arsenal with their latest generation 800V architecture and their deep experience with several generations of mainstream EVs comes through.

Power is quiet, strong and smooth, as with most any EV, and also surprisingly efficient. In our week with the electrified G80, we drove over 250 miles and the car indicated we had more than 30% remaining, with projected total miles for the battery available generally showing between 330-350 miles. That’s way above the stated 282 estimate. We weren’t hypermiling by any measure and even took a handful of decent highway speed treks, which are generally less energy efficient for EVs. Of course if your typical driving uses more high speed highway jaunts, then maybe you would see numbers closer to the estimated values. Onboard gauges pegged our efficiency at 3.6 to 3.7 miles per kWh, which is easily 10%+ better than we’re able to achieve with our smaller and way less luxurious Polestar 2.

Driving range does see slight impacts by what drive mode you select, between Eco, Sport and Normal, and you do feel significant power level and acceleration differences between the modes. Even Eco has a decent punch and swift acceleration. Put it in Sport and it absolutely flies, faster than the G80 Sport we recently had come through the Carsplain garage. The immediacy of the electric torque easily overcomes the added weight penalty of the EV bits. And yes there is a definite heft to the electrified G80. It’s no welterweight at over 5,000 lbs, but neither is the gas model, itself nearly 4,500 pounds.

Genesis offers multiple levels of regenerative braking methods with which to drive. You can opt for none, and the car will coast along much like a gas car when you let off the throttle. The paddles behind the steering wheel can call up additional braking force and an added “auto” setting as well as an “i-Pedal” setting for true one pedal EV driving for those that want it. I liked the auto setting, as it can then take into account the road gradient as well as actions of the car ahead to dial up or lessen regenerative braking efforts, almost like adaptive cruise control, but it won’t bring the car to a complete stop. This was similar to what our previous long-term Audi e-tron would do. I didn’t see a selection for the “creep” function some EVs allow for though. The electrified G80 defaults to creeping forward whenever you let off the brake, much like a gas car would.

In another area of EV experience, the G80 doesn’t seem to be able to do dynamic long distance route planning with specified stops for DC fast charging from its embedded navigation system. In DC, when I put in a destination of Chicago, the navigation system was able to understand that the car would not be able to make it to Chicago given the current level of charge. It even asked if I wanted to help to find charging stations. But instead of finding and plotting the trip and calculating how many stops and for how long it might be, it simply started to direct me to any number of charging points of interest that I was currently near to along my route, including basic level 2 charging stations, which aren’t really super relevant for long distance driving except for overnight type charging.

But when you do need to charge, the Electrified G80 should be able to hang with the best of them with the aforementioned 800V architecture. Genesis offers up 3 years of free 30 minute Level 3 charging sessions via Electrify America. If and when you do stop, granted you find a working and available 350 kW charger, the G80 can get from 10% to 80% in 22 minutes. That’s phenomenal for long distance trekking in EV life right now.

Inside and out, the electrified G80 is largely standard G80 fare, and that’s not a bad thing. At least not entirely. This helps the G80 fly under the radar vs something a bit more overt like the upcoming Mercedes-Benz EQE. There’s the change in the grille upfront, doing away with most of the actual vents but keeping it adorned with attractive metallic accents. The charge port door is also hidden in the front grille. There’s no frunk, just where you’ll find the front drive motor, as well as other mechanical and electrical systems. There are some unique details inside, like the forged wood trim is upcycled from wood used during furniture production. Likewise the nappa leather (yes still actual leather) is dyed with natural pigments. You still get the premium Lexicon audio system and the front seats are heated and ventilated.

Headroom and seating position do get impacted in the Electrified G80 thanks to the raised floor to help make space for the battery pack. Rear seat passengers sit a bit more “knees up” than they would in the gas models, those rear passengers also lose their heated seats. U.S. models forgo the solar panel panoramic roof that other markets have, in order to preserve headroom. Can’t think of many, if any, luxury cars in the U.S. that don’t have a sunroof. The trunk also sees some space eaten up, but the overall size and shape are still quite usable, and the long item pass through from the trunk is still accessible. Small prices to pay for converting and originally gas-intended platform into EV duty.

But as price marches upward, the small, but noted shortcomings we noted in the G80 Sport become a bit more troublesome. Exterior doors handles don’t allow for lock/unlock from the rear doors, phone connectivity for CarPlay/Android Auto is still done through USB cable, the pleasing massage or Ergo Motion is still only on the driver seat, etc.

So how will the Electrified G80 be received? The $80,000 threshold is some rarified air for the Genesis brand, only outdone by the brand new generation of the flagship G90. In addition, thanks to the newly enacted Inflation Reduction Act, the Electrified G80 won’t be eligible for any federal tax credits as it is made in Korea, not North America, and next year it handily exceeds the $55,000 price limit for EV sedans. But that price still puts it about $25,000 under the Tesla Model S or the Mercedes-Benz EQS. Mercedes does have the EQE coming, more aligned in the G80 segment and likely price. Will luxury EV customers gravitate to something like the EQE, with its overt EV styling and massive interior hyper screens or will they potentially appreciate the more understated nature of something like the electrified G80?

Genesis feels that they have a better leg to stand on when it comes to EV competitiveness and I’d say that’s definitely true. If they had been able to apply this powertrain to the GV80, that would likely be in our garage right now over the gas version we currently have. All in all, the Electrified G80 represents a terrific luxury experience that is also a leading electric offering.

Double Genesis Garage? Probably not, but an Electrified GV80 would be very tempting.