New Genesis GV80 review: a cut price Bentley Bentayga?

3.0 out of 5

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The ergonomics aren’t perfect, though. The huge 14.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system is quite a stretch from the driver’s seat, and while a workaround comes in the form of a click wheel on the centre console, this is pretty fiddly to use, because it sits flush with the console and is hard to grip. The infotainment system itself isn’t as sharp or fast as the setup in a BMW X5, either.

While there have only been minor gripes so far, the main way that the GV80 falls short of the competition is the way it drives. Genesis says that the GV80 has been developed on European roads, but most of those must've been a long distance from a pockmarked British A-road, because the ride has a level of firmness and constant fidget that means that it’s not particularly smooth at any speed. Both a BMW X5 and Audi Q7 are significantly more soothing, yet they feel better tied down in the corners, too. The GV80’s handling isn’t bad for a car like this – and the steering’s weighting and precision is great – but it doesn’t feel as sharp as you’d hope considering the trade-off in ride quality.

The biggest let-down, however, comes under the bonnet. At this price point many rivals offer either six cylinders or plenty of hybrid assistance, and sometimes both. The Genesis doesn't have either. Instead, you get a 2.5-litre four-cylinder unit with 300bhp. That sounds fine on paper, but with well over two tonnes to shift, performance is only ever decent – and for the best part of eighty grand after options, that isn’t really good enough. 

It’s not just the outright power, but the torque that’s the issue here. With all of that mass and a bluff nose to push through the air at motorway speeds, the gearbox has to kick down more than you’d find in similarly sized rivals, which isn’t ideal when the shifts themselves are a little clunky and unresponsive.

The other downside is the fact that with the GV80’s engine needing to work so hard, it proves to be rather thirsty. Even on a motorway run, you'll be grateful to get over 30mpg – around town, it'll be closer to 20. Genesis used to offer a six-cylinder diesel in the GV80, which by almost any measure – efficiency, refinement or performance – was better suited to this car. Diesel has fallen out of favour as a fuel, but it was definitely the one we’d rather have had here.

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