2020 Genesis GV80 Luxury SUV Introduction

2020 Genesis GV80 Luxury SUV Introduction https://youtu.be/8c528J7adHQ

If first impressions of the 2020 Genesis GV80 are anything to go by, the fledgling South Korean luxury marque has knocked this oh-so important foray into SUV out of the stadium.

In one sense, it’s fulsome and downright different enough to be able to lure premium SUV buyers away from the usual European suspects on critical merit – brand cache notwithstanding. Yet, in the much larger and perhaps more significant context, it demonstrates, in metal and leather, a big lunge forward in delivering models to match its lofty brand aspirations.

The Genesis GV80 looks, feels and even smells like New Genesis. Like its G-something four-doors before it were a practice run.

At the SUV’s global premiere in Seoul, South Korea, where we got to drive the machine just hours after it was unveiled to the world, the company’s heavyweights went to some length in promising that its fresh-faced family hauler sets the mould for models moving forward in everything from core design to execution in detail.

Is this suddenly, almost magically, the new benchmark for luxury large SUVs, no less from a marque that arrived just five year ago? Probably not. I can tell you it won’t have the roomiest cabin in segment, that a Volvo XC90 is better packaged, and it's questionable how frugal its diesel engine option is or how much luggage either of the five- or seven-seat formats offer (Genesis didn’t even have figures on hand).
But what is certain is that the GV80 is bold, inspired and unlike any logical competitor for sheer appeal and vibe. And the ‘Korean spec’ flagship examples we drove in Seoul were so overflowing with features and niceties that half of the goodies didn’t even rate a mention in the long-form press material.