South Korea’s first prestige SUV promises to be a game-changer... but is the GV80 good enough to be Car of the Year?
- Why is the Genesis GV80 a carsales COTY contender?
- Who will the Genesis GV80 appeal to?
- How much does the Genesis GV80 cost?
- What have we already said about the Genesis GV80?
Why is the Genesis GV80 a carsales COTY contender?
Hyundai’s luxury brand, Genesis, faces an uphill battle establishing a bridgehead in Australia, but a new SUV, the Genesis GV80, just might take the fight up to Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
And even if it can’t land a blow on the Audi Q7, BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE, the GV80 might keep Jaguar Land Rover sales staff awake at night.
Arriving just before the end of 2020, the Genesis GV80 has just sneaked in ahead of the judging deadline for the 2020 carsales Car of the Year, proudly presented by Bingle.
Who will the Genesis GV80 appeal to?
To date, Genesis hasn’t shown any sign that it’s worked out a solution for Australians’ infatuation with German prestige badges, no matter what the Genesis PR execs say.
But the GV80 is a biggish SUV – we like those – and it’s modern, comfortable and efficient; we like all that too.
Also working in the Korean brand’s favour is the fact that parent company Hyundai is known for building dependable machines that have the right chassis tuning for Australia’s roads, plus the GV80 is backed by a competitive five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty.
So we’re going to assert that typical buyers will be well-to-do professional types, but not necessarily prosperous enough to pay plenty of coin for a German badge.
They’re the auto influencers in a family, iconoclasts who respect a value proposition more than a prestige brand, and they will possibly hold on to their GV80 longer than they would retain a Q7/X5/GLE.
How much does the Genesis GV80 cost?
Pricing for the Genesis GV80 makes it competitive in its market segment.
The range kicks off at $90,600 for the entry-level GV80 powered by a 2.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine. For that money the buyer gets rear-wheel drive only, which means off-roading is academic, but towing is possible.
This is the only variant in the range that lacks four-wheel drive. For another $5000, all-wheel drive is included with the same powertrain as part of a package that includes third-row seats, allowing for seven occupants.
The flagship of the range is the 3.5-litre turbocharged petrol V6 variant at $108,600. Genesis also offers a four-wheel drive variant with a 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder diesel, priced at $103,600.
Producing more power but less torque than the engine in the BMW X5 xDrive30d, for over $16,000 less, the diesel GV80 offers genuine showroom appeal.
What have we already said about the Genesis GV80?
carsales technical editor Ken Gratton drove the Genesis GV80 in South Korea earlier this year and wrote: “Believe it, the new inline six-cylinder diesel under the bonnet is a seriously refined engine. Like the twin-turbo V6 in Jaguar’s XF, it could be mistaken for a petrol six.”
He also observed that the GV80 “should become the hero model in the Genesis range and deserves to sell accordingly – as long as the importer can raise brand awareness…”
That said, the sales charts will have little bearing on the deliberations of the judges for the carsales Car of the Year for 2020, proudly presented by Bingle.
Genesis GV80 at a glance: Price: From $90,600 Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol Output: 224kW/422Nm Transmission: Eight-speed automatic Fuel: TBA
CO2: TBA
Keyword: Genesis GV80: carsales Car of the Year 2020 contender