Next-level luxury
G90 engines pack horsepower punch
Sometimes my husband and I fight over the key of a newly-arrived press vehicle, especially if it’s a sexy car or a serious truck. We both want to be in the driver’s seat.
This time it’s different. We are actually fighting over who will sit in the back seat. It’s not the back seat of an Audi A8L, a BMW 7, or a Mercedes-maybach though.
The vehicle in question is a Genesis G90. What’s so big about the back seat?
Well it is big, for sure. With the touch of a switch back here, I can move the front passenger seat ahead and tilt it forward so the view out the front windshield is expansive, my legs almost fully stretched out.
I have electronically- controlled window shades on both side windows and the rear shade is up. I feel like royalty or a rock star or, at the very least, like I’m on a three-week vacation. Especially when Garry holds the door open for me and I win the battle for the back seat. I joke he should be wearing a chauffeur’s hat and a pair of white gloves.
Speaking of white glove service, it sure felt that way when a gentlemen appeared at my door Monday morning with a key fob, pointed to the sleek black limousine-like vehicle now parked in my driveway and said “Enjoy!” Oh boy.
Genesis, a new luxury brand in the automotive world, is focused on improving the customer experience while realizing that time and convenience are the ultimate luxuries. With the marque’s concierge service, Genesis at Home, an “experience manager” will meet you at your home or office with the Genesis model of your choice and take you for a test drive.
Then, using the website genesis.ca, you can configure your vehicle online, get an appraisal for a trade-in, complete a credit application and then hit the purchase button. You can choose to have your Genesis delivered to your home or office.
Most car purchases today at least begin online. According to a Time Magazine article, a survey of 10,000 people in the U.S. showed that most consumers don’t like the standard car dealership experience. In fact, three- quarters said that they would make their entire car-buying process online.
It seems Genesis Motors may be on to something, My favourite part of the Genesis buyer and ownership experience would be the valet service that picks up your vehicle for its scheduled maintenance appointment and leaves behind a courtesy vehicle. Brilliantly simple. I wonder if the valet dons white gloves for the pick up.
For now, Genesis has three models with variants in each model lineup.
The G70, billed as a “compact luxury sport sedan,” packs a nifty 252- horsepower punch with its 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder engine and 260 pound-feet of torque.
You can add more punch to your G70 with the 365-horsepower 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6.
The G70 I’m excited about taking for a spin is the 2.0-litre Sport. With a six-speed manual transmission and rear- wheel drive, this one spells fun and will be available in Canada (not the U.S.) in the spring.
Add a foot of length (305 mm) and you’ll get the G80. This model features three engines, a 3.8-litre V6 that produces 311 horsepower and 293 lb- ft of torque, the twin-turbo 3.3-litre V6 and the 5.0-litre V8. This engine makes 420 horsepower and 383 lb-ft torque.
And then we come to the G90. At 17 feet long (5,205 mm), our tester was equipped with the standard 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 engine.
A reasonable thrill from its smooth acceleration and a surefooted confidence in the passing lane and twisty-turns, this 365-horsepower engine feels refined.
If 365 horsepower is good, 420 must be better, right? That’s what you get if you choose the available 5.0-litre V8 engine.
I’ll have to wait for the opportunity to find out. The model with the larger engine adds 14way power-adjustable ventilated rear seats and an entertainment system with dual 10.3-inch seatback-mounted high- definition displays. You could almost live back there.
The cabin of the G90 is elegance and understated luxury. Our tester had beautiful brown Nappa leather seats. Genesis engineers’ meticulous attention to noise reduction is apparent in its peaceful interior.
All models come standard with Genesis Smart Sense, a comprehensive suite of driver assistance and safety systems, like high beam assist, headlights with adaptive cornering, lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control.
In the middle of a windwhipped nor’easter storm, our power went out. With phones and laptops almost dead, we decided to head out to the driveway and charge our devices in the back seat of the G90.
We couldn’t think of a more pleasant place to be. Where was the key?
With flickering candles, we tore the house apart looking for the fob. Since I was the last driver, it was obviously me who had misplaced it and I never misplace keys. I was mortified.
As I was thinking of calling Genesis at Home to see if delivering us a spare key was part of the white glove service, I spotted the key under a CD. Where? On Garry’s desk. Grrr.
After taking turns driving and being chauffeured about town all week, it’s difficult to say which is better — the driving or the luxurious back seat.
The good thing is you can have both, provided you’re not fighting over the key and as long as you can find it.