Genesis GV80
This new entry into the luxury SUV market oozes panache – you even get a ‘personal assistant’ thrown in. Just try not to look at the fuel gauge, says Charlie Flindt
THERE were three Hyundais parked in the farmyard a few weeks ago. There was an i20, a simple and unflashy five-door hatch that serves as ‘pool car’ for the family; a Terracan, a simple and unflashy off-roader that does all the nitty-gritty farm jobs without a murmur of complaint; and then there was a GV80. This Hyundai, however, was not like the other two.
For a start, it’s actually badged as a ‘Genesis’, which is Hyundai’s new-ish luxury offshoot (as in Toyota/lexus or Nissan/infiniti), and the GV80 is the company’s bold and brash entry into the fairly crowded luxury SUV market.
If, at first glance, it reminds you of the boldest and brashest of the existing SUVS, the Bentley Bentayga, there’s a good reason for this. There has been a small but hugely significant flow of design talent from Bentley to Hyundai recently. Of course, whether ‘looks a bit like a Bentayga’ is a compliment is up for debate, and lashings of chrome down the sides and on the wheels hardly strengthen the ‘yes’ argument.
Fortunately, things get much better on the inside. It’s rather nicely understated (if you can handle the acres of diamond-quilted leather) and feels beautifully put together. It’s heavy on gizmos and plays thanks-filled and welcoming messages at the drop of a hat.
A quick hat-tip to the in-car hi-fi, which was magnificent. I hope no one saw my in-seat buttock boogie to an extraordinarily loud Don’t stop til you get enough –I do have an image to keep up. The steering wheel is awkwardly bulbous and it’s been a long time since I’ve seen contra-rotating dials – I think it was my X1/9; funny to think I used to get in and out of one of those.
Access through the chunky doors of the GV90 is slightly easier than in Bertone’s little masterpiece. The front is roomy, the boot is huge, but the back seats feel oddly cramped, as if they’ve been sacrificed for all that boot space. But, all in all, the cabin is a nice place to be.
Perhaps the GV80’S weakest area is the drive. True, it’s a major engineering feat to persuade two tonnes of tall machine to handle like a small car, but there are some beasts out there that get pretty close to it. The Genesis feels twitchy and unsettled, and the whole feel isn’t helped by both throttle and brake responses that are disconcertingly slow.
Enthusiastic driving demands unnecessarily high levels of concentration, although you are less likely to spot the fuel consumption readout under those circumstances. Was I really only achieving 23 miles per gallon?
I don’t doubt that the GV80 will do well – Hyundai is not in the habit of putting a foot wrong. Genesis is extremely proud of the GV’S special sales, after-sales and servicing packages – you get a ‘Genesis Personal Assistant’ to guide you through the years of, ahem, your ‘journey together’. All very touchy-feely and heart-warming, but I doubt they’d put up with Michael Jackson at Volume 11.
Inside, it’s nicely understated and feels beautifully put together, if heavy on gizmos