In the beginning
GENESIS GV80 3.0D LUXURY LINE
The creation story, a prog-rock group, a maker of pushbikes. Now Genesis is something else too: the posh car arm of the mighty Hyundai Motor Group. This isn’t a corporation with a habit of failure. But good, honest, ordinary cars don’t automatically lever a manufacturer into premium territory. There, a brand needs a hook. And frankly the first batch of Genesis’s cars don’t have one. Maybe they’re “distinctively Korean” but few Europeans know what that means. Or maybe there are enough people who are just tired of the obvious competition. Let’s hope they don’t mind being asked who or what Genesis is.
More distinguished than the cars is the buying and owning. You never need go to a dealer. There aren’t any. Much of the process is online, but ‘online’ is more than purely digital. You’ll also be introduced to a human, who’s trained and paid not for selling cars but for being helpful – answering all your questions, bringing a test drive example to your door. Then later, bringing a courtesy car to you and taking yours for service. Five years of warranty and services are included in the price.
The GV80 matches the BMW X5 in size. A third-row seat is optional. Its design was led by Sangyup Lee, ex of Bentley. It wouldn’t actually be a ridiculous stretch to think this is a better-looking Bentayga: chrome and sweeping curves on the outside, on the inside stitched leather, knurling and flourishes of wood.
All good. Until you drive it. The 6cyl diesel is refined enough but it doesn’t really shove you forward with the kind of authority you find in the German rivals. Yet it’s comparatively thirsty. The steering and cornering are blandly reassuring, but lots of rivals do it better.
The bigger issue is the ride. In line with the GV80’s technophilia, a camera road-scanning system sets up the dampers for bumps ahead. It doesn’t discernibly work. There’s just too much commotion. Lumps and potholes have the whole chassis shuddering beneath you. Bigger dips and crests make the body heave and float. That said, on smooth motorways you’re better served. It tracks well and stays subdued.
“We’re acutely aware Europe doesn’t need another premium car brand,” says a Genesis representative. Well, no. Evidence abounds in the failure of Cadillac and Infiniti, and the ongoing struggles of Alfa, Jaguar and Maserati. Soon, Genesis will have electric cars, and if the parent company’s EVs are anything to go by they’ll be good. I’m sure Genesis would have made a splash if it came as an all-electric brand. The GV80 won’t make ripples.