The auto market has fallen out of love with sedans, choosing to opt for taller and bigger crossovers. Because of that, many automakers have left the sedan market altogether, but there are still a few that soldier on. Genesis is one of those companies, and its refreshed 2025 G80 shows there’s still a place for a big luxury sedan in today’s market.
Before you get your hopes up, the G80 is not a true sports sedan, but then it doesn’t really pretend to be. This BMW 5 Series competitor is all about comfort, quiet luxury and sleek technology wrapped in possibly the prettiest sedan body you can buy today. In a lot of ways, it’s a breath of fresh air compared to the “sporty” sedans it competes with. You’re meant to cruise and relax in a G80, and it does that as well as just about any car out there.
Full Disclosure: Genesis flew me down to Lexington, Kentucky, put me up in a very nice hotel and fed me a hell of a lot of food, all so I could drive the refreshed G80.
Despite the Sport in the name of the trim I was driving, the G80 still is not much of a driver’s car. Sure, it’s got a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 pushing out 375 horsepower and 391 lb-ft of torque, but it doesn’t exactly feel fast in a straight line. After all, this is a heavy luxury-oriented car, and you feel that heft in the corner. Even in Sport+ mode, body roll is present, and there isn’t a ton of feeling from the electric steering rack. It has some of that artificial heaviness that is a hallmark of Hyundai, Kia and Genesis cars, and the two degrees of rear steering angle (only available on the top Sport Prestige trim) means turn-in is quick going around a corner, but that’s really it.
The in-house eight-speed automatic also doesn’t like to be rushed. There is, of course, a manual model with steering wheel–mounted paddle shifters, but it’s better suited to slushing around in automatic mode. The engine itself doesn’t make a very inspiring noise, either. That’s OK, though. If you turn off the fake engine noise it fades quietly to the background. The G80 even comes with launch control, if you’re the type of sicko who wants that on a 4,619-pound luxury sedan.
Much more importantly, the 2025 G80 feels like a luxury car because it is one. If you want a sportier midsize executive sedan, you should go for the 5 Series, but the G80 blows the BMW out of the water when it comes to luxury cruising.
Genesis didn’t make too many changes to the G80 for 2025, and most of them are cosmetic, aside from four-piston brakes. There’s revised front and rear fascia, a slightly altered badge, reworked Micro Lens Array headlights, and a handful of new 18-, 19- and 20-inch wheel designs. There’s also a new paint color called Vatna Gray and a handful of interior colors to choose from. I’m happy Genesis decided to keep the cosmetic changes to a minimum. Short of the Lucid Air, the G80 is the best-looking sedan on the market, in my opinion. Why mess with perfection, ya know?
On the inside, the big news here is the reworked dashboard and its new 27-inch OLED screen. It looks really good overall, and the steering wheel doesn’t block it as much as other cars with seamless displays like this. Like older Genesis vehicles, the center part of the screen can be controlled with either an iDrive-style knob or the touchscreen itself. The gauge cluster portion is also super customizable — you can have anything from two gauges, to your driver assist systems or a full-size map. As with other current Genesis models, the system is fairly simple to use and works super well. The G80 now offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (so you can stop complaining about wires), there’s a new Bang & Olufsen audio system, and you can get a fingerprint authentication system and some new driver safety systems.
The G80’s interior is where the car really shines. Between the slick technology integration, wonderfully comfy seats and premium-feeling materials, the G80 is pretty much at the top of its class when it comes to nice interiors. There’s also a very serious feeling of openness on the inside. It feels very light and airy, and that’s accentuated by the panoramic sunroom. Aside from the quality feeling of everything inside, the cabin is also wonderfully quiet. Cruising down the highway you will not hear very much from the motor, wind or the Pirelli P Zero tires. That’s what you want in a car like this.
I’ve spent a lot of time in luxury vehicles from just about every manufacturer you can think of, and few feel as premium, as well put together or as pretty as the G80. Sure, this car is no longer cheap. It starts at $58,350 (including destination), and the loaded-up Cavendish Red over Sevilla Red G80 Sport Prestige I drove stickered at $78,900. You’re still getting a hell of a lot for your money though, and the G80 gives off the impression that the people who built it really gave a shit while they were putting it together.
There’s plenty of room for four fairly large adults and their luggage in the car. Rear occupants are treated to a couple of USB-C ports, heated seats, sunshades, their own climate zone and plenty of legroom. Up front, well, those folks are traveling in real comfort. Both seats are heated and cooled, and the driver gets a massage function that works really nicely and even massages your ass, very welcome on a long journey. Sport models also get a D-shaped steering wheel to make you feel like a racecar driver, obviously. All of the controls, from the rotary dial shifter and HVAC functions (which are on their own dedicated screen) to the volume and tuning knob that Genesis brought back for 2025 based on customer demand fall easily to hand.
If I have just one issue with the interior, it’s the trim choice. In the top-level Sport Prestige, you get carbon-fiber trim. Why? God dammit, this car deserves wood everywhere. I need to talk with someone about folks’ obsession with carbon fiber in cars that truly shouldn’t have it.
The G80’s driver-assistance systems aren’t on the level of something like GM’s Super Cruise, but they’re rather great. Adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist will waft you down the highway with few issues. It creates a very relaxed environment that is further enhanced by the relatively quiet cabin at highway speeds. The other bit of safety tech I love is the blind spot cameras that pop up in the gauge cluster, a hallmark of all Hyundai/Kia/Genesis vehicles. They make changing lanes a breeze, and I really wish more automakers had stolen this idea.
Of course, the G80 I drove was fully loaded, but you can get a cheaper one if you don’t feel you need the full-fat twin-turbo V6 and its EPA-estimated 16 mpg city and 24 mpg highway. Genesis also offers a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-four that still puts out 300 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque, mated to the same eight-speed automatic transmission. All 2025 G80s now come standard with all-wheel-drive, so that explains a bit of the price hike, but I feel Genesis realized it wasn’t charging enough for a car of this caliber, and its price is now more in line with what it should be. However, it isn’t really the same luxury bargain it used to be – the base price is up $2,700 from the 2024 model year.
In terms of future plans for the G80, Genesis wouldn’t lay out specifics, but spokespeople for the brand assured me a refreshed Electrified G80 is in the pipeline, and eventually we’ll be getting a hybrid as well. There’s no word on if it’ll be a standard hybrid or a plug-in.
If you look back on the history of Genesis, it’s hard to argue that the G80 isn’t the most important vehicle the brand has ever built. After all, Hyundai kicked off this whole Genesis thing with the introduction of the Hyundai Genesis for the 2009 model year. That car was then spun off into the Genesis G80 for the 2017 model year, and it has been the standard bearer of the brand ever since.
One in four Genesis vehicles sold nowadays is a sedan, and its sales were up over 17 percent year over year, so the G80 is not an insignificant part of the Korean automaker’s portfolio. In a world where SUVs and crossovers are becoming the default luxury car, it’s nice to see an old-school luxury sedan still making a splash like the G80 has. If you really do not need the added cargo space or higher ground clearance, the G80 is the mid-level luxury car to buy. Just be ready for everyone to tell you how pretty it is, and try not to get too bothered it’s not a corner carver.
