First electric sedan: Genesis Electrified G80

The thing about branding: When it came to the plan to introduce a brand new car to the market from scratch, it was probably down a very long list of responsibilities. But it works. It is no coincidence that the logo of Genesis, a subsidiary of Hyundai that was shown for the first time in Germany in 2021, is reminiscent of the logos of British luxury manufacturers – a shield with wings that sits on the hood above the honeycomb grille. So the electrician from the next car, taking a lunch break, asks for confirmation: “It’s a Bentley, isn’t it?” But the Genesis G80, a sedan from Korea that is not only big, but also has big things in mind. Especially as a full electric version.

The Principle of Genesis is certainly reminiscent of Tesla. After all, American founders have shown that courage and the will to continue are the best ways to shake the self-image of German brands that have been created for decades.

Although the Asians approached this issue with little confidence and initially approached customers with conventional combustion engines, they quickly moved into the full power sector. And then the Electrified G80 wants to compete with a big name like Mercedes EQE since 2022. And soon also with the newly released BMW i5.

Visually, the powerful G80 has no obvious differences from its regular counterparts – except for the fact that the eye-catching honeycomb radiator grille in this case still holds the loading lamp. The collection is surrounded by two flat LED lamps; It is one of Genesis’ distinguishing marks throughout the model series.

As a regular business model, the G80 breaks the five meter mark by just a few millimetres. Anyone who now realizes that there is also a G90 on top of the G80 on top of the model range will understand why critics accuse modern car construction of a penchant for unrestricted size.

The truth is: With its three-meter wheelbase, this sedan already offers a lot of space for passengers. They are surrounded by a selection, an elegant selection of materials in the interior. The lines are clearly defined, the craftsmanship is impeccable – that’s how the upper class works. There’s plenty of head and legroom in all seats, even in the second row you’ll need big seats for complaints to be justified. But even they would quickly shut up – the screens mounted on the backs of the front seats give the rear passengers all kinds of distractions. For example, in the form of the ability to follow traffic events from different camera perspectives while driving. The fun costs extra, while LED headlights, navigation system, parking beeper and reversing camera, electrically adjustable seats, keyless locking system, heat pump and cruise control with adaptive cruise control are available. always on board.

When it comes to cargo transportation, the G80 Electric isn’t very generous. It is obvious here that the entire technology of the electric car was placed in the body of the combustion engine. Unlike cars that were designed as purely electric vehicles, the usual advantages in terms of fuel economy no longer exist. The trunk volume of 354 liters is therefore much less than that of the range of combustion engines (424 liters). And that’s puny for a five meter car. So much so that even a neighbor with his Golf packs at least one, if not two crates of water in the back of his compact.

The person in the front left, in the driver’s seat, will not care. He enjoys the conservatively designed instrument cluster with round digital dials – and the fact that the most desirable buttons and knobs continue to be found on the center console. There’s also a separate climate control unit below the 14.5-inch central monitor, which controls other car functions using touch controls, but can be bypassed using the volume control or rotary knob. However, the latter is placed on the center console in such close proximity to the gear selector of the same format that it can happen during maneuvers that you accidentally change the radio station instead of using the reverse gear. Note: Intuitive driving without eye contact takes practice, even with Genesis.

The driving experience itself is: characterized by supreme peace and quiet. If the electric drives provide a subtle background, the noise insulation makes a break. If necessary, they can bring the Genesis to 100 km / h in 4.9 seconds. That is good for one of the top places in the car quartet, but it does not adequately describe what happens during extreme driving: the intermediate sprint from 80 to 120 .km/h is in Note in 3.2 seconds. To be really impressive, you don’t even need a top speed of 225 km/h.

Especially since such a rush can drain the 87.2 kWh battery like anything else. If, on the other hand, you take a civilized approach to everyday life, you will reach a consumption that is close to the best test bench (according to WLTP: 19.1 kWh/100 km): the test showed an average consumption of 20.4 kWh and thus a distance of at least 400 kilometers.

Considering the car’s size and performance, this is also easy to live with because the Electrified G80, as a member of the Hyundai Group, was blessed with an 800-volt design. This means that – in theory – with a fast charging station with the same power, suitable external conditions and a battery conditioned up to 350 kW of power, it can draw devices into the storage system. But even if it’s only half the speed in real life, that’s still a good charging performance that doesn’t require more than 30 minutes of downtime. In any case, the electric G80 only fell below the 100 kW limit when the battery was over 85 percent again.

Could the new Genesis be a real alternative in the target segment? That ultimately remains a matter of taste. Or the price question – because for 72,200 euros of the Electrified G80 there are no comparable products from Germany with the same engine and equipment. So it might work for Koreans. Just like a trademark.

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