The latter is worth having because it’s information packed without being overwhelming, and you’ll want the former because you’ll also want the Blind Spot Monitor View system. The digital instruments and head-up display? Extra. Sold in a single Luxury trim line, the basic cost is a not insubstantial £65,805 – which rapidly escalates as soon as you get stuck into the various option packs, which you’ll need to if you want all the really fancy features. Still, it’s worth noting early on that if you’re expecting it to be fully loaded and bargain priced just because the brand is relatively unknown and out of Korea you’re going to have to adjust your brain. The claimed driving range is a useful 323 miles. And that’s before you even consider the ‘personal assistant’ direct sales approach, five-year warranty, five-year servicing package and some clever technical tricks – such as the ability to manage a 10-80 per cent charge of an 87.2kWh battery pack in just 21 minutes.
Other areas where people are likely to poke fun include the rear headroom (limited by the curving roofline, though there’s legroom aplenty) and the boot space (reduced by the need to cram in the EV stuff).īut overall, the impression you get of this thing before you’ve even turned the wheel is a very good one. The way the ‘needles’ on the digital dials glow like lightsabres in Sport mode is also a nice touch, though the button for changing driving modes could be a little bigger/easier to locate in a hurry. Small details that appeal include simple things such as displaying your actual speed right next to the speed limit on the sat-nav, so you can easily see how big the ban is likely to be. There’s a real sense of properly engineered luxury about the Electrified G80, and some clear and sensible thinking. Meaning Genesis hasn’t simply whacked all the major functions into the central touchscreen, ginormous and high-definition though this is. The switchgear in here is much nicer than it is in the average Mercedes, for example, and – praise the lord – there’s plenty of it. The styling is different yet cohesive and isn’t likely to send anyone running – we also promise the G80 looks less porpoise-like in real-life than it does in these pictures – and the build quality does at least appear to be top class. Of course these cars can’t compete with the solid-gold image offered by the usual (German) suspects, but the firm has come out swinging.
What we should probably better concentrate on is how rapidly it seems to be moving – having finally reached the UK in 2021, the Electrified G80 already represents its second full-EV (after the GV60), and it’s not done yet. We even mentioned the other Genesis when Hyundai launched its luxury sub-brand back in 2015. Really, though, as with other Genesis models, the electric G80 stands out as an alternative choice with strong, distinctive styling, a beautifully finished interior and the promise of a potentially superior ownership package. And though the 2325kg minimum kerb weight isn’t exactly svelte, a stiffer structure and impressively taut body control makes for an eager partner should you care to get more intimately involved. But with dual motor all-wheel drive, 365hp and intriguing real-world stats such as 50-75mph in 3.2 seconds, it is a swift and relatively silent one. This isn’t a blow-you-away ultra-fast EV experience. And like the BMWs, the attached driving experience speaks of modernity versus the past. Genesis has inverted the grille design (cunningly hiding the charging port in the process), massaged the bumpers and fitted aero-inspired turbine-style 19-inch wheels to denote this G80 is electric.
The widescreen instrument panel features most of the specific infotainment goodies seen on other M cars, the centre tunnel accommodates again the pleasantly failsafe iDrive controller, there are enough direct-access buttons to avoid getting lost in one of the many submenus, and the gear lever is of course of the old-fashioned kind – no joystick, no automated clutch, no electric reverse but anytime on-demand coasting with the transmission in neutral.As with the new 7-series / i7 situation, the visual makeover to identify the electric version is relatively subtle. The electric buckets may save weight over the standard comfort chairs, but their radically contoured shape does not fit every body, and the contrasting yellow, green, orange or blue leather upholstery is definitely more domina than Dreamliner. You can't tell, but the M2 pictured here sports the optional lightweight carbon-fibre roof as well as gaudy carbon-fibre racing seats, also an extra. Both prototypes were shod with extra-wide unequal-size Michelin tyres (275/35 ZR19 up front, 285/30 ZR20 in the back), but we suspect the base model will step out of the factory on slightly less meaty 18- or 19-inchers.
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