2025 Genesis G80 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

We didn’t have many complaints when the G80 debuted in 2021, but the little nip and tuck four years later makes the sedan look just that much better. Available in Base, Advanced, Sport Advanced and Sport Prestige, the facelift brings things a bit more into focus with a new front and rear fascia, updated grille inserts and some new alloy wheel designs. Base models wear standard 18-inch shoes but our tester sports 20-inch rims that got people talking. From the gas station to the grocery store, more than one person commented on the wheels, either loving or hating the five-spoke, honeycomb design.

The signature two-bar headlight and taillight design is still here, although the front lights get a bit of a tech upgrade. Ten exterior colors including the new Vatna Gray which make a total of four gray shades. At least the company offers a decent red and two shades blue for those who want a little life in their driveway.

Inside the biggest change you’ll notice is a huge (27-inch) OLED screen sitting atop a reworked dash, a look that’s familiar from the latest Genesis models. There are physical dials for the volume and temperature control, but most HVAC duties are incorporated into touch-sensitive flat button controls. Colors here include black, tan, a beige and gray two-tone but our tested wore the sumptuous red and black two-tone. It’s definitely the best of the bunch if style is your priority.

Materials here are all top-notch, as is fit and finish. Sure, seating surfaces on the base model are leatherette and you don’t get any wood trim until the Advanced trim, but even these less-expensive models look rich and sophisticated.

Our top tester gets it all with carbon fiber trim, shiny alloy pedals, Nappa leather seats and a micro-suede headliner. Did we mention it was red?

The Genesis G80 sedan is available with two powertrains. You have your choice of a 2.5-liter turbocharged engine with 300 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque, but our tester was the 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 with 375 ponies and 391 lb-ft of torque. Those are impressive numbers to be sure, especially for something that has no help from an electric motor, but those looking for quick and immediate acceleration might be a tad disappointed.

Even in Sport+ mode with traction control off, we felt a definite lag between flooring the accelerator and the car taking off the line. The G80 sprints from zero to sixty miles per hour in roughly five seconds. Not bad but you’ll find others in the class that are quicker.

All-wheel drive is standard and our tester came with rear steering and an e-LSD which in theory should make it a hoot in the corners. However, even in the sportiest setting the suspension allows for a fair amount of body roll, so check those fun-time expectations at the door. This isn’t much of a sport sedan.

Instead what you’ll get is a supremely comfortable cruiser that’s perfect for long commutes and even longer road trips. The 8-speed automatic transmission does its job in the background, shifting quietly and competently. What’s a detriment in the corners is an advantage on the rough-and-tumble city streets as the car soaks up broken pavement with ease, thanks in part to an electronically controlled suspension with road preview that can prime the dampers for any bumps in the road. The thick-rimmed steering wheel provides accurate steering and the brakes feel firm and confident.

New for this year is what Genesis calls a Micro Lens Array in the LED headlamps which shine bright while not blinding oncoming drivers. We can’t speak to other drivers’ eyes but the lights did a decent job when driving down the proverbial dark desert highway.

One thing that might trip drivers up is the placement of the gear selector. The circular knob is on the center console, directly aft of the infotainment control, which is also a circular knob. It’s very easy to grab one when meaning to use the other.

A base Genesis G80 comes with plenty of luxury features like heated front and rear seats, a heated steering wheel, rain-sensing wipers, 64-color ambient lighting and power-folding side mirrors with branded puddle lamps—just in case you forget that you are, indeed, driving a Genesis. Our best pick is the Sport Advanced trim with the 3.5-liter to add three-zone climate control, ventilated front seats and a panoramic sunroof. Keep in mind that our 3.5-liter Sport Prestige tester adds performance upgrades over comfort ones. Sure, you’ll get a heated center console armrest and power door closure, but it’s not a huge comfort upgrade over the Sport Advanced.

We noticed a few small details that can make the overall experience a bit nicer. The front has a little padded insert between the seat and the console, so dropped keys or cosmetics don’t disappear under the seat. There is also a pass-through to the trunk to carry longer items. It’s not big enough for, say, a flat-pack box from Ikea, but certainly a pair of skis can fit. Slap a pair of snow tires on the G80 and you’re ready for the slopes.

Headroom is good and there’s lots of legroom front and back, thanks in no small part to the G80’s generous wheelbase. The top two trims come with the company’s Ergo-Motion driver’s seat, ostensibly meant to keep you comfy no matter your size or driving style. Genesis says it has different settings for different drive modes, like inflating the side bolsters and dropping the seat cushion in Sport mode. We set the seat up to our liking but never felt it change during our time with the car, so either it’s very subtle or so unintuitive that we didn’t set it up correctly.

What’s cool is the myriad storage places for smaller items. There are plenty of bins and trays of varying sizes scattered throughout the cabin and the center console is giant. At 13.1 cubic-feet the trunk is average for the class—if you need lots of space try the BMW 5-series—but there are a few pockets with nets back there to keep smaller items from sliding around. Every Genesis has a hands-free trunk with auto-open.

The biggest upgrade to the 2025 Genesis G80 is the super-pretty 27-inch OLED display touchscreen housing both the instrument cluster and the infotainment system. The system itself is really easy to use with a clear menu structure, but we question some of the graphics. For example, with adaptive cruise control active, the gauge cluster shows you other vehicles in your immediate vicinity. However, they are represented by a 3D rectangle. The G80 icon is well-rendered with details like headlamps and side mirrors, and we don’t expect the system to know a Mercedes from a Nissan, but it should be able to tell the difference between a semi-truck and a passenger vehicle and render them appropriately. Is this not a luxury car?

Another odd omission occurs when using navigation. Although it’s great having a super-wide view when you set the gauge cluster and infotainment screen to display the map, the navigation doesn’t include street names unless you have an actual destination set. Sometimes you know you just need to turn on Sunnyslope Avenue and having street names show up on the display would be nice.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, as is a fingerprint authentication system to keep nosy valet parkers at bay. You can get a digital key so you can use your phone or smartwatch to open the car if carrying a fob is just too much for you. And if you just can’t be bothered to park, or if someone has crowded your Genesis so you can’t open the door, Smart Park is available to drive itself in or out of perpendicular spaces.

Charging is taken care of with four USB-C outlets and a 12-volt outlet. Our tester also had a wireless charging pad but it was finicky. It refused to charge our phone even when we took it out of the case. The voice assistant in the G80 can respond to natural language, sometimes taking things to the extreme. We mentioned that we were cold and it turned the heat up to 80 degrees—not quite the highest temperature but darn close—and turned on the heated steering wheel. Thanks Genesis, but we only needed a bit of a warm-up.

Like its parent company Hyundai, Genesis offers most driver assistance aids standard. Expect to find forward collision avoidance assist, lane keep assist and lane following assist, speed limit assist and forward and rear park-distance warning. Upper trims add side park-distance warning and assist, Smart Park and rear occupant alert.

However, Genesis goes all-in with blind-spot warning. Not only can you get the blind-spot monitor in the upper trims that displays a video feed of your blind spot right in the gauge cluster, our tester came with a head-up display that shows a little radar icon around the car if someone is in your blind spot. Further, a blind-spot avoidance tech is standard across the line. This company really doesn’t want you to change lanes into somebody.

Also standard is Highway Drive Assist, a hands-on/eyes-up system that can take some of the stress out of longer highway commutes. In the past this system has been hit-or-miss, at least on Hyundai products, but here it worked great. Stops and starts were smooth and the car stayed centered in the lane, even when lane markings were a bit fuzzy.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) gave the 2025 Genesis G80 a five out of five star overall safety rating. However the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the G80 a variety of marks. While it scored a top Good in small front and side crashes as well as front pedestrian avoidance, it scored Acceptable for headlights, forward collision avoidance and LATCH ease of use. The G80 only earned a Marginal score in moderate front crashes and seat belt reminders.

If you’re looking for a reason to buy the Genesis G80 over its German competitors, the price might just do it for you. The base model with the 2.5-liter engine has an MSRP of $58,595 including $1,495 for destination. That undercuts the Audi A6 by about $1,000 and the AWD version of the BMW 5-Series by about $5,000. Further, it saves you nearly $8,000 over an AWD Mercedes-Benz E-Class. BMW and Mercedes both offer their mid-size sedans with rear-wheel drive, something the G80 doesn’t offer, but you’ll still find the Genesis’ starting price is less expensive.

That doesn’t mean things can’t get pricey. Our top-line 3.5T Sport Prestige tester comes in at an MSRP of $78,280. Much of that price is due to performance upgrades that don’t really deliver, so we think the 3.5T Sport Advanced is a better deal at $71,745 MSRP.

However, you won’t be saving much at the gas station. The EPA gives the G80 a combined fuel rating of 24 miles per gallon for the smaller engine, dropping to 19 mpg combined in the twin turbo V6. During our time with it we managed closer to 18 mpg and that was with a lot of highway miles. Meanwhile the BMW goes big with 28 mpg combined and the 5-Series is also available as a plug-in hybrid. The Mercedes and Audi manage to eke out one mpg better than the Genesis and while the E-Class can be had as a PHEV, there’s the Audi A6 e-tron if you’re set on an EV. Previous model years of the G80 were available as an EV, but Genesis has stopped producing them for North America.

Genesis has one of the best warranties out there. Expect your new car to come with a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, a 5-year/60,000-mile limited warranty and three years or 36,000 miles of complimentary scheduled maintenance.

If you buy the G80 with the right expectations you won’t be disappointed. This is a luxury car with a chill vibe and a boat load of features, all at a very fair price. Those looking for performance and thrills won’t be satisfied, but there is a place in the market for this competent, comfortable cruiser.