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Mountain Wheels: Genesis’s GV80 Coupe blends luxury with additional boost

Revised from the existing GV80 SUV and optionally equipped with up to 409 horsepower, the new Genesis GV80 Coupe is a sleek and sharp ride.
Andy Stonehouse/Courtesy photo

Editor’s note: This column has been edited add the rest of a sentence that was cut off in the original version.

It took me a couple of extra years after the debut of Genesis, Hyundai’s premium brand, to actually drive one of their vehicles, but the flow of cars has been relatively steady since then. And, according to my car broker source, Colorado has turned into a hot market, with steady demand for the high-end and often very luxurious machines.

So the pre-snow-in-Denver appearance of Genesis’ newest model, the 2025 Coupe version of the GV80 SUV, offered an interesting view of the many high-end features and extra power that’s been packed into the vehicle – despite losing the regular vehicle’s third-row seating in the process.



This new rendition of the traditional GV80, which had its own last major physical changes a little over four years ago, helps bring Genesis into line with German luxury carmakers who’ve been lopping off the tops of their own blocky SUVs to create smoother shapes.

Besides its sleeker looks, probably the biggest change is two engine choices, a 375-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 turbo and a new, 409-horsepower version which adds a 48-volt electronic supercharger to that V6 to help produce a bit more peak power. I had the latter, with a base price of $85,750.



Sensing the issues that might result from that kind of power and super-wide high-performance all-seasons on 22-inch wheels, I asked to drive the GV80 Coupe a day earlier than normal and stayed exclusively in the Front Range, which got me a couple of days of above-freezing, dry-road outings to see just how much the vehicle has changed.

The looks are indeed a striking reinterpretation of the standard GV80, with a slimmed-down profile and unique versions of the Genesis two-line grille and two-line LED headlamps, plus larger air intakes and a full quad set of exhaust tips in the rear.

The Coupe retains the same basic dimensions (minus the vertical rear cargo and passenger space) as the SUV but the chop job makes the vehicle look more like a smaller GV70, if subtly camouflaging largesse is a mark of success. It’s 196 inches long on a 116-inch wheelbase, with total cargo room of 60 cubic feet with the rear seats dropped.  

While the euphoria that comes with an extra wallop of power is indeed there for the GV80 Coupe, it’s not quite the same stratospheric kick in the pants that you’ll get from hitting the warp-speed power boost button on the much smaller GV60 EV, or a multiple-degrees-of-separation family member such as the Kia EV6 GT. 

It’s more in line with the hard-charging power found when the same system is used on the full-sized Genesis sedan, the G90. And, despite those oversized tires, an electronically assisted suspension and an eight-speed automatic transmission, the GV80 Coupe is not magically transformed into an Audi Q7, or BMWs or Mercedes of its aspirational set.

Interior-wise, sure – and maybe even nicer than the Germans. But in terms of performance, the GV80 Coupe simply cannot hold or sustain corners in a German fashion, though flat-out driving is certainly more exciting. Its weight, 5,132 pounds, is actually more than the SUV, and while Car and Driver’s 0-60 times of 5.2 seconds are impressive, putting it into a curve exposes every pound almost immediately. Braking can also be a bit touchy, though my test vehicle was virtually brand new and this was likely its first aggressive outing.

You can sass up the experience by switching to sport mode or, if you’d like a gay burble of noisy kickdowns and pseudo rev-matching, a more aggressive sport-plus mode, but you can’t make it feel more connected to the ground, sadly. They will tighten up the seat bolsters and brighten the displays, however. 

While Car and Driver pegs the regular SUV as the best of its entire class, the Coupe finished ninth in their testing. Given that race tracks are not the stated place for a vehicle with an interior this luxurious, I’m willing to accept the Coupe for what it is. 

And by those metrics, buyers will be more than compensated with a cabin full of pleated leather, red-orange highlights (including seatbelts) and a super-glossy array of carbon fiber surfaces.

Instrument and touchscreens now stretch 27 inches across the dash – they should just double it up and go for a full 54-inch version – and the controls still include a near-identical set of input and gear selector knobs, which you’ll hopefully differentiate.

Rear seats electronically recline and a suede-coated cargo tonneau cover hides fairly ample rear storage – 30 cubic feet – with a cargo net, if you’re still convinced you bought an Audi.  


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