The first-ever Electrified G80 is a bold move by Genesis into the luxury EV sedan market. Combining a powerful twin motor AWD system with an 87.2kWh battery and recycled/repurposed materials the G80 really flexes its environmental credentials.
Sitting atop Electrified G80 is something that is more accustomed to being on a house rather than a car, solar panels. The solar roof harnesses the power of the sun, and uses it to charge the power battery, to incrementally increase driving range. The solar roof enhances Electrified G80’s energy efficiency by generating supplementary electricity from sunlight and the graphic under the EV menu shows when the charging is occurring. Does it work? Well doing a very unscientific experiment over a couple of sunny days I found that it doesn’t charge the battery enough to indicate a change in battery charge percentage even after parking the G80 for a day in the sun.
But an analysis of my energy consumption over the week and a bit that I was driving the G80 showed that I used an average of 16.35kWh/100km. If this is multiplied out over the 87.2kWh battery my potential range would have been up to 533km, more that the WLTP figure for the Electrified G80 of 520km. Comparing this energy use to that of the Hyundai IONIQ 5 (18.35kWh/100km) I have previously driven potentially indicates that the solar roof did incrementally increase my driving range?
The twin motor AWD system that powers the Electrified G80 provides 272kW (from dual 136kW front / rear motors) and 700Nm of torque that can propel the luxury four-door sedan from rest to 100km/h in 4.9 seconds. The G80’s Smart Regenerative Braking 2.0 system also optimises coasting efficiency by automatically adjusting the amount of regenerative braking. I spent the week of the highest level of regenerative braking, which can be adjusted using the wheel-mounted paddles. The drive modes available include Comfort, Sport and Eco and the digital driver’s cluster changes with your selection. I defaulted to Comfort mode and even then, the G80 was swift when I applied the accelerator firmly.
When you plug the charger into the G80 at the front of the vehicle it makes a locking sound and the vehicle says ‘start charging’ and the light next to the plug flashes green to indicate that charging is in progress. On the 12.3-inch 3D driver’s dash it also tells you the battery percentage and how long the charging has to go. Owners who purchase the Electrified G80 get a choice of a 5-year Chargefox subscription or home A/C charger and installation included in the purchase price. Genesis claims the battery can charge from 10 to 80 percent in as little as 22 minutes when plugged into a 350kW DC fast charger.
The other striking external feature on this Electrified G80 is the paint. It’s called Matira Blue and costs an extra $2,000, but looks very pretty. Genesis utilised a special pigment that created a colour that varies with the viewing angle, just like its namesake Matira Beach in the South Pacific Ocean, from cobalt to emerald-blue and turquoise. Paired with the special paint are EV exclusive 19-inch alloy wheels with Michelin PS4 tyres.
In the cabin there a number of low environmental impact natural and recycled materials used including bio-processed Nappa Leather that uses a natural dye, for the seats, console and rear seat armrests. This leather lacks the aroma of leather found in some other luxury vehicles. Fabrics made from recycled PET and recycled nylon yarn are used for the headlining, pillars and sun visors. While the distinctive centre console, dash and doors garnishes are made from forged wood manufactured by processing birch wood left over from the furniture making process.
The driver’s seat has 18-way power adjustment with two memory positions and features a basic massage function. The massage can be turned on manually or it will engage automatically after a certain amount of time driving to give your body a reviving stretch. The passenger seat has 12-way power adjustment, but with no memory positions. The front seats are heated and cooled with both of these functions working well. The G80 also has a heated steering wheel to keep your hands warm during the winter.
The 14.5-inch infotainment touchscreen features an Augmented Reality (AR View) navigation function. The three-dimensional road guidance information uses a combination of forward image information from the Surround View camera, with forward object recognition from the windscreen camera and the front radar, and navigation map data, to generate the AR navigation display. When you cross the outside line a big red wall comes up on the screen to alert you that are not in your lane and it’s quite startling. The sat nav can also display nearby charge stations with information about if they are AC or DC chargers, but not if they are available or not.
The G80 has an AM radio, FM/DAB+ digital radio, USB music, USB video or Bluetooth to enjoy on the 20-speaker Lexicon by HARMAN Premium Audio system. Or for a relaxing experience you could play one of options from the Sounds of Nature menu. If your phone is connected via wired Apple CarPlay/Android Auto voice control can be used to for some infotainment function control.
At the front of the centre console there is a cubby for your phone with wireless charging for compatible devices and two USB-A ports and under the arm rest there is one 12V outlet. The cup holders in the centre console have grippy sides and a rubber mat for easy cleaning, while the front door cubbies are only suitable for slim drink bottles and they need to be laid down. There is one feature of the G80 that was not so easy to clean. In front of the arm rest there is a small ledge that is really only suitable for the key fob and it is shaped in such a way that it is awkward to clean it so it gathers crumbs and dust.
In the rear seats I found that the head room was tight and although leg room was adequate, I felt that my knees were sitting up high and even though this is a full EV it still has a transmission tunnel. The G80 has two ISOFIX/three rear tether child seat restraint points, but only enough room for two car seats due to the overall width available. Rear passengers get digital climate controls for temperature, air speed and mode and there are two central air vents with individual direction and on/off controls. The rear climate settings can also be adjusted from the front of the G80 if you have younger children who can’t reach them.
Rear seat passengers also get dual 9.2-inch displays with independent media sources to each rear occupant, with audio through their own 3.5mm headphone jacks. But there is only one USB-A port under the arm rest, which may lead to potential back seat spats between children. The centre folds down as an armrest with a control panel that can be used to access the rear screen or for the turning on/off the heated seats or raising/lowering the rear blind. The rear windows also have blinds that the rear passengers can raise manually.
The boot lid has powered open/close with a button under the boot lid, on the key fob and in the cabin. The boot space is compromised by the large bulkhead towards the rear and there is no spare tyre under the boot floor, just a tyre repair kit and space for the charge cable. A pram would fit in the boot space, but if you were shopping as well the groceries would need to go on top of it. The rear seats do not fold down and there is only a small central opening that can be used to carry longer items. The Electrified G80 does not have a ‘frunk’ either because the motor takes up the under bonnet area.
The Electrified G80 is not covered by the current Genesis G80 ANCAP safety rating. It does come with 10 airbags for the front, front centre side, driver’s knee, front thorax and pelvis, rear thorax and curtain. The Electrified G80 also has a number of active driver safety aids including Blind-Spot Collision Avoid, Blind-Spot View Monitor that projects a camera image in the driver’s dash when you indicate, Forward Collision Avoidance Assist, Steering Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, Lane Following Assist, Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Avoidance-Assist and Smart Cruise Control with Machine Learning.
For convenience you also get a surround view reversing camera with 3D walk around mode. Plus, front and rear parking sensors with Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist – Reverse and when you reverse a soft bong is emitted to warn nearby pedestrians. The lights are auto and have high bean assist and the Electrified G80 has rain sensing wipers.
Included in the purchase price of every Electrified G80 is a 5-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, 8-year warranty on high voltage battery, 5-year complimentary servicing, 5-year Genesis To You and valet service, 10-years of 24/7 roadside assistance and 10-years of complimentary map updates.
The lavish Electrified Genesis G80 sedan comes standard with the ‘Luxury Package’ and is priced from $145,000, excluding dealer delivery and on-road costs. As tested with the optional Matira Blue ($2,000) this Electrified G80 is $147,000 MLP excluding dealer delivery and on-road costs. For more information you can visit a Genesis Retail Outlet, build and price your Electrified G80 online or book a test drive.
| Pros | Cons |
| Excellent range potential | Rear head room is tight |
| Good acceleration | Boot space is compromised |
| The Matira Blue paint | The cubby in front of the arm rest |
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.