Set in the heart of Sydney’s Darling Harbour, W Sydney is the city’s newest design icon, a hotel that challenges the status quo at every turn. From dramatic curves of its striking architecture to its unique, high-design interiors, W Sydney forges its own path to create an urban playground, and a new landmark for the harbour.
Since the opening of this exquisite five-star hotel, Genesis Motors and W Sydney have had an exclusive automotive partnership that enables hotel guests to arrive in luxury and explore Sydney in unparalleled style in a fleet of Genesis vehicles. Aligning both brands’ commitment to create experiences that are exceptional and unexpected, Genesis supports W Sydney with a fleet of branded vehicles for VIP pick-ups, special guest drive experiences and staycation loan opportunities.
The stylish Genesis GV80 Coupe fitted in quite well then parked outside of the W Hotel when I attended an event that just happened to be held the week, I was driving it. This is my second time around in the GV80 Coupe, and it was nice to be reacquainted with it, especially as this particular example was fitted with the two optional extras available in the GV80 Coupe range, the Rear Seat Entertainment and Matte Paint.
The 2025 GV80 SUV and Coupe are exclusively powered by a 3.5 litre V6 twin-turbocharged petrol engine that produces a maximum of 279 kW of power and 530 Nm of torque. The all-wheel drive GV80 has an official combined fuel consumption of 11.7L/100km and for my week I used 12.0L/100km. The V6 engine is paired with a smooth 8-speed automatic transmission Shift by Wire electronic gear shift using a rotary dial type control that has a lovely crystal style finish.
There’s plenty to like about the GV8o’s powertrain with five drive mode settings available to find your perfect fit; Eco, Comfort, Sport, Sport + and MY mode, which allows you to configure the Engine/Transmission, Steering, Suspension and each drive mode has its own display theme on the digital driver’s dash as well. There are also three terrain modes; Snow, Mud and Sand, but it’s unlikely any GV80 Coupes are ever going encounter the conditions needed to use them.
I spent the majority of my time in Comfort mode as I preferred the more supple ride it offered and the calmer engine note. In the sportier modes the ride was just that little bit firmer and the GV80 held its gears longer, so the engine revved harder and in Sport + mode the ESC turned off, something I didn’t quite understand why you would want to do in a family SUV? The GV80 Coupe is no slouch in a straight line though and will do 0-100km/h in 5.7 seconds and has a top speed of 240km/h.
Like all good hosts, the GV80 Coupe offers a luxurious setting for its guests with Nappa leather appointed interior G-Matrix quilted seat pattern upholstery, leather appointed dashboard, door and centre console package with real stitching, suede-like roof lining, and premium carpet floor mats. Both front seats have powered adjustment for recline, forward/back, seat height front and rear, front leg extension, side bolstering, and four-way lumbar, with the driver’s seat having two memory positions and the driver has access to adjust the recline and position of the passenger seat from the controls on the side of the seat.
The front seats are also cooled and heated, with the heating extending to the arm rest and the steering wheel for the driver. Plus, Ergo motion offers basic massage function on pelvis, waist or whole body with adjustment for intensity and the amount of time that it operates. Or you can even adjust your entire mood with vitality, delight, care and comfort options to select from under the infotainment menu selection.
For creating the perfect cabin ambience, the GV80s come with a Bang & Olufsen premium audio system, including 18 speakers and Beosonic sound positioning options – Bright, Energetic, Warm and Relaxed, and two Premium sound stage options. Media sources include AM radio, FM/DAB+, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto compatibility, Bluetooth, Sounds of Nature, and USB-C input for music and video. The voice control in this GV80 has improved over the one I drove last year and it worked well for making a phone call, changing the radio station and setting a destination on the sat nav when I tested it.
I did have a bit of an issue with the media selection though, because no matter what I selected on the front 27″ colour OLED full screen display, the GV80 defaulted to whatever was playing on the rear screen, even when it indicated that it should have been playing my selection. I did look for tick a box under the options to allow different media to be played on the front and back screens, but I couldn’t find one?
The GV80 Coupe now supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and the latter connected easily for me initially, but did have the odd occasion when it would disconnect and then not reconnect while I was driving. For charging/connecting your phone there is a wireless charging pad, two USB-C ports, one 12V socket, and UV-C sterilising under the flip up cover at the front of the centre console.
The rear seats are also heated and cooled and have powered adjustment for recline and forward/back and very comfortable head rests according to my son. There was ample head and leg room for me, but taller individuals may find the head room to be tight due to the sloping roof. Two ISOFix/three rear tether child seat restraint points are fitted in the GV80 and the centre seat folds down as an arm rest with two cup holders in front and storage under the arm rest. The drink botte storage in rear door cubbies is only suitable for 600ml bottles.
Rear passengers have digital temperature, mode, and air speed controls with adjustment also being available from the front climate controls including for the seat heating and ventilation. It was lucky that I could do this because the rear climate control screen locked up and my children were unable to adjust the climate settings using it. The two central air vents with individual direction and on/off controls and below air vents there are two USB-C ports and one 12V outlet and there are manual blinds on the rear windows.
Though by far the best feature in the rear of the GV80 were the optional dual capacitive touch 14.7″ HD display screens because they were the best rear screens that my children have ever seen in a vehicle! I say this because they actually had easy to use and entertaining media options with Netflix, YouTube, HDMI, and USB music/video using the USB-C input on the side of the screen. My children were able operate the screens with the remote control and connect to them to the internet using my mobile phone hot spot and watch Netflix! You should also be able to connect using the onboard Wi-Fi, but I could not find Wi-Fi settings anywhere on the rear or front infotainment screens. There is no port for wired headphones, but you can Bluetooth ear buds/wireless headphones to the screens.
The rear seats have a 60:40 split fold powered mechanism with a button in boot or on the side of the seats to raise and lower them almost lie completely flat, or the centre seat can be manually folded down to stow long items. The boot floor folds up and there is a good amount of extra storage under there along with the tyre repair kit, roadside assistance pack, and an excellent first aid kit.
You do have a gesture open tailgate, but I found it was a bit hit and miss as you have to stand at the side of the vehicle with the key fob on you and it didn’t always work. The powered boot also has an open/close button on the tailgate, in the cabin and on the small side button on the side of the key fob. The large boot space has four substantial tie down points, one 12V socket, two lights and a nice carpet mat over the boot floor. I liked the stylish, hard parcel shelf that can be folded back or completely removed if needed and easily stored in the boot space.
The 2025 GV80 features a suite of 10 airbags, including a front airbags for the driver and passenger, front centre side airbag, knee airbag – driver, side (thorax & pelvis) airbags for driver and front passenger, side (thorax) airbags for second row outboard passengers and side curtain airbags for all rows.
Active safety features include, Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist including; Car/Pedestrian/Cyclist detection, Junction Turning/Junction Crossing function, Lane-Change Oncoming/Lane-Change Side function, and Evasive Steering Assist function. Plus, Blind-Spot Collision Avoidance-Assist and Blind-Spot View Monitor (displays a camera on driver’s screen when you indicate), Lane Keeping Assist, Lane Following Assist, Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Avoidance-Assist, and adaptive cruise control. The driver attention monitor still bongs at you a lot, but it didn’t get upset when I was wearing sunglasses like it did when I previously drove the GV80 Coupe.
The rear-view camera has a standard view, 3D view and 360-degree view with front and rear sensors. The GV80 also has auto lights and auto wipers and one feature I still like is when you change the setting it displays on the driver’s dash so you know what you have selected. I was not overly impressed by the high beam assist though as I didn’t like how it lit up the road ahead at night. The other thing I noticed in the GV80 this time around was it doesn’t have a rear windscreen wiper and it really does need one.
Genesis owners enjoy effortless ownership with a comprehensive suite of services and conceived in the belief that the ultimate luxury in our lives today is time. It starts with a purchase experience that is simple and straightforward. Complimentary Warranty is offered on all 2025 GV80 vehicles come with a five year/unlimited km warranty, with the exception of vehicles used at any time during the warranty period for commercial application. Complimentary Scheduled Servicing 2025 GV80 vehicles are entitled to Complimentary Scheduled Maintenance services every 12 months or 10,000km for the first five years or 50,000 km, whichever occurs first.
Genesis 24/7 Premium Roadside Assistance Program Once customers take delivery of their vehicle, they are seamlessly enrolled in our five years, 24/7 Roadside Assistance program. This increases to 10 years if servicing is conducted by Genesis. Genesis to You Owners can also avail themselves to the Concierge Service and Courtesy Vehicle Service for five years.
The Genesis GV80 Coupe starts at $136,000 excluding on-road costs and as tested with the optional rear entertainment screens ($4,500) and matte paint ($2,000) this entertaining GV80 Coupe was $142,500 excluding on-road costs. For more information you can visit a Genesis Retail Outlet, build and price your GV80 Coupe online or book a test drive.
| Pros | Cons |
| The excellent rear entertainment screens | Media source selection issues |
| Improved voice control operation | Needs a rear windscreen wiper |
| Stylish exterior and interior looks | Handsfree tailgate operation doesn’t always work |
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.