The first time I drove the Genesis Electrified G80 during last autumn’s International Motor Press Association Test Day (#IMPATESTDAY), I was blown away by the four-door sedan’s silky-smooth performance characteristics and luxurious comfort.
A week in February with the 2023 Genesis Electrified G80 as my daily driver reinforced my first impressions gained in September during that short drive on the winding roads through the verdant mountains surrounding New York’s Bear Mountain State Park.
Electrical platform engineered to perform
The G80 with its internal-combustion engine (ICE) was already a superb car, offering Genesis-trademark levels of luxury, technology and performance in a roomy sedan, a worthy competitor to the best German and Japanese luxury mid-sized premium models.
Its overall excellence apparently made it a perfect platform for the first Genesis electric sedan.
Generally, electrifying a car like this means many compromises, but Genesis’s (and parent Hyundai) experience in engineering electric vehicles (EVs) like the GV60 (and Ioniq5 and Ioniq6) shines through on the Electrified G80.
Standard are dual 136kW motors powering all four wheels, providing 272kWh total power or 365 horsepower and 516 pounds-feet of torque. This translates (according to tests by Car and Driver into 0-60 times of 4.1 seconds, faster than the quickest G80 ICE version by more than half a second).
Providing the juice for this powertrain is an 87.2 kWh battery pack supported by a 400/800V multi-rapid-charging system, allowing for efficient use of various charging infrastructures including the latest Level 3 fast charging ones.
The G80’s driving motor and inverter can boost the level of voltage from 400V up to 800V, which is more optimized level for the system, providing a more stable charge. Thanks to this, customers can use an 800V rapid charging system with no need for an additional converter, and also a 400V charger. With a Level 3 fast charger, the vehicle can go from 10 percent to 80 percent charged in about 22 minutes (which I found accurate during my one long trip and using an Electrify America fast charger at a Connecticut Wal Mart).
Keeping the G80 fully charged was easy for me as each night I plugged in my garage-mounted Autel MaxiCharger AC Wallbox Home unit’s cable to the front-mounted receptacle and within a couple of hours I had replaced the electricity burned in 40-60 miles of driving.
A Level 2 home unit like this Autel is the key to everyday living with an EV, regardless of type and style. This capability means the average person will not face a range issue in the majority of daily driving.
Speaking of range the dual-motor Electrified G80 showed about 270 miles when fully charged and generally operated at that level (dropping a bit when I cruised the Interstate at 70 miles per hour).
Genesis includes a unique computer-controlled Disconnector Actuator System (DAS) which can connect or disconnect motor and drive shaft based on different driving conditions, enabling the G80 to switch between RWD and AWD to reduce unnecessary power loss and increase efficiency (meaning range). The Electrified G80’s efficiency is 2.7 miles/kWh.
An efficient, effective regenerative-braking system not only puts energy back into the battery each time it is used to slow the Electrified G80, but also enables the i-Pedal one-pedal driving system. I love one-pedal operation, allowing the EV to slow itself and eventually stop without touching the brake pedal (or activating the friction-brake system). All of the Genesis/Hyundai-family EVs have a solid i-Pedal system which works without fuss.
Technology enhances driving experience
The Electrified G80 comes fully equipped, a top-of-the-range spec vehicle. One of the features included is the Active Noise Control-Road first offered in the Genesis GV80 sport-utility vehicle.
This system reduces the level of noise significantly by measuring and analyzing road noises and creating soundwaves of the opposite frequency simultaneously.
Electronic Control Suspension with Road Preview, the adaptive suspension system that can be controlled by information supplied through the front-facing camera, also helps to create an optimal, smooth driving experience.
The full complement of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) further enhances both safety and driving. This list includes: Intelligent speed limit assist; lane-keeping assist; vibration warning steering wheel; high-beam assist; forward collision-avoidance assist (vehicles, pedestrians, cyclist, junction turning); blind-spot collision-avoidance assist; rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance assist; back-up guide light; multi-collision brake system, and 360º surround-view camera.
The sum of these parts is a vehicle providing its occupants with a quiet, comfortable ride while providing the driver with an exhilarating driving experience if desired or a sedate cruiser if not. They all work seamlessly together.
Technology supplements the luxury features inside
The Electrified G80 bristles with technology you can see as well as much you cannot, but it also is filled with luxurious creature comforts beginning with Nappa leather seating surfaces heated front and rear. The front seats also feature ventilation, 12-way power adjustment, power lumbar support, while the driver also gets power thigh-extension, side bolsters and a massaging backrest.
The steering wheel receives a heated leather coating and power adjustable for rake and reach.
A three-zone automatic climate-control system keeps the interior environment habitable, both front and rear.
A 12.5-inch color LCD touch screen, part of the LCD panel dominating the dash, is the heart of the infotainment system, which includes avigation-based smart cruise control (which means it knows when to slow for an upcoming curve). Of course, the infotainment system can be married to your smartphone as well as providing satellite radio content.
Pumping out the sound is a Lexicon 17-speaker system with Quantum logic surround sound.
An EV worthy of the Genesis name
I barely scratched the surface of the standard features (like the comprehensive head-up display) found inside the Genesis Electrified G80; suffice it to say, it is a loaded vehicle, quite fitting for being a top-of-the-range model.
The price for this excellent EV — $81,495 which includes the one option, $575 for the Hallasan-green paint and $1,095 for inland freight & handllng – is high but very competitive. The Genesis Electrified G80 will provide everything someone looking for a luxury EV sedan in the mid-size category could want.
