- The G80’s strong warranty coverage beats competitors like BMW, Audi, and Mercedes.
- Genesis offers lifetime connected services to the first owner, easing subscription concerns.
- Despite its highlights, the G80 falls short on some aspects including switchgear quality.
We’ve just wrapped up our test of the updated 2025 Genesis G80, and today, we’re breaking down what we loved and what left us cold. The new G80 stands out in its segment with bold styling updates, more advanced infotainment tech, and enough muscle to go toe-to-toe with its rivals.
After putting it through its paces around Lexington, Kentucky, we walked away with a solid but mixed impression. So, let’s dive into the five things that really impressed us and the five that, frankly, missed the mark
THINGS WE LOVED
No More Subscriptions
The first owner of every Genesis gets its connected services for free for life. That means one won’t have to worry about all of the sudden getting charged $30 a month or any other amount for heated seats, active suspension, or something else already built into the car.
Rear Wheel Steering
The G80 3.5T comes standard with rear-wheel steering and boy does it work wonders. U-turns are especially quick and simple, which isn’t always the case in this segment of car. At highway speeds the rear wheels turn with the steering wheel to make lateral movements smoother. Both work very well.
Review: The 2025 Genesis G80 Feels Like A Cheat Code In The Luxury Sedan Game
Star Wars Mode
Okay, so Genesis won’t call it that but if you go through a few steps you can get both a speedometer and a tachometer on the gauge cluster and then you can turn your needles into what look like lightsabers. I put a little video together to show you exactly what I mean above.
Warranty Coverage
This might not matter to folks who trade their car in every few years but the budget-minded consumer probably does care. It includes five years or 60,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage and 10 years or 100,000 miles of powertrain coverage. In addition, buyers get three years or 36,000 miles of complimentary maintenance. Put that up against BMW, Audi, or Mercedes and there’s really no competition at all.
The Styling
Beauty is often said to be in the eye of the beholder, but we bet most people on earth would consider this car a looker. It’s no E39 5-Series but it’s elegant in its own right. The cabin is consistent too and none of it appears very fussy. Sometimes designers don’t know when to put down the pen. That’s not the case with the G80.
THINGS WE DIDN’T LOVE
The Price
There’s no way to get around it. The G80 is no longer thousands less than the competition and on paper that can make it a harder sell for some. The brand and fans will point out that it comes with more standard equipment though and that’s fair. At the same time, the BMW 540i xDrive, which comes with less standard equipment but is a BMW and has more horsepower, costs thousands less than the G80 3.5T.
The Weight
Having driven the aforementioned 5-Series and the G80, it’s clear to me that both feel heavy. What the BMW has up its sleeve though is more power and torque and a more refined chassis. The G80 isn’t bad at all but what makes a mid-size sedan special in my view is one that truly balances high performance with luxury. The G80 falls a little more on the luxury side that I’d personally prefer.
The Switchgear
We called this out in our review, but the switchgear isn’t as good as it could be. In fact, it’s just one sign of cost-cutting throughout the vehicle. Take a look at the armrest on the door cards (including the switches) and you’ll note how similar they are to cars like the Hyundai Kona. That shouldn’t be the case in a car that boasts a $77,000 price tag.
The Sound System
Bang & Olufsen is an outstanding speaker manufacturer but something seems to be missing in the G80. I can’t quite tell if it needs larger bass speakers or just better tuning for the space but the sound quality wasn’t as rich or full as one would expect from over a dozen speakers in total.
Fuel Economy
At just 18.3 mpg over the course of our testing, it would be great to see Genesis find a way to improve fuel economy. Whether it does it through the use of a hybrid engine or something else is less important to us than simply finding a way to be more competitive here. Granted, the G80 2.0 will surely offer buyers more fuel economy should they prioritize it over performance. We just want the best of both worlds.