Driven: The 2025 Genesis GV80 is still relevant, but it's overrated by experts

You could forgive us automotive journalists for a touch of overexcitement when the Genesis GV80 debuted for the 2021 model year. Its distinctive styling was a revelation, for one thing, immediately standing out from the conservative crowd of midsize luxury SUVs.

Then, during the 2021 Genesis Invitational golf tournament, a GV80 courtesy car saved Tiger Woods' life in a rollover crash, raising its profile considerably.

Throw in the curveball of nonstop Covid craziness — which interrupted normal operations like comparison drives and frequent car swaps — and it's understandable why multiple expert publications were moved to declare the GV80 the new leader in its class.

What's less understandable to me, after driving a 2025 Genesis GV80 3.5T Prestige, is why those experts haven't adjusted the GV80's ranking in the years since. As of this writing, the GV80 remains the top-ranked midsize luxury SUV at both Car and Driver and KBB, the former even rating it a perfect 10.

Come on now. The GV80 is good, but it's not that good. Let's dig deeper into how it measures up against the best midsize luxury SUVs of 2025.

The GV80 V6 actually isn't a great value anymore

This surprised me, although it's something of a pattern this year for Genesis — the G80 sedan, for example, got a price hike of more than $5k with the same V6. Anyway, here's the hard truth: the 2025 GV80 3.5T now costs more to start than its primary six-cylinder rivals. No, really, check it out:

This list would have been much more favorable for Genesis last year, when you could get into a GV80 3.5T for as little as $64,850, but that base V6 trim was removed for 2025, leaving the GV80 3.5T Advanced as the cheapest V6-powered option. That's effectively a $9,450 price increase for the 2025 GV80 3.5T.

Dang.

By the way, the Advanced comes standard with the GV80's cramped but potentially useful third-row seat. To get into a two-row 2025 GV80 3.5T, you'll need a 3.5T Prestige like the one I drove, which starts at $79,300.

For what it's worth, the 2024 GV80 3.5T Prestige started at $81,750, so there's technically a $2,450 price cut on the 2025 3.5T Prestige. If you were hoping for a little good news on the pricing front, there it is.

But here's another way of looking at it, focusing just on Genesis vs. Audi: the three-row GV80 3.5T costs $8,500 more than the Q7 55 quattro for 2025, while the two-row, Prestige-only GV80 3.5T costs $4,900 more than the Audi Q8, which is effectively a two-row Q7 55 quattro with sleeker styling.

Remarkable, right? Since when has Audi been an affordable alternative to Genesis?

In case you're wondering about the GV80 Coupe, which is a more direct rival to the Q8, you won't find any bargains there, either. It starts at $79,950, a hefty $5,550 more than its Audi counterpart.

Now, if you put a magnifying glass on the GV80's equipment list, you may find that these Germans need some pricey options packages to match it feature-for-feature. But until this year, close scrutiny was not required to validate the GV80's value proposition. It offered more for less, which has been the Hyundai/Kia/Genesis strategy forever. "More for more" doesn't quite have the same ring to it, but that's what we're looking at here.

The GV80 honestly doesn't drive as well as top rivals

I don't want to harp on this aspect of the GV80, because it was never intended to match the driving dynamics of Germany's best. The point was to offer superior value and a satisfying drive, much like Lexus when it burst onto the scene in the '90s.

But now that there's price parity, the GV80's foibles feel less forgivable from behind the wheel.

For example, the standard 22-inch wheels on my GV80 3.5T Prestige made their presence felt over pavement cracks and ruts, transmitting more impact harshness through the seats than I'd expect in this class. Sometimes that goes hand-in-hand with confident cornering, but I didn't feel confident pushing the GV80. It felt tall and heavy through the bends, which of course it is — Genesis says the 3.5T Prestige weighs 5,115 pounds.

Thing is, the Germans have long since figured out how to make 2.5 tons of SUV handle gracefully and ride smoothly with enormous wheels. The GV80 simply isn't there yet, and unlike the Lexus GX, it can't blame its athletic shortcomings on its truck-like underpinnings.

Fuel economy is another area where the GV80 comes up short, as you can see in the table above. The turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 has been a workhorse for Genesis in a number of models, but it's never been a fuel-sipper, a weakness that becomes more glaring as time goes on.

As for acceleration, the GV80 3.5T is hardly slow, but the big V6 lacks both the vigor and the refinement of the smaller-displacement German turbo sixes. While it's an adequate engine for a luxury SUV, no one would call it a standout — not even the publications that keep ranking the GV80 number one.

The interior is pretty legit

Looking around the cabin, the GV80 acquits itself well, especially with the new-for-2025 combined instrument panel and infotainment display, a 27-inch OLED job that showcases the Hyundai empire's technology leadership.

The 3.5T Prestige's standard Nappa leather upholstery also impresses, flaunting an intricate quilted pattern that wouldn't look out of place in a Bentley.

I can totally see shoppers being sold on the GV80 from the moment they get behind the wheel. Maybe you go in expecting to see obvious cost-cutting and cheesiness, but you quickly realize that Genesis nailed the luxury look and feel.

Again, though, that's less laudable now that you can't buy one at a big discount relative to the segment's heavy hitters.

Where does the 2025 GV80 really rank?

Call me biased, but I think we got it right in our Midsize Luxury SUV Rankings, where the GV80 is a solidly mid-pack competitor.

Does it drive as well as the best? No, and it can't compensate with any off-road chops to speak of. Does it offer above-average value? With the price increases for 2025, it's hard to say yes anymore.

But the GV80 does have a uniquely appealing design that's not derivative of anything we can think of, and its interior tech and trimmings are genuinely impressive. It's a good luxury SUV.

It's just not that good. ⛐ md