The rise of the SUV has caused a lot of casualties. First, the station wagon went, then the minivan, and even the trusty sedan that dominated the highways for decades has pretty much died off in its wake. Aside from a couple of GM efforts, American manufacturers have essentially ditched the platform. This is partially due to the success of SUVs and trucks and partially due to some poorly written emissions legislation. So if you want a sedan in 2025, you may have to look towards Europe or Asia. I recently had the pleasure of driving the Genesis G80, a luxury sedan from Hyundai’s premium brand, and it reminded me just how good those vehicles can be.
Just as people take the first bite of a good meal with their eyes, your first impression of a vehicle is likely looks-based. Compared to modern SUVs, which are generic for the most part, the G80 really stands out. There’s a lot going on, but it manages to look both sleek and powerful at the same time. In the fenders, and up front, you see some notes of a muscle car. The grille is large and distinctly Asian, though many manufacturers have recently adopted that large, rounded style. As you follow the lines backwards, though, you see some sportiness push through. Compared to the usual box on wheels you see on the road, this looks like a lot of fun.
You forget how well a performance sedan handles
Looks can be deceiving, but that isn’t the case here. Now, don’t get me wrong, this is not a sports coupe. It’s pretty long and heavy by historical standards, and it probably isn’t going to do that well on a track. But you’re spending most of your time on public roads anyway, and it feels great on those.
You feel so much more connected to the road in one of these, and if you really focus, you can feel how much more balanced it is compared to your average seven-seat behemoth. Being lower down also helps, until you get a headlight straight to the eyeballs, and that will happen pretty often.
That power goes a lot further
In terms of negatives, it does have that slightly dull throttle response outside of sport mode. That’s an issue I’ve found in some of Genesis’ other vehicles, too. But it is less noticeable in the G80 as the 375 horsepower the top trim puts out will go a lot further. That engine is moving less weight, and you’re closer to the ground.
Despite having the same powertrain as the GV80 SUV, the G80 sedan will go from 0-60 a whole second faster, hitting the mark in 4.7 seconds instead of 5.7 seconds in the SUV. Even the sportier GV80 Coupe still takes 5.2 seconds to reach 60 mph. Yes, a sports coupe is going to have an even better power-to-weight ratio and will likely handle better, too. But the sedan is a great middle ground, and Genesis’ effort highlights this perfectly.
There’s still enough space for most people
Family size tends to be shrinking as people have fewer children. People are more antisocial these days, too. So it’s a bit strange that vehicles have more seats than ever before. Think about it, history is littered with people cramming one or two too many friends into the back of a standard sedan. Occasionally, someone may end up in the trunk. That may not be wise from a safety or legal standpoint, but it creates plenty of nice memories. So I’m pretty perplexed why the average consumer is happy to sacrifice comfort, performance, style, and fuel economy for two extra seats that no one wants to use anyway.
While testing the G80, I chauffeured a few people around and received compliments about how nice the back seats were. Leg room is quite generous, and the seats themselves are very comfortable. It could be a little better though. One of Genesis’ quirks involves only fitting the massage function to the driver’s seat. Which is great for the person technically doing all of the work, but leads to a lot of passenger jealousy in the long run.
It’s full of Korean charm, and a stride in the right direction
There are certain small touches that add to the charm of the G80. The lighting, quilting, and leather have a distinctly Asian flavor, as does the large grille up front. It also plays a cute little jingle when it shuts down, like some kind of odd 375-horsepower egg cooker.
You can write all this off as novelty, but there’s a lot more to it than that. It’s a genuine attempt to inject some charm that should be appreciated in what seems to be the decade of the bland, functional crossover. Vehicles should have personality, and little quirks like that jingle go a long way towards developing one. Is it a perfect car? No. There are some polish issues, throttle mapping could be improved, and it will depreciate quite heavily if you buy one new. But it’s also offering something fairly unique at its price point. A sedan that’s pleasant to drive, affordable to maintain, and a nice space to inhabit. That’s something a lot of automakers can’t provide these days, and a solid argument for the G80 on the whole.
