When the 2021 Genesis GV80 made its debut last month, we were impressed by how close the SUV stayed to the concept’s design and how the automaker created an interior that’s so different from the competition. Yet it still screams luxury from every angle. Genesis is not taking cues from the Europeans; the new GV80 is a statement of what the brand is doing to build its identity. At the 2020 Chicago Auto Show, we had a chance to spend a few minutes inside the new SUV, which will arrive in the U.S. this summer.
The first thing you’ll notice when you open the front doors is a mix of army green and brown leather that covers every surface—from the door panels to the dashboard to the seats and the center console. A green interior isn’t something we see every day, and this mix of colors gives the cabin an elegant and affluent vibe without being too ostentatious. The diamond-quilted leather seats offer good side bolstering, and the driver’s seat has thigh support and seven “air cells,” a feature aimed at reducing fatigue during long road trips.
Once you’re seated in the front row, a 14.5-inch touchscreen displays the new infotainment system that can also be operated through a rotary knob in the center console. I spent a few minutes playing with it and had a bit of trouble learning how to use it; I assume most people will prefer to use its touch feature. The rotary knob is big enough that you can write letters on its surface, and the system will recognize your writing when inputting a new address on the nav system or something similar.
The volume and tuning knobs are smartly integrated just above the infotainment system’s rotary control, which gives the screen and center console a cleaner look. The touchscreen buttons make for quicker access to your media, radio, and nav system, and are located just above the A/C controls. The touchscreen allows you to have different apps open while you’re driving by splitting into three separate displays.
Just below that knob is a crystal rotary gear selector that has been designed with the same pattern as the mesh on the GV80’s front grille. During our First Drive, we liked the haptic feedback the knob offers. A smaller dial located to the right functions as the drive mode selector and is surrounded by buttons related to the SUV’s terrain management, like hill descent assist and a center-diff lock. The open-pore wood on the center console and door panels adds a nice touch to the interior.
It’s easy to see how designers fashioned the interior of the 2021 Genesis GV80 by emphasizing horizontal layers to give the cabin a more spacious feel. The infotainment screen is located at the top of the dashboard, so drivers don’t have to look away from the road. The air vents for the front occupants extend from side to side and are split only by the steering wheel.
If that wasn’t enough, the 12.3-inch digital instrument panel shows drivers 3-D graphics and key data about the car’s status, while a 12-inch color head-up display shows the driving speed and speed limit along with other information.
Hop back into the second row, and you’ll notice plenty of leg- and headroom. The GV80 was designed to be chauffeured, so the front passenger’s seat and seatback can slide forward with the touch of a button located on the side of the seat to give that rear-seat passenger more legroom. Second-row seats are heated and ventilated, and they have their own climate zone, USB ports, and vanity mirrors located on the ceiling.
The model we saw in Chicago came with the optional third row, but we don’t recommend it—the ingress/egress is quite difficult for anyone taller than 6 feet, and once you get back there, leg- and headroom are very compromised.
As with all other Genesis models, we can expect prices to remain competitive. We anticipate the GV80 will start as low as $48,000 for base models, and around $70,000 for the top-of-the-line trims. Stay tuned for more coverage on the 2021 Genesis GV80—we plan to drive a U.S.-spec model this summer.
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