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If you don’t recognize the front grille on the 2021 Genesis GV80 — or, indeed, the name Genesis at all — you’re not alone. All you need to know is that there’s a new, midsize luxury crossover entering the fray. And it’s quite a nice one, too.
The GV80 is brand new for 2021. It comes with two engine choices, either rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, and an optional third row of seating. By now, this is a pretty standard formula for the overly saturated luxury midsize crossover segment.
The trick is seeing what the GV80 does differently.
The genesis of a Genesis SUV
In 2015, Hyundai spun off its Genesis nameplate — which had previously been worn by a sporty coupe and then, later, an executive sedan — into a separate, global luxury brand. Five years and three Genesis-branded sedans later, Genesis launched the GV80 as the fourth Genesis model worldwide and the first SUV the brand’s ever offered.
After this, we can expect the more compact and upcoming GV70 SUV to further balance out Genesis’ sedan-heavy lineup. The brand may be new, but it follows in the current South Korean automaker philosophy, which is to make quality cars that people actually want to buy.
The quality aspect of the plan, at least, is taking off nicely. Genesis was among the top-ranked brands on J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Study in 2018. It was also crowned Consumer Reports’ top brand in the US that same year. This past February, Genesis took the top spot in J.D. Power’s Vehicle Dependability Study.
With high accolades come high expectations, and Genesis’ newest offering certainly commanded the latter.
Details and safety ratings: Two engine options
Underpinning the GV80 is the rear-wheel-drive platform that’s shared with the G80 sedan. Unlike the Hyundai Palisade, which shares its platform with the Kia Telluride, a Genesis spokesperson said the GV80 and G80 platform will only be found in Genesis products.
Two engine options are available, both with eight-speed automatic transmissions. The first is a 2.5-liter, turbocharged inline-four that’s good for a claimed 300 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. In rear-wheel drive guise, it gets an estimated 21 mpg in the city, 25 mpg on the highway, and 23 mpg combined. In all-wheel drive setup, those figures drop slightly to an estimated 21 mpg in the city, 25 mpg on the highway, and 22 mpg combined.
The second engine …read more
Source:: Business Insider
