2025 Genesis GV80 and GV80 Coupe up close: Ridiculously good looking

I swear, Genesis can’t seem to do any wrong these days. In just seven years of being on the market, the Hyundai-owned South Korean luxury brand has seen its product lineup swell to eight models, with sales growing every year and its products winning awards over more established players. The brand’s first SUV, the GV80, is about to get its first update for the 2025 model year, joined by a new body style that is a first for the company: the GV80 Coupe. We took a closer look at both ahead of the 2023 Los Angeles Auto Show, and were impressed enough to make that opening sentence: Genesis can do no wrong these days.

Related: More coverage of the 2023 Los Angeles Auto Show

Man, this looks good

Genesis’ largest SUV offering (for now), the GV80 is a five-passenger midsize crossover built on the platform of the rear-wheel-drive G80 sedan. For 2025, it gets a slightly updated look that brings it more in line with the flagship G90 sedan, including those matrix-style headlights that look very dramatic. The design is still more streamlined than blocky, but it still incorporates angles where necessary, such as in the grille treatment inspired by the winged Genesis badge itself. Flowing lines from front to back help hide the GV80’s size, making it look sleek and lively.

But the SUV isn’t half as racy as the new GV80 coupe, which we first saw in concept form in hot molten orange paint at the 2023 New York Auto Show in April. The paint and interior were toned down slightly for production, but the shape remained the same: a low roofline sweeping into the rear hatch, making this car a competitor to the BMW X6, Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe and Porsche Cayenne Coupe. The GV80 Coupe has a sportier appearance than the regular GV80, with different front and rear ends, larger wheels and tires, and a look aimed at excitement rather than luxurious serenity. No matter what you think of the idea of ​​a “four-wheel-drive coupe” (I personally find the idea rather ridiculous), the GV80 Coupe fits the bill successfully with its looks.

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Interior upgrades

One area where Genesis absolutely excels is its interiors, and the revised GV80 and new GV80 Coupe represent the latest iteration of the brand’s incredible capabilities. In front of the driver is a huge new 27-inch OLED touchscreen and a cluster of gauges – but the pictures don’t quite do it justice. In the photos, you appear to be sitting in front of a large screen TV positioned atop the nicely upholstered and sculpted dashboard. But when you actually sit in front of it, you’ll realize that while it may be spacious, it also has a fairly low profile, so it doesn’t actually feel like you’re sitting in a movie theater, unlike many luxury competitors.

Genesis also does some great multimedia controls (all the Hyundai-Kia brands do, frankly), but they’ve moved more of the climate controls to the touchscreen, which gets our gears into something ferocious. More built-in touchscreen controls, especially ones you use frequently, have never been a good thing.

Fortunately, the rest of the interior quality makes you forget about it pretty quickly. The materials here are real luxury, the controls feel expensive and precise, and the seats are all comfortable and supportive. The seats are also decorated with quilted and stitched upholstery which is a bit dated but still looks great.

The design and material quality of the 2025 GV80s simply puts all the latest German brand stuff to shame. The only problem with the GV80’s interior comes with the coupe, which, as you might imagine, has its rear headroom cut off due to the sliding roofline. There’s plenty of legroom in the back of the GV80 (it’s a huge SUV), but the price you pay for this racy model is less advantageous – which, incidentally, is why coupe SUVs are so ridiculous.

Lots of power

The 2025 GV80 Coupe will have something else: its drivetrain will be a beast. The standard engine in the GV80 is a 300-hp 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, and a 375-hp 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 is optional. But the GV80 Coupe will offer an additional powertrain option, placing a 48-volt electric supercharger on top of a twin-turbo V6 that pumps out 409 horsepower.

The brand intends to make this thing a flagship performance beast and compete with the major German luxury brands for the very small segment of affluent owners who want a coupe-cross. With the GV80 Coupe, Genesis shot straight into the heart of this small segment and hit the target square.

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