Automotive

Car Review: Genesis GV80 – Sets the pace to beat the style police

Teaming style and safety is a trait of the Genesis Motor Company, and the stunning Genesis GV80 SUV is a shining example.

Bryan Littlely – Motoring Writer

Senior Journalist Bryan Littlely has jumped back behind the wheel to bring Glam Adelaide reviews on the latest models hitting the road from the stables of Hyundai, Kia, Toyota, Ford and more.And the host of rural affairs radio show Primary Focus, weekdays from noon across South Australia’s regional airwaves of 5MU, 5AU, 5CC, 5CS and 5RM will also use his vast knowledge of all the state’s great back roads and brilliant drives to give you tips on fabulous road trips you can take with your family.

Genesis GV80

Style is something I can’t claim to ooze a great deal of often… but I do know when to lose the farm clothes, pull out the best threads and step things up for a big occasion.

Typically, those occasions are when I head to a race track where I’ve got a runner…. With the hope that I may look the part in the pics should we score a win.

But at times needing, or wanting to be, hands on with the horses means I’ve got to team style with safety…. So you’ll typically see me in rugged Rossi boots matched with dress pants.

Teaming style and safety is also a trait of the Genesis Motor Company, and the stunning Genesis GV80 SUV is a shining example.

It has just been announced by the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety as TOP SAFETY PICK+ (TSP+) for 2021. 

It was fitting then that it was a GV80 that delivered me safely and in style to the races recently… even though our girl Alice didn’t play her part in getting me in a winner’s pic.

If I was not personally impressed with the styling of the GV80, its ability to turn the heads of a bunch of mates in neck-snapping fashion would have set me straight. But there’s plenty to like about the look, comfort and functionality of this truly prestige vehicle.

And the inline six-cylinder diesel under the bonnet is a seriously refined engine. Like the twin-turbo V6 in Jaguar’s XF, it could be mistaken for a petrol six. The GV80’s engine just purrs quietly when you’re standing alongside the car, and it sounds good under load.

But – just like me when I get dressed up for a day at the races with the hope of having to squeeze up tight with a horse and a bunch of co-owners for a winners pic – the safety features packed into the GV80 are not so obvious.

All Genesis models are equipped with a comprehensive suite of state-of-the-art driver assistance and safety technologies including Forward Collision Avoidance-Assist with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Keep Assist, Blind-Spot Collision Warning and more.

The GV80 body structure was engineered with energy-absorbing front and rear crumple zones and high strength structural load paths to maintain occupant compartment integrity during severe crash impacts.

The GV80 structural safety design protects occupants with the seatbelt systems, pre-tensioners and 10 airbags including a new front seat centre airbag that deploys between the driver and front seat passenger…. Just not when you’re having a row with said front seat passenger over not backing the winning long shot they wanted you to because they liked the name.

Something we had no argument about was the pedigree standing of the Genesis GV80 which oozed style, safety and performance to make it so much easier to sneak this farm guy past the style police.

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