2025 Genesis GV80 Prestige AWD Review

I’ve always loved what the Genesis brand is doing: making beautiful vehicles, outstanding interiors, and wonderful amenities for the people who get one, and always below the price of the competition.  I am very pleased to have this week the flagship Genesis SUV, redesigned for the 2025 year.  Introducing the 2025 Genesis GV80 Prestige Edition. This has been a much sought-after SUV since it debuted in 2021, and with the changes for 2025, I see that continuing.

Exterior

I love the exterior looks of this SUV. There is a huge mesh grill that is reminiscent of a Bentley. Big corner air intakes help fuel the twin-turbo engine and keep it cool.  There are stacked LED lights in front and new LEDs on the rear lights. 

The GV80 features beautiful 22” alloy wheels, Brembo brakes, and just the right amount of chrome surrounding the windows and along the bottom of the vehicle below the doors.  A nice rear spoiler finishes off the rear view.  I was surprised, but gone are visible dual exhausts, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t wish the rear wiper was tucked up under that spoiler.

Powertrain

Under the hood, there is a 3.5-liter V6 with twin-turbos putting out a strong 375-horses, and even better, 391 pound-feet of torque.  It is mated to an 8-speed automatic that has shift paddles. For 2025, all GV80s are all-wheel drive.  The big twin turbo V6 will tow 6,000 pounds.

Interior   

Coolness abounds in the GV80 starting with the key fob.  You can hit the hold button on the fob, then move the SUV forward and backward remotely without anyone being behind the wheel. I was blessed to have this beauty on a week I was spending at my lake house in Granbury, TX.  I have a two car garage, but there is a column between the overhead doors, so parking in there is always a challenge.  I shot an amateur video of the GV80 backing itself out of the garage with no problem!

When you enter the cabin, you get a sense you are in a truly luxurious SUV, and you are.  Nappa Diamond pleated seats are beautiful, leather materials are everywhere, there is brushed aluminum across the dash, on the door panels, and surrounding the center console. Heavy stitching is all around, and the steering wheel itself is stunning.  As you sit behind that beautiful two-tone heated, power tilt leather steering wheel, there is a vibrant driver display that is configurable.

New for 2025 is a huge 27” continuous screen that you can use as a touchscreen or there is a controller on the center console if you prefer.  The screen is colorful and easy to operate, it is lightning fast, and it is greatly improved from the last version that looked a bit like an afterthought.

On the gauge cluster, when you turn on your blinker to change lanes, you get a camera view from the left or right side of the dash to make sure it is safe to change lanes.  The head-up display also shows you if it is safe to change lanes, and last, you can glance into the side exterior mirrors as well.

The gauge cluster takes space on the left in front of the driver and is configurable.  To the right are page after page of different operations, including:  The navigation system, the 19-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system, the 3-zone climate control, the power heated, cooled, and massaging seats with a power thigh bolster, the 360-degree camera, Bluetooth, Amazon music, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, quiet mode to turn the rear speakers off, and then there is the fabulous Mood Curator.

Click on the Mood Curator option and this feature offers four different modes: vitality, delight, care, and comfort, all of which offer different settings and distinctive treatments. Genesis provides three fragrance choices to buyers. Once activated, the system lifts the window shades, plays distinctive background music through the Bang & Olufsen premium surround audio system, turns on the LED ambient lighting, and sprays the aroma. In the Care and Comfort mode, the Mood Curator then activates the massage seats and reclines the seats to simulate the type of treatment available in a lounge.  You forget you are actually in a vehicle.  Of course, if driving, many of the cool features are inoperable.

The center console houses a rotary shifter as well as drive modes featuring snow, eco, comfort, custom, and my favorite, Sport mode.  There is an auto hold button which is a feature I truly love.  Also on the console is a button to turn off the start/stop, choose your camera views, activate the self-parking feature, and another button to lock-in the all-wheel drive.  There is a wireless cell charger, and USB and USB-C ports.  Above that are all the climate control settings.

Second row passengers will enjoy a power outlet, rear air vents, climate controls, a phone charger, and heated and cooled seats that are power sliding and have a power tilt feature.  There are also power side shades for the rear windows.

This GV80 is a five-passenger and without a third-row seat, there is a huge amount of cargo area and even more when you use the power buttons to fold down the second row seats.  You get 34-cubic feet of cargo behind the back seat, and fold them down flat and it grows to 84-cubic feet.  The rear tailgate is hands-free activated, and there is a 12-volt power outlet in the back area. 

Safety

This is a luxury SUV, so it comes super loaded, with all the latest safety features including forward collision avoidance assist, lane keep assist, driver attention alert, rear seat alert, front and rear sensors, and cross-traffic alert.

Standard Equipment and Options

There are no options except the paint, so you get the Nappa leather seats, Alcantara headliner, a power panoramic moon roof, a heated armrest, adaptive cruise control, highway driving assist (self-driving), a rearview camera mirror, and one of my favorite features, soft-closing doors.

Speaking of the paint, my tester has the $1500 Storr Green Matte finish.  I usually like matte finishes, but this one doesn’t really do it for me.  You can get a non-matte Storm Green and it is simply stunning, which is what I would choose for myself.

Ride and Drive

The ride and drive of this SUV is wonderful, it’s super quiet inside, and handling is good.  Electronically controlled suspension gives you a truly smooth ride and the feeling of a luxury SUV.

Fuel economy for a large luxury all-wheel SUV is good at 16 in town and 22 on the highway, and 19 overall.  You can give up some of that power and go down to the 2.5-liter turbo for better fuel economy.

What You'll Pay

My loaded test vehicle comes in at an MSRP of $82,150 which I consider to be a great buy especially considering the 10-year/100,000 mile warranty, 3-years of free maintenance, and the concierge service for pickup and delivery when you need service.  The price appears to have gone down since the 2024 model GV80 in spite of the terrific improvements.