Genesis GV80 review

It opens at £58,305 in entry-level Premium (five seats) spec. One up Luxury (seven seats) is £66,625, while Luxury Plus (six seats) is a rather daunting £75,825. Sport (five seats) drops the price back down to a reasonable £66,325.

That puts the GV80 at the cheaper end of the spectrum (at least, in entry-level trim) in its segment, but whether Joe Public will be willing to part with his/her hard-earned cash with a lesser known brand is another matter entirely.

OTHER THAN SEATS, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRIMS?

Premium spec highlights include 20in alloy wheels, LED lights front and back, heated folding wing mirrors, heated front seats, an 8.0-inch instrument cluster and 14.5-inch infotainment display, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, front and rear parking sensors, keyless entry/start, and an electric tailgate.

Luxury spec models get 22-inch alloy wheels, chrome exterior detailing, a heated steering wheel, quilted and heated seats front and rear, three-zone climate control and a premium interior air filter.

Luxury Plus adds adaptive headlights, soft closing doors, a two-tone leather heated steering wheel, suede headlining, door pillars and sun visor, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, head-up display, wireless charger, rear screens, a Lexicon audio system, and active road noise cancelling.

Sport trim models get black 22-inch alloy wheels, copper brake callipers, aluminium interior detailing, a heated steering wheel and seats, and premium interior air filter. And breathe.

TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE SO-CALLED PURCHASE JOURNEY...

Ah, you're buying into the lingo. Well, the first thing to note is that there are no dealers, and no chance of a discount. Genesis is offering transparency and the simplicity of buying online, albeit with help from a 'Genesis Personal Assistant' when you ask.

When you want a test drive the GPA will bring a car to your home or work. Once you've bought a car they bring it and explain it. If you've driven it a few weeks and still have questions on, say, the driver assist, they'll come back and explain it again.

When the GV80 needs a service, they'll bring a courtesy car and take yours away, and that's rolled into the purchase price up to five years or 50,000 miles. You also get five years' unlimited-miles warranty, five years' roadside assistance, and five years of OTA software and map updates.

WHAT’S THE BEST SPEC?

A car like this is all about the experience, and the 2+2+2 formation of the Luxury Plus six-seater undoubtedly makes a great first impression. Particularly so when combined with the vanilla beige/obsidian black quilted nappa leather interior colour scheme (a no cost option) our test car came in. 

Granted, with its starting price of £75,825 there’s no denying it’s expensive. But when you look at the options that are included over the Luxury trim – including the the £3,900 Innovation Pack (head-up display, 3D effect dials, bigger infotainment screen) and the £1,200 Lexicon premium sound system (plus active road noise cancelling) – it doesn’t work out as that much more.