2021 Genesis G80 and GV80 score top safety marks in tougher testing conditions

Hyundai’s luxury brand, Genesis, has been awarded a maximum five-star Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) crash rating for its G80 large sedan and GV80 seven-seat SUV.

While the usual occupant protection, vulnerable road user and safety assist tests were conducted, the G80 and GV80 were also subjected to the new-from-2020 vehicle-to-vehicle compatibility assessment that looks at how the exterior design could injure occupants of other cars in collisions.

Of note, some 2021 model cars have achieved a five-star rating based on older Euro NCAP testing that doesn’t take into consideration this new examination.

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ANCAP chief executive Carla Hoorweg said this test, as well as the GV80’s child presence detection technology, will be an important part of testing going forward.

“ANCAP plays an important role in encouraging continuous improvement in vehicle design, and part of this is encouraging safety improvements that not only benefit the occupants of a vehicle, but all road users,” Ms Hoorweg added.

“The GV80 also gives consumers some insight into ANCAP’s future plans, with all variants equipped as standard with a child presence detection system. While this feature is not yet scored as part of the official ANCAP rating process, it paves the way for a new aspect we’ll be introducing from 2023.”

The G80 scored 91 and 86 per cent in the adult and child occupant protection tests respectively, with the standard inclusion of front, side and second-row airbags.

The vulnerable road user protection test yielded a 77 per cent score, thanks in part to its active bonnet.

The safety assist test netted an 80 per cent result, with its forward autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system functional from five to 200km/h.

Other standard advanced safety features include lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, reversing camera, driver attention alert and adaptive cruise control.

Meanwhile, the larger GV80 SUV nabbed the same result in the adult occupant protection test, while also notching extra points in the child occupant protection examination, for an 88 per cent score.

However, the GV80’s vulnerable road user result suffered due to its higher ride height that resulted in weak/poor protection at the front edge, and poor protection of the pelvis and upper legs.

The GV80 also scored poorer than the G80 in the safety assist examination, notching a 79 per cent result, with both cars sharing the same standard advanced safety tech.