Genesis GV80 2024 review: 3.5T Luxury long-term | Part 1

It was probably the paint - the green with the matte finish. No, it was the glimmering wheels that looked like tattoos. Actually it was the screens for the kids in the back. Or just the super prestige look of a car with a badge that not many people recognised.

Whatever it was, the arrival of the Genesis GV80 3.5T Luxury into the Berry family as a long-term test car caused a stir in our suburban street.

Genesis is Hyundai's luxury brand, in the same way Lexus is Toyota's prestige division. The winged Genesis logo on the very tip of the GV80's nose looks familiar but mainly because it's close in design to the badges from Aston Martin and Bentley.

And while the Genesis GV80 isn't competing with the SUVs from those British super high-end brands such as the Bentayga or DBX the intentions are clear.

This is a large, luxury SUV that doesn't just want to steal fans from the Lexus RX or LX, but also those maybe coming out of an Audi Q7 or BMW X5, maybe worn down by the ownership costs and looking for a change.

The Genesis GV80 we're testing is petrol 3.5T AWD with the 'Luxury Six-Seat' package fitted. The standard 3.5T AWD lists for $110,200, and the Luxury Six-Seat package adds $13,500 to this.

While $123,700 seems like a lot of money for a fancy Hyundai the mountain of features that come standard makes the entry level Q7 at $128K look empty by comparison.

The GV80 3.5T Luxury's standard features include Nappa leather upholstery with heated and ventilated seats in the second and front rows, there's the 14.5-inch media display in the cockpit with sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster,  a 21-speaker Lexicon sound system as well as climate control for the front and second rows.

The GV80 comes standard with seven seats but ours has six because it has the optional two 'captain's chairs'. The Luxury Six-Seat package also adds a centre console between them with wireless phone charging, media controls and two seat-back screens.

The 'Brunswick Green' matt paint is the only other option and costs $2000. It's an interesting colour and finish and only makes people more inquisitive about what on Earth I'm driving.

Interesting, but for an entirely different reasons, are the 22-inch wheels with a design I can only describe as a late 1990s tribal tattoo. They are so bizarrely nu-metal and out of place on something as refined and elegant as the GV80, but fortunately wheels can be changed.

This month we've travelled almost 500km, confined mainly to the city and suburbs.

The 3.5-litre V6 turbo-petrol engine has performed perfectly and with 279kW and 530Nm hills are eaten up without any struggle and when there's been a need to move quickly 'Sport' mode turns the GV80 into a sledgehammer to get the job done. But this beast prefers to cruise in a relaxed, effortless manner at a slightly lazy pace.

The grunt comes at a cost - literally, at the counter of the petrol station. A full 80-litre tank only lasted 332km with the fuel warning light telling me I had just 26km left in the tank.

At the pump I put 73.75 litres back in at a cost of $156.28. That's about 22.2L/100km.

The figure is correct and I know from testing cars for almost 15 years that if your driving is only short urban blasts in a hilly suburb without any motorway miles you'll be using a lot of fuel. Bring on an electric GV80.

So yes, the GV80 has been thirsty but it's been comfortable, spacious, practical and wonderfully easy to drive and as a dad with two kids under 10 that's all I really want in life from a car right now.

We've loved our first month in this big, green luxurious elephant but it probably has no idea what's hit it - the Berry family with grandparents in tow filled all seats on an expedition to Sydney Harbour, there were birthday park picnics, playdates, shopping trips and the daily manic school run.

Small things such as the boot's tailgate, which will open when it senses you loitering there, and the soft close doors have been a pleasant convenience for my hands which always seem to be full of bags.

Acquired: August, 2023

Distance travelled this month: 483.7km km

Odometer: 14603kmkm

Average energy consumption this month: 21.4L/100km