Detailed Driving Impressions and Review (2023 Genesis G80 Electrified)

A few years back, I posted some detailed driving impressions of the 2021 G80 2.5T Prestige (original link). Here’s a similar review of the 2023 G80 Electrified after driving it for ~2500 miles.

Name / Badging / Exterior Styling

  • G80 "Electrified," sigh.  G80e or G80 EV.  
  • I like how there is virtually no badging that brags about this being an EV. It is a total sleeper. The EV drivers are all aghast that someone can keep up with them! 
  • Styling remains spectacular; I’m glad they aren’t making huge changes to the styling each year. This is so much better looking than the BMWs, Audis, Mercs, and Lexus’ on the road. From almost every angle, the car is flattering. Long, relatively low, wide, beautiful rear haunches. Clean lines everywhere to be found. It still reminds me of a child of an early Audi A7 mixed with a Lincoln. 
  • I like the bottom lip of the front bumper a bit more on the ICE version, they flattened it out a bit too much on the EV. Just FYI, the lip of the front bumper has a bunch of empty space behind it, so it is easier to mount mount foglights, cameras, etc. 
  • The metal front grille looked better in the ICE version, but the inverted plastic design is clever. The clear plastic plate on the front grille is still noticeable and Genesis needs to do better about hiding it. 
  • Vik black paint has a lot of flake in it. I think I prefer the Uyuni white on my old car, but I was limited in my choices because I was looking for a low mileage CPO EV, which is rare. 
  • Front headlights give above average illumination. Classy looking design and the layout matches the side markers and rear lights, meaning there is a cohesive design from front to back. That is very rare. 

Range, Efficiency and Charging

  • Based on my research prior to buying the car, Genesis EV range is often a little higher than advertised. That’s consistent with my experience. It is rated at 283 and I’m usually getting between 295-315 depending on the driving style and how much AC I’m using. The range is not very affected by the weather in Northern California because it doesn’t get very cold, so that is less of a concern for me. The range does get lower depending on how much you have the AC or heat cranked up, but interestingly using the seat heater and steering wheel warmer plus slightly lower heat uses less electricity. I’d say these are mild curiosities because whether I have 283 miles of range or 291 miles of range is a negligible difference. 
  • The charging experience is OK. I have level 2 charging at home, but I only occasionally use it to top off the battery before a longer trip because I got 3 years of Electrify America charging. I either charge at their fast chargers for 30 minutes (roughly 10-80% or 25%-85%) when I go grocery shopping or at work via ChargePoint for a price that’s actually lower than what we pay for home electricity. We are in Northern California, so the price of electricity is INSANE due to Pacific Gas and Electric. I commute roughly 40 miles a day, so I don’t need to charge very often and we have a larger family hauler for long trips (plug in hybrid minivan), so this EV is mainly for my commute and picking up the kiddos for small errands. Having good charging infrastructure at home, near the home while shopping and at work make an EV a very good option for my use case. 
  • The charging port is located inside a “hidden” panel in the front grille; it makes it easier to charge when at home, at work, at Electrify America or ChargePoint stations. I don’t have to try to back in at awkward angles, so I appreciate the ease of just pulling into the spot and plugging in, even in places where the charging cables are short. 

Wheels / Tires

  • Stock rims were bleh. Not bad looking, but bland. I considered powder coating them black, but ended up reusing the aftermarket 20” rims from my 2021 G80. 
  • I do not like the fact that the OEM wheels are staggered on the ICE and EV. EVs use up tires more frequently, so making rotation impossible doesn’t help. 
  • The OEM Michelin Primacy A/S tires are comfortable and quiet (same ones as the OEM 2021 G80). They don’t corner sharply, but are an OK all season choice. I upgraded to aftermarket 20” rims, so I hear slightly more road noise on hard concrete surfaces, but overall still quiet and the ride is super comfortable. Currently using Toyo Extensa HP II XL all seasons. They are decent, though I plan try a different all-season tire when these are used up. I’ve had good luck with Yokahama and Hankook tires in the past.

Handling, Chassis, Suspension

  • I am coming from a 2.5T, which was definitely on the luxury side and did not inspire driving confidence. The 2.5T in 2021 did not include the adaptive suspension, even at the prestige tim level. The ride on the 2.5T was harsh and floaty at the same time. The car got unsettled on longer sweeping corners or when it hit a bump, so the passengers would experience body roll and the car would bob and sway for several beats. Others on the forums have complained about passengers feeling nauseous as a result. I ended up fixing most (but not all) of those issues with stiffer sway bars, strut tower mount, under car bracing, and spring buffers, but it was a weak point on the 2.5T for sure.
  • In contrast, the adaptive suspension on the G80 EV is much better tuned. Even with roughly 1000 more pounds of weight, the EV corners pretty flat and bumps are one and done. I am not noticing a huge difference between the “sport” and “comfort” suspension settings, so I keep it in sport. This has come a long way, but it is still not as refined as a BMW adaptive suspension. 
  • Steering wheel feel is better than I expected. It’s not numb; you can get some input on what the car is doing on the road. It’s not a ton of feedback, but what is there is appreciated.
  • Brake feel is not that different from the ICE version. Not too mushy like an American car with regen braking. Not numb or wooden feeling. Decent pedal travel and there’s sufficient feel so you get some information on what the car is doing. There is a setting for choosing sport or comfort brake feel, but I haven’t played with that yet. I kept it on comfort for now.

Interior

  • This remains a very delightful place to be. It has a real sense of occasion, with passengers asking what kind of car it is constantly. Switches and materials feel plush, firm, high quality. Build quality seems impeccable (and no panoramic sunroof to worry about creaking!). 
  • Very well insulated cabin. Without the engine whirring along (which was quiet on the ICE version), the EV is even quieter, which I didn’t think was possible. I feel like I’m in a Bentley. 
  • Front seats are firm, comfortable for me, especially a decent amount of lumbar support. Good adjustability and somewhat easy to dial in a comfortable position. Coming from the ICE version of the G80, however, the floor is raised to accommodate batteries, so the seat is mounted higher and there is slightly less headroom. It wasn’t too difficult to adjust the seat to sit slightly little higher than I normally do; and I got used to it after a day. The side bolsters should be a little deeper. 
  • Rear passengers have about 2-3 inches less legroom to accommodate the rear inverter/motor. The ICE version had a lot of legroom, so it is still fine for adults. The seating angle is slightly less comfortable, however, because the floor is higher than the ICE version. I have small kids and this is for commuting, so I very infrequently have adults in the rear seats. Not an issue for me, but you should consider that.
  • Proper massaging option would have been a nice touch; the bun-splitter that Genesis calls “ergo motion” is not seat massage. 
  • Dash cluster is solid. This has the digital cluster. I’m glad the 3D effect is mild; I can’t really see it most of the time anyway. I wish the layout was more configurable so you can see the data fields that you want around the dash (my wife’s Pacifica minivan does this and its amazing). Glaring oversight is that you don’t have a % battery meter remaining at all times on the dashboard, just a miles remaining on battery. There is also no “trip A” and “trip B” counters, so I only have “accumulated info” (which I update whenever I charge) and “this trip” (which cannot be reset during the trip). 
  • The HUD was not available in the 2.5T, so it is new for me. It is decent, though I find a little difficult to read in direct sunlight. I added a reflective film to the windshield (for aftermarket HUDs) and that did the trick. Very sharp and easy to read. Includes useful speed, blindspot monitoring and album art info. I wish it would also show directions via CarPlay navigation. 
  • Steering wheel is the same as 2021 2.5T, it’s a bit old grandpa. The buttons / controls are nice quality. Would have been nice to have some custom buttons behind the wheel. I wish the leather was a bit more supple; I’m ordered a custom perforated leather WheelSkin (same as my old car) and a local upholsterer is sewing it on in a few weeks.
  • Gear selector is the same as 2021. It is fine, but put next to the wheel for controlling infotainment. They need to improve that. 
  • An actual parking brake lever (or even a pedal) would have been nice. It’s hidden with a counterintuitive button placed right next to opening the trunk, which accidentally gets pushed from time to time. Same as ICE version.

Drive Modes / Paddles

  • There are a wide range of settings for deceleration, brake regen, i-Pedal, drive modes that all interact with one another and let you drive this thing in many different ways. Highly customizable and it is rewarding if you have the patients to understand how these systems work together. I find myself using the paddle shifters a lot to scrub excess speed instead of using the friction brakes. But overall, if someone is jumping into the car having never driven an EV, it feels and drives like a normal car that happens to have an insane amount of torque and is really quiet. There are some weird oversights/limitations. If you have already started braking (even very gently), you can’t increase or initiate engine regen. But if I adjust regen first, then brake, it is fine. Weird.
  • On the EV, the comfort and sport modes keep the front and rear motors engaged, which has a power cost. It doesn’t tell you this, but ECO uses the rear motor only by default. They should give you the ability of using rear only mode independent of what drive mode you are in. Note \the EV is missing the “smart” drive mode that was in the ICE. I use Sport from time to time, but normally I tend to use the custom drive mode with ECO engine, Sport steering, Sport suspension, comfort brake, and medium enging deceleration. The acceleration off the line is immense. But in the custom mode or eco, it is much more forgiving and easy to drive in stop and go traffic. 
  • This car will coast FOREVER if you don’t have the regen settings on. There are stretches of highway with slight downhill sections where I don’t need to touch the accelerator for a few miles, and the car will easily pick up speed without having to use the accelerator. For a very heavy vehicle, it feels very light in that regard.
  • As usual, there is no drive mode memory to remember your last drive mode settings when you turn the car on the next time. Fortunately all I need to do is press and hold the drive mode button and it goes to “My Mode.” The car will remember if you last turned on Auto Hold, which is very nice. Great underrated feature. 
  • In the ICE version, if you were coasting and then turned on your turn signal, the car would stop coasting and slow you down, which was annoying. The EV doesn’t do that. Weird quirk with the ICE version.
  • The fact that there is no artificial EV motor noise pumped in above 20mph is welcome. It’s just quiet. However, below those speeds, in parking lots and such, there is a noticeable EV whine. It’s annoying. 

Blind Spot Monitoring / Lane Assist / Safety

  • Blind spot monitoring is nice, beeps are pretty accurate. I find it difficult to quickly take my attention off the road to look down at my dashboard to see the camera view in the tachometer. I stuck on some simple blind spot mirrors on the side view mirrors, and frankly the low-tech solution is often the best.
  • Cruise control is fairly effective, but the speed setting is in small font at the very top of the cluster that is usually blocked by the top of the steering wheel. Decent amount of flexibility in following distance. I don’t like how the lane keep assist is automatically engaged when you turn on cruse control and have to manually turn it off.
  • Lane keep assist is still a little iffy. I often feel the car try to turn itself from time to time and I need to fight the car because it is overcorrecting. Overall, it is OK, but you feel like you are bouncing from one side of the lane to the other side. I turn it off.

Trunk Space

  • I like the buttons to lock and close the trunk. There is about 2 cubic feet less cargo space vs the ICE version because the rear inverter creates a “hump” in the rear portion of the trunk. 
  • There’s roughly 9 inches of space above the hump in the rear, so I mounted a small toolbag with Velcro there and a subwoofer enclosure. I have also made use of these very good Velcro nets and strips with elastic loops to get grocery bags, umbrella, first aid kits and the like off the floor and onto the sides. With all that, there’s ample space for groceries, work bags, or I’d estimate 2-3 carry on bags if picking up people at the airport. 
  • To store my amp and sound processor, I build a custom wood insert to fit inside the a foam insert (it sits under the trunk floor, where a spare wheel would be). 

Other 

  • The NFC key card (physical card) is not implemented very well. It’s probably better as a valet key, but the fact that you have to touch the card to the handle instead of keep it in your pocket is annoying. Also you need to keep it on your NFC charger, which means you can’t use the keycard and charge your phone at the same time. Also, the NFC card doesn’t seem to let you open the trunk, which I need to do basically every time I use the car. Hopefully I’m just missing something.
  • Quality of instructions either online or in the owner’s manual is subpar. They are sometimes wrong, or conflicting or clearly not translated properly. For $58k MSRP, there’s no excuse for Genesis not hiring a copy editor.
  • No way to close all the windows and sunroof by keeping the lock button pressed. Standard feature. Maybe someone else figured out how to do this.
  • No way to open all the windows and sunroof by keeping the unlock button pressed. Also a standard feature. Anyone else figure this out?
  • Ventilated and heated seats in front at effective. The rear seats are missing heated seats in the EV version, however. That’s a shame.
  • No folding rear seats. Certainly an oversight for the ICE version, but I understand with the EV that there are things in the way. 
  • No hooks in the trunk, so no place to hang bags. They should always add extra hooks and gromet points so you an keep things organized.
  • Sun visors slide so you can block the sun right in the back corner of the window. Yay!
  • There was no wireless Apple CarPlay at launch, but it is now available with a software update. I still prefer wired because I can see and charge my phone at the same time. Wired Apple Carplay works fairly well. It boots up quickly and doesn’t seem to drop/cut out at all. Same experience in my ICE version.
  • Microphone quality is decent. No issues on calls.
  • Infotainment is superb. Very good resolution and brightness, contrast. General dark background with light text is very legible. All screen elements are visible even in direct sunlight. Some menus are a little byzantine, but overall a much better experience than Lexus and BMW. 
  • Very wide touch screen, but it isn’t wide for its own sake. The UI design makes decent use of the space instead of just stretching the existing graphic elements. For example, there is a split screen option. You can also make Apple CarPlay full screen with the latest software update, which is nice. 
  • Split screen view is nice, but I wish it had more options on what info it could show. For example, trip meter, current battery remaining, current miles remaining, would be ideal. 
  • Custom buttons functionality is nicely implemented. There are a number of different buttons (e.g., start button on dash, star button on dash, star button on steering wheel) that can be set to several choices, though not all choices. This is great for power users.
  • I welcome redundant controls. The ability to accomplish a task in different ways is not a bad thing. I can use the scroll wheel to jog, steering wheel controls, the touch screen, physical buttons, etc. Can’t quite reliably use “swipe” gestures in the center of the jog controller. 
  • No cardinal directions (N, S, E, W) shown on the rear view mirror.
  • Audio quality is fantastic overall from the Lexicon speaker system. Same as my ICE. The stock system’s low-end bass is lacking and muddy. Easily fixed with a small subwoofer enclosure and amp in the trunk.
  • Air conditioning vent design puts form over function. They’re too narrow and a little difficult to move up and down. Air flow isn’t on full blast as soon as you turn on the car. I like that it slowly ramps up.
  • Glove box is a bit small for this size car. Slightly wider and deeper would have been nice.
  • Genesis App is an OK implementation, but not great. It is nice to be able to remotely start the car, lock/unlock and also get pics from the car’s cameras wherever it is parked. But the app is laggy and the commands take awhile to implement.
  • User profiles implementation remains subpar. Having to turn on the car and then manually select a different profile means the passenger is still waiting to sit in the correct position for awhile. I like having user profiles, but you should also be able to associate those profiles with a specific keyfob so I can have “my” set of keys and my wife can have “hers” and the settings start to change when you unlock the car --- LIKE EVERY OTHER CAR that has come out in the last few decades. To get around this, we share one profile, and we only change the seating position settings between “1” and “2”.
  • Keyfob is elegantly designed. It is still too big. All empty space inside. We’re not all swinging baby boomers --- I don’t need my keyfob as a status symbol. 
  • I wish there was a flat area on the center console where you can custom mount a phone holder. For a console this wide, there should have been some more space to work with. Cupholder with magsafe mount is the easiest option.
  • Dearth of OEM or aftermarket accessories, e.g. illuminated door sills, interior lighting kits, spoilers, etc.