2025 Genesis G80 review: Your questions answered

Here’s the truth about how this car sounds, drives, and feels inside

The weird thing about the 2025 Genesis G80 is that it’s basically the only Korean luxury sedan of its size on sale right now. It’s also a legitimate contender in a market dominated by established players like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi. Before we headed to Lexington, Kentucky, to test drive the revamped G80, we asked you what you wanted to know. Today, we’re here to answer those questions for you.

As a quick recap, we drove the top-of-the-line G80 3.5T Prestige (shocking, I know—Genesis doesn’t offer anything else). It has a 375-horsepower (280-kilowatt) twin-turbocharged V6 engine, an eight-speed automatic transmission, and a rear-wheel-drive-biased AWD system. Yes, on paper, this is a true sports sedan.

Review: The 2025 Genesis G80 feels like a cheat code in the luxury sedan game

How does it perform in the real world and at every seat in the house? Carscoops put it to the test and took your questions into account throughout our review.

How is the quality of the Nappa leather seats?

This term gets thrown around a lot, so let’s define it. Nappa leather is a full-grain material that’s soft, durable, and natural looking. In our testing, it felt great. It looks good, too, and we particularly liked the thick bolstering in both rows of seats in the G80.

How loud is the cabin?

In the video below, you can hear exactly what our camera made. In short, it’s very quiet. Even from the back seat, it’s easy to talk to the driver at highway speeds. If you’ve experienced a 2024 G80, the upgraded 2025MY will be even quieter, thanks to noise-reducing Pirelli rubber.

How does its quality compare to German luxury brands?

Frankly, the two are very close and a lot depends on people’s subjective preferences. After test driving recent models from all of these brands, I think the G80 looks great in direct comparison. I prefer its cabin to that of the Mercedes and Audi. The leather also feels better than the new BMW in my opinion.

Does the G80 feel sporty enough?

The word “adequate” is key here, because it feels like that. It’s not going to challenge the M, AMG or RS models, nor is it designed to do so. It’s more akin to a BMW 540i xDrive, and even then, it’s not as sharp. But really, it doesn’t need to be that hardcore. It’s powerful enough that most buyers will be happy with it.

Will the new OLED screen be distracting?

Not at all. Despite being 27 inches wide, the screen is positioned low on the dashboard, so it’s easy to miss during normal driving.

How do I find it?

For some, this might be a little difficult. Genesis has only 57 standalone dealers nationwide. That doesn’t include Hyundai or Kia dealers, where you can order or have your car serviced. Still, BMW, Audi, and Mercedes all have more than 300 dealers.

Is the new G80 a true competitor to BMW, Mercedes and Audi?

Yes and no. It’s partly a matter of personal preference, though the prices are very similar. Would a buyer be willing to pay BMW, Mercedes, or Audi money for a Genesis? If they care about warranty coverage (5 years/60,000 miles bumper-to-bumper, 10 years/100,000 miles powertrain) and 3 years/36,000 miles of free maintenance, they should consider buying one. The Genesis is the clear leader in the segment. Also, in terms of base horsepower, the G80 is at the top of its class.