Genesis has fully revealed the brand’s first SUV, the GV80. It’ll go on sale in the South Korean market later this month with 11 exterior and 5 interior color choices. There’ll also be “Your Genesis” build-to-order program. Apparently, the “V” in the name represents versatility.
The design is a joint effort between the design studios located in South Korea, United States and Germany. It borrows the design cues from the GV80 Concept showcased at the 2017 New York Auto Show. Exterior highlights include a large Crest Grille flanked by the Quad Lamps, G-Matrix pattern in the headlamp housing, and the optional 22-inch wheels.
The side profile looks clean with a Parabolic Line that connects from the bonnet. The rear-end mimics the quad lamps of the front, and there’s a bold Genesis lettering, which I believe was most likely a branding firm’s advice.
As for the construction, the GV80 uses aluminum on the doors, hood, and tailgate, while the rest of the body structure is enhanced with hot-stamped, high-strength steel.
The interior layout is clean and minimalistic with a 14.5-inch infotainment system dominating the elegant-looking dashboard. The centre console houses a dial-style shift knob for the shift-by-wire transmission.
Gotta love the #GenesisGV80‘s shift knob. pic.twitter.com/gChqZq3LgF
— Sagar (@autodevot) January 16, 2020
The GV80 also boasts what is claimed to be the world’s first application of Road-Noise Active Noise Control (RANC) technology, which is claimed to dramatically reduce road noise while driving.
Based on the science of digital signal processing, RANC overcomes the limitations of existing noise control technologies that rely on physical technology, such as materials and body structures, to quiet the cabin. RANC generates sound waves of opposite phases in 0.002 seconds by analyzing road noise in real-time, dramatically reducing irregular, simultaneous road noise.
Another world-first technology is claimed to be an active motion driver’s seat that contains 7 air cells, a feature that is claimed to reduce fatigue from long hours of driving.
Other features include one-touch comfort control for limousine-level relaxation in the second-row seats, heated and ventilated seats for the first two rows (optional), and an automatic air purification system.
The GV80 boasts a number of standard active and passive safety systems. These include advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) systems such as Smart Cruise Control with Machine Learning (SCC-ML), Highway Driving Assist II, Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Blind-Spot Collision Avoidance Assist, Rear Cross-traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist, and Driver Attention Alert Warning. As for passive safety, the GV80 gets a total of 10 airbags including a center-mounted airbag between the front occupants to mitigate the interior impact.
The SCC-ML is claimed to be the world-first as well. According to Genesis, it is an artificial intelligence-based intelligent navigation technology that helps enable GV80 to independently learn the driving characteristics of its drivers and implement autonomous driving similar to that of human drivers.
Powering the GV80 at launch (in South Korea) is a 3.0-litre 6-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine that puts out 278 hp at 3,800 rpm and 588 Nm of torque between 1,500 and 3,000 rpm. Transmission is an 8-speed automatic. Two turbocharged gasoline engines (2.5L 4-cylinder and 3.5L V6) will join the lineup at a later date.
The GV80 is built on a rear-wheel-drive platform, while the AWD is optional. The AWD models feature an electronically controlled Limited Slip Differential at the rear axle and will get Multi-Terrain Control with Sand, Mud and Snow modes.
The SUV also features an electronically controlled suspension with road preview. The technology uses front cameras and navigation information to adjust the damping forces accordingly.
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