GENESIS evolved from Hyundai as its luxury division back in 2007 after an initial appearance in 2003, as the 'Concept Genesis'.
While the North American markets have long had a V8 option, drivers in Australia received a single-spec, V6-powered model instead.
A creamy smooth 3.8-litre unit, the V6 proved to be a delight to drive, with abundant power, delivered in linear fashion, it felt the more you pushed, the faster you went, cocooned in hectares of high quality leather, with every available convenience at your fingertips.
Why the history lesson?
Well, Genesis has continued to carve out a niche market here in Australia, while it still trails Mercedes-Benz, LEXUS and other high-end nameplates, it has acquired a loyal following.
As global emission regulations push us towards an electrified future, Genesis has developed a strong of EV models, but cleverly, has used the same body shells as the ICE (internal combustion engine) versions.
So it was I found myself comfortably ensconced behind the wheel of a G80 Electrified sedan, and away we went, with barely a whisper.
MAKE no mistake, the G80 has presence, it is big, on par with the biggest products the USA and Europe have to offer.
Weighing in at well over the 2,000kg mark, there is nothing dainty about the G80, but equally, it manages to avoid looking bulky or over done.
With the same body as the ICE models, the only major difference is the 'G-Matrix' solid grille incorporating the front-mounted charging port.
Taking advantage of the latest generation LED lighting technology, Genesis use a double-horizontal headlight design, wrapping around into the front guards.
The result is a clean, modern, look that is understated rather than ostentatious, with tasteful use of chrome inserts to highlight aspects of the design, including a pair of side-mounted 'gills' in the guards, following the line of the headlights.
There are plenty of Euro-inspired design cues in the styling, I was asked if I was driving an Aston Martin, it is also often mistaken for an Audi A8 by casual observers.
Taking full advantage of the extensive real estate on offer, the wheelbase is extended as far as possible front to rear, reducing the overhangs as well as providing a 'balanced' look to the car.
The full extent of the advantages this creates show up in both the cabin and luggage area, while the 3010mm wheelbase (measured from the centre of the front wheels to the centre of the rear wheels) provides for a smoother ride.
The 19" Turbine rims combined aero efficiency with style, the multi-spoke design is reminiscent of old-style wheels, with none of the drawbacks.
Our test car was the Matiri Blue, which spent most of its time radiating a deep green, the paint has light-reactive pigments that work across the spectrum from deep green-blue through to dark blue, depending on the type and amount of light.
Not surprisingly, the panel fit and overall finish is outstanding, the paint has a depth that draws the eye in, the only drawback is even minor scrapes require major work, but given the target market, sending it off for repair won't be an issue.
Given the G80 represents a conglomeration of available technology, it was no surprise the roof of the car is actually a solar collector, replacing the panoramic roof of the ICE models.
Electrical power generated from the roof is stored in the main drive battery, providing a trickle charge to further extend the driving range.
Just like the outside, on the inside, the G80 is a Mecca of luxury, but things have changed a lot since our first encounter with the Genesis.
While the interior finish is fabulous, with thickly padded seats, premium Harman sound system, massage seats and much more, it is now done in a more environmentally conscious way.
The timber veneers are reprocessed offcuts of birch wood from timber manufacturing, the seats are finished in naturally dyed Nappa leather, with quilted seat facings adding to the luxurious feel.
While the materials and textures are all top shelf, when the car uses the latest in electric drive technology, there has to be a certain amount of technical bleed-through into the interior fitout.
Visually, the centre console is the biggest statement of uber-tech, with a huge rectangular screen mounted into the crash pad.
Below this is the climate control panel, operating the multiple zone heating and cooling, dominated by a pair of knurled dial controllers.
The broad console continues down between the front seats, with another pair of controllers covering the central display and gear operations.
Genesis uses 'shift by wire' technology, eliminating mechanical linkages and allowing designers freedom of expression in updating the driving controls.
The most obvious is another knurled finish rotary dial gear selector complete with a central button for the PARK mode, as well as detentes, ensuring the driver must push through them to engage DRIVE and REVERSE gears.
Not only is there a central front display, but there are 9.2" touch screen displays built into the backs of the front seats, allowing rear seat passengers, and given this is a genuine limousine there is an expectation of luxury tech throughout, freedom to choose their own entertainment option, including 3.5mm output jacks for private audio.
The centre armrest has operating controls for the rear seat screens, providing full autonomy from the driver.
Other niceties include sunshades for the rear doors and window, a ski port for long loads, and my personal favourite, adjustable ambient lighting.
This is a series of colour-shifting LED throughout the cabin, controlled from the main screen, along with a batch of pre-set colours, there is an individualisation option via a colour wheel, my personal choice is a purple shade similar to Ford's famous 'Wild Violet' of the early 1970s.
For the driver, there is an 'ErgoMotion' seat that automatically provides a back and thigh massage after approximately 30 minutes of continuous driving, gently kneading muscles for about 10 minutes, to keep the driver refreshed and relaxed.
As expected, the 'included features' list is extensive, with multiple USB charging ports, as well as a Qi wireless charger, 20 speaker Harman Lexicon audio system with AM/FM/DAB+ and Bluetooth inputs, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, rain-sensing wipers and a funky extra called ANC-R, or Active Noise Control-Road.
This amazing device uses internal microphones - yes, Big Brother is listening! - and sensors to detect external noise entering the cabin, and then generating 'opposite phase' sounds to cancel them out.
I admit to not understanding the science specifically, but I can say the interior of the G80 us a quiet and pleasant place to be while driving.
AS Loverboy sang in the 1980s, yes, I am that old now...sigh!, 'Turn Me Loose'!
With so much tech at its disposal, the G80 was either going to be as sterile as a biosecurity lab in a pandemic, or more fun than the Millennium Falcon.
Fortunately, Genesis went for the Star Wars option!
Where to start? Well, how about total power and torque outputs? 272 kilowatts and 700 Newton-metres, or, in plain speak - lots!
One advantage EVs enjoy is the ability to split power via multiple motors, and this is the heart of the G80 Electrified, there are two motors, each of 136kW/350Nm, one forward and one aft, driving two wheels each.
Thanks to smart powertrain controllers the G80 can switch from rear-wheel-drive to full-power all-wheel-drive in the blink of an eye.
Not only does this give you getaway power most people dream of, but it also boosts energy efficiency, giving the car a nominal cruising range of 520 kilometres.
Based on our tests, this is pretty close to the real world, we were going more than 480 kilometres, at 100km/h, between charges, and we were not creeping in on the dregs of the battery.
Not only is there some trickle charge from the roof, to be honest we didn't notice much in that regard, but using 'coast and charge' via the Smart Regenerative Braking 2.0' system, the G80 could vary the amount of regeneration.
In real terms, it meant the car could 'skim' power from the road wheels at 100km/h, without sacrificing road speed and therefore requiring more energy usage to maintain speed.
Ultimately, just like any other vehicle, you do use more power than you generate, but it does add kilometres here and there, extending the distance between charges.
Downsides? Yes, you do need to know where the next charge station is, and yes it does take longer than an ICE to refuel.
But - the difference isn't that great, you don't have to wait by the car, you can have a rest break at the same time, not tack it on after the fill time.
This is not a philosophical or political argument, anyone who has travelled with family or friends knows how often the 'five minute stop' becomes 15 or 20 minutes.
There is a separate argument about governments pushing for transition to 'alternate' energy sources needing to ensure there is sufficient, and suitable, charging infrastructure throughout the entire country.
These same intelligent power controllers also allow the use of an 'I-pedal', converting the pedal to a rheostat, the more you push the faster you go, releasing pressure automatically slows the car.
Unsurprisingly, just like the interior, the driving tech list is longer than my arm, including multiple braking technologies for safer driving.
This includes ABS, EBS - where the brake signal is sent electronically to control individual brakes for better control and improved wear, EBD - an advance on ABS that further splits braking force between individual wheels for stability, as well as emergency stopping.
There is also a Multi Collision Brake program, that works in situations like nose-to-tail crashes, applying extra braking force to help prevent the G80 from being pushed into other vehicles by the initial impact.
These systems also work as part of the stability, lane keeping and collision avoidance programs, which are themselves linked to the Blind Spot Monitoring unit, which now works when pulling out of a carpark, reversing and even at intersections, to 'see' around corners using the onboard cameras.
This also works with the 'Safe Exit Assistance' program, which operates after the car is turned off, using the reverse sensors and cameras to detect fast moving objects, preventing the doors from opening if it detects vehicles or even cyclists, stopping passengers - especially children - from stepping out into the danger area.
For those new to EVs generally, the biggest adjustment to driving the G80, aside from its sheer physical bulk, is the complete absence of noise.
You slide behind the big diameter steering wheel, sinking into those gorgeously upholstered seats, complete with 18-way power adjustment, push the START button, and...nothing.
There is no rumble from a big-bore engine, not even the faintest vibration or body torque-twist, just silence and a green READY light telling you it is time to drive.
Rotate the gear selector to D, release the electronic parking brake, and away you go, just take care not to push the accelerator too hard.
Despite weighing in at over 2.3 tonnes, the G80 will launch to 100km/h in about five seconds, making you appreciate the extra seat padding as you are compressed into the seat by the g-forces.
The trick is to imagine an egg between your foot and the accelerator, push to hard and you will crack the shell.
Get it right and you ease away with a regal grace, the single-speed direct drive transmission means there are no gear shifts, just linear acceleration, the more you push, the faster you go.
With the I-Pedal mode active, stopping is just as easy, lift your foot and the speed washes off as fast as it arrived, without even pushing the brake pedal.
Electronically-assisted power steering makes light work of cornering, but again, be aware of your surroundings, the G80 is big, really big, and that 3 metre plus wheelbase means tight corners need to be planned in advance, and definitely no kerb-hugging!
Thankfully, given the whisper quiet operation, there is a pedestrian alert system - not just the horn! - warning wayward walkers, oblivious to your presence, wearing headphones and watching their phone as they step into your path...happens regularly in the Valley!
It may sound conceited, but the G80's progress is best described as 'imperious', it sweeps down the road projecting an aura that combines comfort, speed and safety, letting lesser mortals know to clear the way.
Braking, aside from the previously mentioned I-Pedal, is impressive, with huge four-wheel-discs supplemented by the ultra-effective regenerative braking systems that kick in as soon as you release the accelerator, pulling up the G80 in impossibly short distances, compared to 'normal' cars.
In a closed-road demonstration for some experienced racing drivers, one asked if he could fit the brakes to his competition car, as the 2.3-tonne Genesis pulled up faster than his open-wheel racer, from similar speeds.
While the handling is good, that physical bulk comes back into the conversation, the car reacts well to steering inputs, tipping into corners impressively, but the laws of physics have their own say when you start flinging a couple of tonnes of luxury limousine around, and while the front turns in, the trailing mass will try to follow its original path, especially after two or three rapid changes of direction, generating some interesting understeer/oversteer situations.
There is a positive to all the weight, with the majority of the mass under the floor and between the axles for a low centre of gravity, but it does still make its presence felt.
Ride quality, not surprisingly, is superb, part of that whole 'effortless' and 'imperious' thing, it sweeps down the road, soaking up imperfections, but this is southeast Queensland and there are plenty of big potholes that will upset even something as composed as the G80, and be felt in the cabin.
Overall, the G80 rides and behaves as you would expect a $145,000 limousine to behave, with a softer ride for passenger comfort, although it still avoids driving like a marshmallow.
WHEN reviewing a vehicle, it is important to test it against its stated function, not some idealised racetrack fantasy, and this is even more so in the case of the G80.
Yes, it is bullet fast if needed, and can handle well, but its design brief was for a luxury limousine to chauffeur passengers in comfort and style, and that is how it should be assessed, any other attributes are a bonus.
This is a car for the wealthy, or for chauffeured ride operators, it is not a car the 'average' family will own without a Lotto win, it is not intended to pull a box trailer to the dump, although it does look good pulling up at weekend sport.
And, against those criteria, Genesis has done a good job, the G80 is roomy, comfortable, luxurious, quiet, cosseting occupants from the perils of the outside world, with the ability to leave drama in its wake.
That is also has zero tailpipe emissions, and can go, in urban stop-start driving, days between charges, it is a tough one to pass up.
Would I have one? Hmm, despite, or perhaps because of, the above, absolutely. Nothing wrong with a bit of luxury in our lives, is there?
If someone can just give me the heads-up on next week's winning Lotto numbers?
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