Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
A floating-style touchscreen infotainment system, matte silver and chrome garnish, a button that reads P for parking, paddle shifters on the steering wheel instead of the column, rotary selector for the drive mode, and lots of zebra camouflage. This is our first glimpse of the GV80 interior, and so far, it appears that Genesis did a great job with the mid-size luxury SUV.
There’s no mistaking the cabin looks different from the GV80 Concept from the 2017 New York Auto Show. Even the powertrain is different, swapping the fuel cell for a 3.5-liter V6 MPI connected to an eight-speed transmission and HTRAC all-wheel-drive system.
In what used to be called the Hyundai Genesis, the Hyundai TRACtion sends up to 90 percent of the torque to the front wheels in the case the rear wheels are struggling and 100 percent to the rear wheels on the highway to improve fuel economy. In off-road situations, make that 50:50 compared to the default torque distribution of 40:60. During cornering and while climbing a hill, 70 percent goes to the rear axle.
In the past couple of weeks, Genesis was spied testing lots of GV80 prototypes in Scandinavia, fine-tuning the HTRAC for cold-weather driving. Despite being clad in camouflage, these prototypes feature a quad-headlight arrangement similar to the concept.
Going against segment favorites such as the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE, the GV80 will be introduced towards the end of the year for the 2020 model year. The knurled metal wheel surrounding a glass touchpad? That piece of technology is inspired by the concept and it supports smartphone-like gestures such as pinching, swiping, and tapping.
If the GV80 does share the rear-/all-wheel-drive platform with the G80, then chances are Genesis will offer a V8 option in addition to the V6 mentioned a few paragraphs ago. The 5.0-liter Tau develops 420 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque on premium gasoline. There’s also a case to be made for the 3.3-liter Lambda II T-GDI in the G70 and Kia Stinger GT, rated at 365 horsepower and 376 pound-feet.
On a related note, a roadmap leaked to the press in May 2016 reveals that Genesis won’t stop with the mid-size luxury SUV you can admire in the photo gallery. A “near-luxury SUV” and “near-luxury sports coupe” will follow in 2020, with the latter expected to be for the G70 compact executive sedan what the 4 Series is to the 3 Series.
In what used to be called the Hyundai Genesis, the Hyundai TRACtion sends up to 90 percent of the torque to the front wheels in the case the rear wheels are struggling and 100 percent to the rear wheels on the highway to improve fuel economy. In off-road situations, make that 50:50 compared to the default torque distribution of 40:60. During cornering and while climbing a hill, 70 percent goes to the rear axle.
In the past couple of weeks, Genesis was spied testing lots of GV80 prototypes in Scandinavia, fine-tuning the HTRAC for cold-weather driving. Despite being clad in camouflage, these prototypes feature a quad-headlight arrangement similar to the concept.
Going against segment favorites such as the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE, the GV80 will be introduced towards the end of the year for the 2020 model year. The knurled metal wheel surrounding a glass touchpad? That piece of technology is inspired by the concept and it supports smartphone-like gestures such as pinching, swiping, and tapping.
If the GV80 does share the rear-/all-wheel-drive platform with the G80, then chances are Genesis will offer a V8 option in addition to the V6 mentioned a few paragraphs ago. The 5.0-liter Tau develops 420 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque on premium gasoline. There’s also a case to be made for the 3.3-liter Lambda II T-GDI in the G70 and Kia Stinger GT, rated at 365 horsepower and 376 pound-feet.
On a related note, a roadmap leaked to the press in May 2016 reveals that Genesis won’t stop with the mid-size luxury SUV you can admire in the photo gallery. A “near-luxury SUV” and “near-luxury sports coupe” will follow in 2020, with the latter expected to be for the G70 compact executive sedan what the 4 Series is to the 3 Series.
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