The 2021 Genesis GV80 is a huge step forward for the Korean luxury automaker. With its first SUV, Genesis is hoping to expand its customer base and bolster its ability to attract buyers from other brands and increase its market share.
The GV80 not only represents many firsts for Genesis, but is also packed with many features that are either world or segment firsts. The brand has showcased tremendous ambition with the GV80 and it will be interesting to see if all that initiative translates into new customers or those more-established luxury automakers re-evaluating Genesis as a serious threat.
Here are six novel features in the 2021 Genesis GV80.
Centre Air Bag
The GV80 and the G80 sedan will be the first vehicles in their respective segments to have an airbag between the driver and front passenger. In the event of a collision, the airbag will deploy from the driver side of the centre console to ensure the driver and passenger aren’t injured further by knocking into each other during a crash. Hyundai says this airbag can reduce the head injuries between drivers and passengers by up to 80 per cent. In total, the GV80 has 10 airbags.
3D Instrument Cluster
The Genesis GV80 will be the first production vehicle in the world with a 3D instrument cluster. The system uses a sensor to track the driver’s eye movements to ensure the display is always in focus and it can be turned off if a driver prefers to have a two-dimensional display instead. The display measures 12.3 inches diagonally.
Advanced Active Noise Cancellation
An important aspect of luxury cars is how quiet they are and how well they isolate occupants from the noise of the outside world. Genesis is promising that the GV80 will be one of the quietest cars you can buy and is using a system it calls Road Active Noise Cancellation (RANC) to ensure a tranquil interior.
The system uses sensors from outside the car and microphones from inside the car to analyze road and tire noise in real time and reacts in just 0.002 seconds to generate opposing sound waves from the Lexicon audio system to cancel out the noise. Like your wireless headphones, most similar noise cancelling systems are either on or off, but the system used in the Genesis is highly variable.
Adaptive Cruise Control with Artificial Intelligence
The adaptive cruise control system in the Genesis GV80 gets smarter the more you drive the SUV. With machine learning, the GV80 learns and adapts to your style of driving so the adaptive cruise control feels more natural for each individual driver. The system is also tied to the car’s different driver profiles, so multiple drivers can take advantage of this feature and have a tailored drive.
Standard Full Safety Suite (Including Blind Spot Monitoring)
Many luxury automakers offer safety and driver assistance technology as standard, but most make drivers pay extra for blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, which come standard on both the G80 and GV80. Both vehicles will also be available with blind spot cameras that will show you a live video feed in the instrument cluster of what’s in each blind spot when the turn signal is engaged, which is a segment first. Other important safety features include safe exit assist that prevents someone from exiting the vehicle if there’s oncoming traffic or a cyclist.
The “democratization of safety features” is an important philosophy for Genesis. The full suite of driver assistance and active and passive safety features is standard on every single Genesis car because it believes the customer deserves the safest version and shouldn’t have to pay extra to get it or think about adding it as an option. Peace of mind is a luxury and Genesis is taking safety seriously as a result.
Variable Suspension with Road Preview
The GV80 uses data from a camera that scans the road ahead for potholes, uneven roads, train tracks, and speed bumps; and automatically dampens the suspension for the most comfortable ride. Although other luxury automakers have similar systems in large luxury sedans, this is a segment first.
Honourable Mention
When is the last time you made a customer service remark and someone actually addressed it? The team at Genesis HQ devotes half an hour every week to manually go through every single piece of customer feedback, both positive and negative, and addresses whatever issue is raised it in hopes that such personalized customer service will help Genesis grow as a company that cares about its customers.
autoTRADER.ca should be driving both the Genesis GV80 SUV and G80 sedan before the end of the year – look for our reports on these two exciting new luxury vehicles.
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