Last year, Hyundai moved into the meat of the luxury car market, splitting its line of upscale sedans into a stand-alone brand named after the badge once used on its entry-level model's trunklid.
Now that Genesis is a going concern with its two-car lineup and the promise of a third, it has given its G80 model a boost in the form of a turbocharged Sport model conceived to help the brand stand up better to the brands it wants to compete with.
The G80 Sport is built around a new 3.3L twin-turbocharged V6 engine that makes 365 hp and 376 lb-ft of torque that seems a good fit for a class already populated by the likes of the Infiniti Q50, BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class, all of which can be had with turbo six-cylinders with anywhere from 300 to 400 hp.
Genesis further differentiates the G80 Sport from its linemates with copper-coloured styling elements and fits it with 19-inch wheels, real carbon fibre trim and sport seats and steering wheel done in leather.
The new engine also fits nicely into the G80's existing powertrain offerings, which start with a 3.8L V6 that makes 311 hp and 293 lb-ft and top out with a 5.0L V8 good for 420 hp and 383 lb-ft. These are both good engines, but the competition uses smaller turbo four-, six- and eight-cylinder motors to put the same kind of power under their hoods while also cutting fuel consumption.
As it stands, the new turbo engine is the only one that returns economy that's anywhere near impressive for its power output, with estimates of 13.8/9.7 L/100 km (city/highway), while the 3.8L and 5.0L engines are rated at 13.4/9.6 and 15.6/10.4.
All G80 models use an eight-speed automatic transmission and AWD.
We're impressed with Genesis's decision to fit the G80 with a full range of active safety features, including automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot detection with cross traffic alert and lane change assist, lane departure warning with lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control.
Other standard features include 18-inch wheels, bi-xenon headlights, power-folding side mirrors, ventilated front seats with 16-way driver adjustability and 12-way passenger adjustability, heated rear seats and steering wheel, power steering wheel adjustment, panoramic sunroof, navigation, hands-free trunk, passive keyless entry and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration.
G80 equipment can include a full-colour head-up display, an impressive 14- or 17-speaker sound system by hi-fi expert Lexicon, an adaptive suspension and a sizable 9.2-inch infotainment screen.
