Launching a new brand – let alone a car brand, let alone a luxury brand – is no easy feat. Luxury carmaker Genesis has made an impressive run in its first decade, having just turned nine years old, officially. Technically, the company can trace its roots back to the Hyundai Genesis luxury sedan of 2008, making it at most about 16 years old – just about the age when a human of similar vintage might be getting their driver’s license, attending a debutante ball, or experiencing some other coming-of-age ritual. This past week’s launch of the 2025 Genesis GV80 Coupe in and around Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, felt like such a celebration of the brand and its arrival on the scene as a mature, complete luxury brand.
It’s not that Genesis lacks SUVs, or even coupe-like SUVs, in its lineup – the all-electric GV60 is about as sporty and swoopy as a vehicle can be while still being called an SUV, and the GV70 isn’t terribly far off it. The GV80 Coupe takes the GV80 SUV’s square back and rounds it off, but it also raises the base spec of equipment into fully loaded territory. In fact, the GV80 Coupe is so well-equipped that you can’t add anything to it – the only way you can get factory upgrades to the GV80 Coupe’s base spec is to upgrade from the stock powertrain to the new electric supercharger-equipped variant.
That’s right, the 2025 Genesis GV80 Coupe gets technology that sounds like it was inspired by Formula 1, with a 48-volt battery system powering a supercharger to supply boost from just above idle until the 3.5-liter V6’s twin turbochargers kick in. The result is 409 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque, an upgrade of 34 horsepower and 14 lb-ft at peak compared the base twin-turbo V6, with even more area gained under the curve at low RPMs. The result is a smooth, tractable powerplant that feels like old-school V8 thrust, with not even a hint of the whoosh and whine of turbochargers or superchargers.
Being loaded with equipment and sporting a high-tech e-supercharger might make you think the GV80 Coupe is going to be expensive. While it does start about $25,000 above the GV80 SUV’s base price, the Genesis GV80 Coupe ($81,300 base, including destination; $87,100 with the e-SC) is priced near the base models of its competitive set, including the Porsche Cayenne Coupe ($91,795) and BMW X6 ($75,675). Remember, those are the base models of their respective lines – the Genesis offers not only more equipment, but also 61 more horsepower than the Porsche and 34 more horsepower than the BMW, more rear-seat headroom than either (and 0.8 inches less headroom than the GV80 SUV), and more cargo space, too (and about 9 and 6 cubic feet less than the GV80 SUV behind the first and second rows, respectively).
Add to that mix the Genesis GV80 Coupe’s high equipment spec, luxurious leather- and carbon fiber-trimmed interior, and extensive technology, and you have a most unlikely result: a luxury coupe-SUV that is, objectively, a surprising value. To get similar equipment specification in either the BMW or Porsche, you’re closing in on or exceeding six figures. The combination of value and opulence may just be Genesis’ hallmark as a brand, one it has exuded since the debut of the original Genesis sedan, and which has been honed in the decade since it was spun off to stand on its own.
So the GV80 Coupe is comfortable, quick, luxurious, and nicely equipped – but what’s it like to drive? It’s surprisingly good, but it’s also not a hardcore driver’s SUV. Instead, it’s somewhere in the middle of the realm of performance coupe-SUVs. The GV80 Coupe’s standout driving trait is undoubtedly the very connected, precise steering. While it doesn’t quite rise to the level of “feelsome” steering like you might find in a Porsche, it’s not terribly far off, and the GV80 Coupe’s suspension setup helps it corner with minimal body roll and ample grip, making it capably quick. Sure, it lacks some of the finer points of driver feedback, but that’s the price paid for a quiet cabin and a (mostly) smooth ride.
If there’s one gripe to be had in the GV80 Coupe’s setup, it’s the 22-inch wheels. Due to their size and mass, they translate more of the bumps, seams, and expansion joints in a modern road or freeway into the cabin, both in terms of feel and noise, than would otherwise be ideal. Over normal surfaces, the tires are quiet, the ride is plush but controlled, and everything feels as it should. But once things become a bit more broken, the ride becomes a touch harsher than it could be, and harsher than it would be on 20-inch wheels and tires with a bit more sidewall for added squish. At launch, the GV80 Coupe with the e-SC powertrain will only be offered with 22-inch wheels and tires, but the base GV80 Coupe gets a 20-inch setup that’s likely a touch more comfortable.
Still, at the end of a day’s driving around and through Minnesota’s Twin Cities, the GV80 Coupe left us refreshed, without any of the aches and pains that can come with hours in a vehicle’s seat. In fact, if you drive the GV80 Coupe for long enough, it will automatically start a lower back massage for the driver. After our drive, we left without the fatigue that comes with a noisy cabin.
While it’s undeniably true that a coupe-SUV is an inherently less practical choice, it’s also true that it’s an inherently more passion-based choice. In the 2025 GV80 Coupe, Genesis has relieved some of the tension between practicality and passion, while delivering true luxury at a value price.
If the GV80 Coupe represents Genesis’ coming of age, it’s fair to say it has a bright future ahead – and one that’s growing even brighter as Genesis opens 21 new dedicated dealerships to expand access to its lineup across the country, with a goal of more than 100 stores over the next few years.
