2026 Genesis GV80 Review: The Luxury SUV That Remembers the Job

The 2026 Genesis GV80 3.5T Prestige is a 375 horsepower twin-turbo V6 luxury SUV that stickers at $82,330 and landed in my driveway at about $85,000 in matte green over a vanilla and green interior. This is not a driver’s SUV, and it is not trying to be. It is trying to shovel you from A to B while you feel special behind the wheel. It does that job better than anything near the price, and it scores a 7.8.

Price / As tested	$82,330 / about $85,000 (3.5T Prestige, matte green)
Powertrain	3.5L twin-turbo V6, 8-speed automatic, AWD
Output	375 hp / 391 lb-ft
EPA / Observed	16 city / 22 highway / 19 combined, 20-21 observed (premium)
Seating	Seven, with an intercom to the cheap seats
Wheels	22s, standard on Prestige

Is the GV80 good looking?

This is one of the best looking SUVs on sale, and not just for the price. I was leaving Boston after a shoot and pulled up next to an Aston Martin DBX at a light, and the DBX driver was checking out my car. In this matte green on the 22s, it looks terrific. The light signature up front carries all the way into the fenders. The taillights wrap around the rear and fully function, instead of cutting off at the door and leaving a reflector in the fender like some rivals. The matte paint accentuates the body lines. This is a design that takes chances, is uniquely Genesis, and will look terrific for a really, really long time.

How practical is the GV80 third row?

With the third row down, the trunk is expansive. Full-size stroller, Costco run, whatever you need, there is room for it. Third row up, you lose most of that: a compact stroller and a light shopping run is the ceiling. The interesting part of the third row is that it is its own climate zone, with vents on each side and its own speaker, and the driver can use that speaker to talk directly to the way-back. An intercom for the cheap seats.

Is the GV80 good for car seats?

I installed the Maxi-Cosi Emme 360 and it went in without a hitch, with plenty of room to sit in front of it. The door opening is expansive, so loading little ones in is easy. I ran the infant base behind the driver and still had a fully comfortable driving position. The rear doors have power sunshades you raise from the front with one touch on the window switch, and between the shades, the low NVH, and the ride quality, you can build an isolated rear cabin where kids nap on long road trips whether they planned to or not. It skips Hyundai’s quintessential pillar vents, which is a bummer, but the second row gets direct vents, and their own zone, and heated and cooled seats.

What is the GV80 interior like?

Step up front and you feel all the premium this car charges for. Much like the Genesis G80 sedan, these are no longer cheap cars, and the materials feel every bit as expensive as the price. The vanilla and green combination is a little more special than straight tan. The sound system is sublime. The infotainment works remarkably well, and the capacitive controls for the HVAC, the heated and cooled seats, even the perfume diffuser, all respond quickly and easily. The paddle shifters are metal, the steering wheel stitching is terrific, the wood is open-pore. The one miss is the drive selector area, a plasticky looking aluminum panel that is really hard to keep clean.

How does the GV80 drive?

A few things jump out immediately. This is not a driver’s SUV. It is not a Cayenne, it is not an X5, it is not trying to lap anything. What it is, is an extremely luxurious experience. The chassis only gets jostled by small bumps in quick succession; everything else, expansion joints, potholes, broken pavement, it dispatches with ease even on the 22s. The steering goes heavy at speed, and that weight reads as confidence: fewer inputs, planted at pace, and staying centered in a lane takes nothing. The assistance suite is world class, the same lane keep and radar cruise as every other Hyundai product, plus lane centering and automatic lane changes that give you a Tesla Autopilot adjacent experience. And it is remarkably quiet at any speed. The engine spins under 3,000 rpm at 80, the glass is dual-pane, and if you were not actively accelerating you would swear you were in an EV.

The take

The GV80 is for the person who likes to stand out, because there are not many of these on the road and they look terrific. It is also for the person who wants an SUV for what an SUV should be: not a driver’s car, but something luxurious, comfortable, huge inside, with every feature you could ever want. If America’s S-Class is secretly a diesel pickup, this is the S-Class for school pickup. Compare it to the competition, from German defaults to a loaded Telluride playing up a class, and this one ages best. It is not even close.

So why the sevens? Because it is $85,000, and because the V6 drinks. I averaged 20 to 21 mpg over the week, and you do not get anything super special for it. The twin-turbo is fine. If I were buying, I would take the four-cylinder in top spec: all the features, good enough performance, about ten grand less as tested.

The 2026 Genesis GV80 scores 7.8/10: It shovels you from A to B while you feel special and hear nothing.

This car lives in the Garage. Scoring rules are in How We Review.

FAQ

Is the 2026 Genesis GV80 worth it?
Yes, with a trim caveat. It scored a 7.8. The luxury, looks, and quiet are real. The smart money is the 2.5T Prestige, which keeps the features for about ten grand less than this car as tested.

How much does the 2026 GV80 cost?
The range runs from $59,195 to over $85,000 with destination. The 3.5T Prestige stickers at $82,330 before the matte paint.

Does the GV80 have a third row?
Yes, standard on this trim, with its own climate zone, vents, and a speaker the driver can talk through.

Is the GV80 good for car seats and families?
Yes. A large Maxi-Cosi 360 fits with room to sit in front, the door openings are huge, and the power rear sunshades plus the quiet cabin make a rolling nap room.

What MPG does the GV80 3.5T get?
EPA says 16/22/19 on premium. I saw 20 to 21 over a week, which beats the sticker and still stings at the pump.

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