Originally I had great ambitions to take a road trip in the Genesis GV80. My annual excursion to the Okanagan to celebrate my week of aging. I was all geared up and ready to go, but it was not meant to be. Despite the new lax pandemic restrictions at the time, the wild fire and its bellowing smoke, plus the announcement of an outbreak and imposed restrictions within the Okanagan area had me cancelling. I was not about to force a trip when the world was giving me signs to stay home.
Therefore I accepted the loss and decided to do a staycation instead. A week with the Genesis sans work, essentially enjoying a 10 day weekend. The Genesis became my daily driver as I went about my regular life buying groceries, going to the beach, hitting the gym, and dining at restaurants. And with the time spent within, here is my normal girl review.
Disclaimer: I write my reviews as a normal adult female, stepping into the vehicle for the first time without statics or additional intel. My goal is to recap how intuitive the vehicle is, and how it plays into any given person’s day to day.
Right off the bat we have to discuss how the GV80 looks – It is a handsome vehicle. I loved the difference the dark green finish made on the exterior, and how the dark green and brown leather and suede interior with faux wood trim elevated the drive. This looked like, drove like, and felt like a luxury brand; worthy of Kia’s luxury label. It was furthered by a spacious cabin with every dial and convenience well positioned for the driver in mind. So many custom adjustments to truly make it your own from lumbar to favourite and Home Screen support.
I am just not a fan of the dial start and navigation for the infotainment system. They felt clumsy to use and not all that intuitive. Not to mention its aesthetics didn’t seem to flow with everything else in the cockpit.
I had several compliments paid to myself getting out of the car, as well as when I paused at stop lights. And on each occasion I was more than happy to report how well the vehicle handled. I would have especially appreciated the terrain modes and driver settings the likes of sport, eco, comfort, snow, and sand if we went through with our trip. Instead, we tested what we could in city, limited. I did like how the dash would change colour and rearrange itself to your desired setting: Blue for eco, Laser Red for sport, and Comfort in gold.
The 2021 Genesis GV80 had very modern convenience available including fast changing device pad, heated steering wheel, cooling seats, and an option for your passengers to toggle their own climate at the back row. Yet we had such difficulty playing our own music. There was satellite radio, but no Bluetooth capabilities (or we were not able figure it out readily). There wasn’t an AUX outlet either, just an option to plug your phone or musical player cable into the USB port, from there you can play your music off your phone and have it broadcasted through the speakers. Though despite the quality of the speakers, the music quality didn’t sound all that good and the connection dropped often. Let’s just say we learned to appreciate the random nature of radio again.
I am partial to SUVs for the space and utility. I am known for keeping a backup closet within my own vehicle, so am always excited to loan one that gives me just as much person and cargo room. The SUV seats 7, and if we were to take our trip, the fold down seats with easy push buttons and latches would have been helpful in converting the Genesis from people transporter to flat surface for a make shift bed.
In short, I didn’t enjoy the 2021 Genesis as intended, but just as well. This is definitely a city vehicle, the type you want to wind down the windows and full sky light of, to be able to see and been seen. It took us around the city with only the need to refill once, before the 10 day’s end. A great vehicle I would be proud of and lucky to own
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