Options, we all like having them. There’s something innately gearhead about making decisions, especially when it comes to cars. Whether it is paint color, mechanical layout, body style, wheels, you name it, every car is a series of decisions made by the owner. The car companies know this and that is why some of them, the good ones, aim to give their potential customers as many decisions to make as possible. Genesis has provided their SUV shoppers a wide array of options from engine selections to interiors and body styles in their GV80 lineup.
Recently, we got to have our hands on a pair of them. First there was a traditional GV80 3.5T Prestige with a 375hp twin turbocharged V6 and the pleasing lines that have made the GV line of SUVs a hit for the company. With its dark paint, light interior, chrome accents, and more, this was definitely the kind of upscale looking, feeling, and acting SUV that with three rows definitely has the family in mind. We also had it during a New England snow storm so the all wheel drive came in handy.
The second of the pair that we were able to drive a short time later when the weather had gradually warmed and melted all the snow off was the GV80 Coupe 3.5T E-SC AWD. Yeah that one does not roll off the tongue quite as well but it’s a way better drive than it is a name to say. The major differences here are the ditching of the third row in the coupe, the more dramatic roofline, the far more sport themed interior and wheels, as well as a 409hp engine as opposed to the 375 horse unit in the regular 3.5T GV80. The extra 30+ horsepower comes from the E-SC part of the name, short for electric supercharger. This centrifugal blower works a lot like an anti-lag device acting instantly as the turbos are spooling. This takes the Coupe down to the low 5-second range 0-60 and picks it up a few tenths in the quarter mile with ETs in the 13.80 bracket. Hustling!
Both examples of the GV80 ride on the same chassis with the same components. If you were blind-folded and stuff behind the wheel (maybe not the best idea now that we think of it) you’d immediately recognize one had more pep in its step over the other but dynamically their handling and ride quality characteristics are both identical and that is a good thing. Drive mode adjustments can provide more stiffness and a more taut feeling for both of these rigs but we suspect that Sport mode would more often be selected by Coupe buyers than those in the standard GV80.
The profile view of both GV80s gives us the best picture as to how they aesthetically vary. Clearly there is more headroom, storage space, and easier ingress/egress to the back seats in the normal “wagon” shaped GV80. The dipping roofline of the coupe definitely means that watching your head is a must when getting into the back seats. Now, speaking of seats, let’s compare the interiors of the two. Below see the GV80 first and the GV80 coupe we tested, second:
Those eagle eyes readers among us will notice a few things quickly. For starters, the fact that the layouts of the two GV80s are identical and that goes right down to the cool stitching on the insanely comfortable seats. The dashboard setup is very clean and uncluttered. While we are not crazy about the “dial-a-gear” style shifter control, it does work fine and certainly gives a more upscale feel than another plastic stalk hanging off a steering column.
Isn’t it interesting what kind of difference color makes in the look and feel of things. The dark interior with the red stitching and seatbelts screams performance to us while the white interior of the standard body style GV80 looks like something you want to spend a week in driving across the country and the fact is, they’d both identical in many ways. So how does that roofline change the way people use these vehicles and which one would fit you the best?
As you can see, the Coupe is kind of a hatchback on steroids. The standard GV80 has a relatively cavernous storage area, especially with no third row extended upward. In our estimation, there’s plenty of room for virtually anything you’d want to do with either of these two models. The coupe certainly gives up plenty of space but there’s room for all the stuff regular people do with their cars and SUVs in daily life. Sports gear, shopping stuff, home improvement store, trips, we’re saying that the Coupe may be slightly smaller but is capable. The normal GV80? Well as you can see, no questions there.
How about power?
As far a visual differences, you’ll not be finding any between the engines unless you really dig in and get a lot of the little electric supercharger on the coupe engine (which is the second of the two image above). Both engines are hooked to an eight speed automative transmission that uses a torque converter not a slushy CVT or a potentially overcomplicated DCT system which is nice when functional but often times provides no real advantages in normal day to day driving for the typical operator.
The performance of both the 375hp 3.5T and the 409hp 3.5T E-SC is fantastic. Both are well south of 6-seconds 0-60 and the 1/4 mile performance effectively ranges from 13.-14.0 for the 3.5T down to the 13.7-13.8 range with the supplemental E-supercharger. The eight speed is smooth as silk in normal driving mode and holds gears, snap shifts, and gets noticeably aggressive when in sport mode.
The last thing to address is which one to pick and why? If you are shopping on cost, you’ll not find a very wide spread between these two. Both are well above the $80,000 mark, in fact the Coupe you see here clocked in at $87,000. Both machines were just a handful of thousand dollars apart, so it come down to the look, the personality of the buyer, and the designed uses that the GV80 will see.
If it were to be a primarily family-based hauler with the occasional expansion of seating that a third row brings, the GV80 in its traditional SUV form would be the move. If the scenario were different in terms of how often the back seat would be occupied, perhaps a more performance forward look was desired, and the extra 30+ horsepower would be appreciated, the Coupe is the move to make.
Drive both and choose for yourself. As of us? We enjoyed them both. They’re thirsty, they’re comfy, and they’re both well styled to our tastes.
