Genesis G80 Black review: the prestige sedan your friends might mistake for a Bentley

More people need to know about Genesis.

The slow burn on the South Korean prestige brand has still not provided a big bang breakthrough, and endless Chinese brands are now looking and working to snuff it.

But Genesis cars are lovely. Yes, that’s the right word for cars which are classy and comfortable, as well as relatively affordable against the benchmark bangers from the Audi-BMW-Benz brigade.

The pricing is not cheap, but still great value, and the quality is up with the best.

If Genesis is still a novelty, or a complete unknown, think of it as Lexus. Toyota created Lexus as its upscale graduation gift and Hyundai did the same with Genesis in 2015.

Now it’s a solid, but not sensational, performer with a growing following since an early blunder into an inner-city ‘experience’ centre instead of old-school dealerships.

The line-up is also old-school with sedans and SUVs, not joining the rush to a big-box EV takeover.

But, make no mistake, Genesis deserves a place on any shopping list that includes a Lexus and plenty with the German hero cars.

So we come to the newest Genesis, the G80 Black.

It’s not just about deep black bodywork, as black has become a signature sign for a range of tweaked cars from brands as diverse as Mercedes-AMG and even Rolls-Royce, which has Black Badge models aimed at younger buyers.

In the case of the Genesis, the paint is matched by a punchy six-cylinder turbocharged engine, all-wheel drive, 20-inch alloys and interior tweaking including real ash wood trim. It’s not an EV, but the green credentials do include  natural dyes and carpets with 20 per cent of the fibre created from discarded fishing nets.

The Black has visual impact but the experience is mostly about driving, thanks to a mid-sized body – think E-Class Benz – with a punchy 279-kiloWatt turbo engine, paddle shifting and sports-biased suspension.

It’s not a solid in the suspension as an AMG Benz, but still firmly controlled in the computer-tweaked suspension with a lovely – that word again – cornering balance, solid braking performance, and more than enough turbocharged surge for overtaking or some twisty-road fun.

Inside, the Genesis really stars. The seats are plush with heating and cooling beneath their leather, the sound system is great, and the infotainment package is well sorted and easy to use with a rotary controller – not just a touch screen – in the centre console.

It’s a car that makes even a short drive enjoyable, and would be great for long-distance touring. The claimed economy is not great, around 11 litres/100km, but it’s easy to do better on a highway cruise with a light foot.

The car’s all-wheel drive is most irrelevant for Australia, until snow season, but there is plenty of other stuff to like.

The five-year warranty package includes free servicing and roadside assistance, as well as a ‘concierge’ service – think Lexus this time – and loan cars for servicing work.

As my time was winding down with the Black beauty, I was reminded of something else in its favour. The Genesis badge, with flying wings, looks very similar to the one used by Bentley.

So don’t just think of it as a costly South Korean car, because with a bit of bluffing you could also convince your friends it’s a cut-priced Bentley.

GENESIS G80 3.5T BLACK

Price: from $125,200

Engine: 3.5-litre 6-cylinder turbo, 279kW/530Nm

Gearbox: 8-speed auto, all-wheel drive

Safety: not tested

The tick: such a smooth operator