2026 Genesis G80 Black review

I love luxury sedans, and if you’re reading this, you probably do too. Aren’t they nice? Those SUV folk don’t know what they’re missing!

It’s an exclusive little club we have. Passenger cars – so anything that’s not marketed as an SUV, van or ute – accounted for just 13.3 per cent of the Australian market last year. Large and ‘upper large’ cars made up just 1.6 per cent of that.

Suffice it to say, we're not expecting this review of the Genesis G80 Black to be our site's most-read review. But if you’re one of the dwindling few Australians who wants to buy a new large sedan, you’d best settle in and read this because the Genesis G80 is one of the best-kept secrets on our market.

The Black is a new addition to the G80 lineup for 2026, offering the twin-turbocharged V6 engine of the flagship Signature Sport but without some of the performance hardware. Oh, and everything’s finished in black. Well, not the tail-lights, but Genesis had to stop somewhere.

It’s part of a range of Black editions from Genesis, and it’s almost certain to be the most exclusive of these in Australia because it’s a sedan. And buyers after a large luxury sedan in our market tend to make a beeline right for a BMW or Mercedes-Benz dealership.

Their loss. The G80 isn’t perfect, but it’s a compelling luxury sedan.

How much does the Genesis G80 cost?

The G80 Black takes the base 2.5T Signature, adds various black enhancements inside and out, and swaps out the turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine for a twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6. Alas, that brings its price uncomfortably close to the 3.5T Signature Sport.

Like the Ford Model T, you can have the G80 Black in any colour you want, so long as it's black. It's offered exclusively with Vik Black paint and an Obsidian Black interior.

The G80 effectively has just two direct rivals at the moment in Australia: the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. And while the Black presents as poor value within the G80 lineup, it’s sensational value compared to those Germans.

A Mercedes-Benz E300 is $129,400 before on-roads, and features a less powerful four-cylinder engine. BMW doesn't offer a 'regular' six-cylinder petrol-powered 5 Series in Australia, giving you a choice instead of the four-cylinder petrol 520i ($116,900 before on-roads) or six-cylinder diesel 540d xDrive ($136,900 plus on-roads).

Given the grunt of the 540d xDrive, it strikes us as the most desirable competitor to the G80 Black even if it is a diesel. And unlike Genesis or Mercedes-Benz, BMW doesn't follow a fixed-price 'agency' retail model so there's potentially room to haggle.

To see how the Genesis G80 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What is the Genesis G80 like on the inside?

Open the door and you’re greeted with a cabin that’s as luxurious as ever, but with much improved technology following the G80’s 2024 update.

The black theme continues inside the G80 Black, but Genesis didn’t do the lazy thing and just slather gloss-black plastic everywhere.

Instead, there are lashings of real open-pore ash wood trim, including on the centre console, doors, and neatly integrated in the dashboard, with only a modest amount of gloss-black trim around the climate controls, gear shifter, and infotainment dial.

And unlike some brands with their lazier black packs, the G80 Black takes the black theme very seriously – even the speaker grilles and switchgear like the infotainment controller are finished in black.

With the wood trim and the subtle but colour-adjustable ambient lighting, the G80 Black’s cabin avoids feeling too funereal. And this is genuinely a lovely place to sit, with the wonderfully comfortable front seats moving backward to allow you easy access, and featuring heating, ventilation and massage.

The rear outboard seats are also heated, ventilated and recline slightly, while every seat in the car is upholstered in beautifully fragrant Nappa leather. The headliner is also finished in black suede.

While the in-car tech wasn’t bad prior to the 2024 update, the G80’s mid-life refresh truly elevated it. There’s one 27-inch screen that integrates the digital instrument cluster and the infotainment touchscreen, and this is a superb bit of tech.

You can display the embedded satellite navigation across the entire screen, or have your Google Maps appear separately both ahead of you and over on the touchscreen portion.

Alternatively, you can use the augmented reality function of the satellite navigation, which displays footage of the road ahead with superimposed arrows and other directional graphics. It’s super distracting but it feels like you’re playing Need for Speed!

The infotainment system features wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto, and while we didn't try the former, we had no problems with the latter.

There are still actual knobs on the centre stack, though the rest of the switchgear here is touch-capacitive. Fortunately, it features haptic feedback and the typefaces are large.

The steering wheel feels lovely, and has various buttons and rocker switches and even a pair of programmable shortcut buttons. However, the little square you slide over with your thumb to do things like skip a song is rather irritating to use.

The drive mode selector and camera button are located on the centre console between the cupholders and the wireless phone charger, and do require you to take your eyes off the road until their location becomes muscle memory.

You may also confuse the infotainment dial for the similarly shaped gear selector at least once during your time with the G80. Yes, they are very close to each other and feel similar, though we do appreciate that Genesis gives you multiple ways to use its infotainment system.

There are a couple of other gripes with the G80’s cabin that we have with some other Genesis products.

While the sides of the centre console are finished in soft trim, the top part of each side is hard and, unless you have one very odd seating position, this is where your knee would naturally rest.

Also, for an interior where the bottoms of the doors and even the insides of their pockets are finished in soft-touch plastic, the thick piece of barely rubberised plastic trim running across the dash is an odd choice.

Sometimes the proximity entry feature for the car can be a bit slow and dopey, making it take longer just to get inside.

The bottle holders in the front doors won’t fit any decently sized bottles, while the centre console bin is somewhat shallow. Inside here, you’ll find a pair of USB-C outlets plus a 12V outlet.

Step into the back and there’s decent headroom for someone 180cm tall, despite the presence of a panoramic sunroof. Legroom is good too, with the lightly rubberised front seatbacks scooped out to make room for your knees – that easy access feature for the front seats did catch out one of my slow-moving rear-seat passengers once, however.

The centre-seat occupant will have to contend with a raised driveline hump, and frankly it’s just not a comfortable seat despite the G80 being a fairly wide vehicle. The contouring of the outboard seats and its flat base, plus that driveline hump, means it’s best saved for kids.

One other gripe with the rear of the cabin: the door pockets back here are just as useless as those up front.

There are climate controls back here plus window sunblinds and a fold-down centre armrest with controls for the heated, ventilated and power reclining seats; controls for the power rear sunblind and sound system; a small storage compartment; and even a wireless phone charger plus a rotary dial like that up front.

Genesis didn’t cut corners with the soft-touch trim back here as some luxury brands do, and everything is finished just as nicely as it is up front.

Boot space is good at 424 litres, and under the boot floor you’ll find a space-saver spare. There's a small pass-through to the cabin, but the seats don't fold flat.

To see how the Genesis G80 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What's under the bonnet?

The G80 Black uses the same twin-turbo 3.5-litre petrol V6 as the flagship Signature Sport, with outputs that are 54kW and 108Nm higher than the base 2.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder, but combined fuel consumption that's 2.1L/100km higher.

We actually recorded fuel consumption very close to the official claim, while even on a spirited mountain drive it only crept as high as 12.5L/100km.

To see how the Genesis G80 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How does the Genesis G80 drive?

While the blacked-out look may suggest sportiness, the driving experience of the G80 Black is anything but. And that’s okay.

Genesis engineers clearly focused on comfort, and the G80 Black does without some of the performance hardware (and software) of the slightly more expensive 3.5T Signature Sport. That means no rear-wheel steering, electronic rear limited-slip differential, launch control or Sport+ drive mode.

You still get the same twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6, however, mated with a smooth-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. There are also adaptive dampers as part of the Road Preview Electronic Control Suspension, and that’s a good thing.

While I like a softer ride, the G80 Black in its default suspension setting is too soft to the point of feeling ponderous – the secondary ride is excellent, with all the smaller bumps and ruts smoothed out wonderfully, but the primary ride reveals a lack of body control.

We took the Genesis on a road trip and on some undulating rural roads the G80 was bobbing too much, to the point where it was starting to bother passengers.

Flick it to Sport mode or select the Sport suspension option in the customisable My mode, and the G80 Black feels much more tied-down. And yet despite the dampers being put in their firmest setting, the G80 Black still glides over bumps and ruts with a truly impressive level of refinement.

I just found myself doing the same little start-up routine each time: hold the mute button down to turn off the audible speed warnings, and press the drive mode button until I get to My mode.

For My mode, I selected not only the firmer of the two suspension modes but also the heavier of the two steering modes. There’s not an abundance of road feel in any mode but the Sport setting adds a bit of extra weight, which makes the vehicle more confidence-inspiring in the twisties. Neither setting is absurdly light, mind you, and even in Sport mode the steering isn’t what we’d call heavy.

You don’t need to select the Sport option for the powertrain – one of four levels available along with Eco, Comfort and Smart – as the twin-turbo V6 feels plenty quick in the default setting. Drive is doled out smoothly via the eight-speed auto.

On a drive through the mountains on a wet night, the G80 Black comported itself well with terrific grip and traction from the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres and all-wheel drive system.

For a vehicle that can feel ponderous in one drive mode, it was surprising to find just how agile and well-controlled the G80 felt. There’s a bit of understeer at the limit and ultimately this is no BMW M, but the G80 Black doesn't feel sloppy when you select the right mode.

The cabin is extremely quiet, and the engine note is significantly muffled. If you want, you can toggle between three levels of what Genesis calls Active Sound Design, an augmented version of the vehicle’s engine note. You’d need to have a keen ear to be able to tell the difference.

Other than the annoying overspeed alert – easily turned off with a long press of the volume button on the steering wheel each time you start the car – the driver assist systems are well-calibrated.

The driver attention monitor is quite accurate, instead of nagging you when you are actually paying attention, while the combination of adaptive cruise control and a well-judged lane-centring system make the G80 a terrific highway cruiser.

The G80’s Blind Spot View Monitor is also a worthy inclusion, displaying camera footage of your blind spot when you turn on the indicator.

In addition to a traditional semi-autonomous parking assist system, there’s Remote Smart Park Assist which allows you to move the car forward and backwards from outside using the key fob. For those of us who have to deal with narrow home garages, it can come in very handy.

To see how the Genesis G80 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What do you get?

The Black sits in the middle of the 2026 Genesis G80 lineup.

2026 Genesis G80 2.5T Signature equipment highlights:

• 19-inch alloy wheels in Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres
• Tyre pressure monitoring
• 4-piston monobloc front brake calipers
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Adaptive LED headlights with Micro Lens Array technology
• Comfort, Eco, Sport and Custom drive modes
• Electric parking brake
• Auto hold
• Paddle shifters
• Remote Smart Parking Assist 2
• Soft-close doors
• Reverse guide lights
• Hands-free power boot lid
• Electro-chromatic rear-view mirror
• Active road noise cancellation
• Wireless phone chargers (front and rear)
• Tri-zone climate control
• 27-inch OLED display
• Augmented reality satellite navigation
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• DAB+ digital radio
• 18-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system
• 12-inch head-up display
• Nappa leather upholstery
• 18-way power front seats
  • Driver’s memory
  • Passenger memory
  • Heating
  • Ventilation
  • Massaging
• Heated and ventilated outboard rear seats
• Power-adjustable outboard rear seats
• Heated steering wheel
• Heated front console armrest
• UV-C sanitising console
• Suede headliner, pillars and rear shelf trims
• Stainless steel scuff plates
• Colour-adjustable ambient lighting on dash, doors and centre console
• Power rear window sunshade
• Manual rear door window sunshades

Over the 2.5T Signature, the G80 Black adds:

• Road Preview Electronic Control Suspension
• Black grille
• Black 20-inch alloy wheels
• Black brake calipers
• Dark-tinted badging
• Black chrome headlight bezels, window mouldings and body cladding
• Dark-tinted steering wheel logo
• Black ash real wood inlays with brass grain highlights
• Black switchgear and bezels
• Black aluminium speaker grilles
• Black Nappa leather seats with exclusive quilting and piping
• Unique screen graphics

Over the 2.5T Signature, the 3.5T Signature Sport adds:

• 20-inch alloy wheels
• Unique front and rear bumpers, grille
• Dark chrome exterior trim
• Road Preview Electronic Control Suspension
• Rear-wheel steering
• Electronic rear limited-slip differential
• Sport+ drive mode
• Launch control
• 3-spoke sport steering wheel
• Real Carbon inlays
• Alloy pedals
• ‘Sport’ seat quilting

All G80 vehicles come with a complimentary five-year Genesis Connected Services subscription. This includes live traffic, vehicle diagnostics and weather information, as well as a voice assistant to control vehicle functions like the windows.

A smartphone app allows you to remotely control the climate settings, locks, and windows, as well as view the vehicle's location and even monitor its surroundings using the surround-view camera.

Is the Genesis G80 safe?

While four-cylinder Genesis G80 models have a five-star ANCAP safety rating with a 2021 datestamp based on Euro NCAP testing, variants with the twin-turbo V6 remain unrated.

The petrol-powered G80 scored 91 per cent for adult occupant protection, 86 per cent for the protection of child occupants, 77 per cent for vulnerable road users and 80 per cent for safety assist.

Standard safety equipment includes:

• Adaptive cruise control (uses navigation and machine learning)
• Autonomous emergency braking
  • Vehicle, pedestrian and cyclist detection
  • Junction turning and crossing assist
  • Lane-change oncoming/side assist
  • Evasive steering assist
• Blind-spot assist
• Blind Spot View Monitor
• Highway Driving Assist 2 (combines adaptive cruise and lane centring)
• Lane Following Assist 2 (lane centring) with hands-on detection
• Radar-based rear occupant alert
• Rear cross-traffic assist
• Intelligent speed limit assist
• Surround-view camera
• Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist – forward, side and reverse
• 10 airbags, including front, front-centre, front side, driver’s knee and curtain ‘bags
• Active bonnet

How much does the Genesis G80 cost to run?

Genesis has one of the best aftersales offerings in the industry.

The G80 comes with five years of roadside assistance, but this extends to 10 years if you continue to service within the Genesis network.

Not only is there five years of free servicing, but the brand offers five years of Genesis To You.

This sees a valet collect your Genesis for servicing and leave you with another Genesis vehicle. The complimentary pickup service is only available if you’re within 50km driving distance from a Genesis outlet.

To see how the Genesis G80 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

CarExpert’s Take on the Genesis G80

You’d have to really love a black pack to pick the G80 Black over the only slightly more expensive Signature Sport.

For just $2000 extra, you get quite a bit of extra equipment, and you can still just option it with a black interior and black exterior anyway. No, the wheels won’t be black, nor will some of the switches, but is that the end of the world?

Look past this frivolous addition to the lineup and the Genesis G80 is still an impressive luxury sedan six years after its introduction. The mid-life update brought a significant technological update without messing with what made the G80 great.

It'd be nice if there was a more efficient hybrid option, but we know Genesis has hybrids in the pipeline. And if reducing your fuel usage is a priority, you can stop paying for petrol entirely and step up to the electric Electrified G80.

With a twin-turbo V6 when similarly priced Germans have fours, a luxuriously appointed and serene cabin with thoroughly modern technology, a long list of standard equipment, and a comfortable ride and agile handling, the G80 is a compelling large luxury sedan.

You know, for those of you who still buy them.

Interested in buying a Genesis G80? Let CarExpert find you the best deal here

Click the images for the full gallery. Photography by Eliot Tsai

MORE: Explore the Genesis G80 showroom