It’s been almost four years since the Genesis GV80 helped put the Korean luxury brand on the map for most consumers, and now it’s time for an update. The company’s first SUV, the GV80’s posh style, capable driving dynamics and enviable value proposition have aged like fine wines in those long, turbulent years, but time waits for no automaker. At a preview Tuesday in Bel Air, Los Angeles, Genesis took the wraps off the refreshed North American versions of the 2025 GV80 and its new GV80 Coupe sibling.
Genesis has wisely chosen not to mess with success. While the Coupe is an entirely new addition to the lineup that will offer a more powerful optional engine than the regular GV80, the other changes are largely evolutionary. There are new wheels and subtle visual tweaks to the regular GV80’s exterior styling, but the major upgrades come within, in the form of a big interior update shared with both body styles.
Pricing won’t be revealed until closer to the vehicles’ on-sale dates, likely this upcoming spring, but the updates look like solid improvements to an already compelling vehicle.
Inside the 2025 Genesis GV80
The centerpiece of the GV80’s redesigned interior is its 27-inch OLED display screen, which replaces both the old instrument cluster and 14.5-inch center screen from earlier years. It’s a very clean look that echoes the big screens seen on more recent BMW and Mercedes-Benz rivals while having a style of its own. The center console is also redesigned, bringing the HVAC and certain other controls a little higher up and closer to the driver’s line-of-sight.
On the plus side, the screen looks great and is easier to reach than the old unit. It’s also a very clean look, which Genesis’ North American senior chief designer John Krsteski referred to as being defined by white space.
Knobs remain for functions like temperature and volume adjustments, but physical buttons, already scant in the earlier GV80s, are almost entirely gone. Only time will tell if drivers like that more, but it does look cooler. Genesis didn’t comment on whether the screen will have any operating system updates or new digital assistants.
As in earlier GV80s, the fine, high-touch materials and pretty diamond patterns and stitching remain, only now there will be two-tone steering wheels. There are also bigger cupholders, a new pedal design and a redesigned wireless charging tray. Again, evolution, not revolution.
On the outside, the regular GV80 gets a subtly updated front fascia that blends the big grille in more smoothly and highlights the “two line” lighting signatures that have become a brand trademark. There are also new 20- and 22-inch wheel designs and 12 colors, including Storr Green, which Krsteski says takes its name from the famous rock formation on Scotland’s Isle of Skye.
Under the hood, the GV80’s 300-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder and 375-hp 3.5-liter V6 engines will continue, as will most of the mechanical pieces and standard all-wheel drive. The updated front fascia does include a revised skid plate, and Forbes Wheels has off-roaded in the GV80, but that isn’t what most owners use it for.
GV80 Coupe: Style & Speed
When the prototype GV80 Coupe broke cover in New York this past April, it looked very close to production-ready, and now it’s here. Meant to vie with other midsize luxury “crossover coupes,” specifically the Audi Q8, BMW X6, Mercedes-AMG GLE coupe and Porsche Cayenne Coupe, this new model is the first real entry of a non-German vehicle into this space. Infiniti builds a smaller QX55 aimed at the Audi Q5 Sportback and BMW X4, but Genesis is aiming for even more demanding buyers.
“Crossover coupes,” of course, trade utility for flash. Genesis did not offer comment on the size of the GV80 Coupe’s cargo hold, but on casual inspection, it doesn’t look like it loses quite as much space as some alternatives relative to the regular version. Exact specs on this may be lacking, but the GV80 Coupe’s style certainly isn’t.
Looks are always in the eye of the beholder, but the GV80 Coupe draws eyes. It’s cleaner and more athletic looking than the X6 and distinctly more characterful than the Audi or the Porsche, and the updated interior from the regular GV80 carries over, giving it a very contemporary look relative to those others. To set its interior apart from its upright sibling, the Coupe will also get its own upholstery patterns, pedals and steering wheel as well as “Carbon Garnish” trims.
That all equates to a racier look, and Genesis will back that up with added performance, though it seems fair to say that the company is not targeting models like the $128,000, 603-hp Mercedes-AMG GLE63. The company says there will be two GV80 Coupe engines but confirmed only one of them. That engine is the twin-turbo 3.5T e-SC V6 from the G90, e-SC standing for the 48-volt electric supercharger. That engine makes 409 hp and 405 pound-feet of torque in the G90, and those figures will also apply to the GV80 Coupe.
The second engine is likely to be one of the regular GV80’s powerplants, but we won’t know exactly what the lineup looks like until early next year. In September, when the international market versions were announced in South Korea, only these three engines were mentioned. Expect the vehicles to start arriving at dealerships next summer.