A fun and practical family sedan you won't have to argue to get the kids into!
By Tace Clifford
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The Genesis G80 is one of those cars you don’t have to coax your kids to get into! It looks like the Batmobile and has screens and buttons and dials for them to fiddle with in the back!
It’s a great looking car on the outside and beautiful on the inside too.
I love sedans because they tend to be good to drive on the whole compared to SUVs because they cling to the road. Although I do find kids and rear passengers tend to get travel sick in them more than SUVs.
The G80 is definitely a car you buy for you rather than for the family but can it be a good family too? Let’s find out…
Firstly it’s a fantastic car to drive, smooth and fast and a lot of fun. Visibility is good for a sedan even with the low roofline and we found the rearview camera that can be used while driving along was really helpful.
We didn’t find the roofline of the Genesis G80 too low in our week with the car. And there was no bumped heads at all. The rear doors open really nice and wide which we found made posting baby in and getting kids out of the back much easier and gave good room to reach in to do up harnesses.
Being a sedan, the boot of the G80 is really big, holding fourteen shopping bags when empty. Which is comparable to the VW Arteon that holds fifteen shopping bags.
A double pram or tandem stroller fits in the boot with a very generous amount of space for shopping bags and other things. The only consideration with the Genesis G80 and other sedans is you can't put a dog in the boot because of the fixed parcel shelf.
We could fit three child seats in the back of the Genesis G80 Sedan which was a nice surprise, two full size seats and a slim booster seat in the central seat. Space is a little tight where the roof of the car slopes in at the top so you need to test your car seats fit if you want three across.
There are ISOFix points in the two outer second-row seats and top tether anchorages in the parcel shelf for all three rear seating positions, which gives you good flexibility of where you position your child seat if you don't need to fit three.
Two child seats is a really nice fit in the back and there is enough legroom for a 180cm driver in front of a rear-facing child seat or on the passenger side, a 184cm passenger will fit in front of a rear-facing child seat. With a forward-facing child seat on the driver's side then a 184cm driver can sit in front of it.
There are screens in the back of both front seats to keep the rear passengers entertained whilst driving along. This is all well and good in theory but they are controlled using the rotary dial and button panel in the rear central seat fold-down armrest and we found that our cheeky little fiddly fingered kid also took over the whole car! She could control the air-conditioning, the source and volume of music etc throughout the car. I am presuming there MUST be a way of locking the controls but we didn't find them!
Also, the screens eat into space for rear-facing seats and are at exactly the right height to get damaged if a tall person gets in and moves the seat right back not realising the screen is touching the child seat.
There is a large storage area in the central seat armrest and two cup holders pop out of the front of it. Apart from this storage throughout the Genesis G80 Sedan is functional yet minimal.
In the front the glove box, phone well and all the door bins are all small too.
There is a glasses case in the ceiling and lit vanity mirrors.
One of my favourite things in the Genesis G80 sedan are the rear window blinds. They are on both the rear windows and there is an electric one on the rear windscreen. I love this one because it keeps rear-facing little passengers shaded from the sun shining right in on their faces and it goes down automatically when you reverse.
Another favourite are the front seats, where do I start!? The front passenger seat has buttons on the side of the backrest so the driver can control them without getting out of the car. This is really handy for school drop offs and pick ups for kids to climb in past car seats without the driver having to get out of the car,
The drivers seat has a wonderful method for adjusting your seat, when you put your hand down the side of the seat…
…it brings up a visual on the media screen and this is also how you access the massage seats too!
The media system in the Genesis G80 is very modern and easy to use, it is very similar to the one that is in the new Kia Carnival and Hyundai Palisade. It has Apple CarPlay and voice memo…
…as well as Sounds of Nature, which is white noise at your finger tips and really works to get Bub to sleep while you are driving!
There are air-con vents in the front and rear of the G80 and you can control them all through the front media screen while driving along, which I find really useful when I have my children in the back.
The reversing camera is crystal clear, with various views to chose from and you can turn the parking sensors off with a button by the driver's right knee.
There is also a rear view camera while you are driving along as well as indicator cameras in the Genesis G80 that come up in the driver's display. These are both really handy as visibility can be difficult out of the back and sides, especially with the low roof line, and when you are loaded up with child seats in the back.
The Genesis G80 has a special trick! The G80 has remote parking, so you can turn the engine on and drive it forwards and backwards just using the key fob.
We found it super handy when parking  where the spaces are tight with the kids. We could unload everyone and then drive the G80 into the parking space and the same on the way out, without dinging any cars parked either side with the doors and it is much easier to get bubs in and out of their car seats.
Overall the Genesis G80 is a fantastic looking car that is also great to drive and more practical than you would imagine as a BabyDrive! So if you are trying to get this over the line with your partner you will not have to work too hard to convince them! It fits three child seats, has a very practical sized boot and the media system and cameras make it a winner. Not to mention the luxury interior and massage seats!
How big is the boot of the new 2021 Genesis G80? How good is storage in the 2021 Genesis G80?
When using only the first two rows of seats in the 2021 Genesis G80 sedan will hold fourteen shopping bags, which is comparable to the Volkswagen Arteon that will hold fifteen bags.
The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Tulsi’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.
Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.
I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.
The twin side-by-side stroller fits in the boot of the 2021 Genesis G80 with four shopping bags beside it.
The tandem stroller fits in the boot of the 2021 Genesis G80, with five shopping bags beside it.
The single stroller fits in the boot of the 2021 Genesis G80 with five shopping bags beside it.
The compact stroller fits in the boot of the 2021 Genesis G80 with nine shopping bags around it.
You can't transport a dog in the boot of the 2021 Genesis G80 sedan because it has a fixed parcel shelf.
The boot of the 2021 Genesis G80 is flat and carpeted which is good for an emergency nappy change…
…with a space saver tyre underneath the floor.
Storage in the cabin of the new 2021 Genesis G80 is quite compact throughout. In the front there are two cup holders in the central console that will hold a re-usable or disposable coffee cup. In front of the gear dial is a wireless phone tray with USB sockets.
The central console storage box is quite shallow and has a 12V socket inside.
There are lit vanity mirrors in the ceiling and a lined glasses case.
The glove box would hold my wallet with the manual but an iPad won't fit.
The door bins in the front aren't very practical and a water bottle will only just squeeze in if you lay it down.
In the back storage is equally minimal. There are map pockets on the back of both front seats, they will hold but not conceal an iPad.
A fold down armrest in the central seat back contains a large storage box and the rear screen and seat controls are there too.
There are two pop-out cup holders at the end of the armrest that will hold a re-usable or disposable coffee cup.
The rear door bins are even smaller and you can just wedge a water bottle there and there are also the little storage wells in the door handles too.
BabyDrive Indepth - Noise
How noisy is the new 2021 Genesis G80? How good is the media system in the 2021 Genesis G80?
The media system in new 2021 Genesis G80 is modern, clean and easy to navigate with a similar system as you find in modern Hyundais and Kias.
It has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto…
…and it has the great white noise ‘Sounds of Nature' that all the new Hyundais and Kias have, which for parents is gold! It is basically a selection of white noise at your fingertips and we find the “calm sea waves” setting gets our daughter to sleep every time.
The media screen controls a lot throughout the car. You can adjust the climate for the front and rear passengers…
…as well as the front seats.
One of my favourites is the driver seat adjustment that comes up on the media screen when you put your hand by the buttons down the side of your seat. You can adjust and save your position and choose your massage option.
The reversing camera image quality is excellent, you can select which view you have and have a bird's-eye view too.
There is also a rear view camera that can be set to fill the media screen while you are driving along as well as an indicator camera that you can see in the drivers display screen. Both are really helpful when turning, changing lanes or parking and manoeuvring at low speeds.
There are screens on the back of both front seats for the rear passengers. You do have to be careful when you have rear facing child seats installed in the back that they don't hit in to them.
Our eldest daughter loved watching on the screens and even more she loved controlling the whole car's media system through her screen using the rear controls in the fold down armrest!
We of course did NOT love this at all! I am sure there must be a way to lock the rear passengers being able to control the whole system but we didn't find it in our week with the car. So we would be driving along listening to something and all of a sudden it would be nursery rhymes full blast… you can image our joy!!
The new 2021 Genesis G80 is not a noisy car when the kids aren't in control!
Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!
That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.
If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?
It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?
A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.
Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!
I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.
Instead of a traditional gear lever, the Genesis G80 has a rotary dial down in the central console.
In front of it is another rotary dial which controls the media system, I did find during my weeks driving it around with my family I would accidentally use the wrong rotary dial when changing the media system or gears.
There are heated and cooled seats in the front and rear of the Genesis G80, the controls in the back are within kids reach when you have the control panel available.
The indicators are not too loud in the Genesis G80 and the rear doors and windows can be locked from the driver's door control panel with a single child lock button. There is also a separate lock button just for all the car doors. I found the doors were not too loud to open and close. You can also raise and lower the rear window blinds using the rear window buttons. The first press is for the blinds, the second for the windows themselves. I especially like this method because you can do it while driving and the kids can't play with them when you lock the rear windows.
There are controls on the side of the front passenger seat so the driver can control its position without having to get out. This feature is really handy for school pick-ups and when helping elderly relatives in and out of the car.
BabyDrive Indepth - Car Seats
How many child seats fit in the new 2021 Genesis G80?
The Genesis G80 is a five-seater sedan. There are ISOFix points in the two outer second-row seats, they are not within plastic guides but are clearly labelled and easy to connect to.
There are top tether anchorages in the fixed parcel shelf for all three rear seats.
I found three child seats would just fit across this second row. The ceiling slopes in at the sides so you have to be selective with the child seats you install and we found a slim booster would fit in the central seat.
Two child seats fit really well and I could just squeeze between them and the legroom is good too.
We found that with a rear facing child seat a 184cm passenger could fit in front.
Posting bub into their child seats is surprisingly easy in the G80, it is very spacious in the back which really helps when inside the car and from outside it is nice and easy to reach in and do up harnesses and seatbelts. Being a sedan, the ceiling is low so you do need to watch for bumped heads!
Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!
I found there is room to feed bub in the back with a child seat installed.
BabyDrive Indepth - Drive & Comfort
How comfortable is the new 2021 Genesis G80? And how good is the new 2021 Genesis G80 to drive?
The front seats of the new 2021 Genesis G80 are REALLY nice and comfortable and in the model I tested they are tan leather upholstery with perforated central panels for the heated and cooled seats. The driver's seat also gives a selection of massages.
For a mum travelling in the back with bub, the second-row seats are extremely comfortable too. Both outer seats are heated and cooled and you can definitely feel the firmness of the fold-down armrest in your back if you sit in the central seat.
There is a tall hump in the central aisle footwell that you have to straddle.
For the first year of my first daughters life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with her so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!
The steering wheel is fully adjustable in/out and up/down. The cruise controls are on the right on the steering wheel and are easy to use. I found the cruise control in the Genesis G80 to be very accurate on both motorways and at lower speeds on undulating roads. I like how minimal the controls are and how they blend in with the steering wheel.
There are four air-conditioning vents on the front dashboard of the Genesis G80; two below the media screen and one at either end of the dash…
… and two more air-conditioning vents in the back of the central console box for the rear passengers.
There are air-con controls in the central dashboard where you can control the front and rear climate…
…or within the climate function in the main screen.
Visibility in the new 2021 Genesis G80 is surprisingly better than I thought it would be, being a sedan. It is a large car though so I found the rearview and indicator cameras in this model really helped with this.
I also found I used the remote parking system when I had the kids in the back as the Genesis G80 really filled the parking spaces and so I had little room to get the kids in and out.
One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and my daughter has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the Genesis G80 was quite easy to park as the visibility with the cameras is very good and self parking really helped!
BabyDrive Indepth - Safety
How safe is the 2021 Genesis G80?
The 2021 Genesis G80 has been given a five-star ANCAP safety rating. Scoring was 91% for Adult Occupancy testing and 86% for Child Occupancy testing.
ANCAP said of the Child Occupancy testing:
In both the frontal offset and side impact tests, protection was GOOD for all critical body areas for both the 6 year and 10 year child dummies.
The Genesis G80 is fitted with lower ISOFix anchorages for the rear outboard seats and top tether anchorages for all rear seating positions.
Installation of typical child restraints available in Australia and New Zealand showed most child restraints could be accommodated in most rear seating positions, however the Type A capsule could not be correctly installed in the rear outboard seating positions, and care is required when installing one of the booster seats in the centre rear position.
The Genesis G80 comes with eight airbags as standard.
Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when my daughters are asleep!
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About Tace Clifford
Tace Clifford founded BabyDrive in 2017 after discovering a huge information gap in mainstream car reviews that left new parents and expanding families in the dark when it came to one of the biggest purchasing decisions of their lives.
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