News

3 years and 50k miles with my Genesis GV80: Why I'm selling the car

1st October 2024, 15:31 by Kanad Kalasur

My initial expectation when buying this car was to get a luxury car with well put together nice interiors, usable space and decent performance.

BHPian jeevadeepan recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Hi everyone,

After almost 3 years and 50k miles later I decided to say good bye to my Genesis GV80 last month. Wanted to write up a short end of ownership summary. It's been an incredible experience owning this car. It exceeded my expectations in almost all areas of ownership from comfort, luxury, ease of use to reliability and performance. My initial expectation when buying this car was to get a luxury car with well put together nice interiors, usable space and decent performance. And the car performed flawlessly in all those areas exceeding my expectations and still drove like new after all those miles.

Likes

Luxurious Interiors and craftsmanship
Excellent highway manners and high speed handling
Quiet interiors at highway speeds (70 mph)
Predictable and more human like adaptive cruise control (Highway driving assist)
Under appreciated 4cyl turbo that has more than adequate performance for a spirited driving while providing decent fuel economy
Smooth powetrain that fades in the background for a relaxing drive
Blind spot camera. One of features I'll truly miss. I'm so used to looking at the camera display in the instrument cluster, I had to recalibrate myself to look at the mirrors and over shoulder while driving other cars
Well put together rattle free interiors thats still looks amlost new after 50k miles
Non intrusive driver assists. One of the few cars which doesnt annoy with false alerts. I pretty much kept everything on all the time and it mostly would intervene in truly needed scenarios

Dislikes

Lack of Spare tire
Harsh ride on uneven pavements with 22in wheels
So so fuel economy. I usually observe 22 - 26 mpg (based on aggressive vs relaxed driving styles)
High maintenance costs at dealerships. One charged me almost twice the amount compared to an independent shop for an oil service)
Expensive to replace huge tires
Headlight aim is not adjustable. Default factory aim is set to focus a little upwards than I'd like. I constantly get flashed by some oncoming cars when on low beams
Parking sensors go off behind other cars with sensors at traffic lights- Sluggish acceleration at low speeds around town

Reliability and maintenance
Genesis covered maintenance for the first 36k miles. Beyond that, I paid for the following out of pocket,

20k - Accident repair. Replaced grille, hood and headlight assembly. Claimed insurance.

38k - Oil change
44k - Oil change
46k - Tires replaced
48k - Spark plugs, oil change, engine and cabin air filters

While the 22inch wheels look cool, they ride harsh and the tires are a fortune to replace. All seasons from name brands (michelin, bridgestone) cost USD 400 per tire. I was able to snag some summer tires on sale for $200 each. But I would be looking for dedicated winter set later in the year if I had kept the car which are again pricey. Other than that, I only spent for regular scheduled maintenance

Decision to sell
With the car serving me so well, I initially intended to own it for much longer, at least for 6 years. But, family needs changed where I have to tow/haul a 6 x 12 enclosed trailer (150 miles) regularly (almost every weekend). I had a factory OEM hitch installed on the GV80 and the car is rated to tow 6000 lbs ( with trailer brakes). Mine is a single axle trailer with GVWR of 2990 lbs without trailer brakes. Without brakes, I was still under the allowed weight limits that the car can pull. And the car pulled the trailer without any fuss. Keeping up with traffic on the freeway, while not effortless but very manageable. And the car had sufficient passing power too when needed. Braking distance increased a lot with the trailer attached, but with an increased following distance one could stop the vehicle safely.

I have been doing this for a few weeks. But being a luxury crossover, I was not sure about the long term reliability of the powertrain if I was going to regulary tow long distances with it. While it may have worked, I did not want to take chances by putting more stress on the drivetrain. Pickup trucks are made to do this without breaking a sweat (Also, wanted an excuse to own a full-size pickup. Don't tell anyone ). And decided to trade-in the GV80 for a full size pickup.

Final Thoughts
Overall I had a pleasant ownership experience. If not for the towing needs, I would not hesitate to drive the car for another 50k miles. Other than a few initial teething issues when new, the car has been extremely reliable, comfortable eating up highway miles with a luxurious, serene interiors and loaded features.

Took this a couple of days before waving goodbye!