Who is Hyundai kidding by calling its 2019 Genesis G80 ‘new’?

With the all new Genesis G70 sports sedan due in June, Hyundai Australia’s announcement of the arrival of “the New Genesis G80 Sedan” made us look twice until we realised it’s just a facelift and name change for its luxury sedan that first landed here back in 2014.

The Hyundai Genesis was indeed a fairly modern large sedan when it arrived five years ago and this late life-cycle facelift, while relatively slight, should ensure it remains the darling of airport limo drivers until a truly all-new model replaces it sometime in 2020.

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Apart from its mildly rejuvenated face, what’s mostly new about the 2019 Genesis G80 is that it loses the Hyundai badge from its rump and that it will be sold independently at its own high-end retail stores from June alongside the G70.

Priced from $68,900, the G80’s range has also been rejigged from the previous three variants to two – the base 3.8 and 3.8 Ultimate – which are both available with an extra-cost ‘Sport Design’ styling package.

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Though it's now in its twilight years, the G80 remains an impressive car for the price and its expansive standard-equipment list has been stretched to include an Australian-tuned adaptive suspension; electric driver’s seat/power steering column adjustment with memory settings; a 9.2-inch infotainment screen with 360-degree camera view; Bi-LED headlights; a 17-speaker premium audio system and wireless phone-charging pad.

Other standard features include: leather appointed trim; 12-way adjustable powered front seats with heating; DVD player, rear-seat audio controls in the arm rest, a powered rear window blind, hands-free power operated boot, dual-zone climate control, active cruise control, nine airbags, front and rear parking sensors, rain-sensing wipers, keyless entry and ignition, LED tail-lights, indicators and fog-lamps, puddle lamps and 18-inch alloy wheels.

Active safety comprises autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian recognition, blind spot warning, driver attention alert, high-beam assist, and lane-departure warning.

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Genesis 3.8 Ultimate

The range-topping 3.8 Ultimate also gains a credit-card style smart key and four-way electrically adjustable rear seats that recline and slide back for easier entry and exit.

Other additional equipment over the G80 3.8 includes: Nappa leather upholstery; 16-way powered front seats; heated and ventilated front seats and outboard rear seats; heated steering wheel; panorama glass sunroof; rear-door window blinds; head-up display and bigger 19-inch wheels.

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Spending an additional $4000 on the Sport Design pack brings a more aggressively styled grille, bumpers, 19-inch wheels, mesh type diffuser inserts, side skirts, plus Bi-Xenon headlights with washers.

Each variant comes with the same powertrain as before; the gutsy-but-thirsty, 232kW/397Nm 3.8-litre V6 and 8-speed automatic transmission driving the rear wheels via shift-by-wire electronic shifter and paddle shifters. Official fuel figures for the G80 have not been announced, however the pre-update model recorded a claimed average fuel consumption of 11.2L/100km.

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As previously mentioned the Genesis G80 will go on sale with the new G70 when Genesis finally begins trading as a standalone brand here in June, with the an all-new buying experience that begins with selecting colours and trim at the brand’s own design studios.

An all-new G80 will join the line-up next year, with two SUV models due in 2021.

2018 Genesis G80 pricing

• Genesis G80 3.8 - $68,000
• Genesis G80 3.8 Sport Design - $72,900
• Genesis G80 3.8 Ultimate - $88,900
• Genesis G80 3.8 Ultimate Sport Design - $92.900

Prices include Luxury Car Tax where applicable