IF BYSTANDER attention and commentary were Wheels ratings criteria, the Genesis GV80 would hose this comparison. Easily. It remains as relentless now as when the family hauling newcomer first lobbed just under a year ago, but with one crucial difference. There’s little ‘what is it?’, nor, ‘Is that a Bentley?’ aimed my way. Onlookers, by and large, now ask how it goes and if it’s any good.
The fledgling Korean luxury marque now looks to have one leg over one painful initial hurdle in Australia: brand recognition. It’s been a rocky introduction to this new Genesis renaissance, one stymied by a lack of metal on the ground to let local prospective buyers decide what they think of the GV80’s distinctive pitch. Getting any traction demands public reaction, be it fair or foul.
The Audi Q7? Not a peep from onlookers. Even though, as a return to petrol power and the first time in the seven-seater range’s second generation, the 55 TFSI fills an important hole as Aussie tastes continue to steer gently away from oiler passenger vehicles. Familiar, friendly and downright innocuous, nobody confuses the big Audi with a Bentayga, no matter how much incidental irony there is in the shared technical DNA.
Bentayga, Porsche Cayenne, Volkswagen Touareg: what cannot be underestimated is the benefit the Ingolstadt machine enjoys from the combined front of big-family evolution, and luxury focused at that. It’s such company the Genesis’s fledgling competitor wants to almost desperately keep, but the question, seemingly on everyone’s lips, is how the GV80 really measures up.
Esta historia es de la edición December 2021 de Wheels Australia Magazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición December 2021 de Wheels Australia Magazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
ROUGH DIAMONDS
GO OUT AND SEE AUSTRALIA. BUY ONE OF THESE AND YOU'LL MAKE IT HOME TOO
WORK IN PROGRESS
WHEN YOUR LIVELIHOOD DEPENDS ON IT, DON'T TAKE ANY CHANCES
RABID RESPONSE
EVEN IF YOU'RE PULLING IN THE FINANCIAL HORNS, YOU WON'T NEED TO COMPROMISE ON FUN
PREMIUM BLEND
HERE'S HOW TO ENJOY CHAMPAGNE ON A VAGUELY BEERY BUDGET
GO LARGE, SAVE BIG
WE BRING YOU A SELECTION OF LARGE FAMILY SUVS THAT ARE UNLIKELY TO BREAK THE BANK
MIDDLE CLASS
THE AUSSIE FAMILY DREAM USED TO BE A QUARTER ACRE AND A PICKET FENCE. NOW IT'S A LITTLE MORE MODEST
SHORTY AWARDS
VALUE FOR MONEY CAN BE A RARE COMMODITY AMONG SMALL SUVS. HERE ARE THREE THAT ANSWER THE CALL
MID SIZE MAX VALUE
THE MEDIUM RANGE SECTOR IS THE VERY DEFINITION OF GETTING ALOT OF CAR FOR YOUR DOLLAR
HATCH MATCH
WANT A HATCH THAT'LL PUT A SMILE ON YOUR DIAL SECOND TIME ROUND? TRY THESE...
MODE ΤΟ ΤΟΥ
PORSCHE'S LATEST HOT 911 IS THE NEW FRONTIER FOR ON-THEFLY CHASSIS ADJUSTABILITY, OFFERING THE DRIVER A WORLD OF CONFIGURATION - BUT IS IT WORTH THE HASSLE?