Tag Archives: Luxury

Executive saloon, GENESIS, Luxury

Genesis a luxury beginning

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Genesis GV80

By Bill McCarthy

No-one really has heard of Genesis, well not many people anwyay, unless it’s referring to the Bible or Star Trek, but the company describes itself as an exciting disrupter in the premium segment.

Like other brands, Korean giant Hyundai has developed its own luxury brand with Genesis, designed to make an impact in the executive sector.

How do they do that? One way is to make this particular model look like a Bentley Bentayga, with its muscular stance, huge grille and the ‘similar’ winged badge the similarity is obvious.

That really is where the comparison ends, unless you want to throw around £100k to make up the price difference, and the hand-crafted excellence of the Bentley.

That’s not to say this is not a fine car, but it is aimed more at the executive end of the market, dominated by German brands, and offers something a bit left field. There are a number of SUV and saloon models, with both petrol and diesel power units and all-electric models imminent.

At more than £59k for this model, this is no bargain-basement brand and offers eye-catching styling, interior luxury and a raft of high-end technological goodies and a permanent four-wheel drive to give it a unique flavour. All models also come with a five-year warranty.

 It also features artificial intelligence that learns about the driver and builds on existing state-of-the-art advanced autonomous driver assistance systems (ADAS),

Some of the goodies could seem a little gimmicky, like the two main binnacle dials turning into cameras to show the road when the indicator is activated or the winged-style logo fading from view when the ignition is switched off, but otherwise, they are practical and enhance the driving experience.

It is a big car and in typical SUV style, sits high off the ground, with a muscular profile and featuring stylish alloy wheels and distinctive light clusters. 

The interior matches anything in its segment with a raft of leather, aluminium with thin air vents that run across the passenger compartment, ambient lighting and high-quality materials.

Prominent are the 14.5-inch HD infotainment screen and 12.3-inch TFT instrument cluster with 3D display, which are the brains of the car controlling connectivity, infotainment and navigation functions, while the Genesis Connect system offers live updates and smartphone integration 

The centre console houses the slightly fiddly circular controller which allows selection of the same functions as the touchscreen,  while the glass-topped rotary gear selector, mimics the Jaguar XF.

Inside there is plenty of space with excellent head and legroom, while a power-folding third-row seating is optional as is the huge panoramic roof. The powered and heated and cooled front seats feature top-grade Nappa leather and incorporate a massage function.  

The new 278PS 3.0-litre diesel on this model delivers plenty of pace and reasonable economy for such a big car.

The six-cylinder layout is both exceptionally smooth and quiet in operation, and shifts this 2.5-tonne beast to 60mph in just 7.5 seconds. Gear changes via the eight-speed auto box are smooth, slick and barely perceptible. It also offers three drive modes for extra economy, or to sharpen up performance.

The ride and handling are excellent, leaning into corners with little wallow, while the brand’s ride preview technology and electronically controlled suspension soak up the worst of the potholes.

Safety kit is impressive with blind spot monitoring, evasive steering assist, smart cruise control, lane following assist, driver attention warning, forward collision alert with pedestrian and cyclist detection, plus advanced airbag technology. There are 10 airbags with front centre airbags that are deployed if there is a side impact and these prevent the front occupants colliding with each other.

The boot is huge, particularly in five-seater mode with the powered boot lid opening up a 735 litres of space, which expands to a huge 2,152 litres with the seats folded while the usual array of cubby holes, bins and holders are arranged throughout the cabin.

Factfile

GENESIS GV80 Luxury line D AWD 

Price: £59,700

Mechanical: 278ps, 2996cc, six-cylinder, diesel engine driving all four wheels via 8-speed automatic transmission

Max Speed: 143mph

0-62mph: 7.7 seconds

Combined MPG: 26

Insurance Group: 48

C02 emissions: 229g/km

Warranty: 5yrs/62,000 miles

Audi, AWD, Executive, Manufacturer, SUV, Vehicle type

Head of the Q for performance

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Audi Q8 50 TDI quattro S line

By Bill McCarthy

THERE’S a saying that all good things come in small packages. In Audi’s case that is partially true. The German car maker produces fine smaller cars, but the same is true of its bigger models, including the flagship Q8.

It’s a huge SUV that proves good things also come in larger packages. It features a mini-hybrid, 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine combined with a lithium battery set up, eye-catching styling and a raft of high-end hi-tech equipment.

Usual Audi size grading by letter has been partially ignored here as the Q8 is around the same size as the Q7. It is actually shorter, although wider and is available only as five seater.

The interior is the usual Audi class act, with plush leather seats and virtual cockpit

The Q8 is still very large, with styling cues from the original Audi quattro. ThisS line includes high definiition LED lights, 21-inch alloy wheels and adaptive air suspension as standard, not to mention the allwheel drive and eight-speed tiptronic gearbox.

Despite its near three-metre wheelbase it looks pretty sleek, almost coupe like, with a swooping profile and raked rear end. It has a large grille with the signature four rings sitting on six vertical fins, giving it a slightly aggressive look.

The interior is the usual Audi class act, with plush leather seats, the now familiar virtual cockpit over two screens, in a pleasing piano black finish.

The upper display controls infotainment and the navigation system, sat nav, Apple and Android connectivity and the superb Bang and Olufsen sound system. The lower 8.6-inch display manages the heating, ventilation and air conditioning as well as comfort functions.

The top screen and TFT display can also be configured in various way to whatever is the driver’s preference.

The trim and finish is first class, with electrically operated leather seats, soft touch finish to dash and doors, with aluminium flashes throughout.

It is packed with equipment, including goodies like the 360 degree camera for parking, collisions and lane departure warning, head up display, ambient lighting , full climate control and parking aids plus a full range of safety kit.

In typical executive German style, optional extras can add thousands to an already eye watering price.

On the road, the six-cylinder 50 TDI with 286ps, hits 62mph in 6.3 seconds and a 144mph top speed. Lightning quick for such a big car.

The power plant integrates a lithium-ion rechargeable battery located underneath the luggage compartment floor and stores 10Ah of electrical capacity. This allows the SUV to coast between 34 and 99mph with the engine switched off.

Duringdeceleration the system can recover up to 12 kW of energy. This delivers an impressive, claimed economy of 41.5mpg and CO2 emissions of 178g/km.

For a sportier drive, switch to the steering wheel mounted paddles and choose dynamic driving mode from the five available to sharped up throttle, gearing and suspension and you get a surprisingly engaging drive.

The four wheel drive with the optional all wheel steering means the car is both agile, with sharp, precise steering and provides plenty of grip, especially in inclement conditions.

The quattro system provides power to the front axle and rear axle at a ratio of 40:60 as standard. When required, it transfers the majority to the axle with the better traction.

The clever sound insulation and the sophisticated aerodynamics, with double-layer windscreen means occupants are well insulated from road and wind noise.

In practical terms there is a host of storage compartments and tray areas, while the boot area offers 605 litres as a standard, which increases to 1,755 litres with the rear backrests folded down. Two golf bags can easily fit in diagonally. The tailgate can be opened and closed electrically as standard.

Factfile

Price: £64,115

Mechanical: 286ps, 2,967cc,6cyl diesel engine driving foiur wheels via 8-speed automatic gearbox

Max Speed: 152mph

0-62mph: 6.3 seconds

Combined MPG: 41.5

Insurance Group: 45

C02 emissions:178g/km

Warranty: 3yrs/60,000 miles