2023 Genesis G90 Review
2023 Genesis G90
Price as tested: $100,370
3.5 Liter Twincharged V6 w/48V Mild Hybrid
409 HP / 405 TQ
15.6 MPG as observed
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Guy who did stuff: Yousef Alvi
Every new vehicle that Genesis makes isn’t just a market filler, it’s a statement. A statement about the brand Genesis and it’s evolution. That brand went from a sub-brand, to a pretender, to a ‘different’ option to a legitimate player and threat to the luxury car paradigm all in rapid succession. This new G90 represents the absolute best that Genesis can muster into an automobile…but is it enough to sway luxury vehicle consumers to it’s door?
Let’s find out:
The Great
Look at it!
Lighting
NVH
Look at it!
Seriously. This is one of the most strikingly beautiful vehicles on the road today. It combines elegance, futurism and some retro flair into a completely cohesive design language. It’s just brilliant!
Lighting
The LED headlamps are one of the brightest I have ever experienced at night. Crisp and detailed night driving at it’s finest!
During the day, the individual LED running lights reminds me of a futuristic version of the old Aston Martin Lagonda, in other words…very cool looking.
The killer part though, comes when you put the blinker on! The entire headlamp unit turns orange and the sidemarkers light up in tandem!
NVH
Silent as a tomb. Quiet as a cathedral. A vacuum in the open spaces of asphalt. Whatever metaphor you want to use…won’t do justice to how quiet the cabin is on the Genesis G90.
Except for one issue…which will describe below
The Good
Interior
Buttons
Interior
The best interior ever fitted to a Korean vehicle? Yes. Yes it is. Is it one of the best interiors in it’s segment….yes. Yes it is.
The interior of the G90 is a masterclass of interior design! Everything is within a fingers reach, the infotainment system is outstanding and the everything feels premium.
BUTTONS
Oh for the love of buttons! The Genesis has them in spades! Eschewing the trend of touch panel everything, the Genesis G90 leans into simple and beautifully executed tactile switchgear and we are ALL better for it!
The Bad
Choppy Ride
Gravel Like Engine Note
Lo Pro No Go
There is one thing wrong with the wheel/tire combo and it has to do with the thin sidewalls of the rubber. Slapped with a 35 series tire, on a wide wheel…the tire is stretched in echoes of the stancy-pants look of yore. Tack that with a ginormous wheelgap, the entire look is disproportionate. The last straw comes with the subsequent ride quality. The low profile rubber gives the G90 a bit of a crashy ride that is coupled with road noise that leaks through the relatively silent cabin.
Gravel Engine Note
If you happen to get on the gas and awake the engine, the accompanying engine note, may make you rethink your decisions. The 3.5 liter twin turbo V6 sounds like it’s running on gravel, with coarse and harsh sounding noises intruding into the cabin, causing one to wince.
The Ugly
Power Delivery
Power Delivery
Now the G90 has a ‘Sports’ mode but let’s be honest here….selecting it is like adding running insoles in your dress shoes. You can…but it really doesn’t fit the dress shoe’s purpose.
But the saving grace of the Sports mode is the excellent throttle calibration. Breathe on the gas pedal and the G90 erupts forward, that feels every bit of that obviously underrated horsepower, that is galloping under it’s hood.
The issue lays in the default Comfort setting drive mode. In Comfort mode that excellent throttle response is neutered into oblivion. The first 20 percent of pedal travel elicits nothing from the drivetrain. But breath past 21% and then the G90 leaps forward in a passenger head snapping kind of way….which I can only assume would tire after a bit.
Ideally, there should be an inbetween setting for the throttle but alas there is not.
Overall:
2023 will be the year that marked when the Genesis nameplate can be uttered in the same breathe as Lexus. Their entire lineup is not just good but almost leading levels of refinement, technology and style. As for this 2023 Genesis G90, this can be uttered in the same breathe as the Lexus LS and honestly…adding the style, the ease of technology, the space and it’s elegance…I would be swayed into the G90.
