Looking for a fully-loaded luxury sedan with eye-catching styling, plenty of power, a comfortable and spacious cabin, and tons of tech that costs much less than other high-end brands? The 2020 Genesis G90 is one of the nicest large luxury cars you can buy and is the largest and most luxurious in the Genesis line-up.
Base Price: $75,700
As Tested: $76,695
Horsepower: 420
Mileage: 16 mpg city/24 mpg highway/19 mpg combined
The five-passenger Genesis G90 was introduced for the 2017 model year. That’s when Hyundai made Genesis its own brand instead of part of the Hyundai line-up. For 2020 the G90 gets some exterior design tweaks, including an aggressive new grille, as well as standard Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and some added drive assistance tech.
The Genesis offers a very simple model and pricing system. There are two trims: 3.3T Premium and 5.0 Ultimate. Starting prices range are $72,200 and $75,700, respectively. Prices may seem higher than starting prices for other brands but both trims come very well equipped and offer great value for the money. You decide on colors, the engine, and whether you want rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive.
The Genesis G90 has a couple of strong powertrains. The base engine is a twin-turbocharged V6 that makes 365 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque. My tester has the optional 5.0-liter V8 that produces 420 horses and 383 pound-feet. Both come standard with an eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters on the steering wheel. Both engines produce plenty of power for everyday driving situations with quick acceleration and a smooth, comfortable ride.
The Genesis G90 is born to cruise. Merging and passing at freeway speeds is effortless, and the ride is refined even on rougher roads. The cabin is as quiet as a library with road and wind noise barely noticeable.
Fuel efficiency isn’t good, even for a large luxury sedan. EPA ratings for my V8 tester are 16 mpg city and 24 mpg highway with a combined rating of 19. I got 20 mpg during my week with a mix of city and highway driving.
The interior is beautiful and elegant, and chock full of high-end materials. Craftsmanship is excellent. Controls are logically laid out and easy to reach with a huge 12.3-inch touchscreen atop the center stack. Seats are cushy and supportive. You can even enter your height and weight and the Genesis will figure out the best seat settings for you! Passengers in both rows have plenty of leg- and headroom. The backseat in particular is HUGE with lots of room for even taller adults. The rear seats also recline and have multiple adjustments.
Standard features include proximity keyless entry, surround-view parking camera system, Nappa leather upholstery, 22-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated front and rear seats, infotainment system with a 12.3-inch touch screen, Lexicon 17-speaker premium audio system with , navigation, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, wireless device charging, power rear sunshades, power soft-closing doors, sunroof, head-up display and adaptive headlights.
There are many standard driver assistance features that cost extra on rivals. These include blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, and lane change assist, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, driver attention monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, lane following assist, highway driving assist, and safe exit assist.
Available features include power-adjustable and ventilated rear seats.
The user-friendly infotainment system responds quickly to touch and voice commands. You can customize it with split screens. Redundant physical controls make it easy to perform common functions.
The Genesis has 15.7 cubic feet of trunk space which is about average for the segment. The wide and low opening makes it easy to load large and/or bulky items.
Like all Hyundai and Genesis products, the G90 has an excellent warranty: a five-year/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. You also get free maintenance for the first three years/36,000 miles.
The good:
Smooth, refined ride
Elegant, luxurious and quiet interior
Tons of standard features and tech
Standard Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
LOTS of passenger room, especially in the backseat
Great value for the money
Simple pricing system
Excellent warranty
The not-so-good:
Poor fuel efficiency
Pricing info:
My tester starts at $75,700. Destination fee is $995 bringing the grand total to $76,695.
Bottom line:
If you want a luxury sedan that’s fully loaded with all the bells and whistles and can do without a German or other high-end badge, check out the Genesis. You’ll save thousands of dollars and get a car that’s just as nice.
