I enjoyed driving a 2026 Genesis GV80 3.5T Prestige Black this past week. It was, quite simply, a black beauty.
The shiny black paint, black brake calipers, blacked-out trim and 22-inch black alloy wheels give this large, all-wheel-drive luxury SUV a sensational look. It has a presence that gets your attention without being flashy. The Prestige Black is one of those vehicles that looks even better when you see it in person.
The suggested retail price of this Genesis is $83,250. The only additional feature on the vehicle I tested was the special Vik Black exterior paint, priced at $650. Genesis lists the 3.5T Prestige Black AWD with a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 producing 375 horsepower and 391 pound-feet of torque, connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
That powertrain is terrific.
I had a chance to put the GV80 through its paces in the mountains this past week on a trip to Vail. Coming home, I swung over through Central City and Black Hawk, giving the Genesis plenty of opportunity to demonstrate what it could do on mountain roads.
The traffic coming out of Denver on Friday afternoon was some of the worst I have ever seen going west. Traffic was backed up from the Eisenhower Tunnel nearly to Genesee. Rather than sit in that mess, we took a side road and headed toward Central City and Black Hawk, where we did a little visiting with friends before coming back down.
Even late in the afternoon, the traffic jam remained enormous. Denver was also covered in smoke from wildfires in the Northwest, making an already difficult travel day even more unpleasant.
Through it all, the black beauty handled wonderfully.
The 3.5T twin-turbo V-6 has plenty of power for climbing mountain grades and passing when necessary. Genesis offers Eco, Comfort and Sport drive modes. Because of the power available from the turbocharged engine, I drove much of the trip in Eco mode.
The official EPA rating is 16 mpg city and 22 mpg highway. But here’s where my real-world experience gets interesting: Coming back from Vail, I averaged 28.8 mpg in Eco mode. That’s considerably better than the official highway figure and was an impressive result for such a large, powerful luxury SUV.
The GV80 is loaded with advanced safety technology. One feature I particularly appreciate is the blind-spot monitoring system. The blind-spot view provides a picture of the lanes behind the vehicle, while the warning system alerts you when another vehicle is approaching from either side. On a busy highway, that is technology I want working for me.
The head-up display is another feature I really enjoyed. It puts important information directly in your line of sight, including speed limits and other driving information. It means you don’t have to take your eyes off the road to check the instrument panel.
Inside, the GV80 is every bit as impressive as it is on the outside.
The power front seats have four-way power lumbar adjustment, power extension bolsters and Genesis’ Ergo Motion system for the driver. The seats are covered in soft Nappa leather, and the front seats are heated and ventilated. The second row is heated as well, and power rear sunshades are especially welcome on a hot Colorado afternoon.
One feature I had not encountered before was a heated front console armrest. It may sound like a small thing, but these are the kinds of details that separate an ordinary automobile from a luxury vehicle.
The 27-inch OLED instrument cluster and navigation display is beautiful and easy to see. The multimedia system is comprehensive, and the Bang & Olufsen premium audio system produces excellent sound.
The Prestige Black treatment continues inside with a dark interior, open-pore black ash wood trim and black Nappa leather with exclusive quilting. Genesis has done an excellent job creating an interior that feels expensive without becoming gaudy.
And then there are those wheels.
The 22-inch black alloy wheels with floating center caps, combined with the black brake calipers and dark exterior trim, make this GV80 one of the best-looking SUVs I have driven. It really is a black beauty.
The GV80 is built in Korea, with the engine and transmission also produced in Korea. Genesis backs its gas-powered vehicles with a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty covering the engine and transmission, along with a five-year/60,000-mile new-vehicle limited warranty.
After spending a week with this Genesis, I came away impressed.
It has the power to handle Colorado’s mountains, the comfort to make a long highway trip enjoyable, the technology to make driving safer and easier, and the styling to make you turn around and look at it one more time after you park.
The 2026 Genesis GV80 3.5T Prestige Black is a wonderful automobile.
Beautiful inside. Beautiful outside. Powerful, comfortable and exceptionally well equipped.
In fact, after a week behind the wheel, there was only one thing I didn’t like about this black beauty, I had to give it back.