For 2025, Genesis has refreshed the relatively young G80 sedan with some technical updates and styling tweaks meant to keep it competitive in the fiercely contested premium sedan market segment.

As a reminder, the G80 comes in 2.5T and 3.5T flavors. The nomenclature refers to the base 2.5-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder powerplant, which is rated at 300 horsepower and 311 lb.-ft. of torque and to the 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6, which is rated at 375 hp and 391 lb.-ft. The V6 is suitably smooth, but of course, there is a fuel economy penalty, with EPA ratings of 16 mpg city, 24 mpg highway, and 19 mpg in combined driving.

The four-cylinder engine makes more than sufficient power for the task, but I have yet to see a four-cylinder that delivers the smooth, quiet driving experience that a premium vehicle demands. My test vehicle was the V6: the G80 3.5T Sport Prestige AWD in Vatna Gray with Sevilla Red/Obsidian Black interior.

The twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 in the Genesis G80. DAN CARNEY

Vatna Gray is named after the color of an Icelandic glacier, according to the company. The Sevilla Red interior is notable for applying more color than the 2024 G70 I also drove recently. That car had no color on the dashboard or steering wheel, while the 2025 G80 does apply splashes of red to those places. Still, no red headliner or carpeting.

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Starting with the 2025 model year, all G80s are all-wheel drive. There was little demand for rear-drive, even in sunbelt states, because owners in those places still drive to destinations with snow sometimes and they experience heavy rains, so they prefer the security of all-wheel drive, according to product manager Loren Wong.

As a premium sedan, my $77,000 (as tested) top-of-the-line G80 boasted all of the available technologies meant to hush noise to a minimum. That includes absorption foam-filled 20-inch tires, a dynamic damper on the front suspension upper control arms, and acoustic side glass in the front windows. Pricing for the base 2.5T model starts at $57,100.

Meaningful changes for 2025 include a move to standard 4-piston fixed monobloc front brake calipers, slim Micro Lens Array (MLA) LED headlights, and a new driver-selectable brake effort mode.

The individual LED modules of the G80's Micro Lens Array headlights are visible. GENESIS

The MLA headlights are two rows of crystalline cubes that Genesis engineers use dynamically to place light exactly where it should be, maximizing output in low-light areas and minimizing the dazzling effect on oncoming traffic.

The bigger front brakes provide superb stopping power without any fussy grabbiness. The adjustable Brake Select technology lets the driver choose the amount of power assistance is provided when braking, making the pedal more sensitive in Sport mode and less sensitive in Comfort mode.

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Technology is fun, but this seems like a gimmick, because performance is excellent in Comfort mode, while Sport mode just seems to make it too easy to brake more abruptly than intended. This is similar to the throttle-by-wire systems that make engine throttle response touchier in Sport mode. The irony is that, in both cases, when driving hard the driver wants more precise control of the brake and throttle.

So, in both examples, making the pedal more sensitive is actually the opposite of what a sports-minded driver wants. It doesn’t matter because Comfort mode is right there. Just leave it there after experimenting with Sport for the sake of novelty.

Another important technical change for 2025 is the addition of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Tested with CarPlay on an iPhone, the system worked well, so drivers can get into and out of their car unencumbered by cords and enjoy music or directions from their phones.

The G80 offers a commendable amount of color in its interior, but there is still room for more! GENESIS

A recent J.D. Power owner survey found that digital phone keys are one modern technology that drivers appreciate, and Genesis has upgraded its system to Genesis Digital Key 2 technology, which the company says is an improvement over the original system. We’ll have to take their word for this because I used the conventional key.

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Drivers might also appreciate the ability to pay for parking, tolls, and gas without having to whip out their wallets, and that is what Genesis Pay will let them do. The G80 has a fingerprint scanner on the console that already lets drivers pay for parking in some locations now. More parking locations, highway tolls, and the ability to pay for gas are in the works and will be available within months.

Do you know what technologies drivers do not like? Alternative ways of controlling the radio volume and tuning and controlling the climate control temperature. Genesis learned this the hard way on the previous G80, so the company returned to the vastly superior interface that includes a rotary volume knob on the left side of the dashboard, a rotary tuning knob on the right side, and corresponding temperature controls on each side that are far enough away from the radio controls and of a difference diameter to minimize the chance of the driver accidentally turning to the temperature to an extreme setting while meaning to do a no-look volume adjustment.

Genesis also employs a scroll wheel as the mechanism for adjusting volume from the steering wheel, another superior solution because of the analog nature of the scroll wheel and the tactic feel that makes it easy to find with your thumb without having to look down at the wheel.

These knobs alone are reason to choose the 2025 G80 over similarly plush rivals with inscrutable controls for everyday activities.