GAYLORD, Michigan — Hyundai’s luxury brand, Genesis, announced this year its intent to enter the world of elite motorsports in 2026 — joining the big boys in the IMSA Weathertech/WEC World Endurance Championship’s Hyper class.

It’s a natural progression for a brand that makes the terrific G80 sedan that I just stormed Michigan’s twisties with. The fastback sedan is a looooong way from the G80 I first tested in 2015.

Cresting a hill on M-32 west of Gaylord, I floored the throttle — accessing all 375 horsepower of the twin-turbo V-6 engine in front of me. Standard all-wheel drive translated 391 pound-feet of torque to the road and the big sedan surged forward. Big as in 4,600 pounds, which is hardly a lightweight in the midsize luxe aisle. But in SPORT PLUS mode, electronic suspension firmed the ride to reduce body roll.

I rushed a series of S-turns like Lions running back Davd Montgomery crashing through the line of scrimmage. The G80 held firm, the eight-speed transmission holding a higher gear as I rocketed out of the last turn and onto a brief straight stretch. BRRRAAAAAGH! The engine’s growl opened into a full-throated roar.

Bring on Cadillac, Porsche, Acura, BMW and other luxury hypercar brands!

A decade ago, the 2015 G80 was a pretender. Affordably priced, it bore an Audi-like grille, Acura-like V-6 engine and BMW-like infotainment system controlled by a rotary dial. The 2025 model is no pretender; Genesis has come into its own.

They did it the old-fashioned way — poaching talent from the competition.

Belgian designer Luc Donckervolke came over from Lamborghini and gave Genesis its own design language. It’s hard to miss. Rather than dual racing stripes over the hood like a Dodge Viper or Ford Mustang, Donckervolke wrapped the cars with a distinctive dual-lighting signature. At auto shows, the Genesis team likes to pose next to their creations with two fingers held out horizontally — scissor-style — to echo the design theme.

The G80 got a lotta looks on my trip up north.

As I cruised down Bridge Street in Charlevoix, I watched the heads of the high school football players swivel as the Genesis cruised past. In a parking lot, a couple circled the car. It’s not just the swept sportback and dual headlights/taillights that get noticed — the bold shield grille gives the fascia presence.

And lots of air to feed the beast within.

Genesis hired BMW M Division chief Albert Biermann to tune its cars for performance. My Sport Prestige tester’s twin-turbo V-6 is a step up from the base model’s 300-horsepower turbo-4. Thus equipped, it is aimed squarely at all-wheel-drive performance sedans like the Audi S6, BMW 540i and Cadillac CT5-V.

Those brands have entered top-drawer motorsports, too (Genesis will be going head-to-head in the Hypercar class with Bimmer and Caddy). With the G80 Sport Prestige, Genesis is commanding a top-drawer price as well.

The Audi S6 leads this fleet of comparably equipped all-wheel-drive performance sedans with an eye-watering sticker price of $85K, but the Genesis is not far behind at $78,250. That’s a healthy 10 grand north of the 540i M-Sport and CT5 V-Series.

The latter is one of my favorite performance sedans and raises the bar for 2025 with a 36-inch dash screen run by state-of-the-art Google Built-in like its Lyriq EV sibling. And you thought big screens were just for EVs?

G80, too, takes design cues from the Hyundai group EVs. A striking 28-inch hoodless display stretches across the dash — complemented by a head-up display. Cadillac was a HUD pioneer, and the Genesis follows with useful information like Android Auto directions, speed limit and adaptive cruise control mph so I didn’t have to take my eyes off the road.

The Genesis has also taken a cue from General Motors’ excellent steering wheel ergonomics. Raised toggle buttons made it easy for me to adjust ACC and volume controls without glancing down. The Genesis’s console ergonomics were another story.

Following in the footsteps of BMW, G80 offers dual controls for the infotainment display: touchscreen as well as a fat rotary remote dial. Unfortunately, the rotary dial is the same size as the rotary automatic gear shifter on the console — and they are directly in line with one another.

Turn the rotary dial left to turn down the volume, and ...

Ooops! I shifted the car into NEUTRAL!

Turn the rotary dial to DRIVE, and ...

Oops! I turned up the volume!

I learned to be deliberate in choosing the two functions, but — though it would throw off the aesthetic appeal of twin rotary dials — drivers would be better served by a steering stalk or T-shifter to avoid confusion.

Biermann’s team has clearly been working with the G80 in the gym. I enjoyed taking the big dog off the leash on the M-32 twisties. But competition at this level is ferocious, and the Cadillac not only employs impressive electronic suspension dynamics — but offers toys like the steering-wheel-based V-button, which allows drivers to instantly summon their favorite performance settings.

Alas, the M-32 rollercoaster is all too brief, and I spent most of my journey north on I-75. The G80 aims to make the long stretches drama-free with a good adaptive cruise system that not only deploys a bubble of lane centering/distance-keeping safety systems — but also didn’t nanny me every 15 seconds with a warning to pay attention.

The system combines a camera — Cadillac Super Cruise-style — to monitor your attention while also sensing steering input. The G80 would even switch lanes automatically for me at the tug of the turn-signal stalk.

But here, too, it trails the ‘25 Cadillac and its optional Super Cruise system — one of the industry leaders in autonomous systems. Hands-free, automatic lane changes, lane centering. The works.

The new kid on the block dresses to kill and my G80 sported a striking red interior. My friend Suzie slipped inside. “Ooooh, I could get used to this,” she smiled. "I love that red leather smell.”

Genesis is turning heads and it intends to keep it that way. At the 2024 New York Auto Show, it set its sights on the Audi RS, BMW M5 and Caddy CT5-V Blackwing super-sedan models when it rolled out a bright-orange G80 Magma extracting over 500 horsepower from the familiar twin-turbo V-6 powerhouse. A variant of that engine is likely to power the IMSA Hypercar.

As the name “Genesis” implies, the luxury brand is just getting started.

Next week: 2025 Volvo EX30

2025 Genesis G80

Vehicle type: All-wheel drive, five-passenger luxury sedan

Price: $58,350, including $1,250 destination charge ($79,030 Sport Prestige as tested)

Powerplant: 2.5-liter, turbocharged, inline 4-cylinder; 3.5-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6

Power: 300 horsepower, 311 pound-feet of torque (I-4); 375 horsepower, 391 pound-feet of torque (V-6)

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.2 seconds (Motor Trend); Top speed, 140-155 mph

Weight: 4,587 pounds

Fuel economy: EPA 16 mpg city/24 highway/19 combined; 367-mile range

Report card

Highs: Striking design; upscale interior

Lows: Easy to confuse shift dial with volume dial; gets pricey

Overall: 3 stars

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