Driven: How the 2026 Genesis GV80 Beats BMW and Benz, and Where It Falls Behind

Everyone’s heard of the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE—they’re luxury SUVs with decades of heritage. But GV80? What is that—a new TV model?

We spent about 1,000 miles with the 2026 Genesis GV80 and can share, with great authority, that it is in fact a car. And not just a car, but a darn good midsize luxury SUV. Genesis offers a new Prestige Black trim on its more expensive models, so we decided to check in with this 2021 MotorTrend SUV of the Year finalist.

Is it really a match for BMW and Mercedes? We found several areas where it is and a few where the GV80 falls behind.

Where the Genesis Matches or Beats BMW and Mercedes-Benz

Exclusivity

Genesis doesn’t sell nearly as many GV80s as BMW sells X5s and Mercedes sells GLEs. This means your GV80 stands out in the Erewhon parking lot. After living with the 2026 GV80 Prestige Black, we even like the design. It’s not just different—it’s good.

The roofline’s gentle slope is a nice touch, as is the more aggressively sloping window line that makes the GV80 look sleeker than it really is. The enormous, ornate grille isn’t for everyone, but we appreciate the way the dual-line Genesis look carries from front to rear without looking forced. You can see it in the dual-horizontal-line headlights, the side-vent trim, and the taillights.

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Interior Quality

Inside, materials and overall quality generally represent a high level. You find wood, leather, and soft-touch materials in almost every place you expect them to be. We’d like for a few of the knobs to be fitted with a grippier material or something a little more luxurious, but otherwise, the interior easily lives up to the 2026 GV80 Prestige Black’s $85,395 price tag.

Pricing for the 2026 Genesis GV80 starts just shy $60,000. The Prestige Black represents a fully loaded model, and it’s a couple thousand dollars less than the German competition.

The Prestige Black Treatment

The Prestige Black edition is new for 2026, though we’ve seen this type of dark-aesthetic edition from almost every automaker today.

The GV80 Prestige Black begins with gloss-black 22-inch wheels. These are the same wheels Genesis offers on the non-Black Prestige trim, just dark, and either way they look fantastic. Dark badging and headlight trim is paired with a darker front grille, black Nappa leather seats, black open-pore wood inside, black speaker grilles, and black interior accents.

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In person, it all works. We got into the car concerned it would be another overly dark interior, but the wood in the middle of the dash and the two crystalline knobs on the center console do a lot to break up the space.

Cargo Space

The 2026 Genesis GV80’s cargo area bests the trunk of the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE, and it’s not even close. With the rear seats in place, the Genesis offers 38.7 cubic feet of cargo space compared to the BMW’s 33.9 and the Benz’s 33.3. On our trip up the California coast, we needed every inch of space we could get.

Worth noting, the GV80 and Mercedes still offer a third row, but we’re glad the GV80 Prestige Black trim lacks that feature. Cargo space shrinks a couple cubes in GV80s with that third row. Want a three-row Genesis? Wait for the upcoming GV90.

Driving Experience

Overall, the 2026 GV80 delivers the same refined driving experience we’ve come to expect from this midsize luxury SUV. The 22-inch wheels weren’t as noisy as we thought they’d be. That said, smaller wheels on other trims will still likely deliver a quieter and better ride.

Steering and handling both feel solid in a luxurious way. We felt confident on the road, though this SUV feels far too heavy to be considered sporty.

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Where the BMW and Benz Beat Genesis

A Greater Choice of Engines

Part of luxury is having the freedom to customize the experience exactly how you want it. And in that sense, BMW and Mercedes beat Genesis in this segment. BMW has four engine options on the X5 while the GLE offers six.

Genesis sticks with two engines, and at least for now, there are no hybrid or high-performance Magma flagship models.

That brings us to the next two 2026 GV80 shortcomings, the most significant of them all.

Acceleration

The BMW X5 xDrive40—that’s with the base engine—out-accelerates both GV80 engine options. We don’t all need to race to work at top speed, but it’s worth noting both BMW and Mercedes offer comparably priced midsize options with more passing capability.

When we last tested GV80s, the base 300-hp model accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in a perfectly acceptable 6.4 seconds. As for the 375-hp V-6 like the one in the 2026 Prestige Black model? It only knocked off four tenths of a second, hitting 60 in 6.0 seconds. That’s not enough of an improvement from the base engine.

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Driving Range

Often with gasoline cars, when you choose a model that accelerates quicker, you pay for it in fuel economy and driving range. Not in this trio. Here, the 2026 Genesis GV80 Prestige Black is less efficient and requires more fuel fill-ups than the 2026 BMW X5 xDrive40 and the 2026 Mercedes-Benz GLE450.

The EPA-rated driving range, which is a mix of city and highway driving, comes to 401 miles on the GV80 V-6 versus 548 miles on the BMW and 472 on the Mercedes.

More Dealerships

If you live near a Genesis dealer, you don’t need to read this. But as a brand that hasn’t been around as long as Mercedes or BMW, there are fewer dealers to visit for service or to check out the latest models. Genesis has about 75 dedicated U.S. facilities compared to BMW’s roughly 350 dealers.

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Gah! Stop Showing Me the Map!

A handful of times during our 1,000 miles with the 2026 GV80, we’d turn the music up with the volume knob, only to have the navigation map show up like an unwanted bonus. The problem is that this test driver’s fingers are apparently not dainty enough.

As I wrapped my fingers around the volume knob, I’d inadvertently touch the sensitive, flat “Map” button nearby. Eventually, I learned to be more careful, but a larger knob or more space between the controls could help here, too.

Verdict

Having the competition outsprint you and require fewer trips to the gas station isn’t a good look. Aside from that, though, the 2026 Genesis GV80 Prestige Black makes a good case for itself.

It lives up to its mid-$80,000 price tag on the outside, mostly feels that way inside, and offers more cargo space than key rivals. That’s all pretty good for a luxury brand that’s still building awareness.