Another electric model arrived in Israel, this time from Korea – Genesis G80 “electrified”, that is, an existing model of Genesis, which comes in an electric version, at the same time as the gasoline version, which is also sold here. The G80 is a luxury electric saloon car that is in an unrivaled category. Its exterior design is its great strength due to being spectacular. The massive dimensions of the vehicle make many turn their heads after it. There is no doubt that the manufacturer managed to break his own records and raise the bar.
The electric G80 is equipped with two electric motors, one for each wheel axle, with a combined power of 272 kW (370 hp) and a “wow” torque of 71.4 kgm, which are, of course, immediately available and accelerate the G80 from place to place 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds.
At the bottom, an array of batteries with a capacity of 87.2 kilowatts/hour that allow a driving range of 520 kilometers according to the manufacturer, a figure not far from reality – 450 kilometers. What helps a lot to save electricity consumption in the model and bring it to the region of 400 plus plus (if you drive carefully and without pushing hard), is an advanced management system, which determines when and how much power each electric motor will contribute to propulsion according to road conditions and the nature of driving. If the vehicle will move with rear-wheel drive only to save energy, or with both engines, when the driver will ask for more power and acceleration.
The regenerative braking system will also help to save consumption, in the vehicle settings you can set it to maximum braking mode and charge the batteries in a short amount of time during braking and deceleration, and the shifters behind the steering wheel, which allow you to control the driving, enjoy it and contribute yourself to the effort to save the battery. You can charge the car with a home charger – a full charge will take 10-11 hours, and fast charging will charge the batteries from 10% to 80% in less than half an hour.
What happens inside the car? The interior design cools the enthusiasm, mainly because of two main things: a marble-like plastic surface across the entire width of the driver’s cabin, which looks like a customer from the 80s, and a two-tone steering wheel in dark gray and white colors, which looks somewhat Chinese, if the Koreans will forgive me. These do not compare to the cab’s luxurious and elegant appearance. If the designer asked to design a unique cell, then it turned out to be neither unique nor compatible with a year.
The electric G80 is marketed in Israel in two trim levels: Premium, an opening trim level that is anything but standard or basic and includes, among other things, a multimedia system with a 14.5-inch touch screen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto interfaces and a different look than the rectangular screens we usually know from the center of the driver’s cabin : The system is sharp, clear and quite intuitive, with an impressive 3D image display. This trim level also has a digital dashboard with a 12.3-inch screen, a 17-speaker audio system from Lexicon, digital climate control split into three zones, an electric driver’s seat with memories, heating and ventilation for the front seats, leather upholstery, a wireless charging pad for the cell phone, Ambient lighting, soft slam mechanism for the doors, electric trunk and more.
The Luxury trim level adds to all this goodness an elite data display on the windshield, in front of the driver’s eyes, to prevent the driver from looking down at the dashboard, wood paneled interior, leather-like finish for the upper part of the dashboard, audio control console, climate control, An electric rear curtain, befitting a luxury saloon/executive car, and a solar roof panel, which, thanks to its energy, can travel two kilometers on the sun’s energy on a good sunny day, but it is mainly intended to provide energy for the various assemblies that consume electricity in the car, and in particular, the climate control system. It is not impossible that there were customers who were upset to find out that the solar roof is not an opening sunroof.
The electric G80 arrived in Israel in a small number of units, and the supply that arrived was almost all sold. The noise insulation is good, and the slight noises come from the direction of the wheelhouses. On the other hand, there was almost no wind noise at the speed I was driving. This very long saloon car – over five meters – is quite quiet and nimble and provides good and even exciting performance, despite its considerable weight – 2,250 kilos.
What about the comfort? As long as the road is well paved and the speed increases, the suspension knows how to smooth out the bumps. In the city, the stiff nature of the suspensions detracts a little from the peaceful ride, because they do not know how to absorb and soften the fragments of the cracked roads.
In no way can the G80 be compared to a similar Mercedes model. This is not true and unfair, because the competition is not equal and fair. For other brands – Lexus, Infiniti, you can compare, but not for Mercedes. It is a car full of style from the outside, big, heavy, with a somewhat oligarchic character, equipped with comfort and safety accessories from tambon to tambon, but it is not European and perhaps does not aspire to be European either. Its emblem is prestigious, intriguing and attractive, and its appearance deserves to win international awards, but inside, in the small details, finishes and polishes, it looks Korean.
In terms of headroom, those sitting in the back can smile because they have knee and shoulder room. In front, the headroom for the driver is less good, maybe because I adjusted the electric driver’s seat all the way up. The trunk is small but wide, with a volume of 354 liters.
The G80 also manages to stand out in the long list of its comprehensive safety equipment, which includes a collision warning system combined with autonomous braking in emergency situations including detection of pedestrians and cyclists, an active lane keeping system, with lane centering, intelligent active cruise control, an active traffic sign recognition system , that the cruise control knows how to read and maintain the speed limit at the traffic sign, an active system to prevent side accidents, a warning system for vehicle movement in a blind spot, which prevents lane crossing in the event of danger, rear cross traffic detection with autonomous braking, a safe exit system that warns of opening doors in the event of danger A passing vehicle, 360 cameras, a warning system for forgetting children in the back seat and more. The safety alerts may be somewhat hysterical, but they are important and vital to the safety of passengers and the driver.
The price of the electric G80 starts at NIS 449,000, and the more equipped test vehicle already reaches NIS 479,000, a high price, despite the wealth it brings with it. For those who are fascinated by this model but the price is high for them, there is an entry-level version with a fairly attractive price, the G80 Exclusive – a non-electric car, with a 2,497 cc T-DGi four-cylinder gasoline engine that incorporates a turbocharger and direct injection technology with a power of 304 hp S, with a torque of 43 kgm from 1,650 rpm. Paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, acceleration from standstill to 100 km/h in 6 seconds.
News and events
Carso Motors is launching a new car brand in Israel – CHERY (pictured below), an old and large car manufacturer from China. Three new gasoline models arrived in Israel, crossovers with five and seven seats (Tigo 7 Pro and 8 Pro, and the most prominent and main among them the Chery FX). The new models have a long list of comfort and safety equipment, and all have a 1.6-liter turbo gasoline engine with a power of 186 hp. The vehicle is manufactured to European standards, while the family crossover model, Chery FX (Omoda), is also expected to undergo official crash tests in the coming months. The price – starting from NIS 139,990.For those who are looking forward, at the end of 2023 they will also be joined by electric Cherry models.
Cherry (photo: manufacturer)Kalmobil is embarking on a unique consumer move and declares that it will not increase the price of the vehicles of Hyundai and Mitsubishi customers who ordered a vehicle until this week and are waiting to receive the vehicle, and perhaps fear the increase in the price of the vehicle in the coming months. Hyundai models produced in South Korea that have already been ordered (Ioniq 5, Vanyo, Kona, Sonata, Santa Fe, Palisade, Staria, Elantra) will be eligible for a tariff benefit due to the trade agreement. The amount of the discount is at the full rate of customs cancellation.