2021 Genesis G90 Review

　　

2021 Genesis G90 Review

byCameron RogersManager, News

　　Cameron Rogers has worked in the automotive industry since 2013. He has tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Today, he leads the news team in developing cutting-edge news articles, opinion pieces and sneak peeks at upcoming vehicles. Favorite cars that he's driven during his tenure at zzdcar include the 991-era Porsche 911 Turbo S, Rolls-Royce Ghost and several generations of Honda Odyssey (really).

　　Some flagship luxury sedans might treat "value" like a four-letter word, but it's the guiding principle for the 2022 Genesis G90. Pairing the features and interior space of a large sedan with the price of a midsize, the G90 offers luxury buyers tremendous bang for the buck. If the perceived prestige of a German badge isn't terribly important to you, the G90 will provide pretty much everything you want from a large luxury sedan at a fraction of the price.

　　

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2021 Genesis G90 3.3T Premium 4dr Sedan (3.3L 6cyl Turbo 8A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.78 per gallon for premium unleaded in North Dakota.

Monthly estimates based on costs in North Dakota

　　$234/mo  for G90 3.3T Premium

　　G90 3.3T Premium

　　3.3T Premium 4dr Sedan (3.3L 6cyl Turbo 8A) - $72,950 MSRP3.3T Premium 4dr Sedan AWD (3.3L 6cyl Turbo 8A) - $75,450 MSRP5.0 Ultimate 4dr Sedan (5.0L 8cyl 8A) (Most Popular) - $76,700 MSRP5.0 Ultimate 4dr Sedan AWD (5.0L 8cyl 8A) - $79,200 MSRP

　　vs

　　$197/mo

　　Avg. Large Car

　　That isn't to say the G90 is the be-all, end-all of the class, however. Rivals are generally more engaging to drive and offer a greater breadth of customization. While you can get an LED-accented panoramic sunroof on the BMW 7 Series or fragrance that wafts through the air vents in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the G90 really just gives you the choice between two trims and exterior paint. But it's an excellent pick if you want the hallmarks of a large luxury sedan and don't want to pay six figures for the privilege. For a full breakdown of the G90's hits and misses, check out our Expert Rating below.

　　zzdcar Expert Rating

　　Our VerdictThe zzdcar Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.

　　Good

　　7.9

　　out of 10

　　zzdcar TESTED

　　Rated for you by America's best test team.

　　

Performance

7.5/10

　　How does the G90 drive? The V8-powered G90 posts solid performance numbers, but it isn't satisfying to drive in the way its German rivals are. In zzdcar' testing, our rear-wheel-drive G90 test car accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds. That's a tad slow for the class, especially considering our car had the more powerful engine. It also doesn't feel all that powerful accelerating on the highway because the transmission can be leisurely to respond when you want a downshift.

　　Steering effort is luxury-light. Genesis dialed out pretty much all road feedback in exchange for more insulated comfort. That's OK in this case since the G90 isn't made to be hustled. It's not as responsive as the German competition, but it isn't terrible either for such a comfort-oriented land yacht. All around, the G90 is an easy-riding car that does what you expect.

　　

Comfort

8.5/10

　　How comfortable is the G90? As with all large luxury sedans, the G90 is eminently comfortable for four people. The leather is soft and supple, and the cushioning is rich and luxurious. Opting for the V8 also adds power-adjustable outboard rear seats, so even those passengers can adjust their seatback tilt, seat bottom position and lumbar support.

　　The G90's ride is soft and cushy, but not so much that there's bounciness that could lead to your passengers feeling queasy. And still, some sharper bumps do get passed through the cabin, and going over speed bumps causes a porpoising motion that reminds you this is a big, heavy car.

　　The standard tri-zone climate control works well, and all outboard seats have three-level heating and ventilation. The G90 also does an excellent job of isolating occupants from outside noise.

　　

Interior

9.0/10

　　How’s the interior? The G90's interior is vast. The door openings are large and easily entered. There's plenty of legroom, headroom and shoulder room for everyone in the outboard seats. The rear middle is the only exception. It's narrower than the other seats, and the rear hump on the floor gets in the way of the middle passenger's legs.

　　Visibility from the driver's seat is good all round, and the standard 360-degree camera makes parking a cinch. The driver's seat is highly configurable and includes adjustments to side bolstering, thigh extension and upper back recline. As for the G90's controls, most are easy to figure out and use. You can interface with the infotainment system through the touchscreen or the controller knob. The on-screen menus are straightforward.

　　

Technology

8.0/10

　　How’s the tech? Considering its emphasis on value, it's no surprise the G90 comes with a full suite of safety features. There are clearly marked physical buttons for most of them, so you can turn them on and off easily. Also standard is a 17-speaker audio system. It's not as immersive as the ultra-high-end systems found in some rival sedans, but it sounds clear and punchy. Nobody except hardcore audiophiles will be disappointed.

　　We were slightly let down by the number of power ports. There's only a wireless charging pad up front, plus two USB ports split between front and rear passengers. To get more charging capability, you'll have to use an adapter in one of the G90's three 12-volt outlets spread throughout the cabin. The voice control software is quite good, and the navigation system picked up every curveball we threw at it.

　　

Storage

7.0/10

　　How’s the storage? The G90's trunk space, at 15.7 cubic feet, is slightly smaller than average. On the upside, the tall opening makes it easy to load items in. You can also stand behind the bumper for a few seconds to trigger the automatic trunk-opening feature.

　　Storage within the cabin is disappointing. The door pockets are short and narrow, and the bin up front that houses the wireless charging pad is small. Plugging a phone into the USB port there creates a tangled mess of wires.

　　The large door openings and a tremendous amount of rear space make it easy to fit a child safety seat into the back. But the car seat anchor points are kind of buried in the seat cushions, so you'll have to hunt around a bit to find them.

　　

Fuel Economy

6.0/10

　　How’s the fuel economy? The EPA estimates that the V8-powered, rear-wheel-drive G90 gets 19 mpg combined (16 city/24 highway). The turbocharged V6 gets just 1 mpg better in every metric. This is more a condemnation of the V6's fuel economy than praise for the V8 since both are thirstier than rivals. Since competitors no longer use naturally aspirated V8s, the closest widely adopted alternative is a turbo V6. For example, the Mercedes S 450 is rated at 22 mpg combined, while the BMW 740i is rated at 24 mpg.

　　

Value

8.5/10

　　Is the G90 a good value? If you've never gotten into the cabin of one of its more expensive German competitors, you probably will find no issue with the G90's interior. Open-pore wood and aluminum accents look great, and high-quality leather covers almost every surface.

　　However, the overall design and breadth of customization are a little underwhelming compared to an S-Class or 7 Series, which feature additional luxury touches such as configurable ambient lighting and exotic trim options. But those features add a lot of cost, and this fully loaded G90 costs about $25,000 less than a similarly equipped rival.

　　The Genesis G90 comes with a great warranty. It offers five-year/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper and 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain coverage. Genesis also gives you free maintenance for the first three years/36,000 miles.

　　

Wildcard

7.0/10

　　The Genesis G90 isn't the kind of car that you pine away for when you aren't driving it. Performance metrics are average across the board, and while it remains composed around a set of switchbacks, there's no real enjoyment in pushing it hard. Styling elements are cribbed from other manufacturers — the grille looks like it was stolen from an Acura and the headlights are similar to a Volvo's — but they mesh to make the car less anonymous than older G90s. Plus, rear passengers will love the accommodations.

　　

Which G90 does zzdcar recommend?

There's not much to decide when getting a G90 other than the engine and exterior color. The V6 is just as quick as the V8, so you're not losing out much by going with the 3.3T Premium. The only reason to get the 5.0 Ultimate is if you want the extra rear seat adjustments and ventilation.

　　

2021 Genesis G90 models

The 2021 Genesis G90 is a large luxury sedan that is offered in two models distinguished by engine type. The G90 3.3T Premium comes with a turbocharged 3.3-liter V6 (365 horsepower, 376 lb-ft of torque), while the 5.0 Ultimate steps up to a 5.0-liter V8 engine (420 hp, 383 lb-ft). Both are paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission that sends power to the rear wheels. Genesis' HTRAC all-wheel-drive system is available as an option.

　　3.3T Premium

　　The 3.3T Premium comes loaded to the gills with features that include:

　　19-inch alloy wheels Adaptive suspension dampers Sunroof Soft-close doors (catch as they're being closed and gently pull shut) Faux suede headliner Ambient interior lighting Tri-zone automatic climate control Power side and rear sunshades Heated steering wheel Heated and ventilated front seats Heated rear sets 12.3-inch touchscreen 17-speaker Lexicon audio system Wireless charging padEvery G90 is also equipped with a comprehensive suite of advanced safety features, such as:

　　Forward collision mitigation (warns you of an impending collision and applies the brakes in certain scenarios) Adaptive cruise control (maintains a driver-set distance between the Genesis and the car in front) Lane departure mitigation (warns you of a lane departure when a turn signal isn't used and can automatically steer to maintain lane position) Lane keeping system (makes minor steering corrections to help keep the vehicle centered in its lane) Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert (warns you if a vehicle is in your blind spot during a lane change or while in reverse) Blind-spot camera (displays an image of the vehicle's blind spot in the instrument panel when you activate a turn signal) Blind-spot intervention (automatically steers the car back into its lane if you try to change lanes while a car is in the vehicle's blind spot) Driver attention warning (issues an alert if sensors determine you are becoming fatigued) 360-degree camera system (gives you a top-down view of the G90 and its surroundings for tight parking situations) Head-up display (displays important information in your sight line onto the windshield)5.0 Ultimate

　　Besides the V8 engine, the 5.0 Ultimate adds:

　　Rear-seat entertainment system Ventilated, reclining rear seats with lumbar adjustment and memory settings

　　

2021 G90 Highlights

Trim: 3.3T Premium5.0 Ultimate3.3T Premium

　　

Base MSRP	$72,950
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	19 MPG
Cost to Drive	$234/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	15.7 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	rear wheel drive
Warranty	5 years / 60,000 miles