What’s going on at Jaguar? Having fully committed to battery power, it still plans to launch a large, androgynous electric saloon although parent company Jaguar Land Rover’s chief creative officer, Gerry McGovern, was reportedly marched out of the building in December.
Jaguar’s customers didn’t desire any kerfuffle. All they really wanted was for it to build another XJ saloon; comfortable, undoubtedly upmarket and indecently swift should you wish. Yet there is good news for those who were disappointed when Jaguar canned its electrified XJ. It’s just that Korean brand Genesis has built it instead.
Pros
- Ultra smooth and quiet
- Lavish interior
- Excellent aftersales package
Cons
- Too expensive for what it is
- Cramped interior
- Small boot
Copy cat
Take a look at the louche profile of this Electrified G80. OK, the detailing lacks the elegance of a big Jag but in the rise and fall of the shoulder, the gently tapering tail and the long, low nose, there are echoes of the X351, the last car to carry the renowned XJ badge.
Some fabulous monobloc alloy wheels, part of a recent mid-life facelift, help the G80 to stand out further. Elsewhere, tweaks are fairly minimal but under the skin it has gained a larger battery so it can now go 354 miles on a full charge (the official figure – although I achieved almost 300 miles of real-world range on test).
When the battery is low, it can charge from 10 to 80 per cent in 25 minutes, adding about 175 miles of range in the process.
Impressive figures, but such is the rate of progress at this end of the market that the G80 has been overtaken. The BMW i5, Audi A6 Sportback e-tron and Mercedes-Benz EQE all go further between chargers, while the Audi will also charge faster.
And at more than £75,000, the G80’s base price is actually slightly higher than these German rivals, rather than undercutting them as you might expect. Granted, there is a bit more equipment, but not a lot more; with options, our G80 test car came to almost £85,000.
Genesis will say that you’re paying for the ownership experience. But while the five years’ warranty, free servicing and breakdown cover certainly count for something, they probably aren’t enough to woo buyers – and, more saliently, company car user-choosers – from long-established brands that carry greater cachet.
Leather galore
Which is a shame, because the G80 has one of the most cosseting interiors available in this kind of car. Where the Audi, BMW and Mercedes are tech-fests, overly reliant on huge touchscreens, the Genesis has a more traditional centre stack replete with shortcut keys, audio controls and a dedicated climate control panel.
Elsewhere, there’s more old-fashioned charm. Where its rivals may be going for the sort of sleek, Teutonic feel that appeals to listeners of high-performance podcasts, the G80 feels more overtly luxurious. There’s diamond-quilted leather everywhere, a choice of wood veneers and lots of lovely knurled touch points.
It’s opulent and grand, rather than sleek and modern – more Jaguar than Audi, in other words.
However, the battery pack under the floor dictates a high seating position, placing front occupant’s heads close to the upper edge of the door frame and you must learn to duck as you slither aboard, to avoid banging your head.
The boot, meanwhile, provides only 354 litres of capacity; paltry compared with the 490 litres of an i5. It’s an odd shape, too, with a large hump in the floor behind the back seats housing more battery cells.
Smooth operator
You’ll have to pack light for your holidays, then, which is a pity because the G80 is a terrific car for long-distance travel. For one thing, it’s almost comically rapid. The 0-62mph time is only 5.1sec, which for context is half-way between that of the regular i5 and the high-performance M60 model. Overtaking is dispatched with contemptuous ease, while the brakes feel as though they could quell the rotation of the Earth.
Then there’s the “Electronically Controlled Suspension with Road Preview” – which, in layman’s terms, means a camera that reads the road ahead. As a result, the fancy dampers can pre-empt, rather than react to, bumps.
Other firms offer a similar set-up, but the Genesis version is one of the most effective. The G80 proceeds almost surreally smoothly, passing over ruts and potholes as though it’s poured resin into them without you noticing.
It helps that the gorgeous wheels are not vast – well, not by modern standards – at 19 inches. That allows for a decent amount of sidewall, which masks sharp-edged divots, allowing the suspension to deal with the undulations themselves.
The G80 is ethereally quiet, too. At speed, wind noise is a distant whisper, the roar of the tyres but a soothing layer of background white noise. The overall effect is of being whisked along by a high-speed train, the world passing effortlessly by your window.
It’s also very large and heavy, with soft suspension, so clearly it won’t be adept at cornering. However, my test car had the optional rear-wheel steering which aids agility, lending the G80 an uncanny lightness on its feet.
Having said that, I’m not sure it’s worth the £1,120 asking price, given that the slightly inert, over-assisted steering doesn’t involve you in the process. Better to think of the G80 as a comfy cruiser and take it easy on the winding roads.
The Telegraph verdict
Big, fast, handsome, lavishly finished, flawed, slightly off the pace but gently charming nonetheless. If that doesn’t sound like a Jaguar XJ of old…
Objectively, the trouble is that the Electrified G80 costs too much for a car that isn’t up there with the best (and won’t do much for your credibility at the golf club).
And yet its combination of old-school opulence and surreal comfort are hard to beat. Its sheer refinement means it’s a car you look forward to long journeys in, rather than dread.
Just like a big old Jag, then, it’s an easy car to love – it’s just that it’s also a tough one to recommend.
The facts
On test: Genesis Electrified G80 Dynamic
Body style: five-door saloon
On sale: now
How much? £75,615 on the road (range from £75,615)
How fast? 139mph, 0-62mph in 5.1sec
How economical? 3.4mpkWh (WLTP Combined)
Electric powertrain: 2x AC dual motor with 94.5kWh (gross) battery, 187kW on-board charger
Electric range: 354 miles (WLTP Combined)
Maximum power/torque: 365bhp/516lb ft
CO2 emissions: 0g/km (tailpipe), 22g/km (well-to-wheel)
VED: £10 first year, then £195
Warranty: five years/unlimited miles
Spare wheel as standard: no (not available)
The rivals
BMW i5 eDrive40 M Sport, £74,205 on the road
335bhp, 384 miles
A vast car with divisive looks; sleeker and more modern than the Genesis, but also firmer and somehow less welcoming. Goes further on a charge for less cash, though.
Audi A6 Sportback e-tron Performance S-Line, £72,310 on the road
375bhp, 463 miles
Cleaves the air in twain beautifully and so goes further with fewer kWh. As quiet and smooth as the Genesis (and cheaper), although it feels curiously plain in places.