Genesis G80 AWD, an elegant, polished performer

DO not let the kids sit in the back of the Genesis G80

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My goodness, the version I was driving even had individual screens on the rear of the front seats. For them, it is a joy. For you, it would be a mistake – a big mistake.

You see, in the rear there is also a command dial to change the stations on your radio, lower or raise the volume, control the 14.5ins infotainment. It’s the same dial at the fingertips of the driver – or passenger.

Unless you want to be forced to listen to rap, rock, metal all with the fab sounds of the 18 speaker Lexicon Surround System but basically not your choice – keep them out of the back. In fact, I would keep them out of this car altogether.

It will give them ideas of just how glorious a car can be and they will become very dissatisfied with the small runaround you have so generously purchased for them.

The Genesis G80 is a long sleek saloon car – indeed this is the executive model which is what really accounts for all the gadgetry in the back seat.

It is supposed to be driven by a chauffeur, but then is that not what we are mostly to our kids these days anyway?

It has a beautiful grille front and enters the market as the premium brand for fast-growing Korean marque Hyundai who have thoroughly pleased with their Ioniq and N models as well as the perennially popular Tucson.

So stunning is it that you will find people staring at it – something new and rather dishy on the road.

Inside it is sumptuous – all lovely stitched leather and premium finishes – with a command dial for the transmission next to the dial which controls settings and entertainment.

The sat nav is state-of-the-art with its augmented reality feature showing you which way to go in real-time instead of just with a flat map.

It has a wonderful 3D instrument cluster and Head-Up Display and when you indicate right or left it activates a video camera so that you can see exactly what is next to you including what is in your blind spot.

There is an optional double panoramic roof which adds to this car’s desirability and it is packed full of safety features like highway drive assist and smart cruise control, evasive steering assist, lane keep assist and forward collision avoidance.

The G80 is a dream to drive, smooth, luxurious, responsive – a real rival to some of the best German brands. It is helped by the electronically controlled suspension with road preview which detects upcoming bumps like potholes and adjusts the steering accordingly, all with the added assurance awd brings.

Genesis is the new kid on the block in the UK but it doesn’t behave like one – there is nothing raucous and unsubtle about the G80. Instead, it looks and feels every inch of what it is- an elegant and polished performer.