The Most Powerful Non-Hybrid Korean Car Available Today

Genesis is a brand that has been at the top of its game lately, and they’ve come far from their humble Hyundai roots. They have been producing a fleet of vehicles that challenge some of the most premium cars in the world at a price point that seems nearly impossible. Their rise has been absolutely meteoric, and they are now threatening the dominance of European brands like BMW and Mercedes.

While they don’t produce any sports cars, Genesis is also the brand that produces the most powerful gas-powered car to come out of Korea, the G90. Its twin-turbocharged V-6 produces plenty of power for a luxury sedan and helps it take on much bigger, much more expensive rivals.

We take a look at the engine under the hood of the G90 and uncover just how powerful it really is. While the engine is powerful, we also detail how the G90 doesn’t need a massive powertrain in order for it to be successful. There is also another car in the Genesis lineup that uses the same V-6, which we will also go into detail on.

The Genesis G90 Has A 375-Horsepower V-6

The current 2024 Genesis G90 is an engineering masterpiece. From its perfectly crafted interior to its quiet but powerful powertrain, it is the perfect luxury car. Under its hood, sits a surprising number of horses, enough to take on any of its many competitors in the full-size luxury sedan segment.

Performance

Under the hood of the standard G90 is a twin-turbocharged V-6 that makes 375 horsepower. This incredible powertrain is matted to an eight-speed automatic transmission and comes standard with all-wheel drive. Genesis claims that the massive 5,000+ pound sedan can rocket from a standstill to 60 miles per hour in a swift 5.9 seconds, making it a particularly quick luxury car. Interestingly enough, this engine and performance is a downgrade from the 2023 Genesis G90, which had a V-8, 420 horsepower, and a 5.7-second sprint to 6- mph

While this is the most powerful gas-powered version of the car, the Genesis G90 does come in a more powerful form. Making up for the lack of a V-8 is the Electrfied G90, which is equipped with a 48-volt system and an E-Supercharger. It produces up to 409 horsepower and 405 pound-feet of torque. This allows the G90 to hustle to 60 miles per hour in 5.1 seconds – considerably faster than the model that had the V-8 in 2023.

Fuel Economy

According to the EPA, the Genesis G90 is good for a maximum of 26 miles per gallon. While that isn’t mind-blowing, it isn’t particularly bad either. We doubt that most people who are willing to splurge on the G90 are going to be bothered too much by their fuel costs, especially if used frequently on the highway.

The hybrid version of the G90 isn’t that much more economical. Instead of the electrical system being used to maximize efficiency, it is clearly used to boost performance. What this does mean is that if fuel efficiency is a concern of yours, then you’re not going to be penalized that much for opting for the gas-powered model.

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Genesis’ G90 Is Built For Comfortable Cruising

While the twin-turbocharged V-6 in the Genesis G90 is an impressive powerplant, the luxury sedan has a defined identity as a cruiser rather than a sports car. While it can hustle when needed, if you’re looking for something sporty, then you should look elsewhere. The art in the G90 is best represented in its compliant ride and its opulent cabin.

Interior Comfort

For the 2023 model year, the G90 was redesigned. A core purpose of this redesign was to bring the flagship sedan up to the benchmark set by its European rivals. This is something that we believe Genesis has easily achieved, as well as setting completely new standard in luxury for this price point.

The cabin is filled from door to door with leather trimming as are the seats which are covered in Nappa leather as standard. Seats are ventilated and heated, with the front seats coming fitted with a massage function. Premium audio alongside active noise cancelation ensure that the cabin is filled with only noise that you choose.

Infotainment And Other Tech

Genesis utilizes its latest infotainment technology in the G90. This means that the sedan features a 12.3-inch infotainment screen as well as a 12.3-inch digital gauge display. While there is a brilliant touch screen, Genesis ackowledges that people desire physical buttons and the center console features controls for core cabin equipment.

The Korean brand also aims to be innovative. It is with this cause in mind that they’ve included some fairly unique features in the G90. For one, an anti-microbial sanitation system cleans the air as you’re driving. As well as this, the G90 features an aroma disperser that fills the cabin with a scent of your choice.

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The Same V-6 Can Be Found In the Genesis’ Smaller Sibling, The G80

While the G90 is the most powerful car produced by the brand when you include the e-supercharged version, the sedan is actually matched by its smaller sibling. At almost half the price of the G90, the Genesis G80 features the same twin-turbocharged V-6 engine in its top tier trims. It is also set to receive a facelift for the 2025 model year.

Performance

The 2024 G80 comes standard with a 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-four which produces an impressive 300 horsepower. For most, we think this is the way to go with this car. Its smaller and lighter frame means that the smaller engine can perform about as well as the V-6 does in the G90.

If you’re willing to pay around $10,000 more, then you can swap out the four-cylinder for the 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6. It definitely adds a good amount of pep to the G80, but the luxury sedan is still more of a cruiser and it doesn’t seem worth the upgrade on a car that is never going to compete with serious sports sedans.

G80 vs G90

The G90 is to Genesis what the S-Class is to Mercedes. Only the absolute best materials and technology make it into the car. This means that it is a veritable super yacht on wheels. It also, however, means that the G90’s price tag is astronomical, with very few being able to spend near $100,000 on a car.

The G80 makes some compromises, but fewer than you would think. Some materials aren’t quite as fine in the G80 as they are in the G90, especially in the lower trims levels. However, in terms of the most important features, like seating and infotainment, the G80 carries over a lot of the essence of its larger sibling. It also challenges other rivals in its class a little better, being much more affordable than the likes of the BMW 5-Series.

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A 420 Horsepower V-8 Used To Sit Under The hood Of The G90

The twin-turbocharged V-6 is plenty of powerful for a luxury cruiser like the G90 or G80. However, it used to house a much bigger, much more powerful powerplant before its redesign in 2023. The 2022 Genesis G90 actually featured a 5.0-liter V-8 that made tons more power than even the current hybrid model.

Performance

Back in 2022 the Genesis G90 featured a 3.3-liter V-6 as standard, with the option to upgrade to a mighty 420 horsepower V-8. While these are some impressive figures, they didn’t translate into much. In Car and Driver’s testing of the previous generation G90, they found that the version with the V-6 matched the acceleration of those with the V-8.

Does The G90 Need More Power?

We think not. While horsepower is impressive, and we’re all about driving thrills and engagement, that simply isn’t the kind of car that the Genesis tries to be. Many manufacturers get caught up in trying to produce the quickest thing on four wheels, even when it doesn’t need to be. The G90 is a high-quality, luxury cruiser that prioritizes comfort and opulence above all else. A V-8 doesn’t add anything to that vision and we think the current twin-turbo V-6 is perfect for the G90. It’s this focus that makes them such big players in the current market.