Bargain might not sound like much at six figure prices, but the G90 really does undercut its German and Japanese competitors by thousands.

Say you have six-figures or so to spend on a luxury sedan. You can pretty much take your pick from all the luxury automakers: Audi A8, BMW 7 Series, Lexus LS and the Mercedes-Benz S Class. All are pretty much the luxury car standard. But what if you want something different? You’re basically SOL if you want anything else as those sedans  are the only offerings left on the market and it’s been that way for awhile. You’d have a better chance with a luxury SUV, but you’re committed to wanting a sedan. There is another choice though and it’s from a brand you either weren’t aware existed or hadn’t even thought about considering: Genesis and it’s G90 sedan.

For a brand that’s only been around about a decade, it’s made some big moves. Every product the brand makes is excellent. And that luxury know-how has culminated in the G90 luxury sedan, the flagship of the brand and a luxury car that shows that Genesis is not to be played with. 

If you don’t know what the G90 is, let me educate you. The story of the G90 starts in the early 2010s with its parent brand, Hyundai. This is back when Hyundai was really starting to make big moves. Already seen as an up and coming competitor to brands like Toyota and Honda, Hyundai had bigger aspirations. So the brand shocked everyone and introduced a flagship luxury sedan in the US, the Equus (which was the second generation of a sedan that had been around since 1999). Designed to compete with the aforementioned sedans from the Germans and Japanese, the Equus was just as luxurious and well built as them but for way less. The Equus lasted through a 2013 refresh before it was dropped in 2016, the same year the Genesis brand was launched. 

Genesis launched with 2 models: the BMW 5 Series sized G80 and the first generation G90, the direct successor of the Equus. Its styling was…forgettable. Boringly conservative. And perfect for those luxury buyers that just wanted something big, comfortable and sedate. Buyers could choose between two engines: a turbocharged 3.3-liter V6 or a 5.0-liter V8.

A refresh in 2018 brought its styling more in line with Genesis’ design language (it also made it look more appealing and luxurious in my opinion). But the G90 was largely the same car that had debuted 2 years prior underneath. Then in 2021, an all new G90 made its debut. It was new from the ground up, riding on a platform known as M3 internally (Which is ironic if you think about it. The current plug-in hybrid BMW M5’s platform is known internally as G90) which is the topic of our review today.

Genesis engineers and designers must have closely studied the competition to get things right because in this segment, details matter. The first thing you’ll notice about the G90 is its exterior design. You might not be sure what it is at first glance, but you will glance. From my experience driving the G90, most people stared. It has presence. From the massive signature Genesis grille up front flanked by thin headlights made up of 24 individual LED squares to the massive C-pillar and controversy styled rear, it’s 17 feet of luxury car.  

Inside the G90 gets even better. The interior is gorgeous and well made. The first thing you’ll notice about it is the color. My tester was finished in a warm brown Genesis calls Bordeaux which can come off as either Chocolate-like or with a Burgandy-ish hue. This was accented by a matte colored wood trim.

The next thing that might catch your eye are the big screens dominating the dash. There’s over two feet of display sitting atop the G90’s dash: a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster for the driver and another 12.3-inch HD infotainment display for the center of the dash. Both have great looking graphics and can show multitudes of information and settings for the G90s myriad number of features. Despite these big displays, Genesis is forgoing an annoying trend other automakers seem to make worse every year: less and less physical buttons and more and more screens.

In the G90, there’s actual buttons and controls. Set low in the dash is one central area that houses controls for the climate as well as navigation and audio system shortcuts. An area just ahead of the center armrest houses more controls with knobs for audio volume and radio tuning as well as dials for the gear selector and a rorty dial with a built in touch pad on top of it that controls the infotainment screen. It’s all very functional and easy to use.

The tech and features on the interior of the G90 are some of its best assets. Power closing doors with soft closing assist make it so you don’t have to actually reach over and pull the door closed if you don’t want to; buttons on the front and rear consoles can be pressed to close the doors instead and in the case of the driver’s door, it can also be closed once the brake pedal is depressed. A 23 speaker Bang & Olufsen Premier 3D sound system will wow you with how great it sounds.

Rear passengers enjoy heated and cooled seats that are power adjustable. This is in addition to the right rear passenger seat’s ability to recline and deploy a full ottoman for your feet, but only when no one is sitting in front. There’s even a mood curator that uses a combination of ambient interior lighting, built-in fragrances (yes there are different scents that you can load into the G90’s climate control. They can be purchased at the Genesis dealer) and seat massage settings to create an interior environment that is relaxing as hell. On and did I mention that the front armrest has a built-in UV light system that can sanitize whatever you put in it?

But enough about how cushy it is, you want to know how it drives. It drives better than you’d expect. Piloting the G90, you’ll be quickly reminded of American luxobarges of yore. Cars like the Lincoln Town Car, Cadillac DeVille and Chrysler Imperial. The G90 floats over the road and absorbs road imperfections like they’re not even there thanks to the it’s trick suspension system. The electronically controlled air suspension is fitted with a feature called Road Preview. Using a combo of sensors and cameras, the system scans the road ahead for imperfections and adjusts the suspension accordingly before the car even gets to it. It’s all done in milliseconds and makes for a glass smooth ride. It’s no sport sedan by any means but the G90 can hustle when it needs to. Press the drive mode button until you get to Sport, and the suspension stiffens a bit for more spirited driving. But you’ll be quickly reminded that you’re piloting 17-feet of luxury sedan that weighs over 5,300 pounds. A rear wheel steering aids with helping the G90 feel a little more nimble but it’s mostly more noticeable at lower speeds.

The 3.5-liter twin-turbo and supercharged V6 helps the G90 hustle too.  In addition to helping with a smooth initial start up and the start/stop system, the supercharger also aids in throttle response by making turbo-lag nearly non-existent. 

So it’s quiet, smooth, comfortable and drives decently well, how much is this all going to set you back? Quite a bit to be honest. Including destination charges, pricing for the G90 starts at $91,195. Move up to the G90 with the electrically supercharged and twin-turbo V6 like my tester and it starts at $101,495. My car’s as tested price was $102,145 with the sole option being $650 for the Uyuni White exterior paint. A lot of coin for sure but it undercuts competitors by thousands. It’s an even better deal when you take into account the number of features the G90 comes standard with that competitors charge thousands for. Don’t believe me? Take a look. 

I went and built out a few of the G90’s competitors and similarly specced them in both equipment and color. The most expensive is the Mercedes S 500 at $137,619. Just to get the white exterior paint and 20-inch wheels is $2,800 ($1,750 for the paint and $1,050 for the wheels). And you can’t just simply choose the brown interior. It requires a $3,700 Warmth & Comfort Package. Another $12,210 came from other features that the G90 comes standard with like rear wheel steering ($1,300) and Mercedes’ E-Active Body Control suspension system ($6,500).

The second most expensive is the BMW 7 Series. Equipped like the G90, you’d have to spend $116,125 for a 7. Just to get a similar interior color to the G90 is $1,850 for a color BMW calls Tartufo. Another $4,500 is required to get the rear seats like the G90: $3,000 for a luxury rear seating package, $500 for cooled front seats and another $1,000 for massaging. Four wheel steering on the 7 Series is another $1,150 and it’s $4,800 for a sound system similar to the G90’s Bang & Olufsen sound system; BMW uses a Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system. 

The next most expensive is the Audi A8. Equipped like the G90, you’d have to drop $109,545 for one at your local Audi dealer. Just to get a similar brown leather interior is $4,450. That also requires a $2,800 luxury package and another $3,100 for a comfort rear seat package. Audi also charges an arm & a leg for the same sound system as the G90; you’ll have to come up with $5,900 for the Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system in the A8.

Lexus is last. It’s the least expensive out of the other sedans, but still more pricey than the G90. Similarly equipped, an LS500 will set you  back $106,715. The bulk of that price is a $15,250 luxury package that makes the rear seats more cushy. Other options aren’t as expensive as the Germans, like a $1,000 pano roof and a $1,940 Mark Lenvison surround sound system. But it’s ‘still $5,220 more than the G90. Anyway you go about it, you’re saving thousands by going for the G90. Not everything about the G90 is great though. The brand is an established luxury player but lots of people still don’t know what it is for instance. And the styling, despite looking good, may not stand out as much as some would want it to. But even with those small downsides, any buyer in this segment would be a fool to not consider the G90. And the fact that it’s delivering the luxury, performance and craftsmanship of its competitors for a discount price should have everyone from BMW to Mercedes very worried.