2024 Genesis G90 Review: Among the best in full-size luxury

2024 Genesis G90 Review: Among the best in full-size luxury

Pros: It’s gorgeous inside and out; loaded with features; excellent ride quality; tremendous luxury value

Cons: Smaller trunk than competition; no full hybrid powertrains

The 2024 Genesis G90 is a highly competitive, full-size luxury sedan that is roomy, comfortable, attractive and chock full of useful tech and convenience features. Fully revised last model year, it is leaps and bounds better than the G90 that came before it (but even that was pretty decent). Now it’s a stunning flagship that offers some serious luxury value.

It’s hard not to compare it to the more expensive BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class, which the G90 undercuts in price. Don’t let that fool you — this Korean sedan might not quite match the driving dynamics of the Germans, but it competes strongly in comfort, design and technology while still being a joy from behind the wheel. As Autoblog Road Test Editor Zac Palmer affirmed after his first drive of the G90, “The new G90 is one of the finest executive sedans money can buy.”

Interior & Technology   |   Passenger & Cargo Space   |   Performance & Fuel Economy

What it’s like to drive   |   Pricing & Trim Levels   |   Crash Ratings & Safety Features

What’s new for 2024?

The 2024 Genesis G90 carries over from the 2023 model year. The G90 was fully updated and redesigned for 2023, complete with new looks, new powertrains and a whole lot of upgraded technology.

What are the G90 interior and in-car technology like?

The G90 employs every trick in the book from auto-closing doors (press a button or the brake pedal) to extravagant ambient lighting. A superb 23-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system is even standard on the E-Supercharged model. For those planning to be chauffeured around in a G90, the rear seat is really only lacking a fridge filled with champagne flutes. Padded headrests, a full-recline seat (it automatically shoves the front passenger seat forward), a rear touchscreen monitor and a massive center console with any feature you may desire — even a wireless phone charger — are all present. There’s even a speaker in the driver’s headrest to bark out warnings/commands to the driver to ensure those in the rear seat aren’t disturbed by trivial matters like navigation directions or a turn signal click-clacking away.

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In addition to its 12.3-inch digital driver display and 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, the G90 is loaded with beautifully-crafted metal toggles, buttons and knobs to control the car’s vitals. While Genesis opts to use a touch-control screen for some climate functions, that screen provides haptic feedback that makes it feel like you’re pressing a real button when interacting with it. You won’t need to dig through menus in a screen to turn on the full-body massaging seats or swap back to Apple CarPlay. A single press of a well-crafted, physical button does the trick, and that right there is luxury. You’ll also be getting a much different experience with BMW or Mercedes.

How big is the G90?

The Genesis G90 is a full-size sedan along the lines of the Lexus LS, BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Its similar in length, width, height and wheelbase to these competitors at 207.7 inches long, 76 inches wide and 58.7 inches tall, with a wheelbase of 125.2 inches. This makes for a roomy interior that can accommodate five adults. There’s enough rear space in the second row that the E-Supercharged model includes power-reclining rear seats.

The trunk is a little smaller than the competition, at 12.0 cubic feet in the 3.5T, and 10.6 cubic feet with the E-Supercharged powertrain. That’s less than the Mercedes S-Class (12.9 cubic feet), BMW 7 Series (13.7 cubes) and especially the Lexus LS (17.0 cubes). It’s also smaller than what you’d get in many compact, non-luxury sedans let along mid-size ones. Still, the trunk has a wide opening (gotta fit a golf bag, right?) and a load floor that’s level with the bumper.

What are the G90 fuel economy and performance specs?

There are two powertrain options in the G90: the 3.5T and the 3.5T E-Supercharger. The standard powertrain in the G90 is a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 providing 375 horsepower and 391 pound-feet of torque. That power is routed to all four wheels (all-wheel drive is standard) via an eight-speed automatic transmission. The EPA rates fuel economy at 18 miles per gallon city, 26 mpg highway and 21 mpg combined.

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The upgrade engine is a mild-hybrid version of the same twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 with a 48-volt electric supercharger. It’s good for 409 horsepower and 405 pound-feet of torque. Again, all-wheel drive and an eight-speed auto are standard. It’s rated at 17/24/20 mpg.

What’s the G90 like to drive?

Our turns behind the wheel of the G90 were in “E-Supercharger” examples, in which the 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 is supplemented by a 48-volt mild-hybrid system with an electrically-driven supercharger. Even if you skip the E-Supercharger, the base G90’s engine is an upgrade over the smaller 3.3-liter twin-turbo V6 it made do with before.

The powertrain we tested was an ideal unit for a sedan such as this one. The stop/start system allows for seamless coasting to a halt and natural initial acceleration. Plus, the supercharged boost from the get-go negates any lag from the engine before the turbos spin up, ultimately providing that oh-so-desired effortless glide from light-to-light. The melt-into-the-background eight-speed transmission does fine work of not getting in the way of this engine’s smoothness, too. The muted rush of the V6 is amplified in the G90’s Sport driving mode, but it’s never intrusive or unrefined, maintaining a quiet sense of luxury at all times.

The E-Supercharged version also features a multi-chamber air suspension with “Preview-Electronic Control Suspension” technology, which uses cameras and sensors to detect what’s coming up in the road ahead, then optimizes the electronically-controlled dampers to offer the best-possible ride over the obstruction. The E-Supercharged also has rear-wheel steering, allowing for four-degrees of opposite lock at low speeds and 2 degrees of turn-in the same direction as the front wheels at higher speeds. It’s not as impressive as the S-Class’ maximum of 10 degrees, but the feature still greatly enhances this big sedan’s maneuverability in every situation.

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Stability and ride comfort both get the highest marks possible. You can’t do any better than this lest you buy something as expensive as a Mercedes-Maybach or Bentley. The big, intricate 21-inch wheels don’t seem to hurt the G90’s composure. No matter the road quality over a 500-plus-mile road trip, the serenity of comfort and silence could not be broken.

What other Genesis G90 reviews can I read?

2023 Genesis G90 First Drive Review: No more compromises

The new G90 is one of the finest executive sedans money can buy.

 

What is the 2024 G90’s price, and what features are available?

The 2024 Genesis G90 costs $90,395 (including $1,195 in destination fees) for the 3.5T. It comes loaded with standard equipment like 20-inch wheels, power hands-free trunk, panoramic sunroof, Nappa leather seating, power front seats with massage function, heated/ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, power rear sunshades, head-up display, Bang & Olufsen audio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charger and more. A whole suite of safety tech is also standard (more on that in the section below). The only cost options are certain exterior paint colors and any accessories.

The 3.5T E-Supercharged costs $102,195, and adds multi-chamber air suspension, 21-inch wheels, heated and ventilated rear seats with massage and recline functions, soft-close power doors, power front bolsters, Bang & Olufsen 3D Premium Audio and a rear wireless charger.

What are the G90 safety ratings and driver assistance features?

The IIHS awarded the 2023 Genesis G90 its Top Safety Pick+ designation, scoring the highest ratings in all crash test categories. It also earned top marks for vehicle-to-pedestrian crash avoidance. It earned the second-highest rating for its headlights. The 2024 ratings should carry over.

In addition to driver assist tech like adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go and lane-centering steering assist, standard safety equipment includes forward collision, blind-spot, rear cross-traffic and parking collision warning and avoidance systems, lane-keeping assist, blind spot cameras, driver attention monitoring, parking sensors, surround-view parking cameras, rear-seat occupant alert and safe exit assist. Besides the volume of these systems, they are also among the best-executed in the automotive industry.