THISGENESISROCKS

FIRST impressions count, and new kid on the car- block Genesis makes an impression with its GV80 sports utility vehicle, which I’ve been test driving on UK roads this week. Catch a fleeting glance and you might even mistake it for a Bentley Bentayga SUV, costing up to three times as much.

Purely coincidental, I’m sure, that the Genesis chief designer is Belgian Luc Donckerwolke, who was previously design director at Bentley. Set up five years ago, Genesis is the luxury vehicle division of the South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group, which includes the Hyundai and Kia brands.

Order books open officially from July 1, with first deliveries later that month. Available as a fiveand seven-seater configuration, the GV80 line-up starts at £56,715 for the Premium Line.

I drove a seven-seater version of the Luxury Line priced from £62,315, but loaded with £15,000 of added extra kit including innovation packs and Nappa leather seats that raised it to a cool £77,485. Still, that’s around half the price of a Bentley Bentayga (from about £150,000).

Visually, you can’t miss the GV80’s bold crest grille, winged badge, solid stance and doublelined LED quad lamps.

The interior is impressive, too. Sophisticated with a large dashboard infotainment touch-screen, 12-inch head-up display, cossetting seats and a premium feel.

Riding on 22 in wheels (20 in as standard), the willing turbocharged 3.0-litre, 278 hp, straight six-cylinder diesel engine linked to an eight- speed automatic gearbox provides spirited acceleration, particularly in Sport mode.

It achieves rest to 62 mph in 7.5 seconds up to a top speed of 143 mph. Also on offer is a turbocharged, 304 hp, 2.5 -litre 4-cylinder petrol engine.

For long trips, it’s a smooth cruiser in Comfort mode, and you can choose Eco if you are prioritising fuel conservation.

So is this a Korean copycat ‘Bootleg Bentley’?

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the Bentley chaps in Crewe should feel flattered by the Genesis GV80’ s impressive homage to their skills.