The incredibly high demand in the SUV space right now created certain expectations from various models. Cars that would never compete against each other are now rivals and it seems like the trend is not going to slow down anytime soon. For example, nobody would’ve paired the Touareg against the BMW X5 before but the Volkswagen was forced by the stiff competition to up its game. Therefore, it’s now considered by many a premium model.

Then there are newcomers on the scene, cars with a lot of standard kit and premium fit and finish, meant to take on established names. That would be a perfect description for the Genesis GV80, the entire South Korean sub-brand of the Hyundai-Kia group having only one purpose: to show the world that it can take on the old premium brands. So far, it seems like Genesis has the tools needed to do so, and the price/performance ratio is rather high.

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In this particular comparison, the interior of the Genesis surprised the most. According to the judges, the execution of the cabin was outstanding but the design wasn’t necessarily up to par with the times we live in. In short, the Genesis interior looked old already. That’s not the case with the other two cars in this comparison. But the interiors are only part of the discussion at hand here though.

The handling of the three and the comfort they offer was also of great interest, as you would expect in a competition judging cars. In that respect, the BMW X5 won but the thing is, overall, the differences were small and when you take pricing into account as well, you start to understand why the Touareg won. That’s right, the Touareg won and it was mostly because of its unbeatable bang for buck ratio.