Dominating brands in the midsize luxury sedan market include brand names like BMW, Audi, Lexus, and Mercedes as expected. However, the Genesis G80, a relative newcomer to the class made a significant move toward the top in 2020, providing potential buyers with a lower-priced luxury option. Those who purchase the G80 in 2021 will have to pay more, but they’ll receive a great deal more for the price. According to MotorTrend, it will cost buyers less to drive the 2021 model because of improvements to the G80’s fuel economy.

EPA fuel economy estimates for the 2021 Genesis G80 compared with the 2020 G80

The redesigned version of the 2021 Genesis G80 captures your attention and will draw many midsize luxury sedan buyers in its direction. MotorTrend points out that the improved fuel economy of the 2021 edition provides significant estimated fuel economy improvement over the 2020 model. This improvement gives potential buyers additional motivation to turn away from those dominating brand names and makes the Genesis G80 a serious consideration.

The 2020 Genesis G80 featured a 3.3-liter, V6 turbo, which produced EPA-estimated average fuel economies of 17/25/20 (city/highway/combined) mpg with the rear-wheel drive (RWD) option and 17/24/20 mpg with its all-wheel drive option (AWD). Its 3.8-liter non-turbo produced slightly better mileage at 18/26/21 mpg (RWD) and 18/24/20 mpg (AWD).

The 2021 G80 models will have two different engine options from which to choose. Estimates of its 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder turbo option are 23/32/28 mpg (RWD) and 22/30/25 mpg (AWD). The G80’s more powerful 3.5-liter, V6 turbo should produce an estimated fuel economy around 19/27/22 mpg (RWD) and 18/26/21 mpg (AWD).

Drivers will enjoy only a slight fuel economy improvement with the 2021 G80’s six-cylinder option, but a significant improvement if they go the four-cylinder route.

How does the fuel economy of the G80 compare with its competitors?

Improvements to the fuel economy of the 2021 Genesis G80 make it more competitive with the leaders of the midsize luxury sector, but how close is its fuel economy to theirs? When comparing the rear-wheel drive options with the class leaders, the G80 has gained a lot of ground, but still comes up short of taking over the top spot.

The 2021 leader of the class, the BMW 5-series sedan with its 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder turbo produces an estimated fuel economy of 25/33/28 mpg, while its closest six-cylinder equivalent rates at 22/30/25 mpg, which means the G80 is moving closer to the established standard. 

However, the G80 four-cylinder option matches the 2020 Mercedes-Benz E-class fuel economy and is only a single mile per gallon lower than the Audi A6. The 2021 G80 still trails the midsize luxury leaders with the estimated fuel economy of its six-cylinder option.

When considering the fuel economy of an engine, buyers also examine its performance capacity. After all, a lower fuel economy can indicate that a car is underpowered and sluggish. The 2021 G80’s 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder turbo should produce around 300 hp while its 3.5-liter, V6 turbo is expected to provide 375 hp. 

These numbers give the G80 an edge over the BMW 5-series 4-cylinder option and its 335 hp 6-cylinder offering. Both engine options on the 2021 G80 outperform Audi offerings, Mercedes’ 4-cylinder option, and edges out the top-performing Mercedes-Benz E-450 engine, which produces 362 hp.

The 2021 Genesis G80 provides a competitive option among luxury sedan leaders

In the luxury car class, fuel economy is a relatively secondary consideration. However, as the performance and design features of the 2021 Genesis G80 stretch to compete with those of BMW, Audi, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz in the midsize luxury sedan sector, fuel economy can be a deciding factor as car buyers make their final choice. With their improvements to the fuel economy of the 2021 G80, Genesis has made their nameplate more competitive among luxury sedan leaders.