The 2025 Genesis GV80 Coupe is fast, sleek, and dynamic, but what impressed me the most was a subtle animation that uses the Genesis GV80 Surround View Monitor mode, which appears when you back up from your driveway and pull into traffic.
Yes, it is sporty. The GV80 has a 3.5T E-Supercharger that propels you forward like a ride at the country fair, but with leather seats. I loved driving it for a week because of the speed and agility on the road, plus the fact that this luxury coupe also has all-wheel drive to make sure you are hugging the road. That was more important than I realized on a sleek, wintery day in October. Speed is thrilling on a dry road, but on a thin layer of ice not so much. Fortunately, the GV80 was able to stay centered on the road thanks to computer controlled tire monitoring.
And, really, all of those features are what make the car safe and fun to drive. But I was more enamored by what looked like a mini video game for a few seconds.
How the Genesis GV80 Surround View Monitor works
My wife was driving with me and she noticed it first. Basically, when you back-up and then start driving again, there’s an animated view of the car that shows a virtual version of the GV80 on a backdrop that uses a bird’s eye view. Here’s a video that shows what it looks like:
It works by stitching together a virtual animated version of the car on top of a real-time view that is made up of various cameras. Short of deploying a drone to the back of the car and filming your surroundings, it is actually stitching together the view from the cameras while positioning the car on top of the camera views.
And yes — it feels like you’re playing a video game. The animation only lasts a short time as a way to show you any obstructions you might need to be aware of, such as a pedestrian, biker, or other cars that might be in your field of view. It’s a helpful additional feature for safety, plus, it’s interesting to look at.
Automated cameras in the Surround View Monitor
It’s impossible to look all around the car at the same time though as a human, since we can only look in one direction at a time. With the multiple cameras stitched into one view, you can see anything that might get in your way in all directions.
It’s a brilliant idea and one that also impressed just about anyone who saw it as a passenger. Since I test cars so often, I was impressed because I don’t remember seeing this type of animated view in any other vehicles. Though, car makers are increasingly using cameras to increase our awareness of our surroundings, thereby making us and those around us safer.
It’s innovative and unique, but the Genesis GV80 Surround View Monitor is also a great safety feature to make sure you are driving without anything near the vehicle.