Compare the2023 Genesis G80VS 2023 BMW 3 Series Sedan

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Genesis G80 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The BMW 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Genesis G80 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the G80 and 3 Series Sedan have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The G80 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The 3 Series Sedan’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the G80 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The G80 has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The G80’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the 3 Series Sedan.

The G80 has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the 3 Series Sedan’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the G80 has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the 3 Series Sedan.

Both the G80 and the 3 Series Sedan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Genesis G80 is safer than the BMW 3 Series Sedan:

	G80	3 Series Sedan
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	137	252
Neck Compression	43 lbs.	74 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	28/23 lbs.	200/338 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Genesis G80 is safer than the BMW 3 Series Sedan:

	G80	3 Series Sedan
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	101	107
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.8 inches
Abdominal Force	174 lbs.	179 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	94	305
Spine Acceleration	24 G’s	47 G’s
Hip Force	242 lbs.	532 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	198	270
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	39 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the G80 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 112 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The 3 Series Sedan is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2022.

Warranty

The G80 comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes free 24-hour roadside assistance. The 3 Series Sedan’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Genesis’ powertrain warranty covers the G80 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than BMW covers the 3 Series Sedan. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the 3 Series Sedan ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the G80 has a standard 850-amp battery. The 3 Series Sedan’s 720-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the G80 first among upper midsize premium cars in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The 3 Series Sedan isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Genesis vehicles are better in initial quality than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Genesis fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 9th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Genesis vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Genesis fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 32 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 15th.

Engine

The G80 2.5T’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 45 more horsepower (300 vs. 255) and 17 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 294) than the 330i’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The G80 3.5T’s standard 3.5 turbo V6 produces 23 lbs.-ft. more torque (391 vs. 368) than the M340i’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the G80 3.5T 3.5 turbo V6 is faster than the 330i 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

	G80	3 Series Sedan
Zero to 60 MPH	4.9 sec	5.2 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	11.8 sec	13.9 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	5.7 sec	6.4 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	2.9 sec	3.2 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	3.6 sec	3.9 sec
Quarter Mile	13.4 sec	13.9 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	106 MPH	100 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

The G80 2.5T’s standard fuel tank has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the 3 Series Sedan (17.2 vs. 15.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The G80 3.5T’s standard fuel tank has 3.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the 3 Series Sedan (19.3 vs. 15.6 gallons).

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the G80’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the 3 Series Sedan:

	G80 2.5T	G80 3.5T	330i	M340i
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	14.2 inches	13 inches	13.7 inches

The G80 stops shorter than the 3 Series Sedan:

	G80	3 Series Sedan
70 to 0 MPH	160 feet	165 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	128 feet	129 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	134 feet	135 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the G80 has larger standard tires than the 3 Series Sedan (245/50R18 vs. 225/45R18). The G80 Advanced/Sport/2.5T Sport Prestige’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the 3 Series Sedan (F:245/45R19 & R:275/40R19 vs. F:225/40R19 & R:255/35R19).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the G80 3.5T Sport Prestige offers optional 20-inch wheels. The 3 Series Sedan’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the G80’s wheelbase is 6.3 inches longer than on the 3 Series Sedan (118.5 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the G80 is 1.9 inches wider in the front and 2.6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the 3 Series Sedan.

The G80 handles at .91 G’s, while the 330i xDrive pulls only .89 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The G80 AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the 330i xDrive (25.9 seconds @ .71 average G’s vs. 26.6 seconds @ .66 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the G80’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the 3 Series Sedan’s (38.1 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

Chassis

As tested by Car and Driver while cruising at 70 MPH, the interior of the G80 is quieter than the 330i (66 vs. 69 dB).

Passenger Space

The G80 has 2.4 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more front legroom, 2.3 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 3.5 inches more rear legroom and 2.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the 3 Series Sedan.

Ergonomics

The G80’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

Consumer Reports rated the G80’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the 3 Series Sedan’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

A power rear sunshade and manual rear side window sunshades are standard in the G80 Advanced/Sport/Sport Prestige to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer a rear or rear side window sunshades.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the G80 Advanced/Sport/Sport Prestige keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The G80 Sport/Sport Prestige has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the 3 Series Sedan.

The G80 Sport Prestige’s Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The 3 Series Sedan M340i’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Genesis G80 and the BMW 3 Series Sedan, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the G80 first among upper midsize premium cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The 3 Series Sedan isn’t in the top three.