Compare the2023 Genesis G80VS 2023 BMW 5 Series Sedan

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 5 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 5 Series Sedan doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the G80 and 5 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 5 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 5 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 5 Series Sedan doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The G80 has standard Anti-Whiplash Front Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Anti-Whiplash Front Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The 5 Series Sedan doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The G80 Sport/Sport Prestige has a standard Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The 5 Series Sedan only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the G80 and the 5 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, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available all wheel drive.

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 5 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 5 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 5 Series Sedan ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the G80 has a standard 850-amp battery. The 5 Series Sedan’s 570-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

The battery on the G80 is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the G80’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The 5 Series Sedan’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the G80’s reliability 14 points higher than the 5 Series Sedan.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the G80 first among upper midsize premium cars in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The 5 Series Sedan was rated second 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.

As tested in Motor Trend the G80 2.5T 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the 530i 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

On the EPA test cycle the G80 gets better mileage than the 5 Series Sedan:

The G80 3.5T’s standard fuel tank has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the 5 Series Sedan (19.3 vs. 18 gallons).

The G80 stops shorter than the 5 Series Sedan:

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the G80’s wheelbase is 1.4 inches longer than on the 5 Series Sedan (118.5 inches vs. 117.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the G80 is 1.1 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the 5 Series Sedan.

The G80 handles at .91 G’s, while the 540i pulls only .87 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 530i (25.9 seconds @ .71 average G’s vs. 26.3 seconds @ .68 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the G80’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the 5 Series Sedan’s (38.1 feet vs. 39.4 feet). The G80’s turning circle is 2.7 feet tighter than the 5 Series Sedan xDrive’s (38.1 feet vs. 40.8 feet).

The design of the Genesis G80 amounts to more than styling. The G80 has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .27 Cd. That is lower than the 5 Series Sedan (.27 to .29) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the G80 get better fuel mileage.

The G80 has 5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the 5 Series Sedan (103.8 vs. 98.8).

The G80 has 2.3 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom, .7 inches more rear headroom, 2.2 inches more rear legroom and 1.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the 5 Series Sedan.

Consumer Reports rated the G80’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the 5 Series Sedan’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the G80 has standard extendable sun visors. The 5 Series Sedan doesn’t offer extendable visors.

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 5 Series Sedan doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Insurance will cost less for the G80 owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the G80 will cost $1080 less than the 5 Series Sedan over a five-year period.

The G80 will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the G80 will retain 43.88% to 43.95% of its original price after five years, while the 5 Series Sedan only retains 39.57% to 43.24%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Genesis G80 will be $8265 to $14251 less than for the BMW 5 Series Sedan.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Genesis G80 and the BMW 5 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 5 Series Sedan isn’t in the top three in its category.