Compare the2024 Genesis G80VS 2024 BMW 5 Series

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 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 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the G80 and 5 Series 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’ 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.

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 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 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the G80. But it costs extra on the 5 Series.

Both the G80 and the 5 Series 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 around view monitors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the G80 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 50 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The 5 Series has not been tested, yet.

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’ 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. 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 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

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’ battery is in the hot engine compartment.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the G80 first among upper midsize premium cars in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The 5 Series isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 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 above average in initial quality. With 16 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is rated lower.

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.

The G80 2.5T’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 45 more horsepower (300 vs. 255) and 16 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 295) than the 530i’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

The G80 2.5T’s standard fuel tank has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the 5 Series (17.2 vs. 15.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The G80 3.5T’s standard fuel tank has 3.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the 5 Series (19.3 vs. 15.9 gallons).

For better maneuverability, the G80’s turning circle is 2.3 feet tighter than the 5 Series’ (38.1 feet vs. 40.4 feet). The G80’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the 5 Series xDrive’s (38.1 feet vs. 40.7 feet).

The G80 has 2 inches more front headroom, .9 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more rear headroom, 1.7 inches more rear legroom and .2 inches more rear shoulder room than the 5 Series.

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 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The G80 has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the 5 Series.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Genesis G80, based on reliability, safety and performance.