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 GV80 are reminded to check the back seat when a sensor determines the back seat is occupied. The Q7 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
The Genesis GV80 has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Q7 doesn’t offer knee airbags.
The GV80 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 Q7 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.
The GV80’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Q7 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.
Both the GV80 and the Q7 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, 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 and available 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 GV80 is safer than the Audi Q7:
|
GV80 |
Q7 |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
Neck Injury Risk |
24.1% |
25% |
Neck Stress |
157 lbs. |
186 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
25 lbs. |
37 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
Chest Compression |
.6 inches |
.7 inches |
Neck Injury Risk |
34% |
44% |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Genesis GV80 is safer than the Q7:
|
GV80 |
Q7 |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Restraints |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Head Neck Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Peak Head Forces |
0 G’s |
0 G’s |
Chest Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Max Chest Compression |
27 cm |
30 cm |
Hip & Thigh Evaluation |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L |
0%/0% |
4%/0% |
Lower Leg Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
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, results indicate that the Genesis GV80 is safer than the Audi Q7:
|
GV80 |
Q7 |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
29 |
187 |
Chest Movement |
.5 inches |
.8 inches |
Abdominal Force |
101 lbs. |
128 lbs. |
Hip Force |
293 lbs. |
350 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
70 |
337 |
Spine Acceleration |
26 G’s |
62 G’s |
Hip Force |
458 lbs. |
888 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The Genesis GV80 (built after August 2023) has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2024 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and an “Acceptable” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Q7 is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2024, though it hasn’t yet been rated in the updated moderate overlap frontal test, a requirement for the “Top Safety Pick Plus” award.