Is the 2021 Genesis GV80 or 2021 Porsche Cayenne a Better SUV?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The 2021 Genesis GV80 and 2021 Porsche Cayenne are midsize luxury SUVs that have a lot going for them. Both have good road test scores, reliability, and owner satisfaction. So which is the better choice? Let’s take a look at what Consumer Reports thinks of each. 

2021 Porsche Cayenne | Porsche

The 2021 Genesis GV80 has slightly more safety features

Consumer Reports says these advanced safety features are important: forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking at city and highway speeds, lane-keeping assistance, and lane departure warning. Consumer Reports also says that pedestrian detection, blind-spot warning, and rear cross-traffic warning are important to have. Rearview cameras are standard in all new cars. You should also look for anti-lock brakes, traction and stability control, and daytime running lights.

The 2021 Genesis GV80 comes standard with all of these features except for automatic emergency braking at highway speeds, which isn’t available. 

On the other hand, the 2021 Porsche Cayenne doesn’t come with lane-keeping assist and blind-spot warning, which are optional. Unfortunately, rear cross-traffic warning isn’t available. Everything else is standard in the Cayenne.

The Genesis GV80 gets better comfort ratings

As far as comfort, the 2021 Genesis GV80 gets a very good 4/5 for its ride. It’s quiet: it scores a perfect 5 for its noise. Front seat comfort gets a perfect 5/5, while rear seat comfort gets a respectable 4/5.

Interior fit and finish get a perfect 5. The trunk and cargo space scores only a 3/5, with just 39 cubic feet of storage space.

On the other hand, the 2021 Porsche Cayenne gets a reasonable 3/5 for its ride. It’s quiet: it scores a perfect 5 for its noise. Both front and rear seat comfort also get perfect scores. 

Interior fit and finish get a perfect 5. The trunk and cargo space scores only a 3/5, with just 32 cubic feet of storage space.

Reliability is better in the 2021 Porsche Cayenne

Consumer Reports gives the 2021 Porsche Cayenne a 3/5 for its predicted reliability. Although there are no reliability ratings for 2020, 2019 shows an average reliability rating. Problem spots in the 2019 include the engine minor, brakes, and power equipment.

Despite this mediocre reliability rating, Porsche Cayenne owners seem to love their SUVs. The owner satisfaction score is a 4/5. Most notably, the driving experience and comfort are a 92. Styling receives an 85. Value, however, is just a 35. 72% of Cayenne owners would buy their Cayenne again.

Consumer Reports gives the 2021 Genesis GV80 only a 2/5 for its predicted reliability. Despite this poor reliability rating, Genesis GV80 owners rated the owner satisfaction a 4/5. There is currently no data about previous owner satisfaction. 75% of GV80 owners would buy their GV80 again.

The overall ratings for the 2021 Genesis GV80 and 2021 Porsche Cayenne are both good, but the Cayenne’s is better. The Cayenne gets an 81 overall, while the GV80 only gets a 62. If you’re torn between the two, the 2021 Porsche Cayenne is a better pick.

RELATED: Is the Audi Q7 or Porsche Cayenne a Better Way to Spend $60,000?

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Why Don’t Hypercar Companies like Bugatti and Koenigsegg Build Any Consumer Cars?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Hypercar companies around the world are gaining more attention from automotive enthusiasts and consumers alike. While these cars were once reserved for private collectors who could afford to spend millions of dollars on a single high-performance vehicle, social media platforms and car shows have brought them into the spotlight. There are several reasons why people take an interest in hypercars, even if they aren’t genuinely interested in buying them, but unlike some supercar and high-performance sports car companies, hypercar companies don’t have that many variations in the vehicles, and they don’t usually build any consumer cars.

Why don’t Koenigsegg and Bugatti build consumer cars?

The Bugatti Chiron, Koenigsegg Regera and Lamborghini Aventador Liberty Walk | Martyn Lucy, Getty Images

The automotive brands that buyers are most familiar with typically vary in the types of markets they compete in, usually ranging from the more popular choices like SUVs, pickup trucks, and sedans, to more niche markets like hatchbacks and coupes. Even Lamborghini has thrown their hat into the ring of consumer cars with their not-so-affordable SUV option, the Lamborghini Urus. But, you don’t see consumer cars coming from any hypercar companies like Koenigsegg or Bugatti.

At the end of the day, the reasons for this is relatively simple: the brands are designed to focus on hypercars, providing peak performance, and developing the latest technology. This requires a significant amount more money in research and design, which makes their vehicles untouchable in price compared to what even the higher-budgetted consumers are looking for. Really, hypercar brands focus all of their time, resources, and money, to be the best at one thing: creating hypercars.

They wouldn’t be affordable anyways

If Lamborghini has taught us anything with the introduction of the Urus, or Aston Martin with the DBX, it shows that even when supercar companies do produce cars meant for consumers they are still far from affordable. These options range well over 6 figures in just starting prices alone. If hypercar companies were to make their own versions of popular consumer cars, such as an SUV, it would likely be just as expensive, if not, more expensive, because even as a consumer car it would carry the prestige, heritage, and technology of the brand’s hypercars.

Why should consumers care about hypercar companies?

If hypercar companies aren’t building cars for the consumer base, why should consumers pay them any mind? While the cars that these companies make may not be in your garage anytime soon, they are the pioneers in technology, performance, and style, that trickles its way down the market. Hypercar companies are constantly looking to greatest the latest and greatest vehicles on the market, requiring millions of dollars in research and design to develop products that solve problems and provide for new safety features and luxuries. While not all of this technology and engineering ends up in every consumer car, many of these are the start of new generations of consumer-focused tech that only works to make cars better overall.

It isn’t likely that we will ever see hypercar companies making consumer-focused vehicles, at least not any time soon. However, that doesn’t mean that the hypercars produced by these companies are any less worthy of our attention, even if they aren’t in most consumer’s budget.

RELATED: Want to Rebuild a Wrecked Exotic? Here’s How to Start

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These Cars Had Some of the Weirdest Interiors Ever

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Odds are, you’ve probably come across some strange stuff car shopping. Maybe some shady listings, strange custom modifications, and even a weird interior choice or two. However, I promise, these cars are the cream of the crop when it comes to a weird interior. Some are weird for the right reasons, some flawed in their design but functional nonetheless, and some, well, they’re just real weird.

The Pagani Huayra’s weird interior is strangely beautiful

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder | Christopher Evans via Getty Images

The Pagani Huayra is inarguably a thing of great beauty. Horacio Pagani is the man who shunned Lamborghini and managed to create a firm that rivals it all in under two decades. The interior of the most recent Pagani is a weird one. Now, most Pagani’s have looked something like this over the years. The Zonda had a similar metal-on-leather-on carbon aesthetic partially inspired by airplanes, after all. It’s maybe not done in the greatest way, despite being stunning. Perhaps a little on the nose for Pagani.

But the Huayra took that beautiful but weird interior and leveled it up, keeping the on-the-nose airplane nods like the gauges. The aluminum shines brilliantly, yet there’s a ThinkPad from 1998 in the dash. Why? Why, when you charge millions of dollars for a hypercar, would you stick that unsightly thing in there? You could say it was an attempt at being futuristic, but Horacio had to know that it would look terrible in two years. Regardless, for all its flaws, the Huayra is stunning.

The Fiat Multipla was weird inside and out

Fiat's Multipla interior, with the speedometer in the center, along with just about every other control.
Fiat took things a little too far | Fiat

And here we have the opposite end of the spectrum. The Fiat Multipla was designed to take the car and make it as practical and small as possible. In some ways, it succeeded, providing ample storage, and seating for six. All in something a fraction the size of a Honda Odyssey. However, the vehicle’s… unconventional styling meant it didn’t sell well. How could it with that face?

But dammit that weird interior is wonderful because of how strange it is. Why on earth would you move the gauge cluster and put in a storage bin? Why not, I guess. Moreover, is it really necessary to angle nearly all of the controls towards the driver in anything this side of a Honda S2000? And don’t get me started on the air vents. Look at them, they’re not even designed to look remotely similar. It’s hilarious. But honestly, that’s what makes the Multipla that kind of ironic-cool that will fetch 90 G’s on Bring a Trailer.

BMW (needlessly) reinvented the wheel in the ’90s

The interior of an E46 3-series BMW, which had nearly all of it's controls in the center.
Why not move all the controls to the center? | National Motor Museum via Getty Images

Now, this last one is more of a personal gripe I thought I’d get to paper, seeing as I own one of these. At first glance, the image above shows a nice place to be. Maybe roll the windows down on a summer day, right? No, because BMW decided to move them to the center and you’ll forget that for as long as you own an E36 or E46-generation BMW. On the whole, it’s not a weird interior. But it is a massive headache to constantly relearn where controls are. Which honestly, is why all of these interiors are so weird.

RELATED: Lexus Infotainment Gets a Long-Overdue Refresh

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The Devastating Nature of a ‘Buy Here, Pay Here’ Lot You Might Not Know

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Car buying can be stressful, particularly if you have a bad credit score. Navigating financing while shopping for a car you desperately need can be disheartening if you can’t get approved due to your credit rating. You might think a corner car sales lot that has bright signs and balloons that scream “no money down!” or “no credit? no problem!” is your best and only option. These lots are known as “buy here, pay here” dealerships, come with a huge catch, and are not your only option.

How does a ‘buy here, pay here’ lot work?

Used Car Lot | Getty Images

The general premise of the “buy here, pay here” lot is that you actually make your monthly payment to the dealership instead of getting a loan through an outside bank. These dealerships don’t check your credit, which means just about anyone can get financing from them. They generally have a wide variety of vehicles and prices. While this might seem like a great choice if you have a bad credit history, there are some significant downfalls.

Why they are not your best choice

There are quite a few reasons why this type of dealership is not a good place to get a car. For starters, they generally do not sell any new cars and inflate pricing on the used cars sold. Additionally, you will likely have to take on an extremely high-interest rate in the 20% to 25% range instead of 2.9% to 15% through a bank. This means that you pay significantly more over time than if you had bought the car somewhere else with financing through a bank, and the payment plans are made by the dealership and can be very inconvenient scheduling.

It will probably not help build your credit either, as the dealerships might not report your payments to any credit bureaus. However, they will report any missed payments. According to RoadLoans, these dealerships usually install some type of tracking device on the car or a device that prevents the car from starting in case you default on the loan. This allows them to locate your car easily and repossess it if you miss a payment.

Other options for financing

If your credit score is not so great, you still have options for financing a car instead of using a “buy here, pay here” dealership. In addition to simply saving your pennies until you can afford a car, which is admittedly difficult for many people, you can shop around at different banks before heading down to the dealership. Some lenders are willing to work with people who don’t have great credit, and credit unions are often more willing to work with people to get financing.

The other thing you can do is find a trusted family member or friend who is willing to co-sign on your loan. Be careful with this option. If you default on the loan, they will be on the hook, and it will hurt their credit score as well as yours. This can lead to burned bridges and fractured relationships with people you truly love and care about.

And if you already have a loan with a “buy here, pay here” dealership, there are ways to get out of it. According to Rategenius, you can try to refinance the loan through a different bank or credit union. This may end up not panning out, but it never hurts to check with different lenders. You can also list the car on a car sales site, sell the car, and use the money to pay off the loan. It’s important to know what you can sell the car for and the loan payoff amount. The last thing you want to do is wind up selling your car and still having to make payments on the loan. 

RELATED: What Is a ‘Bird Dog’ in Car Sales?

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