Classy Genesis GV80 targets the best of up-market SUVs

Genesis GV80 drive by Steve Rogers

Who says only the Brits and Germans can build luxury cars?

Take a look at this Genesis. Never heard of it? Hardly surprising, there aren’t that many around and those that are will be found mainly in the affluent south.

A more familiar name is Hyundai and Genesis is the luxury arm of the big selling Korean company.

It has been a rocky road for Genesis so here is the story so far. The brand launched independently in the UK in 2021 selling directly to customers online with a few studios in shopping centres to promote the cars.

Progress was not fast enough so this year the brand was brought back into the Hyundai fold allowing it to tap into the parent company’s sales expertise but with the aim of opening dealerships. For now customers can still buy online.

The GV80 is the biggest SUV in the line up and certainly attracted a lot of attention for two reasons. First, no one had heard of Genesis and thought it looked like a Bentley SUV (the huge grille and winged badge does give it a Bentayga look), while the matt paint finish did not go down too well. It looks like it is waiting for its final coat of gloss. Ironically the matt finish costs an extra £1,130. Did I like it? Not at first but it grew on me after a few days.

Rivals include the likes of Audi Q7, BMW X5 and Land Rover Discovery, all cars with beautifully trimmed interiors, and the GV80 can match them when it comes to plush.

If the body styling says premium then the interior shouts it from the rooftops. The Sport model sits below the top of the range and is incredibly well equipped in its basic form, but my test car had £11,000 of extras so just looking at the Nappa leather with its quilted diamond patterned seats set the tone. The quality of the surfaces along the dashboard, centre console and door cappings is spot on as are the aluminium inserts which are exclusive to the Sport.

The 14.5in infotainment touchscreen is impressive and can also be operated via a central rotary dial which is much safer when driving. And I am pleased to note the heating controls are operated separately from physical switches rather than dabbing the touchscreen.

Genesis is trying to tempt buyers away from the traditional premium set with a high level of equipment and Sport is a good example. With a power operated steering wheel adjustment and powered seats that move every which-way it is easy to get a perfect driving position and the seats are heated or ventilated

Back seat passengers are equally as well pampered, but two grand extra for the comfort pack includes heated or ventilated seats, and power for fore and aft and recline positions. The centre armrest folds down so it is good for carrying skis or just reaching into the boot on the move.

Three adults across the back seat is no problem with ample leg and headroom even with the double length sunroof that can reduce height.

GV80 is a big car and could feel an intimidating beast in tight supermarket car parks but Genesis has thought of those little problems and provided all round cameras, and if the parking space is too tight for comfort then the car can be slipped in or out of a space using the key fob. 

Basically they have covered everything to be found in the opposition and added a few extras for good measure. And how is this for simplicity? The release button for the powered tailgate is in your eyeline at the base of the rear wiper so there is no need to run fingers along the boot lip trying to find the catch.

As would be expected in an SUV this size there is plenty of room and flexibility in the boot, though not class leading, with a 40-20-40 split, and to make life easy the seat backs can be dropped and raised using the power buttons in the boot wall. There seem to be motors for everything.

Driving the GV80 is more than pleasant, but let’s be honest it is not one for swinging around country lanes, the Audi Q7 is better suited to that. It handles well enough but within its limits. Main roads and motorways are where it is at its best and although the four cylinder 2.5 litre petrol is a tad strained with foot to the floor it is no slouch and with 422Nm of torque has ample overtaking power. No hybrid option which is a disappointment.

Around 28mpg was the best I could do over a week’s driving which isn’t anything special so big mileage users might be best looking at the diesel.

Next time we look at the G70 saloon.

Fast facts

GV80 Sport AWD 8sp auto

£68,275 - tested £79,475

2.5 litre turbo petrol; 300bhp

0-62mph 7.7secs; 147mph

30.5mpg combined

Boot: 735-2152 litres

Insurance group 46

Towing: 2722kg

Museum shares Bill Saunders' memories of wartime Llangollen

* The late Bill Saunders was stationed in Llangollen while serving with the army in the Second World War.

llanblogger recently reported the death of well-known Llangollen resident Bill Saunders at the age of 99. Here, Llangollen Museum, for which Bill did some valuable work, pays tribute to him.  

They say: "At the Museum we were all very sad to hear about the passing of Bill Saunders. Bill did a lot of valuable work for the Museum, including the recording and photographing of all the memorial inscriptions in the Fron Cemetery.

"We thought that blog readers would be interested to read Bill’s account, written over 20 years ago, of when he came to Llangollen in 1943, when he was stationed at the Bryn Howel and Llangollen during and just after the Second World War."

Bill's recollections ... 

I first came to Llangollen in March 1943 as an apprentice tradesman with the Survey branch of the Royal Engineers. I had joined the army in November 1941 when I was aged 16 and was first stationed at Barton on Sea in Hampshire. In March 1943 we moved to Bryn Howel to be nearer to our parent unit, the Survey Training Centre at Wynnstay, Ruabon. 

Bryn Howel had been requisitioned by the War Office and I was one of the advance party sent  to make the accommodation ready for the rest of the unit. We came up by train, alighted at the Sun Bank halt and walked back along the track to Bryn Howel. 

At this time of course Bryn Howel was still in its original condition as a private house erected by J. C. Edwards and was barely large enough to house around 50 boys and 10 staff plus lecture rooms and the usual offices. Some of the sleeping accommodation was above the stable block. 

Our training as potential cartographers and surveyors consisted of drawing and lettering plus field surveys for which the Vale of Llangollen was eminently suitable. We learnt how to use theodolites to establish trig points on the surrounding hills and then plane tables to plot the map  detail. In addition to our survey training we were subject to the usual military disciplines which included physical training. 

As part of this we formed a gymnastics team which gave displays around the area including one I remember on the old Rec in Llangollen, probably as part of a War Weapons week. We also had a small dance band and in addition to holding dances at Bryn Howel we performed for them in  the Town Hall. I played the trumpet in the band and I looked forward to my break so that I could get down off the stand to dance briefly with my girlfriend (now my wife). Inevitably many friendships formed, particularly with local girls resulting in the fullness of time in several marriages.

The only other army units in the area were a small Royal Artillery unit stationed at Bryntisilio (which operated searchlights I believe) - inevitably known as ‘the Brynti boys’ -  and an Army Medical detachment at The Grange near Plas Newydd where we went for medical attention.

Like most other towns and villages in Britain, Llangollen showed many signs of being involved in the war effort. Most young people had been called up for military service and many of those remaining were ‘doing their bit’ working in factories or in some form of food production. There was the blackout which meant that after dark there was no street lighting nor any lights showing from buildings. 

Food was strictly rationed so the many grocers, butchers and greengrocers in the town had meagre displays and the few cafes which were open could sell little more than cups of tea and baked beans on toast!  Opposite the station in Abbey Road there was a small office of the Ministry of Food which issued ration books. 

The main places of entertainment were the Dorothy  Cinema which gave two performances of the latest films every evening with queues forming on the stairs and the Town Hall where dances were held and concerts given by local artists - such as ‘the oldest vocalist in Llangollen’. 

As mentioned before, Llangollen like most other places in the country participated in the various fund raising weeks such as War Weapons, Dig for Victory, National Savings, Spitfire and Warships  - the resulting plaque for the latter still hangs in the Town Hall. 

The tourist trade was greatly diminished but much of the spare accommodation was taken up evacuees, mainly from Merseyside and also by the staff of Monsanto Chemicals from their headquarters in  London. At weekends there was an influx of servicemen who being stationed at Ruabon, Wrexham and Overton were making their first visit to the Principality. 

However, apart from the name of the town itself and some old sepia postcards in shop windows there was very little sign of Welsh being spoken. One feature which affected visitors was the Sunday closing of public houses. These tended to be men-only affairs into which few women and even fewer children penetrated. 

Pubs were pubs and cafes were cafes and you could drink in one and eat in the other - except on Sundays when visitors had to find the nearest pub over the English border and the locals retired to their various clubs where drink was allowed. The Parish Church and all the chapels were all open of course and well attended. I don’t think that there was a Roman Catholic church in the town as the one in Oak Street took the place of Zans, the hardware store much later.

Petrol was rationed so there were virtually no private vehicles on the road except for those belonging to “essential users” such as doctors etc. As relatively few people owned cars before the war, public transport between the main towns was efficient and taken for granted. Crosville buses ran a half-hourly service to Wrexham and Chester, though the service terminated at the bottom of Wharf Hill as the double decker buses were not allowed over the bridge into the town until many years later. 

The railway station was also very busy with the trains from Barmouth linking up at Ruabon with the Great Western service  from Birkenhead to Paddington. via Birmingham. For shorter journeys walking was the usual mode. From Bryn Howel we would often walk into town along the towpath to save the twopence bus fare or to the summit of the Horseshoe Pass for a Sunday picnic. 

 Although the canal did not carry any traffic at all it was still well maintained. I understand that the railway company who had taken it over many years before had the duty to keep it in working order. The horse-drawn boats which made the trip to the Chain Bridge Hotel were out of action but returned soon after the war. The rowing boats were still available for hire, however.

One feature which would strike many people today was the general shabbiness which prevailed at that time and into the early post-war years. Building maintenance was neglected for lack of workers and materials and the same applies to decoration as hardly any repainting was undertaken and many windows were painted black to assist the blackout. There was a rash of official posters on the lines of “Careless talk costs lives” and “Be like Dad, keep Mum” and painted signs pointing to sources of water for fire fighting in the event of an air raid. This official graffiti was rarely removed but left to fade into shabbiness - some of this attitude continued until the efforts of the Civic Society in the early 1960's. 

There were still many small cottages which lacked most modern amenities. The rather grand looking house where I subsequently lived in Abbey Road lacked electricity, the main rooms were lit by gas and oil lamps were used elsewhere. In 1952 MANWEB installed electric lighting for the princely sum of £25 and power points for £1 each.

The main source of heating in houses was by means of open fires; the coal being supplied from a coal wharf alongside the railway in Abbey Road and during cold weather a pall of smoke hung over the town - this was most noticeable when we were out on the hills during our surveying practice. There was also a small gas production plant in Queen Street adjacent to the Cyflmen stream which supplied coal gas to the town until the advent of North Sea Gas which was piped in around 1963. It was only then that gas-fired central heating became popular and the smoke pollution gradually diminished. 

During my subsequent army service most of my colleagues who had been stationed in Bryn Howel had good memories of the friendliness of the Welsh people and how they had taken them to their hearts. It is for that reason I am sure that we still have a bi-annual reunion at Bryn Howel where 20 to 30 of ‘the lads’ plus their partners gather to reminisce about ‘the good old days’. For how much longer - who knows.

* Bill's funeral will be at St Collen's Church at 1pm on August 15.

Latest roadworks alerts from the county council

Latest roadworks alerts from Denbighshire County Council are:

A539

OPPOSITE LLWYN-AFON, BIRCH HILL

BIRCH HILL

08/08/2024

10/08/2024

Adnewyddu Polyn / Renew Pole GT

LLANGOLLEN

Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

APPROXIMATELY 60M NORTH OF JUNCTION WITH TRACK TO THE KENNELS/ DRIVEWAY

TYN DWR ROAD

02/08/2024

03/08/2024

Adnewyddu Polyn / Renew Pole GT WILLIAMS LIMITED (DCC)

LLANGOLLEN

Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

Eisteddfod's headline concerts hailed as major success

* Madness. All pictures Cuffe & Taylor.

* Manic Street Preachers.

* Nile Rodgers and Chic.

* Tom Jones.

More than 50,000 people headed to Llangollen for a month of live music from some of the world’s biggest rock and pop stars. 

Marking a new partnership between the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod and live event promoters Cuffe and Taylor, organisers have hailed the events a major success.

 

The record-breaking summer for the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod saw crowds flock to 11 headline shows with big name concerts over four weeks from the likes of Bryan Adams, Simple Minds, Paloma Faith, Jess Glynne, Kaiser Chiefs, Madness and Nile Rodgers and CHIC. While indie gods Manic Street Preachers and Suede kicked off their double-headlining UK and Ireland tour to a sold-out crowd.

 

In addition, the International Eisteddfod, which this year welcomed more than 3,000 competitors in its biggest festival for a generation, marked its 77^th year with music legend Tom Jones opening the iconic Core Eisteddfod Week with a sold-out concert. 

This was followed by performances from Welsh Folk superstars Calan, royal harpist Alis Huws, Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalists Johns’ Boys Male Chorus, West End stars Kerry Ellis and John Owen-Jones, plus concerts from two-time GRAMMY award-winning jazz sensation Gregory Porter and Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins.

 

Over the course of the four weeks more than 38,000 people headed to the 11 headline concerts, almost 13,000 bought tickets for the traditional events of the Core Eisteddfod week, while thousands more attended events in Llangollen including the Parade of Nations.

Artistic Director of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, Dave Danford said: “Together with our co-promoters Cuffe and Taylor, we’ve brought North Wales its most amazing four weeks of live music ever.

 

“For a festival that’s been in existence for almost 80 years to undergo a rebirth such as this is truly remarkable, and I couldn’t be more proud of what our team has achieved.

 

“Our festival scaled new heights this year and that’s down to the hard work of hundreds of volunteers who worked hand in hand with the brilliant team at Cuffe and Taylor. We are already planning for 2025 as we build on our most successful summer for generations.”

 

Cuffe and Taylor co-founder Peter Taylor added: 'We are delighted by the success of our first year working with the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod team.

 

“Together we have brought global stars to this beautiful town in North Wales and a record number of people to the Llangollen Pavilion.

 

“We have always prided ourselves on bringing music to areas that would not ordinarily attract global names and we well and truly did that in Llangollen this summer.”

Llangollen Museum closes to prepare for new roof.

* Llangollen Museum is to have a new roof fitted.

From today (Monday) Llangollen Museum will be closed in preparation for the building having a new roof put on. 

Paid for by the Community Ownership Fund and another funder which they museum cannot yet disclose, the entire roof will be replaced with a new structure with steel girders. 

The appearance of the building will change slightly as the new roof will not have a parapet and the rainwater will drain through external pipes, rather than the internal ones that have caused flooding problems when they have become blocked.

Building work by the contractor, Team Roundhouse of Frodsham in Cheshire, will commence on August 19. 

The three weeks until then will be used to clear the museum before handing over to the contractor. 

The work is estimated to take around six months, meaning the museum will be closed until January 2025.

For updates on the work, and exact dates of re-opening people are invited to keep an eye on the museum's own Facebook page.

However, heritage will not stop in Llangollen, according to the museum.

A spokesperson said: "During the period of the closure some of our display cases will be relocated to other public venues around Llangollen. Look out for displays in the Tourist Information, the Library, the Dory Gallery, the Health Centre and St Collen’s Church.

"Our programme of talks will continue. There will be no talk in July but the next talk will be on Wednesday, August 28, at 7.30pm, in the Council Chamber on the opposite side of Parade Street from the museum. 

"Entitled ‘The reasons the Welsh went to Patagonia in 1865 and how they overcame early hardships,’ it will be a presentation by Graham Edwards. 

"Why did 162 Welsh people go to Patagonia, one of the most remote and inhospitable places in the world, in 1865?  How did they eventually succeed, despite incredible hardship and overwhelming difficulties when they arrived?

"On Wednesday September 25, again in the Council Chamber at 7.30pm, the Portable Antiquities Scheme Officer, Susie White, will give a talk entitled ‘Buried Beneath our Feet’. She will describe what the Portable Antiquities Scheme is – who they are, why they do what they do – and then look at some of the objects recorded on the database from the local area. 

"October 30 will be Gill Smith with Andy the storyteller. The talk will be entitled 'Brenig, Landscape of the Dead,' and on November 27 Sam Thomson will give his second talk looking at the Romans in Britain and North Wales, again in the Council Chamber. Watch out for posters, and on our Facebook page for full details."

The spokesperson added: "Plans for the Llangollen Museum Young Archaeologists’ group are well on the way, and will continue during the period of closure. We are hoping to have a full programme in place by the end of 2024. 

"Young Archaeologists’ Club (YAC) is the only UK-wide club where young people aged 8–16 year olds can participate in real archaeology and discover why it matters. If you want to become a professional archaeologist in the future or just feel like taking up an amazing new hobby, YAC is the right place for you.

"YAC members take part in all sorts of exciting, hands-on activities, such as excavation, working with artefacts, visiting historical sites and undertaking experimental archaeology. As a YAC member, you will also have access to the YAC Pass, giving free or discounted entry to hundreds of heritage sites across the UK, including those run by English Heritage, Historic Environment Scotland and Cadw. Anyone wanting to join our mailing list for updates please email cdv.yac@gmail.com"

Julie's on the lookout for gangsters and molls

A former West End performer and actress from Llangollen is running musical theatre workshops for youngsters in the town and Wrexham.

Julie Kirk Thomas, who was part of the original cast of the hit musical Evita and featured in the film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, is bringing Bugsy Malone to St Collen’s Community Hall in Llangollen on August 21 and 22 and Wrexham's Ty Pawb on August 19 and 20. 

Parents and guardians looking for fun activities for their children over the summer holidays can book them onto the workshop, which will feature splurge guns (water pistols) filled with custard and cream pies in one brave gangster’s face.

Julie said: “I'm looking for budding gangsters and molls for this lively production of Bugsy Malone - children who love to sing, dance and act.

"We'll be heading back to 1920s New York and recreating the action with custard pies, splurge guns, along with silly string and Charleston dancing.

“There will be laughter and lots of mess to clear up but it's a great opportunity for children to do something different and learn some new skills this summer.”

A regular mum who always books her children onto these workshops said: “Julie provides a great environment for the kids to have fun while at the same time learning some of the discipline of musical theatre.

“Her workshops are always a great confidence boost to my boys, who are already practising their New York accents.”

The two-day workshop culminates with a short performance for family and friends. 

Bugsy Malone is a 1970s British gangster film, directed by Alan Parker, which featured only child actors.

The story is loosely based on events from the 1920s/30s America during the prohibition era. It featured a young Jodie Foster as the lead female, Talullah.

* To book a place at the workshops, email Julie at: danceworkshops@yahoo.co.uk

"Remarkable" Llangollen resident dies at the age of 99

* Bill Saunders on one of his regular walks in the hills.

A mainstay of the Llangollen Ramblers, who had the distinction of once producing the definite map of an African country just after the Second World War, has died at the age of 99. 

Bill Saunders, who joined the very active walking group a decade ago, was also a regular volunteer with the local Tidy Town Team and is recalled by a friend and fellow Ramblers member as a “remarkable citizen”.   

Bill originally hailed from the south of England and went to school at the Duke of York's Military academy in Kent.  

The Second World War broke out when he was 14, and in due course he went into the army and became a cartographer.  

It was when his unit was billeted in Llangollen, at Bryn Howel Hall, that he met Betty, a local girl, who became his wife.  They went on to have four daughters, all of whom survive him. 

After the war his work took him abroad and he was particularly proud of producing the definitive map of Uganda. Back in the UK the family moved around but eventually returned to Llangollen. 

His fried Judy Smith recalls: “Betty had just died when I first met Bill.  He had joined the Tidy Town Team and it was at their Christmas dinner that I was introduced to this man who wanted to join the Ramblers.  

“It was when he started telling me about his wartime experiences that I did a few quick calculations - he was actually 84!  The next week Bill came out for a walk and he was a regular from that moment.  At first he was slow and we would wait for him but within a couple of months he was up there with us. 

“It got to the point where he was faster than us, and on one memorable occasion on the Offa's Dyke Path he was ahead of us when he took a wrong turn, thus cutting out a section of the designated path.  He'd just walked 14 miles, but when we told him what he had done he insisted we took him back to go the right way, adding another three miles to his day.  He was 87 years old!” 

Judy added: “There were other notable moments in his walking career.  At 88 he was up Catbells and Dale Head in the Lake District.  On his 90th birthday he climbed Snowdon with his friend Beryl, a mere 81-year-old.  Together they took many walking holidays and were always amused to find the HF or Ramblers Holidays leaders disconcerted by their ages.  But they could keep up with anyone! 

“At 94 Bill was still walking with the Ramblers and had covered the Wales Coast Path from Chester right round to Harlech when Covid struck.  The isolation and lack of freedom proved too much for him and he was soon admitted to the Old Vicarage and then to the Llangollen Fechan, where he died. 

“Llangollen Ramblers won't forget him. He was something of an icon, an inspiration to all of us, and getting slower and older, we console each other with, 'Well, Bill only just started at 84' .  

“With all that he had a fine sense of humour and was truly a gentleman.  I don't think we shall see his like again.  Llangollen has lost a very remarkable citizen.”

* Bill's funeral will be at St Collen's Church at 1pm on August 15.