Genesis GV70 Electrified review

We’ll focus on the GV70 Electrified here, as it's the only new version you can buy. Which is fine, because it’s also the best of the bunch.

You can have it in one form only, a 483bhp dual motor setup mated to a 84kWh battery, up from the pre-facelift 77.4kWh unit. Yep, the same jump performed by the latest (and directly related) Kia EV6. Funny that. Genesis claims 0-62mph in just 4.2 seconds, a top speed of 146mph, and a range of 298 miles.

There is a slight caveat however, in that most of the time you’ll *only* have 429bhp to play with. The extra power is only unlocked when you hit the ‘Boost’ button on the steering wheel, which gives you the whole nine yards for 10-second bursts.

Additionally, when equipped with the Comfort Pack (and dependent on driving mode and speed) the driver’s seat side bolsters are pumped up to pin you into your seat. Because racecar. And as part of the facelift Genesis has added a simulated six-speed gearbox with fake rev limiter. Also because racecar. They're gimmicks and we like 'em, but they sit at odds with the lux thing Genesis is trying to pull off.

We digress. It’s not as if the GV70 is underpowered during regular day-to-day driving. Even in ‘normal’ mode the acceleration is impressive, particularly when you consider the Electrified weighs in at over 2.3 tonnes. The ‘Boost’ button is occasionally handy when joining motorways and overtaking, but otherwise little more than a party trick.

How does it steer?

The steering is nicely weighted, although there is a fair bit of body roll – certainly more than in a BMW iX3 or Porsche Macan. Pure trim brings standard 19-inch wheels and plenty of sidewall in the tyres, on which the GV70 rides reasonably well (Dynamic and Luxury trims bring 20s, resulting in a slight hit on comfort). 

But there’s plenty of tech at work here, including the same ‘Road Preview’ scanning tech found in the larger GV80, that reads the road ahead and can prime the adaptive dampers for potholes and other imperfections. It seems to work most of the time, although things can get a little firm in Sport mode.

Speaking of, there’s the usual Eco, Comfort and Sport drive modes, in addition to three different terrain modes (Snow, Mud and Sand), plus a new addition in the form of the AI-powered ‘Auto-Terrain’ feature, which analyses road conditions in real time and automatically adjusts the car to optimum settings.

We haven’t had a chance to test its, ahem, mud plugging capabilities, but you get the sense that the GV70 will be more at home on smooth tarmac.

Where it’s seriously refined, thanks to yet more tech, including active noise cancellation to suppress road roar (which works impressively well), plus double glazing to, er, double down on the serenity inside the cabin.

What about efficiency and range?

Before the latest update we averaged 3.0 mi/kWh – equating to just over 220 miles total range – in cold conditions, so we'd expect another 20 miles on top of that now the battery is that bit bigger.

In warmer weather we got 3.5 mi/kWh from the updated car, which works out at 280 miles of real world range; not far off Genesis’ claimed 298 miles. That was mostly around town and in stop/start rush hour traffic, so expect less if you’re constantly barrelling along the motorway.