Genesis GV60 review

As we’ve already mentioned, it’s not a sports EV, even though the upper rungs of its trim levels are blatantly badged as such. It’s the refinement and lack of noise that sets the GV60 apart. It may look like a hatchback, but it’s pretty much as quiet as anything BMW or Audi has on offer, up to and including the iX or e-tron GT. Hushed comfort is what it does best.

What’s the Performance like then?

Oh we’re going to start there anyway are we? You don’t need a 4WD crossover with a limited-slip diff that can do 0-60mph in under 4.0 seconds and makes 483bhp and 516lb ft. It’s too quick and doesn’t suit the rest of the car’s characteristics. Poke it and it’ll scoot off like a supercar, but the other controls don't always give you the confidence to convince they’ve got it under control. A Volvo EX30 does much the same thing with its 422bhp dual-motor spec.

There’s no steering feel (but reasonable weighting), and the suspension wallows a little – it can feel nerve-wracking rather than enjoyable. But the Virtual Gearshift helps anchor you into the experience more, and the post-facelift GV60 is certainly more astute on a twisty road because of it. It sounds and feels as natural as a system like this can hope to - making it a shame it's not embedded into cheaper GV60s, as one would assume it's easy (and cheap) to share. Must be thousands of hours of engineering work to pay for, though...

Boost mode is handy for rapid overtakes but isn’t something you’ll find yourself using that often, as there’s enough torque to never need it.

Tell me about the ride.

The top-spec car gets predictive suspension as standard that scans the road ahead for imperfections and prepares the car for impact. We all know this is tech that has a bright future, allowing the car to ready itself for potholes and suchlike, but at the moment it’s like Beta software and is hardly transformative. Put it this way, lower level GV60s using smaller wheels rides notably better, so the technology is still no replacement for a taller sidewall.

And what’s the Pure version like?

Despite it being the base spec, this would actually be our pick of the bunch. The rear-mounted motor provides 226bhp and 258lb ft of instantly available torque. Genesis reckons on 0-62mph in 7.8 seconds, but on the move it feels quicker than that. It’s slightly softer and there’s a touch more body roll, but it’s still not bad given the GV60’s size and weight (they're all a mite over two tonnes).

The power feels better matched to the chassis and less likely to run away with itself. You can keep the Performance under control – it’s not flighty or over-eager, but why spend an extra thirteen grand when you don’t have to?

Did I hear something about a drift mode?

Ah yes, you did. Yep, the GV60 is an electric crossover with Drift Mode. Got to find a USP somewhere, don’t you? But this is a car aimed at well off people likely to be doing gentle commutes. It’s not an alternative to a Mercedes-AMG A45 S. It did, however, introduce the tech ahead of Kia adopting it in the EV6 GT and, more excitingly, Hyundai in the Ioniq 5 N and now Ioniq 6 N. The big Hyundai corp feels like a fun tech playground - so while it's odd the GV60 debuted the tech, it walked so those Hyundais could run. Sideways.

To activate it you put the car in park, select the Sport drive mode, hold the brake while you turn the traction control off and then hold down both paddle shifters for three seconds. It's a faff to implement and in normal road driving, it only serves to make the rear axle feel a bit more carefree in corners. No drifts, just a mild sensation of swimming without armbands on a damp country road.

But I only want to drive normally. Is it refined?

It is! Impressively so actually. There’s very little tyre and wind noise translated into the cabin, in part thanks to an active noise control system (part of the optional Bose pack) that cancels out as much interference as possible. It’s a very relaxing motorway cruiser.