First Drive: Genesis Electrified GV70 2022 Review

Why would you buy a Genesis? It’s a fair question and one that no doubt a fair few people have asked themselves since 2021, because with so many new cars on sale and so many brands to choose from, why on earth would you choose to hand your money over to a company that’s still a relatively unknown quantity? Well you’ll hear about the ‘Genesis difference’, the things that will in theory make the ownership experience of any new Genesis a little different to that of a car from a better-known brand. And they’re all well and good (we’ll get onto them a little later), but no one will buy a new car that’s a bit naff – it has to be good. Which is where the Electrified GV70 comes in. It’s the newest car from a company that’s younger than many tins of baked beans, a mid-sized and, as the name suggests, battery-powered SUV. Genesis promises power, luxury and bucket loads of technology as well as that ‘Genesis difference’. So is it any good?

I’ll be honest and say I’m not in love with the Electrified GV70’s design, or any Genesis for that matter, but that’s not to say I think it looks bad. Because it really doesn’t. In fact I must commend Genesis for actually having a look of its own, as there are plenty of cars around which, if you squint, look all too similar to a car from a different company entirely. The quad headlights and taillights are unmistakeable Genesis hallmarks, as is the crest-shaped grille. In profile there’s a lovely line that runs from the middle of the headlights back along the car’s waistline to the rear lights. The Electrified GV70 gets new front and rear bumpers compared to the regular petrol and diesel model, while the grille texture has been inverted. The charging point has been extremely well hidden within the right-hand-side of the grille, too.

It seems mad that today’s world is a place where a 435PS (360kW) SUV is normal, but that’s just where we are. Yes, this all-electric family SUV has the power output of some supercars from a decade ago, courtesy of a 77.4kWh battery that powers two motors, one on the Electrified GV70’s front axle and one at the rear. The important figure is 283 miles of range, but of course we’d be foolish not to mention, with a childish grin on our faces, that if you put your foot to the floor you’ll hit 62mph in 4.8 seconds. That is unless you press a button at the bottom of the steering wheel inscribed with the word ‘BOOST’, which ups the power by 55PS to 490PS (360kW). The car was already quick, but hit that button and 0-62mph is over in 4.2 seconds, with the steering wheel twitching away in your hands as the wheels struggle to put down all of that grunt. It’s comical, really, spinning the wheels of a silent family mover.

The drive modes, Eco, Comfort and Sport, meanwhile, are extremely well calibrated. Eco doesn’t just back off the throttle response but relaxes everything about the powertrain, so you feel as though you’re driving along in a car with significantly less power. That isn’t a negative, though, as there’s still enough power to make you feel as if you’re driving a strong, regular petrol or diesel SUV. Comfort feels much the same, albeit everything’s turned up a notch or two, while Sport is the neck workout mode. Put your foot down at any speed and you’ll get a significant kick your head won’t be ready for – it’s almost too potent, certainly too potent for the traction control which, at times, particularly over bumps or with lock on, winds back the motors almost entirely to settle things down.

The ride is a bit busy but, the wheel control is good, the steering is what it is (the very normal case of an electric steering system being quite well weighted but offering nothing back to the driver), and the regenerative braking system works really well. Not only have you got paddles to adjust the level of regen but the whole system hasn’t compromised the feel from the brake pedal, something that affects far too many electric and hybrid cars.

The Electrified GV70’s interior is, mostly, very lovely, but you’d expect that when you’re paying more than £64,000. The fit and finish is very good, with little details like a suede-like finish to the pillars giving a feeling of extra luxury. The material? Recycled plastic from plastic bottles and fishing nets.  The seating position is good, too, the cabin is fairly quiet on the move, the seats are part leather, part wool as standard and Genesis hasn’t jumped for gimmicks. There are physical buttons to access the radio, media, navigation and map, for example, and actual rotary temperature controls. I’m not sure the little screen for the heated wheel, the fan speed and so on is necessary but it certainly looks good. It’s a shame though that Genesis hasn’t made better use of the car’s interior space as an EV. Even though there’s no transmission running through the centre of the car, there’s still a transmission tunnel when there could be some extra storage space, perhaps; you can tell this is related to another car with an internal combustion engine.

The Electrified GV70 has all the modern tech you’d expect of an EV but nothing over the top – you get what you need but nothing crazy. There’s a central 14.5-inch touch screen, for example, plus an eight-inch TFT instrument display. Adaptive cruise control is standard, as you’d expect, as is a forward collision warning system and a lane change warning system. There’s also a blind-spot detection system which anyone who’s driven a Kia Sorento will be familiar with, where the left- or right-hand dial of the instrument cluster displays a live video from a camera under the corresponding wing mirror to spot other vehicles or kerbs. Nineteen-inch wheels are standard, with 20-inchers available as an option, while every colour other than white is a £750 to £1,130 option.

Sadly there’s plenty of tech you do need to pay extra for. The eight-inch instrument display can be upgraded to 12.3-inches, but it’s part of the £3,560 innovation pack which also includes a head-up display. Then there’s the £1,180 convenience pack, which secures you heated seats, a heated steering wheel and rear-seat air-con. You’d think those bits would be standard for more than £64,000? One option worth paying for, though, is the Lexicon Premium Audio System, which includes active road noise cancellation. Why not make the most of the EV silence?

Of course, then there are the things you get simply for buying a Genesis, the ‘Genesis difference’. When your car needs a service, Genesis comes to you to collect the car, not the other way around. Servicing is included for the first five years or 50,000 miles, with a courtesy car for you to use when you’re without your own vehicle. Navigation updates are included as standard, as is breakdown cover across Europe for five years. The warranty is five years long, too, and you get the Genesis Connected Services app which means you can lock and unlock your car remotely, find your car if you’ve lost it in a car park, run diagnostics or see trip info and battery range from your phone, and plenty more besides.

It would be remiss of me not to mention that the wonderful people at Genesis had a coffee machine plugged into the charging port of the Electrified GV70 before we got behind the wheel because, well, who wouldn’t want to know that their car could cater for your caffeine needs?

So, why would you buy a Genesis Electrified GV70? Well, it drives nicely, is more than powerful enough and feels every bit the quality item it is being marketed as. The trouble is, a Kia EV6 GT, for example, is more powerful and in many ways just as nice, and the starting price is £2,000 less. In reality, it probably is that ‘difference’ that Genesis bangs on about that’ll either hook you or not. So, if you want a conventional ownership experience, where you go to a dealer, drop off your car and so on, look elsewhere. But if you’re curious about trying something a little different, you can get that here with the added bonus of the car being really rather good.