Extended test: Genesis Electrified GV70 2024 review
Six months with the posh pure-electric SUV
Genesis Electrified GV70 specifications
- Model Electrified GV70 Sport
- OTR Price: £64,300
- Price as tested (with options): £77,825
- Colour: Mauna Red
- Cost options fitted: Exterior colour, Mauna Red (metallic) £750; Innovation Pack £3,620; Comfort Seat Pack £1,660; Lexicon Audio System £1,010; Nappa Leather Seat Pack £2,350; Outdoor Pack £900; Convenience Pack & 2nd Row Comfort Seat Pack £1,800; Alloy wheels 20in £620
- Transmission: Single speed (automatic); dual motor all-wheel drive (160kW front / 160kW rear) with e-Terrain mode included
- Power output: 429bhp or up to 483bhp in boost mode
- Torque: 526 lb ft (770Nm)
- Weight (DIN/EU) 2,310kg / 2,385kg
- Luggage capacity (seats up /down) 503 litres / 1,678 litres
- Battery capacity: 77.4 kWh
- Range: 283 miles (WLTP combined)
- Top speed: 146mph
- 0-62mph: 4.2 seconds
- VED (road tax): Nothing until April 2025, then standard rate
- BIK tax payable (2023/24): 2%
- Insurance Group: 50
Test details
Test period July 2024 — Jan 2025
Starting mileage 1,406 miles
Updates
- September 30, 2024 Introducing the Genesis GV70
- November 15, 2024 Cornwall road trip: can it go the distance?
September 30, 2024: Introducing the Genesis GV70
As the new government ponders its vision to wean the UK off combustion engines and encourage electric adoption, the arrival outside my house of the Genesis Electrified GV70 Sport came with no small amount of trepidation. I’ve tried out pure-electric cars before, but not had one on test for a full six months. I’ve found that hybrids and plug-in hybrids suit my lifestyle but now I’ll be without that petrol safety net proper.
Rolling on to my drive in its mauna red colouring (a bespoke Genesis pantone) I was immediately drawn to its athletic appearance, with its eye-catching 20in alloy wheels, roof spoiler, quad headlights and sloping roof line. It certainly has the sporty coupe-SUV accoutrements and it draws favourable comparisons in terms of shape and rear styling with the Porsche Macan that belongs to a friend.
The Genesis brand still hasn’t cut through to the mainstream and I’ll be honest, my experience of the brand is limited. So I was curious to discover more and look beyond many people’s description of it as the premium arm of Hyundai — what Lexus is to Toyota, if you like.
But Genesis wants us to think of it as a carmaker all unto its own, as demonstrated by the creation of showrooms in unique locations. There’s one in the new Battersea Power Station retail development in South West London, which I noticed on a recent shopping expedition.
Looking at the GV70 model (of which there are petrol and diesel versions, as well as this EV model) in terms of the competition, I’m torn in two different directions. In terms of size, price and specification, there’s the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Mercedes GLC; a trio with extremely loyal customer bases and Genesis has a challenge on its hands to tempt them to potentially switch.
But then if you think about the Electrified GV70, a new list of rivals can be redrawn: the German giants have their Audi Q6 e-trons, BMW iX3s and Mercedes EQCs, but they’re joined by the likes of the Tesla Model Y and Lexus RZ. Plenty to consider and a lot of homework required to trim prospective shortlists if you’re shopping in this space. In terms of price that Tesla looks attractive, starting at under 45 grand versus the Genesis’ circa £65k-plus asking price. But who wants a Tesla these days, while Elon is in charge?
And Genesis has gone all out on quality, and with our test car has been generous with the options, providing a triple set of optional packs, namely Comfort Seat (£1,660), Innovation (£3,620) and Convenience (£1,800). These certainly add to the price tag but clearly signpost that this car sits firmly in the luxury category.
I’ve also been invited along to the Genesis X Dog concept event, which suggests that it’s not just Genesis’s human customers who need to be catered for. More to follow, but Jessie (my 5-year-old Cavapoo) will be excited to assist me on testing duties.
I’ve had the car for a month now and I’m loving the super quiet and smooth electric drive, providing for a very pleasant glide-type experience with evidence that rapid acceleration is there in spades. There is also a tempting boost button located on the steering wheel, which works like a go-faster button and accesses the GV70’s full 483bhp for 10 seconds. That will be one to experiment with in the future.
The handling has been easy to adapt to, making a relatively large and heavy car feel easy to manoeuvre around tight local corners as well as bigger intersections. There is also a ton of technology embedded into both the 14.5in touchscreen and the driver’s dials, with many safety features to the fore. I’ll have a good play with these in future chapters and report back on how this tech performs.
- Mileage this month 597 miles
- Average economy 3.1 miles per kWh
Have a question for Tina? Ask in the comments section below.
November 15, 2024: Cornwall road trip: can it go the distance?
Life with the Genesis GV70 Sport is now well under way and it has had quite a comprehensive workout over a multitude of driving scenarios. From days out at the coast to Ikea shopping runs, the GV70 has been hard at work. However, the toughest challenge arrived in the shape of the family summer road trip to Cornwall.
We were renting our accommodation but, while I don’t know what proportion of Genesis owners have second homes, it’s probably higher than the average and so our experience could prove useful info. Could a pure-electric premium SUV step out of its local comfort zone and be the family long-distance workhorse that I needed it to be?
The annual run down to Cornwall was a challenge not only for the Genesis but also for our journey planning. We normally try to avoid the likely traffic that hits the M5 and A30 bottlenecks by heading off super early and making as much headway as possible before taking a pit stop. With a pure-electric car to factor in, some range maths were needed. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt about EVs, you need to plan long-distance trips, then have a back-up plan for a worst case scenario — broken chargers, endless queues… you know, the stuff that can happen but is becoming rarer.
The GV70 has an official (WLTP) range of 283 miles over a mix of roads, but my regular charge gives me 254 miles, and high speed roads plus lots of weight onboard pushes this down further, and can be around the 220 miles mark. We would need to charge efficiently, both in terms of cost and time.
So before setting off, I had a firm Plan A but also more than one alternative at each stop, in case we encountered any problems. The Zapmap app as usual was pivotal to this process, helping to identify my charging options, and I really recommend looking not only at charger locations but also the most recent comments on specific chargers. If someone says a charger was out of order a day or two ago, or that it’s in a location that’s inaccessible, you can save yourself a whole lot of bother.
The GV70 hit the motorway and, far from being out of its element, one could argue this is its optimum terrain. The powerful acceleration from high speed made for rapid overtakes, while the suite of advanced driver aids — including Highway Driving Assist 2, which includes adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assist with assisted lane changes (all part of the optional Innovation pack I’ve been treated too with this model) — took so much of the stress out of the long three-lane slogs. The cruise control is even linked to the navigation, to help with acceleration, deceleration and curves. Genesis labels this as “intelligent technology” and I have to agree it’s very smart and easy to play with via the controls housed in the steering wheel.
Our chosen charging point was Darts Farm, just off the M5 by Exeter. My homework had shown this to be a Tesla Supercharger location, some of which have now been opened up to other cars (we pay more than Tesla drivers, but only around 40-70p per kWh, which is actually very reasonable for a rapid charger), so I was curious to see how the experience would unfold.
The Tesla app was slick and easy to navigate, I’m pleased to report, but I wish the charging bays had been the same. Clearly, Tesla’s charging points are all fixed on the side of vehicles, very different to the GV70 which has this housed in the front grille. This then necessitated an intricate bit of parking to position the Genesis within reach of the relatively short Tesla cable. A few strange looks from fellow chargers ensued, but I managed to plug in and retreated to the lovely (but expensive) Dart Farm café.
A quick check of the Tesla app after 20 minutes showed me that I was almost 60% charged, meaning that we’d be back on the road in no time (charging to 80 per cent, after which the charging speed slow dramatically). Maybe we had struck lucky, but I saw this as a great result and reassuring for anyone put off by stories of EV charging away as being long and painful.
Our holiday rental did not have its own dedicated EV charger (oh, for a time when destination chargers are at every property) but part of my plan was to use the nearby Evolt (formerly Swarco) charging point. Sadly, this was nowhere near as seamless an experience as with the Tesla Supercharger. The lack of phone signal at its location meant I had to run back and forth to stay within the home’s WiFi range, which became rather frustrating.
After much perseverance, we did manage to keep the GV70 charge topped up but, adding to our irritation, it was relatively expensive: 56p per kWh compared to an average of £0.10 kWh at home via smart-charging. Even the Tesla rapid charger cost less, at 44p per kWh. However, our remote location meant we didn’t have much choice, so add that to list of considerations when venturing away from your home charging point. Perhaps the most vital but overlooked locations for slow and medium-speed charging points are coastal towns. If every beach car park had a large number of 22kW posts, British holidayers would be so much better off.
So, our first long-distance, electric road trip with the Electrified GV70 wasn’t seamless but it could be considered a success. Yes, there were a few charging gripes but they were manageable, and the infrastructure is improving all the time (accessing the Tesla network is brilliant).
Importantly, the family gave the GV70 itself their seal of approval. The luxurious cabin with a separate air con zone in the rear was a real blessing, especially on the hotter days. This chilled-out feeling was exacerbated by the quiet e-motor and high level of noise insulation, removing most exterior sound and making for amazingly peaceful and serene coastal drives. Throw in four USB charge ports, decent boot space for the family surf gear and enough leg room for my teenage crew’s growing limbs, the GV70 helped to ramp up the holiday vibes.
- Miles since last update 902
- Miles to date 1,499
- Average economy 3.2 miles per kWh
Have a question for Tina? Ask in the comments section below.
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- For more in-depth car reviews, check out our long-term car reviews here
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