Genesis Electrified GV70 review – a luxurious alternative to the BMW iX3
The mid-sized Genesis GV70 EV offers more luxury and refinement than anything in its class, but you pay for the privilege in more ways than one
Whether or not Genesis is selling electric cars only or those powered by petrol seems to change by the week. Despite having discontinued its combustion-powered models in the UK last year, a recent strategy change has seen it flip back to combustion power signalled by the launch of a slew of tantalising ICE performance concepts. We’re left stuck with its EVs before they surface in production-form, but that isn’t quite as terrible as it sounds.
The smaller GV60 launched in 2022 as the brand’s first EV for the UK market, offering a truly premium experience, at a premium price. Given its C-segment positioning, this price point proved a hard sell for some despite the quality of the product, but applying the same formula to the larger electrified GV70 is a much more appealing proposition. Sitting directly in-line with the excellent new BMW iX3 gives it some very tough competition though, so can it fend off Germany’s high-flyer?
> BMW iX3 review – a cheaper 500-mile alternative to the Volvo EX60
Powertrain and technical highlights
- 483bhp dual-motor all-wheel drive setup
- Ageing multi-fuel underpinnings
- Battery size and range behind rivals
Unlike its smaller GV60 sibling which was designed from the ground up as an EV around the E-GMP platform, the GV70 utilises Hyundai’s multi-fuel M3 underpinnings. Unlike the vast majority of its alternatives, there’s just a single powertrain and battery option on the cards in the UK, giving you a dual-motor, all-wheel drive setup with 483bhp as standard regardless of the trim you go for.
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Powering it all is an 84kWh battery pack, which is one of this car’s major downfalls. Having been introduced in 2022, it lags behind its strongest competitors in terms of battery size, and perhaps partially down to its multi-fuel underpinnings, efficiency isn’t great either – we saw 2.5mi/kWh on a motorway run. Genesis claims 287 miles WLTP on a charge, which is very poor when the entry-level iX3 will cover exactly 100 miles more… and one optioned to the £65k starting price of the GV70 manages a quoted 500. Maximum charging speed stands at 240kw, which thankfully, we easily achieved at a compatible fast charger.
Performance, ride and handling
- Ultra-refined ride beyond its price point
- Comfort prioritised over sporty dynamics
- Brakes leave something to be desired
The GV70 Electrified drives like a car from the category above, with sophistication and refinement almost unheard of for a car in this segment. You pay a premium of around £10,000 over something like an iX3, but you can feel where that extra cash has gone. It almost feels as if it’s trying to replicate the level of refinement you get in a Bentley or Rolls-Royce and while it doesn’t have that final layer of dynamic finish, it gets remarkably close given the price tag.
Where most of its rivals, BMW iX3 included, do their absolute best to provide a dynamic, sporty edge, the GV70 leans into the luxury Genesis formula with an ultra-comfortable feel. With 483bhp and 516lb ft of torque to all four wheels, it feels genuinely quick if you ask for it, but the throttle map is really relaxed out of the box, encouraging you to drive smoothly and lean into its torque reserves to make quiet, effortless progress.
You can do just that, too, as while the GV70 doesn’t feel nimble and light on its toes like a BMW iX3, there’s plenty of grip and just enough communication through the chassis and steering wheel to inspire the confidence to push on, despite its 2275kg kerb weight. The steering is nicely weighted out of the box and contrary to its effortless character, it’s not disconcertingly light like some of its rivals – the premium leather on this particular car did prove quite slippery, but this could well be down to spec.
Ride is in-keeping with the soft-edged, comfortable character of the rest of the car on the whole, but low speed patter occasionally makes its way into the cabin to serve as a reminder that you’re not in a Bentley. An uncomfortable overpressure sensation also surfaces at times, which could well be a quirk of the active noise cancellation feature – this uses the GV70’s sound system to recognise road noise and actively pump opposing sound waves into the cabin to cancel them out.
Almost zero regenerative braking is the standard setting as you set off, which might come as a surprise to those used to driving EVs, but this is easily adjusted using the dedicated paddles behind the steering wheel. When you use the brake pedal to stop, that sophisticated edge fades a little, with poor calibration making it difficult to modulate at low speeds – when the iX3’s soft-stop feature is the best in any car on the market, Rolls-Royce included, that’s undoubtedly a point down for the Genesis.
Interior and tech
- Luxurious interior outperforms rival German cars
- Quiet cabin, loud warning bongs
- Slick dashboard tech with separate climate control panel
A complete contrast to its generic, if inoffensive, exterior design, the cabin is a luxurious, tech-laden cocoon. The Nappa leather of our particular test car (a £2500 option) smells high-end before you’ve sat down, with the deep-pile floor mats and carefully engineered cold-touch metal and glass switchgear all putting it leagues above the plastic-heavy interiors of its German rivals. The headliner is Alcantara on this car too, and that Nappa leather extends to beyond the seats and onto the diamond-quilted door cards, just as you’d expect from a car of a much higher cost.
Double glazing, excellent soundproofing and active noise cancellation all make this an ultra-quiet place to be, but the GV70 spoils it with some of the loudest and most incessant warning bongs I’ve come across. As always, you can turn these off via a custom-mapped button on the steering wheel, but it’s still not a single-click process which adds real frustration to every drive.
The way in which you interact with the GV70’s system is slick, being a single-piece 27-inch dashboard which combines the digital dash behind the steering wheel with a huge central infotainment. The system is quick and snappy, but even so, Genesis has fitted a dedicated climate control panel beneath it so you always have quick access to the controls you need most.
The GV70 is marginally smaller than a BMW iX3 in almost every dimension, and the boot capacity makes that known. Most likely due to packaging constraints with the multi-fuel M3 platform rather than overall dimensions, the GV70’s shallow boot has much less usable capacity than the BMW in the real world – the cabin feels spacious, airy and doesn’t suffer from the same.
Price, specs and rivals
The Genesis GV70 is priced from £65,915 in the UK, and while you do get a strong powertrain for that sum, the BMW iX3 offers very similar on-paper performance, and considerably more range for a few thousand less. If performance isn’t a priority for you, the less powerful, entry-level BMW iX3 can be had for a whole £10,000 less than the GV70 and still has 100 miles more range.
While smaller in size and based on the Genesis GV60’s e-GMP platform, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is an alternative some may consider. It can be had from a much lower £39,910 price point and offers a range of over 270 miles for that sum. If you’re looking for something more exciting to drive, the range-topping 601bhp Ioniq 5 N undercuts the GV70 by £800 – it’s one of the best driver’s EV’s on sale, but with a real-world range of around 200 miles, it’s not a particularly practical choice.
Genesis GV70 Electrified specs
| Powertrain | Dual-motor, all-wheel drive |
| Power | 483bhp |
| Torque | 516lb ft |
| Weight | 2275kg |
| Battery size | 84kWh |
| Range (WLTP) | 287 miles |
| Power-to-weight | 212bhp/ton |
| 0-62mph | 4.2sec |
| Top speed | 146mph |
| Basic price | £65,915 |
