Living with a Genesis GV70 EV: why you should choose this over a BMW iX3

If you’re after a posh electric SUV, your first thought will probably be to look at something German. You’ve got the BMW iX3, the all-new Audi Q6 e-tron and the Mercedes EQE SUV to choose from, but what if you’re after something a bit different?

Well the Genesis GV70 Electrified is just that. If you’ve never heard of Genesis, it’s essentially Hyundai’s premium brand making luxurious saloons and SUVs to take on the big German three.

We’ve been living with the electric GV70 for a few months to see how it stacks up against the more mainstream competition. Is it a hidden gem worthy of your attention, or should you ignore this car and stick with the more well-known marques? Let’s find out.

Jump to:

• Living with a Genesis GV70 EV: Overview
• Living with a Genesis GV70 EV: Motors, range and driving
• Living with a Genesis GV70 EV: Interior and infotainment
• Living with a Genesis GV70 EV: Pros and cons
• Living with a Genesis GV70 EV: Verdict

Living with a Genesis GV70 EV: Overview

Let’s start by taking a closer look at our Genesis. This is a GV70 Electrified in Sport trim, and it’s finished in Capri Blue – a £750 option.

The colour isn’t the only optional extra either, because our car is fitted with over £14,000 worth of additional equipment. The Innovation Pack adds a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display, adaptive cruise control and matrix LED headlights at a cost of £3,650.

Other options fitted to this car include Nappa leather seats, a premium sound system, a panoramic glass roof, 20-inch alloy wheels and a convenience pack which adds heated front seats and a heated steering wheel.

The GV70 Electrified starts from £65,000, making it around £5,000 more expensive than an Audi Q6 e-tron and exactly the same price as a BMW iX3. Our car ended up costing over £78,500 with options though.

Living with a Genesis GV70 EV: Motors, range and driving

Powering our GV70 is a dual-motor setup producing a combined 490hp, and it’s properly quick. It’ll do 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds, which is getting into hot-hatch territory.

There’s also a boost button on the steering wheel which gives you a bit of additional shove when you put your foot down, but if anything this makes it too fast. At anything less than 30mph the whole thing pitches backward and the nose points at the sky like a speedboat. It’s so apparent that you can actually feel the steering go light for a couple of seconds – it’s slightly disconcerting.

Once you’ve stopped playing with the giggle button, this is a properly comfortable SUV. Even with the upgraded 20-inch alloy wheels on this car, it glides over bumps and potholes around town – more so than the BMW iX3 or the Audi Q6 e-tron. The GV70 is quiet and relaxing on the motorway as well.

We liked the driver assistance systems as well. In the time we spent with this car there were no problems with the auto emergency braking or forward collision warning going off for no reason, and the adaptive cruise control works smoothly – unlike some cars which can brake too harshly as you approach slow-moving traffic.

The GV70 EV is fitted with a 74kWh battery, which has an official range of 283 miles. During our time with the GV70 we averaged 3.5 miles per kWh, which equates to a real-world range of 259 miles. That’s not too bad, but an Audi Q6 e-tron has over 100 miles more range.

Living with a Genesis GV70 EV: Interior and infotainment

We were really pleasantly surprised by the GV70’s cabin, because the quality really is a match for Audi and BMW. There’s soft leather over the dashboard and doors, and all the switchgear has a lovely feeling of solidity. It’s annoying that the door bins aren’t lined though, because things rattle around in there.

The interior design is great as well. We love the curvy dashboard and elliptical air vents – everything looks modern and clean. The white leather in our car looks great now, and it wasn’t too hard to keep clean over three months either.

It’s a shame that the infotainment screen looks like a bit of an afterthought on top of the dashboard, and it’s a bit of a reach if you’re using it as a touchscreen. We found ourselves relying on the rotary controller in the centre console, something we’ll come back to shortly.

The lack of wireless Apple CarPlay was a nuisance as well, especially because the wired connection was a bit temperamental. At least the car’s own infotainment system is bright, clear and pretty easy to use.

Living with a Genesis GV70 EV: Pros and cons

There were plenty of things we loved about our Genesis, and a few things which were annoying as well. Here’s a breakdown of the pros and cons.

Pros

• Styling: We love the way this car looks. It really stands out against cars like the BMW iX1 and Audi Q6 e-tron.
• Practicality: The boot is a nice size with plenty of underfloor storage, and there’s a frunk to keep your charging cables out of the way. We also like the way the boot release button is under the wiper because it stays clear of grime.
• Blind spot cameras: You get a handy camera feed showing your blind spots in the instrument cluster when you indicate, which is great for making sure you spot those hidden cyclists.
• Regenerative braking: Our car has paddles on the steering wheel which adjust the regenerative braking, and you can use them to slow down and even stop as you approach traffic.
• Performance: The GV70 EV is ballistically quick, especially when you use the boost button. Not only is it hugely entertaining, it’s also handy for making quick overtakes.

Cons:

• Rotary dials: The rotary dials for the gear selector and infotainment system are right next to each other, so you find yourself going for the wrong one on a regular basis.
• Apple CarPlay: Not having wireless Apple CarPlay isn’t the end of the world, but our car had a temperamental wired connection which kept dropping out.
• Parking sensors: The front parking sensors seemed to have a mind of their own. Sometimes they wouldn’t work, while other times they’d go crazy for no reason.
• Door bins: If we’re being picky, we’d like the door bins to be felt-lined on a car as premium as this. The excellent refinement can get disturbed by things rattling around.
• Auto lane change: Our car has a feature which will change lanes on the motorway for you, but we don’t always trust it to work. Sometimes it doesn’t think there’s a big enough gap even when there is, and the indicators stay on for a bit too long.

Living with a Genesis GV70 EV: Verdict

So is the Genesis GV70 worth considering over its German competition? We think it’s certainly worth a look. It’s a great-looking car with a lovely interior, and it’s more comfortable to drive and quicker than a BMW iX3 as well.

The only fly in the ointment here is the price. The GV70 costs around the same, if not a bit more than other luxury SUVs, which isn’t ideal when you’re talking about a little-known brand. The Audi Q6 e-tron also has much better driving range.

But if you’re looking to get behind the wheel of a posh electric SUV which is a bit left-field, the GV70 EV is worthy of your attention.

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