2021 Genesis GV70 review: A good value, high-quality, luxury SUV

A new luxury brand has launched a genuine rival to the mighty German SUVs with lots of standard features and a cheaper price tag.

Genesis is Hyundai’s luxury brand, created in the same way, and for the same reasons, that Lexus was spawned in the early 1990s as Toyota’s upper-class moneymaker.

It has been lurking on the fringes of the Australian market since 2017, however sales have improved markedly since late last year when it launched the GV80, a BMW X5-sized wagon.

Now, the new GV70 is doing business in the ultra-competitive mid-size luxury SUV class, where Audi’s Q5, BMW’s X3 and X4, Lexus’s NX and the Mercedes GLB/GLC duke it out.

Straight from the Lexus textbook, Genesis is aiming to put GV70 on buyers’ radar with prices that undercut German rivals by thousands of dollars and include more generous luxe and tech, plus sweeteners such as five years servicing, valet pick-up/delivery and a loan car. You also get more go for less money than anything else in the class.

The Genesis GV70 is a genuine rival to the likes of the BMW X3 and Audi Q5.

The GV70 line-up opens at $66,400 plus on-road costs for the G2.5T, with a 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine that’s good for 224kW of power and 422Nm of torque. It will reach 100km/h in a claimed 6.1 seconds. BMW’s base X3, in comparison, is priced at $71,470, runs a 2.0-litre turbo that cranks out 135kW/300Nm and takes 8.2 seconds to reach 100km/h.

An eight-speed automatic and rear-wheel drive are standard; an all-wheel drive 2.5T is $68,786. AWD is standard on the $71,676 GV70 2.2D, which runs a 154kW/440Nm 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel.

The range starts at about $69,000.

The top of the range GV70 3.5T Sport, also with AWD and priced at $83,276, gets a 279kW/530Nm 3.5-litre twin turbo V6 that flings it to 100km/h in a claimed 5.1 seconds. BMW’s X3 M40i, with a 285kW/500Nm 3.0-litre turbocharged straight six, takes 4.8 seconds and will set you back $113,471, which works out at an extra $10,065 per tenth of a second.

Luxe touches in the 2.5T/2.2D, usually absent in comparably-priced German rivals, include leather-faced upholstery and dash trim, a full-length sunroof, heated and ventilated front seats, a hands-free power tailgate, rear window sunshades and rear-seat airconditioning temperature controls.

Top range versions are powered by a powerful 3.5-litre six-clyinder engine.

GV70’s party tricks include a fingerprint authentication personalised setup for multiple drivers, virtual reality navigation imagery and an enormous 14.5-inch infotainment touchscreen.

Unfortunately, its size and position make it a stretch to reach, and there’s no stand-alone voice control, so you have to use the clumsy central rotary dial to find and select what you want, or connect your phone via wired Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

Comprehensive driver assist safety tech includes surround cameras, a door opening alert when vehicles are approaching from behind and cross-traffic/oncoming collision avoidance.

Options are simple and expensive. A Sport Line package, priced at $4500 on 2.5T and 2.2D, is almost pure bling, though you do get four-piston front brake calipers. The Luxury package, at $11,000 ($6600 on 3.5T) includes remote control parking using the keyfob, a driver’s seat that massages you bum cheeks and – get this – a “leather-appointed” driver’s airbag, so just before the moment of impact, you can give thanks you’re not about to be faceplanted into an explosion of cheap plastic.

The interior is packed with luxury kit and the fit and finish are top quality.

We drove the base 2.5T optioned up with the Sport Line and Luxury option packs. Is it $79,400 worth? Yes and no.

Although the 2.5 turbo is a punchy, willing engine, the GV70 can feel unwieldy and heavy in tight corners, it’s cause hampered by imprecise, uncommunicative steering.

You have to be pushing it to induce serious misbehaviour, but the German SUVs are better at cornering. It’s also thirsty, especially in town where you can expect mid-teens.

If comfort, refinement and quality are priorities, though, the GV70 deserves attention and is among the class leaders. Its suspension (non-adjustable, with adaptive dampers only on the 3.5T) delivers an exceptionally smooth, well-controlled ride on poor road surfaces, the cabin is silent and spacious, the seating supportive and comfortable and materials, fit and finish quality superb.

Genesis is let down by its resale value, which should improve over time.

When you put your money down on a new car, you also invest in the brand, and in dealer land there’s always a greater perceived risk with new players. As in the early days of Lexus, Genesis trade-in values are slightly weaker than most rivals. Industry valuer Redbook has the GV70 2.5T at 33 per cent of its new price after five years. This will improve as Genesis finds more customers, which it deserves to do.

VERDICT 3.5/5

As a driver, GV70 is not quite there. As a good value, high-quality, luxury SUV that’s a pleasure to own, it’s a winner.

GENESIS GV70 2.5T VITALS

Price: $66,400 plus on road costs

Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo, 224kW and 422Nm

Warranty/servicing: 5-year/unlimited km, servicing included for 5 years

Safety: Eight airbags, auto emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot and lane-keep assist, 360-degree cameras

Fuel: 9.8L/100km

Cargo: 542 litres

Spare: Space saver

Originally published as 2021 Genesis GV70 review: A good value, high-quality, luxury SUV