2023 Genesis GV60 AWD new car review

This new luxury car maker’s latest electric SUV impresses inside and out and should be on the shopping list of those wanting to stand out from the crowd.

Genesis — Hyundai’s luxury offshoot — builds on the excellent Ioniq 5 mid-size SUV.

Genesis — Hyundai’s luxury offshoot — builds on the excellent Ioniq 5 mid-size SUV.

Here’s five things you need to know about it.

The GV60 is based on the Hyundai Ioniq 5.

It’s deceptively roomy

The GV60 is officially classified as small SUV, but it’s based on the same platform as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6, which means it has a flat floor that liberates plenty of foot space in the rear.

Head room is also good, although the sunroof reduces back seat space.

The boot floor is relatively high but has some shallow compartments underneath for valuables and charging cables. There’s also 20 litres of space under the bonnet, but it’s an odd shape and very shallow, making it virtually useless.

The cabin is well presented. Diamond quilted leather has bronze piping, although it was bunching in some of the corners on our car.

Those bronze highlights continue to the dash and doors.

It is expensive, costing about $116,000.

It’s loaded with tech

There are five screens in the GV60. Dual 12.3-inch screens take care of instrument readouts and infotainment, while there’s a small touchscreen to adjust some of the ventilation settings.

The mirrors have also been replaced by screens; they work well in wet weather and low light but are not always as easy to use as regular mirrors when parking or zipping through traffic.

The GV60 also has Face Connect, which uses a camera on the driver’s side to allow you to register your face as a replacement for the key. Passengers in the back left seat can slide the front seat forward from the rear to create more space.

Over-the-air software updates can add new features and functions remotely.

The cabin is packed with hi-tech features.

It’s faster than it looks

The GV60 may look like a jelly bean SUV but it’s also got some muscle beneath the skin.

Two electric motors make a combined 234kW and 605Nm, enough to take it to 100km/h in 5.5 seconds, or as little as 4.0 seconds if you choose the Performance pack (which ups the outputs to 360kW and 700Nm).

It’s also fast at charging courtesy of an 800V electrical architecture (most EVs run a 400V system).

It can take about 230kW of charging power and add a few hundred kilometres of range in 18 minutes.

It uses two potent electric motors.

There’s plenty of gear, including free charging

At about $116,000 drive-away the GV60 is not cheap, but there’s plenty of gear for the money.

The Nappa leather can be ordered in black or white while the dashboard can be black, grey or “Monstera Green”.

Other goodies include 20-inch alloys, a head-up display and a 17-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system. Genesis also gives buyers the choice of five years of public charging across the Chargefox network or the installation of a home charger.

It can be rewarding to drive

There’s no issue with pace in the GV60 and it also steps up when pointed at a corner.

You can dial up some futuristic fake engine sounds or even make it sound like a petrol car, which seems to defeat the purpose.

There’s good cornering grip and splitting the drive between all four wheels (more goes to the rear than the front) means it’s easy to get the power to the ground.

Ultimately it’s an impressively accomplished device, although it doesn’t have the engagement and athleticism some may expect – blame it on the near-2.2-tonne weight.

Originally published as 2023 Genesis GV60 AWD new car review