Genesis GV60 Sport Plus - long-term review

A couple of thousand more miles in the GV60 and weirdly, I’ve really started to warm to it. It’s not what you’d call a pretty car, but I’ve got quite used to the wide, stumpy, slightly awkward styling and quirkiness is a plus in a world where everything seems to look the same. Especially in a world of Chinese SUV EVs. But the big plus points really are more subtle, and it takes a bit of time to figure them out.

I’ll get into range and charging more in a later update, but the GV60 manages about 240 miles on a charge. Not exceptional - I could do with a bit more - but it generally does that 240 without worry. There’s no massive shock or dip if you’re on a motorway, and the air-con in ‘Eco’ mode only drops the range by about seven miles. In my previous Toyota EV, it’d fall by 25 per cent when you put the blowers on.

And it charges hard. Topping off before a late night return from the airport, it devoured electrons to jump from 50 to 80 per cent in about 10 minutes, and was pulling 147kW right up to that upper figure. I rarely wait for the car, and I’m fairly random in my mileages, so use a lot of public charging.

It’s also big enough, without feeling tubby at slow speed. Five-up to the Lake District (a four hour trip) was no problem, even with the 423-litre boot packed to the rafters. Space is good in all seats, and although it feels wide, it’s not cumbersome. Something supported by ‘Boost’ mode, accessed from a little button on the steering wheel, which really does deploy overtaking ability usually reserved for sports cars. More the 516lb ft than the 483bhp, if I’m honest, but deeply impressive. Again, we’ll talk about the ride and handling later on, but it’s a car that’s easy to go fast in, without being a vehicle that actively enjoys going around corners.

Bad stuff? Big one is weight. It feels fine at slower speeds, but get going and you’re fighting physics. The ride is fine but could be better, which I probably lay the feet of the cool-but-hard-to-clean big-diameter wheels. I don’t like the silvery plastic buttons under the haptic air-con screen - useful as they are - and the little blind-spot cameras that pop up in the driver’s display when you indicate are fine if the contrast is right and conditions optimal, but fall to bits in bright sunshine or when it’s raining hard.

Still, I kinda dig it.