Genesis GV70 Electrified Sport - long-term review

Interesting one this. The GV70 Electrified has turned out to be one of those cars that really does work. Leaving aside the mostly subjective styling element, it’s a car that goes fast, rides well, charges quickly, has a decent interior and palatable range. A range that has gently increased as the temperatures have risen in the UK - we’re now at 240-miles predicted from a 100 per cent charge, and driven carefully it’ll very nearly do just that.

It’s also a brand that sidesteps the usual assumptions about who and what you are based on what you drive; with a slightly vague image amongst the general public in the UK, it kind of slips past any kind of prejudice, and lands in a kind of ‘generically expensive’ area. But there’s a slippery feeling that for this much money, I want something a little bit more interesting and characterful.

So confusion reigns still in GV70 land. I like this Genesis, but it feels like it’s just a couple of years off the pace. And because the electric car market is evolving faster than AI, it feels like a deep distance. The GV70 is a really nice car. But it’s slightly lacking in the unique… something that would make it properly desirable. One of the issues actually sits in Genesis’ own portfolio of stuff and is based on a dedicated EV platform - always better for an EV. It’s called the GV60.

I know, I know, it’s not the same size of car, so I shouldn’t be comparing, but a GV60 Sport has a boot that’s only 70-litres smaller (432 vs 503-litres), is 200-odd kilos lighter (2,095kg plays 2,310 unladen), has a touch more theoretical range (292 WLTP vs 286 miles), a more compact profile and is more than £6k cheaper at base spec.

Ok, so it’s a bit slower (5.5 seconds to 62mph), but I don’t really treat the GV70 like a death-or-glory racer. And that’s before you start looking at related sister-brand Kia’s EV6 Long Range AWD. I think the ‘60 looks better than the ‘70, is more coherent, and the extra space the GV70 offers isn’t enough to make it a go-to. Obviously that opinion would change through the prism of your own use, but do you really need the bigger car?