Genesis GV70 - long-term review

Having spent a solid four months behind the wheel of the Genesis GV70, I've had ample time to really get to grips with this midsize luxury SUV. My experience? Mostly positive – it looks great, feels comfortable, and performs well. But is the veil beginning to lift?

Firstly, let's address the auto parking system. There's a certain irony in a system designed to protect your precious alloys being the very thing that seems hell-bent on scraping them against every curb in sight. More than once, I've braked abruptly and repositioned the car mid-manoeuvre. This is of course only an issue if the system recognises a space in the first place, which half of the time it does not. This issue isn't unique to Genesis, but it's worth noting. My advice, park manually. Another minor gripe is the persistent seatbelt warning for the seemingly empty centre rear seat. Is it sensing a ghost?

Moving on to design and build quality - areas where the GV70 should shine, considering it's squaring off against the likes of Audi and BMW. A recent journey on the M25 offered an unexpected insight. Amidst the rather breezy storm Gerrit, the GV70's bonnet was doing a quite unsettling dance in the wind. Now, we're not talking about the stuff of viral videos where bonnets flip up and smash windshields, but it was enough to make me uncomfortable.

This might relate to its peculiar bonnet design, which overlaps and features two 'fangs' on either side of the grill. Presumably it’s not there for aerodynamic performance given the worrying wobble, but it does frame the headlights and give a more aggressive look to the front end. However, closer inspection revealed some worrying panel gaps. Setting aside the whopping great big one directly above the grill, there is a noticeably larger gap on the driver’s side versus the passenger side. This level of inconsistency is surprising in a luxury vehicle, unless maybe, you’re a Tesla owner. And so, I dug deeper, inspecting every panel with my measuring tape. No, not really. But I did notice a protruding corner of the bumper which again seems to have sneaked past QC.

I concede I’m being a bit pernickety, the GV70 still delivers a driving experience that's hard to fault for the money. Genesis is certainly proving their ambitions in the luxury SUV market, but there are still some refinements needed until they are seen as a serious rival to other established luxury brands.