2023 Genesis Electrified GV70 SUVOTY Review: So, So Close
The GV70 nearly pulls off a repeat win with the EV model, but for one big drawback.
0:00 / 0:00
Pros
- Stunning design
- Excellent ride and handling
- Great EV integration
Cons
- Lack of range
- Grabby brakes
- Minor infotainment issues
This review was conducted as part of our 2024 SUV of the Year (SUVOTY) testing, where each vehicle is evaluated on our six key criteria: efficiency, design, safety, engineering excellence, value, and performance of intended function. Eligible vehicles must be all-new or significantly revised.
The Genesis GV70 won our 2022 SUV of the Year competition by a landslide, and the EV version, known as the 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70, just about took home the Golden Calipers, as well. There's just one big problem.
Every judge's notes read something like this: "I love the way this car drives! It's so quiet inside. Best ride quality in the competition. Looks fantastic! Too bad about that range, though."
It's the all-electric GV70's only real downside. An EPA-rated 236 miles to a charge just isn't competitive in 2023, not when a Tesla Model S went farther on a charge a decade ago and a Chevy Bolt EV did the same six years ago. Several judges were enamored enough to consider overlooking its official range, particularly when weighed against its impressive 240-kW charging speeds, but theMTRoad-Trip Range test put an end to those arguments. The 191-199 miles of real-world driving range at freeway speeds we achieved during our testing simply doesn't work in a country as big as America with our underdeveloped charging infrastructure.
Otherwise, major flaws are hard to find with the Electrified GV70. Multiple judges thought the brakes were too grabby, and several were disappointed that wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto still aren't available when less expensive Hyundai and Kia products come equipped with both and use the same underlying infotainment software. We continue to find the placement and nearly identical sizes of the rotary shifter and infotainment control knob needlessly confusing, and we think the rear seat could use a touch more legroom. The torque steer under full-throttle acceleration was surprising and disappointing, though we enjoyed the motors' pep as a whole. We'd also like to see some storage space under the long hood.
But all were relatively benign complaints in the face of just how good the Electrified GV70 truly is. Its engineering excellence is undeniable when you consider how Genesis was able to bolt a dual-motor electric drivetrain and battery pack onto a traditional vehicle platform with zero perceptible difference to the occupants. Then its engineers went and tuned the Frankenstein car to the point it drives, handles, and rides as well as or better than its already excellent gas-powered sibling, and it's quieter inside to boot.
Some judges were even prepared to make the argument that the advancement in design here was knowing not to change anything. The GV70 is a beautiful SUV regardless of its powertrain, and it has a fantastic interior. Neither has aged appreciably since the gas-powered model won this award two years ago. Others felt the styling was a bit too conservative an effort and missed opportunities for new and different designs and controls that pure EVs afford, but their arguments were half-hearted. Genesis knew better than to mess with success, and it's hard to ding it for that.
The final debate over the Electrified GV70's award- worthiness was short and to the point: Find another 50 miles of real-world range, and it would have been unbeatable. That issue proved serious enough to keep us from handing over the Calipers to Genesis yet again.
More 2024 SUV of the YearIntroduction|Criteria Explained
Finalists|Contenders
Behind the Scenes
Were you one of those kids who taught themselves to identify cars at night by their headlights and taillights? I was. I was also one of those kids with a huge box of Hot Wheels and impressive collection of home-made Lego hot rods. I asked my parents for a Power Wheels Porsche 911 for Christmas for years, though the best I got was a pedal-powered tractor. I drove the wheels off it. I used to tell my friends I’d own a “slug bug” one day. When I was 15, my dad told me he would get me a car on the condition that I had to maintain it. He came back with a rough-around-the-edges 1967 Volkswagen Beetle he’d picked up for something like $600. I drove the wheels off that thing, too, even though it was only slightly faster than the tractor. When I got tired of chasing electrical gremlins (none of which were related to my bitchin’ self-installed stereo, thank you very much), I thought I’d move on to something more sensible. I bought a 1986 Pontiac Fiero GT and got my first speeding ticket in that car during the test drive. Not my first-ever ticket, mind you. That came behind the wheel of a Geo Metro hatchback I delivered pizza in during high school. I never planned to have this job. I was actually an aerospace engineering major in college, but calculus and I had a bad breakup. Considering how much better my English grades were than my calculus grades, I decided to stick to my strengths and write instead. When I made the switch, people kept asking me what I wanted to do with my life. I told them I’d like to write for a car magazine someday, not expecting it to actually happen. I figured I’d be in newspapers, maybe a magazine if I was lucky. Then this happened, which was slightly awkward because I grew up reading Car & Driver, but convenient since I don’t live in Michigan. Now I just try to make it through the day without adding any more names to the list of people who want to kill me and take my job.
Read More
