Genesis is the premium arm of Hyundai. Launched under the radar last year, Genesis like Infiniti before it, is already big in Asia & North America. The first European models are a mix of petrol saloons, SUV’s & Sportbrakes, with an all-electric model due in 2022.
What is it ?
The GV70 is five door SUV powered by either a 2.5 litre petrol engine or, a 2.2 diesel. The petrol engine produces 304ps & 422Nm, the diesel 206ps with 440Nm. Both feature eight-speed auto gear boxes & all-wheel drive.
Model range
You can choose from three models; Entry level Premium Line costs £41,000, Luxury Line £44,370 or Sport Line £43,350.
What’s different about Genesis ?
Customer service is at the forefront of Genesis plans with it’s Genesis Care Plan. Designed to take the stress out of ownership, the package includes maintenance, services, inspections, such as oil services, filter changes & even replacement wiper blades, included in the cars purchase price. You also get five years of navigation, software updates & connected services for the duration of the Care Plan & Genesis will even come & collect your car for servicing & leave you with a courtesy car when it’s time.
The Care Plan covers the first five years or 50,000 miles of ownership, which ever comes first & that’s not forgetting the standard five-year warranty with five years breakdown cover.
Specification
All versions of the GV70 come very well kitted out & feature air con, alloys, cruise control, electric driver & front passenger seats, metallic paint, traction control, 14.5″ touchscreen, 8″instrument cluster, SatNav, DAB, Apple CarPay & Android Auto connectivity. All models are also fitted with front & rear parking sensors, a rear camera that projects images to the main touchscreen when reversing & an electric tailgate.
Our Sport test car adds, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, rear air con & rear & back side privacy glass. Extras on our test model included 21″ wheels, an additional £1370 & a panoramic sunroof, an extra £1460.
In effect you can up-spec your GV70 by selecting from a number of ‘packs.’ Choose from; Innovation, Comfort Seat, Convenience, 2nd Row Comfort, Nappa Leather Seats or Nappa Leather Sports.
Exterior
Genesis have managed to add something little bit different int o the generic SUC/Crossover with the GV70. At the front the twin wrap around light clusters are noticeably different to the competition, whilst the rear features a chunky boot spoiler & two chrome oval exhaust outlets.
Interior
Our test car featured tiger red leather interior, seats, doors & dashboard. The seats are finished in a quilted pattern.In between, black & chrome plastic feature on the switches & across the dash, notably around the gear selector & automatic hand brake. The quality is very good & is reminiscent of a Lexus. Separate heating controls sit underneath the touchscreen which is centrally mounted & leans ever so slightly towards the driver. It features sharp graphics & is intuitive to use. Apple CarPlay & Android Auto can be connected & work lead free once set up. There are twin USB’s in the console between the front seats, plus a 12v socket.
The set-up also features Genesis Connected Services, which is part of the company’s plan to offer a concierge service for all customers to help with servicing & assistance when travelling.
The multifunction steering wheel allows access to a number of functions such as entertainment & cruise control. The digital instrument cluster sits in front of the driver which can be configured with 3D-effect graphics. The dials in front of you change appearance depending on driving mode; Eco, Comfort, Sport or Sport +. There’s also off-road functionality with a Terrain Mode toggle.
Boot space & cabin practicality
The GV70 offers a generous amount of head & leg room up front. You also get a decent-sized glovebox, large door bins, twin cup holders a cubby under the armrest & a lidded tray for your phone with wireless charging on the Sport Line. In the rear, head rooms excellent, but legroom less so, as there’s a large transmission tunnel reducing the legroom for the middle rear-passenger.
There are clever storage nets mounted on the front seat backs, a coat hook, a pair of cupholders on the centre armrest & door space for a drinks bottle.
You get a 540 litre boot, with 60:40 split rear seats lowered by levers in the cabin & some small storage under the flat boot floor. A 12v electric outlet & a couple of tie-down hooks to secure your luggage finish things off. The carpet & boot finish is exemplary.
Driving modes & fuel economy
Select from Eco, Comfort, Sport or Sport + with each doing exactly what they say on the tin. We tended to stick to Eco when driving along the motorway to conserve fuel, with the odd sojourn into Sport when overtaking. Sport + turns off the traction control & Comfort ever so slightly dampens the ride. Claimed economy is 30 mpg with emissions of 218g/km. Top speed is 149mph with a 0-62mph time of 6.1 seconds, so decent.
Driving
Weighing in at around two tonnes, the GV70’s no shrinking violet. But, with all of that power on tap it’s actually enjoyable to drive.
In the city you’ll notice that it’s quite a wide car& negotiating tight, city parking takes bit of getting use to. The rear parking camera & parking aids do help though in positioning when parallel parking. The cabin cocoons you inside & is fabulously quiet. The car as a whole feels very refined.
Country roads are also fun, although the GV70 does have a tendency to roll in & out of corners, although it’s all well controlled. Pot-holed road pose no problems either, as the top-notch suspension mean that the GV70 simply glides over the terrible road surfaces featured locally.
It’s on the motorway though, where the GV70 really shines. It will take you at speed to your destination in almost total silence & comfort. This is aided by the GV70’s road-scanning suspension, so you simply glide along.
Although we tried out all of the driving modes, the fuel economy not great & whether your’e in Eco, Comfort, Sport or Sport+ mode doesn’t make too much difference to the cars fuel economy, as we saw a return of 24.8mpg across the week.
CO2 & BIK
The petrol GV70 comes with a CO2 figure of 218g/km & BIK of 37%, meaning that the electric version can’t come quick enough for company car drivers.
Pros
JD Power ranked Genesis number one as the most dependable automotive brand in the United States in 2020. All models are well built & well equipped. The Sport is great fun to drive. Genesis Care Plan & 5-year warranty are both excellent offerings. And it’s different.
Cons
For company car drivers the car’s CO2 emissions equal high BIK, so it will be best to wait until the full-electric Genesis models arrive in 2022 & 2023. Whilst the GV70 is great to drive, it’s not as good as a BMW X3.
Conclusion
Whilst you won’t see many Genesis models on the road as the brand aren’t really looking at volume, if you choose one, you won’t be disappointed. The Genesis build quality is top-notch, it’s after sales care package is second to none & the Genesis logo is easily mistaken for Aston Martin. Moreover, the cosseted, comfortable cabin is right up there with the best from anywhere. If you value Lexus-like qualities above the Germans, then Genesis might just be for you.
3.75/5
