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2023 Genesis Electrified GV70: Genesis has applied one of the best electrified powertrains to one of its best products. Does that mean the 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70 has it all?
2023 Genesis Electrified GV70
We’ve been huge fans of the ways both Hyundai and Kia have brought electric vehicles to the market. The story began small scale with Hyundai’s Ioniq liftback sedan more than five years ago, but the Korean brand is now punching with the best of them thanks to electric heavyweights such as the 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70.
Though, like the Hyundai Ioniq, the Genesis Electrified GV70 isn’t underpinned by the dedicated electric E-GMP platform like other current electric products from the Hyundai Group portfolio. Whereas the architecture of the Genesis GV60, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Kia EV6 is designed wholly for electric powertrains, the Electrified GV70 is an electric vehicle derived from an internal combustion engine platform.
That in itself is no bad thing – Hyundai has simply applied the best bits of E-GMP (the battery, motor, and related components) to the GV70 platform to offer buyers more choice. So now you can have either a petrol-powered Genesis GV70 or a full battery-electric GV70.
We’ve spent time in the latter at its local launch last year, but this is our first proper spin in the Genesis Electrified GV70.
How much does the Electrified GV70 cost in Australia?
Unlike the ‘regular’ petrol-powered Genesis GV70 range that begins at $68,500 (before on-road costs) and tops out at $84,600 (plus ORCs), the Genesis Electrified GV70 offering is comprised of a single variant. It costs $127,800 (plus ORCs).
That’s a huge $43,200 price leap from the flagship GV70 petrol variant (3.5T AWD Sport) to the fully electric GV70. The price tag also sees it more expensive than established prestige brands’ electric SUVs, the $104,900 BMW iX3 and the $128,000 Mercedes-Benz EQC400. But in true Genesis fashion, the carmaker has packed the specification to the hilt with equipment – there are no options available on the car. It also gets a substantial after-sales care package, but more on that later.
In effect, the Genesis Electrified GV70 pinches the battery and electric motors from the smaller GV60 electric. This means it stocks a 77.4kWh battery that sends power to an all-wheel electric drivetrain that outputs a maximum 360kW/700Nm.
As the range flagship, the Electrified GV70 is packed with kit such as specific 20-inch alloy wheels, Genesis-branded brake calipers, adaptive LED headlights, power tailgate, remote start and parking, and puddle lights with Genesis logos.
There are relatively few ways to identify the Electrified GV70 on the outside, save for the special wheels and a closed-in grille (with hideaway charge port).
The cabin is filled with a host of goodies including fingerprint authentication, privacy glass, nappa leather quilted seats, leather dash, heated and ventilated front seats with massage, suede-look headlining, ambient interior lighting, power sunroof, rear sun blinds, tri-zone climate control, and a 14-speaker Lexicon sound system.
Within Genesis’s vehicle line-up, there are electric alternatives such as the aforementioned GV60 (which is slightly smaller) and the Electrified G80 sedan. Despite not being built on the E-GMP platform, the Electrified GV70 is the largest electric SUV the brand manufactures.
Key details2023 Genesis Electrified GV70Price$127,800 plus on-road costsColour of test carBrunswick GreenOptionsMatte paint – $2000Price as tested$129,800 plus on-road costsDrive-away price$140,203 (Melbourne)RivalsBMW iX3 | Mercedes-Benz EQC | Tesla Model Y
How much space does the Electrified GV70 have inside?
Whereas its underling Genesis GV60 opts for a futuristic and tech-infused approach to premium electric motoring, the Genesis Electrified GV70 champions old-style luxury with a traditional mix of high-end materials.
There’s no sustainable faux leather or recycled plastic upholstery in the GV70’s cabin, just good old-fashioned nappa leather for the seats, with matching finishes on the door cards, and the dash top made of a combination of genuine leather or polyurethane faux-leather.
It all feels suitably premium for the range flagship, and presents very well with respect to specification on test – Brunswick Green over a Pine Grove Green cabin. It also gets a sand-colour suede-look headlining that is a gorgeous addition to this colour combination.
Having recently come away underwhelmed by the Genesis GV60’s outlandish cabin, the Electrified GV70’s space is far more suited to its price tag and the experience feels like true luxury.
You’ve got a pair of front seats that offer supreme support and comfort, and they’re also eminently adjustable thanks to electric bolsters, electric lumbar, and cushion extension. The seats have a lovely massage function for long road trips, while you can keep cool in summer thanks to ventilation (as well as heating).
Everywhere you look there’s been consideration into visual appeal. The ambient lighting fixtures have a ‘mountain’ effect to the housing that looks fantastic when lit, and the silver trims of the doorhandles and instrumentation look great – and feel great – in hand. The cabin is very quiet and protected thanks to laminated windows and privacy tint for the second row.
Big points to Genesis for continuing simple dial-and-button controls for air-conditioning too.
Storage options around the front row include the dual cupholders on the centre console (though they’re on the recessed side of the console), a large centre console bin, a deep trench cut-out to wirelessly charge your phone, and a normal glovebox to hide away valuables. There are also wide door bins for drink bottles.
In the second row the story is largely the same – an opulent experience no matter whether you’re driving or a passenger. Amenities-wise, back seat dwellers are afforded sun blinds, heated seats, their own climate controls, a fold-down centre armrest, and map pockets. There is no reduction in the quality of materials in the back seat either.
Unfortunately, there is no sliding second row so you can’t adjust leg space as needed, but the space on the whole is large enough for my 194cm frame. I’m not troubled for head room or legroom, while there’s a stack of room side-to-side too.
I enjoy the back seat as a mobile office while the car is set on charge – it’s a light space with soft leather and contains a comfortable amount of room to work with.
In the boot there is 503L of load capacity, which can expand to 1678L with the seats folded forwards. Under the bonnet there’s an additional 22L of storage space for flat bags.
Under the boot floor is a compartmentalised space for charging cables and tool kits, while you also get a tyre repair kit as opposed to a spare wheel. The cargo blind is the only part letting the premium experience down – it looks and feels as though it was pinched from a Hyundai i30.
2023 Genesis Electrified GV70SeatsFiveBoot volume503L seats up
1678L seats folded
22L under bonnetLength4715mmWidth1910mmHeight1625mmWheelbase2875mm
Does the GV70 have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
Though it exudes ‘old money’ luxury, it’s not at the expense of technology. The Genesis Electrified GV70 comes with a brilliant display of tech up on the dash including a 14.5-inch widescreen infotainment screen and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.
A colour head-up display also provides information in the driver’s line of sight.
The software underneath the large screens is excellent, providing clear information and crisp displays for driver and passengers to view various bits of information. There’s a handy home screen that dulls out irrelevant information, but any time you actually need to use the system, you simply scroll across horizontally to find relevant tiles. There are also handy physical shortcut buttons below the air-conditioning controls.
The system can be touch-controlled, though I spent half my time using the rotary controller on the centre console. At times I did confuse this dial with the gear selector because they’re almost identically sized.
Camera quality is very high definition and you can configure parts of the instrument cluster to show varying information. My favourite display was the powertrain output, which details what the battery and motors are up to at any given point.
The GV70 is fitted with a 14-speaker, 1050-watt Lexicon sound system that sounds brilliant. The booming bass is consistent no matter what track you play through the system.
Interestingly, there is no wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. You have to plug your phone into the car to access the technology, which is pretty old hat in 2023 when luxury rivals have been quick to move to wireless systems.
Is the Electrified GV70 a safe car?
While the petrol- and diesel-powered GV70s score a full five stars from ANCAP, the Electrified variant isn’t extended the same top-marks score. As such, the variant remains unrated by Australia’s top safety body.
It gets eight airbags overall including a front-centre airbag to prevent driver and passenger heads from clashing together in the unfortunate event of a crash.
2023 Genesis Electrified GV70ANCAP ratingUnrated
What safety technology does the Electrified GV70 have?
Though it misses out on an official ANCAP safety score, that doesn’t mean the Electrified GV70 is unsafe.
The spread of active safety measures is large, including autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, junction assist for AEB, lane-keep assist, lane-follow assist, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert with braking, 360-degree camera, safe exit assist, traffic sign recognition, adaptive headlights, low-speed rear autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot view monitor, and tyre pressure monitoring. Phew.
The adaptive cruise control and lane-following measures combine to allow easy cruising on the freeway, though you can’t take your hands off the wheel or it’ll become annoyed. It does a good job of keeping speed and reacting to cars merging in front, and you can handily change the parameters of the system in the settings.
How much does the Electrified GV70 cost to maintain?
Genesis provides a five-year warranty (unlimited kilometres) for the GV70, and it’s handily accompanied by free servicing for the first five visits. These services should be completed at 12-month or 15,000km intervals, whichever is first.
Curiously, the warranty doesn’t extend to everything. Genesis only warrants against paint defects for 12 months (unlimited km), and it’ll only fix defects relating to rattles and squeaks up to a measly 1500km.
As part of the Genesis service experience, the first owner will be provided with a loan car during servicing, so long as you’re within a 70km radius of Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane. Five years of roadside assistance is provided too.
Along with the purchase of an Electrified GV70, Genesis offers five years of complimentary Chargefox vehicle charging or installation of a home charger.
Insurance for the Electrified GV70 will run $3611.53 per annum for a 35-year-old male living in Chatswood near Sydney. This is compared to $4328 for an iX3 and $2920 for the Tesla Model Y. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
Is the Electrified GV70 energy-efficient?
Genesis claims the Electrified GV70 will return an energy consumption of 19.9kWh/100km on a combined cycle. This is a fair claim for a vehicle of its size according to our EV efficiencies guide. In reality, the GV70 beat its claim with 19.1kWh/100km over a week’s testing that favoured highway kilometres.
To top up the GV70 EV, Genesis has fitted the vehicle with some of the best recharging tech on the market. It can recharge at a 350kW rate on DC ultra rapid charging, which could mean a 10–80 per cent charge will happen in as little as 18 minutes. I couldn’t find a 350kW charger near me, but I plugged it into a 75kW BP Pulse DC fast charger near me and got a bang on 75kW rate out of the charger.
I ran into some troubles with unreliable 50kW chargers and narrowly avoided stranding myself with a flat battery. You can check the status of a charger online to best prepare yourself, but you can’t do much when a charger breaks while you’re there!
With the Electrified GV70’s 77.4kWh battery, Genesis quotes a 445km driving range. This will vary depending on myriad variables such as individual driving styles, location, topography, climate, vehicle condition, and accessories installed.
It can also offer the flexibility of vehicle-to-load (V2L) power supply back to appliances, like charging up a laptop for example, at a rate of up to 3.6kW. V2L capability can be accessed either via a household socket in the interior, or from an adaptor plugged into the charge port.
What is the Electrified GV70 like to drive?
Unlike the smaller Genesis GV60 Performance, the Electrified GV70 SUV places little emphasis on sporty driving and subscribes wholly to a sophisticated and luxurious driving experience. It’s a heavy, kit-laden, and supremely comfortable electric car – it’s not trying to be anything other than that.
The suspension tune of the Electrified GV70 is so smooth. It does away with all manner of road imperfections and eats up the larger bumps, such as road joins or patch-ups, with relative ease.
Likewise, the cabin is serenely quiet thanks to an appropriately high-end build quality and tangible noise-negating features such as sound-deadening laminated windows. With the absence of engine noise you tend to become more attuned to things like wind or road noise, but the GV70 keeps all noise subdued.
Steering weight has a good, fluid character that contains decent feel. It’s an easy car to manoeuvre for reverse parks or when in town, while the vision out of the cabin is easy. Of course, you’ve got an excellent quality 360-degree camera to view out of the car.
Though the emphasis is placed on luxury, the Electrified GV70 is no slouch. It exhibits the typical electric vehicle instantaneous response and truly shoves you back into the seat if you pin the throttle. The 360kW/700Nm maximum outputs from the dual electric motors are experienced in 10-second overboost bursts, though they can be repeated any time you like.
The thing the Electrified GV70 struggles with – and this is the case for many electric vehicles – is carrying that speed through corners. The adaptive damping system does its best to prepare the GV70 for a set of turns, but there’s no hiding the 2310kg (tare) weight. It can wallow about with respect to its mass, and it’s best to wash off more speed than you think before heading into a corner.
Steering-wheel-mounted paddles control the level of energy recuperation from the powertrain. You can go as far as a ‘one pedal’ drive mode that effectively brakes for you once you come off the accelerator. There are changeable driving modes, too, including an Eco mode, Sport mode, and a series of off-road settings. Handily, the car remembers which mode you were last in every time you jump back inside.
Key details2023 Genesis Electrified GV70EngineDual-motor electricPower320kW (360kW Boost mode)Torque605Nm (700Nm Boost mode)Drive typeAll-wheel driveTransmissionSingle-speed reduction gearPower to weight ratio156kW/t (Boost mode)Weight (tare)2310kgSpare tyre typeTyre repair kitTow rating1800kg braked
750kg unbrakedTurning circle11.5m
Should I buy a Genesis Electrified GV70?
What the 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70 sets out to achieve, it delivers in spades. The driving experience is plush, the interior you inhabit is luxurious, and the electric drivetrain that propels it is one of the best on the market.
The fact it costs over $40,000 more than the next most expensive GV70 variant is a shame, with such a high price point limiting the buyer pool to a select few. At least there are solid after-sales inclusions to offset the price, and the reluctant expansion of Australian charging networks is heartening (if a little slow). It also leaves you wanting for nothing in terms of goodies.
Electric vehicle technology might not be for everyone, but if you’ve got a high-end electric SUV-shaped hole in your life, the Genesis Electrified GV70 is an excellent way to fill it.
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