IF you’re hunting for a premium electric SUV are you likely to make a Korea choice?
Genesis is a luxury offshoot of Hyundai, (in the same way Lexus is to Toyota) and models have been on sale in the US and South Korea for a wee while, so it’s not their first attempt at making luxury cars.
And with a backing group of Kia/Hyundai that has a pedigree of evolving rapidly from making cheap runabouts to very acceptable vehicles in all sectors of the market, there’s a lot of knowledge and expertise to draw on.
The Genesis GV70 is another step on the brand’s path to becoming fully electric by 2030 and the design is clean, with smooth lines and few fussy details. Its split LED lights are a Genesis signature and it retains the family grille up front as well.
Fitted with an e-AWD system, the 483bhp dual motor is coupled with an 84kWh battery, which makes it rapid.
How rapid? It’ll hit 62mph in a kidney compressing 4.2 seconds if you press the boost button on the steering wheel. It tops out at 146mph and doesn’t feel it would have issues getting there, but obviously we didn’t try that out…….
And it never feels anything other than smooth and refined – there’s no motor whine to worry about and the ride quality is well fettled. It’s a heavy car and there is a degree of body roll but it’s not unsettling.
It finds itself up against the might of Mercedes, Porsche, Audi and BMW in the premium electric stakes, so the calm and relaxed driving experience ticks a couple of boxes.
Where it really stakes its claim for ownership is inside the cabin, which is a real high point. Nearly everything feels high quality, with soft-touch materials even down to the door bins. There’s some typical Far Eastern shiny silver finish evident but also a lot of leather, alcantara and decent quality tactile plastics.
There’s a large screen that neatly stretches two thirds of the way across the dash and is clear, responsive and easy to use.
Weighing it all up, it’s more than a match for its many rivals in the premium SUV ranks.
It can accept charging speeds of up to 240kW, with a 10-80 per cent top-up taking less than 20 minutes, and it comes pre-wired for towing a trailer or caravan. In fact, it proved its ability at the Caravan Club Towcar of the Year awards when, hitched and fully ballasted to a caravan, it did a 0-60mph run in 8.8 seconds and 40-60mph in just 3.6 seconds. Quick enough to keep up with the Dutch on the motorway, then.
The brand’s Five-Year Care Plan includes a warranty, scheduled servicing, roadside assistance, a courtesy car and over-the-air software updates, all free for five years.
Genesis GV70 Pure
Price: £65,100 (£67,615 as tested)
Engine: 84.0 kWh battery
Power: 483bhp
Torque: 516 lb/ft
Transmission: electric
Top speed: 146mph
0-62mph: 4.4 seconds
Range: 298 miles
CO2 emissions: 0 g/km
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