HEART SEVENTY (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

With this GV70 Electrified model, luxury brand Genesis takes on full-sized Teutonic EV crossover rivals. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 40

The Genesis GV70 Electrified offers a very different take on what a full-sized premium badged Executive segment crossover EV should be. Thinking of an I-PACE, a Q8 e-tron, an iX or an EQC? Factor in one of these as well.

Backgroundword count: 148

Premium brand makers are divided over whether full-sized crossover EVs should be merely electric versions of existing models or completely new designs. If you like different, you'll appreciate cars in this class like the Jaguar I-PACE, the Mercedes EQC and the Audi Q8 e-tron. BMW, in contrast, serves up an iX3 model visually much the same as the combustion X3. And it's that latter approach that Korean premium maker Genesis is followed with this GV70 Electrified. This is the only car in this class with an 800-volt electrical architecture that allows use of the ultra-fastest public chargers. And it's the only one with a clever 'Vehicle-to-Load' feature that allows you to power electrical ancillary devices from the vehicle - or even charge another EV. Plus, as with all Genesis models, this one comes with a level of customer service back-up that rivals can't approach. It all sounds intriguing.

Driving Experienceword count: 226

Both the fossil-fuelled GV70 powerplants are impressively quiet. But of course nothing like as silent as the third powertrain option that Genesis is offering, that for the fully electrified version of this model. The electric GV70 drives all four of its wheels, as the petrol and diesel versions do, but as with any such EV, does so rather differently, with separate motors driving each axle collectively generating a rather impressive combined output of 483bhp and 700Nm of torque. That's good enough to power the car to 62mph in 4.2s, which to give you some class perspective is over half a second quicker than a rival Mercedes EQC. Of more interest though to a likely owner is the projected driving range between charges, WLTP-rated at a fairly unremarkable 283 miles between charges of the 77.4kWh battery. Special noise-cancelling technology on the EV variant improves refinement, reducing tyre roar by using microphones and sensors to project inverted sound waves through the audio speakers. You'll also appreciate the electrified GV70's 'Smart Regenerative Braking System, which analyses your driving habits and road conditions to alter the level of energy recuperation; or you can maximise that manually and select a 'one-pedal'-style driving mode that'll see you hardly ever having to use the brake, so abrupt is off-throttle deceleration. This EV model also gets an e-Terrain driving mode to handle slippery surfaces.

To see the full road test text contact us on 0330 0020 227