Better than BMW or Mercedes?: Genesis GV60 – unusual, comfortable, fast

The Hyundai-Kia Group wants to establish Genesis as a luxury brand in Europe. Can that succeed? ntv.de has subjected the purely electrically powered GV60 to a practical test.

The interested party can decide for themselves what exactly the Genesis GV60 actually wants to be. You can perceive it as an SUV, but also as a crossover. With a height of 1.58 meters, it doesn’t necessarily qualify as a classic SUV, but its 4.52 meters length definitely suggests it’s a mid-range model. And the GV60 designers provide the indication that there is no combustion engine. The attentive viewer will notice the interruption in the flowing roof line: in the area of ​​the C-pillar, it takes a pointed extension towards the edge of the door and in this way forms a visually clearly recognizable flash. Understood?

You can think whatever you want about the electric drive. And it undoubtedly has disadvantages too. But you can definitely see its silence as an advantage. Especially since an imaginary combustion engine counterpart no longer has to be a guarantee for a well-sounding six-cylinder engine, even with a high-end engine. Four-cylinder hybrid concepts, for example, have long since become widespread and although they produce hundreds of horsepower in engine power, they still have an unattractive roar.

The Genesis GV60 is one of the fast electric vehicles

Then it’s better to have 490 silent horses from two engines, which means mandatory all-wheel drive. This is also needed when 700 Newton meters of system torque is raging. Then the impressive curb weight of 2.2 tons hardly stands in the way of pushing the four-door car to 100 km/h within four seconds (after pressing the boost button). And a little later to zoom it to 200 things. And then it’s still not over, which is still somewhat exotic in the world of electric drives. Genesis states 235 km/h, but according to its virtual speedometer scale, the Korean can easily reach over 240 speeds.

So much for the dynamic longitudinal performance. Of course, the GV60 is not a pronounced lateral dynamic driver, but it is a grateful long-hauler with veritable suspension comfort. And there are also fairly well-made armchairs (ventilated and massaging) in which you can stretch in a relaxed manner. But wait, a few tricks from the drive chapter still need to be told. In order to give combustion fans who are only tentatively interested in switching to electric mobility a jolt, the engineers have brought along a bit of toys. In basic mode, the electric motors build up pressure with a slight delay, as is typical of typical turbo engines today. And the GV60 can now also simulate switching processes. A very funny gimmick. Whether you want that is another matter.

Diesel users who are spoiled for range find it difficult to switch

Another advantage of the electric drive is undoubtedly the spontaneous retrieval of torque and the elimination of gear ratio changes. Interruption of traction? Not with the Stromer. Never. But what was that like? On the long haul with the GV60? At this point, combustion engine drivers are starting to think and car manufacturers are having difficulty steering die-hard gasoline or, worse, diesel, users to battery-electric vehicles. Genesis is confidently going after customers with 800 volts and promises to be able to bring the battery from 20 to 80 percent state of charge within 18 minutes. Sounds wild, but it’s possible as long as it’s not freezing temperatures outside. ntv.de tried it out.

However, it has to be said that the company – otherwise known for efficient drives – has created quite a gourmand with this top variant. Sure, power comes from fuel. This also applies to electric vehicles. According to the factory, a maximum of 19 kWh should be required for a 100 kilometer journey according to the averaged WLTP discipline. In practice it is sometimes well over 20 kWh with a mixed route profile. Accordingly, there are only around 300 kilometers on the clock – you can usually get by with that.

Of course, driving style also plays a role. If you want to reach distant destinations as quickly as possible, you have to keep the accelerator pedal under a bit of control. Not exceeding the recommended speed, if possible using the cruise control, would be a very sensible measure to achieve a good result in terms of efficiency and cruising speed. Of course it’s tempting to reach top speed every now and then. You can do it too. But then additional charging stops may be necessary. And you usually want to avoid that, even if the GV60 has up to 240 kW of power on the battery.

The GV60 is a small technology package

By the way, the powerful GV60 is not lacking in technology. Gadgets such as displays as replacements for exterior mirrors (the image results from corresponding cameras) and a forward-looking chassis are definitely things that are good at the regulars’ table. Or today in digital spaces, where car owners always discuss their achievements. The cameras sitting on appropriate walkways may look spacey, but mirrors are better. The picture of traffic behind is rather poor, especially at night.

And the adaptive dampers do a decent job, but they can’t do magic either. How about a little more technical substance in the chassis? All-wheel steering would be just as nice a thing as a variable steering ratio. These are ingredients that the German premium competition certainly delivers. On the other hand, the charging performance there leaves a lot to be desired. However, that is currently changing.

However, a lot of assistance and infotainment underline the impression that Genesis is a sophisticated brand. Although the double screen as an instrument cluster has now almost become obsolete. However, it is definitely functional. And even if the top GV60, which costs 74,480 euros, is well equipped, the manufacturer still leaves room for improvement. For 3,430 euros there is not only the now established head-up display, but also adaptive LED headlights and the company’s famous feature of showing the blind spot area in the instrument cluster as a camera image. And otherwise? If Genesis would now work on making the assistant setup a little easier and more intuitive to configure (this also includes the ability to switch off certain system sub-functions), that would be great.

Data sheet Genesis GV60 Sport Plus package

Conclusion: The Genesis GV60 is a refreshing alternative in the mid-range. The Korean can compete with the local premium competition in terms of appearance and technology. For its performance, more fine-tuning in the steering area would be nice. Overall, the spacious and fairly quick-charging multifunctional vehicle is convincing. The price isn’t exactly low either.

A little tip: If it doesn’t necessarily have to be the very athletic model – the 229 hp representative with one engine will do the job too. Also uses less electricity. But here too, you can’t get much less than 60,000 euros. The Genesis GV60 is pretty premium, even in terms of finances.