- As Genesis continues to fill out its lineup,
the latest vehicle to join its assault
on established luxury rivals is this,
the GV70 compact SUV.
With the GV70,
Genesis has its sights clearly set
on the lucrative compact luxury SUV market
with competitors like the Audi Q5,
BMW X3 and Mercedes GLC,
but can the GV70 compete against
such a loaded field?
Let's take a look.
The GV70 gets a large crest grille
and the brand's signature dual-line headlights.
Sport models like this Sport Prestige
get a darker colored grille,
as well as a body-colored front bumper
with larger front air intakes.
Wheel sizes for the GV70
range from 18s to these Sport Prestige-exclusive 21s.
You come along the side of the GV70,
this one has a lovely Melbourne Gray matte paint.
It's $1,500.
Kind of hard to care for.
Proportionally, it's about the same size
as pretty much everything else in the class,
to be honest,
and it really looks like it, too:
similar shapes, similar lines.
In the back, the signature dual-line taillights
are present,
and Sport models also get these unique
exhaust finishers,
which gives it a really nice, aggressive look.
Genesis says the interior design
is inspired by the elliptical cross-section
of an airplane's wing,
and you'll see that shape
kind of throughout the cabin.
It's a very cohesive look,
gives it sort of a retro-futuristic Atomic Age
kind of thing.
It might not be for everyone,
but I really like it.
There's solid visibility in all directions,
at least for me,
and it feels very roomy up front
despite this large center console.
In back,
it's still fairly roomy.
Although, I would have a hard time
sitting behind myself
with my preferred driver's seat position.
There's lots of high-quality materials inside,
and the physical controls -
and bless their hearts,
they're mostly physical controls -
all feel nice
and substantial to the touch.
Now, the Sport proceeds here gets Napa leather
with some suede inserts on the seats.
And while the materials are really high-quality,
I do think there could be
a little bit more padding throughout the cabin.
The GV70 also gets Genesis'
14.5-inch touchscreen.
The graphics are clear, the menus are intuitive.
The biggest problem?
I have really long arms.
Look at me not being able to reach
the far corner of this.
Fortunately, there's a controller,
and also fortunately,
it's not the sort of confusing flushed dial
that we've seen in the GV80 and the G80.
There are a few little problems
with the controller.
For starters,
it's not the best way to navigate
smartphone mirroring like Apple CarPlay.
Also, the positioning of it
with the rotary gear selector
is reversed from what I'm used to in most cars.
Most cars have the gear selector
in the middle, the controller behind it.
It's often while driving,
I found myself reaching for the gear selector
to try to do something on the screen.
Fortunately, it won't let you throw it
into Reverse on the highway,
and they do feel different,
so you can quick figure out pretty quickly
that, y'know, you're not grabbing the right one,
but it's still kind of annoying.
One interesting thing about the GV70's interior
is just to the right of the steering column
is this little fingerprint scanner.
You can set up multiple driver profiles
and use the fingerprint scanner
to do things like start the car
without a key
or access other things like payment features.
I probably wouldn't use that.
I'll stick to traditional keys
and cards and cash,
but it's there if you want it.
While most of the controls are physical,
the climate panel does involve
some touch controls for a few features
like heated and ventilated seats,
and the heated steering wheel and such.
And then there are these buttons
to the sides here, and they look capacitive,
but what's nice about them
is the whole panel moves when you touch them,
so you do get some feedback
when you're hitting them,
which helps,
Would I prefer more traditional,
fully physical buttons for individual things?
Yeah.
But it's better than some of the touch things
that other manufacturers are going towards.
We haven't driven the 2.5 turbo four-cylinder
in the GV70 yet,
but the 3.5 twin-turbo V-6 is a blast.
At this output level,
it's competing against the Audi SQ5,
BMW X3 M40i and Mercedes GLC43.
I think the GV70 would hold its own
in dynamic testing against all of those.
The engine pulls hard,
although there is some turbo lag,
particularly when you're trying to pass,
but once you get past that, it's a joy.
Sport Prestige models
also add an electronic limited-slip
differential for improved handling,
and Sport models get an extra
Sport Plus driving mode.
In fact,
the Sport and Sport Plus modes
will help with some of that turbo lag.
Steering in the GV70 is communicative
but not overly weighty,
and while Sport and Sport Plus will make it feel
a little heavier,
it doesn't really seem to do much
in terms of improving feedback.
Ride quality in the GV70
strikes a nice balance.
It's firm in Sport and Sport Plus,
but comfortable in other modes
even with these 21-inch wheels.
And no matter what mode you're in,
the lack of body roll in corners
is really impressive.
There is some impact harshness
over things like expansion joints
and potholes,
but I have a feeling some of that is down
to these 21-inch wheels.
Probably my biggest complaint
with the GV70's driving experience
is the breaking feel.
The pedal feels linear,
but it takes a lot of effort
to haul this down to a stop
and it's not always confidence-inspiring.
Based on Cars.com testing,
the GV70's cargo volume is poor for the class.
The GV70 starts at just over $42,000,
and this loaded example
is a little over $65,000;
$1.500 of that is that lovely matte paint.
That's a lot for a compact luxury SUV,
but it's also likely to undercut
most of its German rivals,
particularly the performance versions,
and especially once you start adding options
to those.
It should absolutely be on every
compact luxury SUV shopper's list.
But whether it does enough
to convince those who care about
a badge remains to be seen.
(upbeat instrumental music)