Year after year, generation after generation,
Genesis keeps improving.
In no time they'll be a real threat to the established
luxury brands from Germany.
Is this the year that it happens?
Is this the car that can pull them over the top?
[MUSIC PLAYING]
This is the all new, 2022 Genesis GV70.
A compact luxury SUV, that competes
with the likes of the Mercedes Benz GLC, BMW X3, and Audi Q5.
Over the course of this video, I'll
try to answer those questions.
But before we get to that, do us a favor
and hit those like and subscribe buttons below.
And head over to edmunds.com/sellmycar to get
a cash offer on your vehicle.
The GB70 starts right around $42,000 for the 2.5T standard
Model, and it tops out over $63,000 for the 3.5T sport
prestige.
You can probably tell from those Model names
that there are two engine choices.
The base is a turbocharged, 2.5 liter,
four cylinder that's good for 300 horsepower
and 311 pound-feet of torque.
That's already more powerful than other base engines
in the class.
It's paired with an eight speed automatic transmission,
and all wheel drive is standard.
The upgraded engine is a 3.5 liter, twin turbo V6,
that cranks out 375 horsepower, and 391 pound feet.
That's up there with other engine upgrades
from rivals, including the Porche Macan GTS.
At least for now, Genesis's main advantage is pricing.
Versus the base GV70, a similarly equipped Mercedes GLC
class, our top rated SUV in this class sets you back 51 grand.
That's nine grand more than base GV70.
Nine grand.
At the top of the range, the GV70,
3.5T sport prestige cost about $10,000 less than a similarly
equipped AMG GLC 43.
Of course, there's more to luxury cars than price.
But that's a rather sizable price barrier,
and begs another question.
Is the GLC $9,000 better?
In a previous video, I made it pretty clear that I wasn't
a fan of the GV80's styling.
Can this smaller GV70 win me over?
In design school, we had to say something
positive in a critique first.
So let's start there.
I like the overall silhouette.
It has a strong upright frontal area,
and I like how the roof has a spoiler back there that
defines the transition between the hatch.
Otherwise, it would look a little turtley,
like a lot of the other sport coupe SUVs.
The GV80s grill was larger, and had a more angular shape
compared to this one, which is a little more rounded
in the corners.
Overall, I think it's better, but maybe still
a little too big.
The split headlights and taillights
haven't won me over, either.
I feel like it's trying to draw just a little bit
too much attention.
Almost like someone who's wearing a little bit
too much eye makeup.
At least the hash marks on the side under the mirrors
are gone.
But hey, style is subjective.
And I know there are plenty of shoppers
out there that like the visual impact Genesis has developed.
And some may think the rest of the class looks boring.
So let's hit the road, and get some objective impressions.
In general, my initial impressions
from behind the wheel are positive.
One thing I noticed right off the bat was I
feel like I'm sitting just a little bit too high.
I prefer to sit maybe an inch or two lower, closer to the deck,
but still not so bad.
Another thing I noticed almost immediately
was how firm the cushioning was.
It's really firm.
I can't imagine another car that's actually firmer
except for maybe, I don't know, like a Lotus Elise.
But at the same time, after two hours or so of driving,
my butt isn't sore, so it means it's pretty well shaped.
You also have some built in massage functions that
are really subtle.
They just gently kind of move the pressure points over time.
We also have heated and cooled seats,
which operate really well.
Though even at its most intense cooling setting,
it's not as cold as some others might get.
Power is more than adequate, especially
with this 3.5 turbo engine.
I mean, you really get up to speed fast,
and it sounds pretty decent too.
It's got a nice raspy growl if you really
put your foot into it.
And with that in mind, I think even the 2.5 turbo
will suffice for most drivers.
The ride quality, it is quite a bit
stiffer than what I'm used to from luxury SUVs.
It's more comparable to something
like the entry level GLC AMG versions, or maybe the X3
if you have a sports suspension on it.
Here are some really big bumps here
and, yeah, there is some noticeable impact harshness,
at least on initial contact.
But it's not so bad that I'm willing to write off
the car for it.
But that is one of those instances where
Mercedes does do it better.
Handling is pretty good and you can
charge through some turns bit quicker than you might think.
So at least that stiffer ride quality
has a bit of a payoff with better handling.
I do notice quite a bit more road and wind
noise than I would in some of the German competitors,
but you can easily drown that out
just by turning up the volume a little bit.
Visibility's decent.
This roof pillar here isn't so thick
that I have to bob my head back and forth
to look through sharp left turns.
And the view out the back is about what
you'd expect from any SUV.
Those roof pillars are thick and take away
some of your situational awareness back there.
But if you're backing into a spot,
the surround view and rear view cameras take out any guesswork.
Here on the highway, the advanced safety features
and driver assistance perform pretty well.
I'm using the highway driving assist system, right now, which
combines the adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist
to maintain a gap between you and the car
ahead, and also keep you centered in the lane.
What I like about it is, it's really smooth with its input.
It's not hard on the pedals when things come to a stop.
It's not grabbing on the brakes really hard and really late.
On top of that, it actually uses machine learning even
when you're not using the adaptive cruise control.
And what that does is it kind of senses
how you drive, and tries to mimic that when you activate
the adaptive cruise control.
Lane keep assist, I don't feel like I have to fight the wheel.
More than anything it feels like the road
is kind of reverse crowned in a u-shape and kind of just keep
the car centered in there.
When the lane markers get faded and it gets confused,
I don't have to fight the wheel for control.
You just gently nurse it back into line.
I also don't get a lot of false alarms
with frontal collision warning or blind spots.
One thing I'm not a fan of is the blind spot camera system.
When you signal for a lane change or for a right turn,
a little image will be projected in the instrument panel,
showing what's behind you on the right side.
For me it's more of a distraction.
I prefer just the typical amber lights on the outside,
or beeps.
With this, especially at night, it can be a real distraction.
Because you're driving along, you signal,
and then something pops up in your instrument panel
and you have to look down to see it.
Honda did it for a while, it didn't really
work for them either.
Of course, as a luxury SUV, the interior is vitally important.
And the Genesis does pretty well.
Materials quality is good.
Maybe not quite as good as Mercedes.
Maybe not quite as good as BMW.
But definitely better than let's say Lexus, Infinity, and Acura.
One thing that I do like better than the GV80
is the infotainment controller right here.
Unlike the GV80s, which had a flat dial
that you had to spin around, this
is a more traditional dialed controller that pops up
above the center console.
And on top of that, there's a little trace pad here
that also accept handwriting recognition.
The good thing is you don't accidentally
have these inputs if you strike your hand across that touchpad.
You have to be pretty deliberate about it.
And I like that.
Also, this touch screen on the dash
is right in my driver's sight line, so no problem there.
And there's also a head up display right in front of me,
with turn by turn directions.
One thing I'm not a fan of with the touch screen though,
is it's a bit of a reach.
So you really have to lean forward and take your eye
off the road in order to operate it.
It's not ideal.
But this dial controller more than makes up for it.
As far as storage goes, we have two medium sized cup holders
here, a small bin here with a wireless phone charging pad,
and two USB ports.
And here we have a moderately sized armrest bin and a little
sliding tray as well.
The door pockets are pretty well sized,
and you can fit some larger water bottles in there as well.
A lot of the controls are run through the infotainment,
as well as this touch screen here for climate control.
The good thing is, they still add these physical dials
for temperature adjustment.
That's something I really like.
You have just enough physical buttons and controls,
so you don't have to dig through menus just
to do simple operations.
I also like this virtual instrument panel here.
Now it uses eye tracking to give it a 3D look.
So if you shift your gaze left, right, up, or down,
you can see the gauges move with you
as if they are three dimensional.
It's a nice nod to traditional analog gauges,
but it's nice to have all the flexibility of a virtual gauge
too.
Well that's it for the front.
Let's check out the backseat.
Here in the back seat, I have an adequate amount of room.
I'm 5 foot 10, and I'm sitting behind the driver's seat, which
is set for me.
Now I don't have a ton of foot space underneath,
and I'm getting a little close to the seat back.
But as it is, I think it's fine.
But I feel like other SUVs in the class,
might give me just a little bit more room,
or at least perceived room.
There is a sense of airiness, at least,
and thanks to this very large, panoramic sunroof, really
opens it up.
This roof pillar here kind of cuts
in a little bit in your periphery,
but it's pretty forgivable.
Seat comfort is pretty good.
We have some side bolsters here that cradle you in, versus just
having a flat bench like a lot of other SUVs have.
The seat cushion is just a little bit low for me.
I'd like a little more thigh support, especially
if I was on a long road trip.
Another nice touch is the separate climate controls just
for the rear seats.
It's automatic climate control, so really just
have to set it once.
Plus there's also heated seats for the outboard rear seats.
Underneath is another two USB charge ports, and a household
power outlet.
The big kicker however, is behind me in the cargo area.
The GB70 has 28.9 cubic feet of cargo space back there.
That's almost 50% more than the GLC offers.
That is impressive.
And that really gives you the flexibility
that a lot of SUVs owners are looking for.
So, where do we stand with the all new 2022 Genesis GV70?
Well I think it's tantalizingly close to challenging
the German brands like Mercedes, Audi, and BMW.
There are some spots here and there,
where you can tell that it's not quite up to snuff.
But in terms of performance, convenience, and technology,
it's right up there.
We can't wait to get it back to Edmunds headquarters,
to give it a full evaluation and test.
But in the meantime, head on over to edmunds.com
for all the latest news, specs, and information on the GV70
and all of its competition.
Thanks for watching and don't forget to hit
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