2023 Genesis GV70 Electrified Review - We Gonna Rock Down
2023 Genesis GV70 Electrified AWD Prestige
A glance at the specs and the body style of this vehicle should be enough to give driving enthusiasts a solid first impression of what it is and what it can do. It’s electric, and it’s a crossover. Double yawn. These are not ingredients from which one makes driving excitement.
But then you look at the badge. Genesis has been building some incredible luxury vehicles, in both sedan and SUV flavors, for a few years now. And upon entry, the BOOST button on the steering wheel gives you hope. Indeed, the 2023 Genesis GV70 Electrified brings genuine driving enjoyment to emissions-displaced motoring.
This shouldn’t be all that surprising. While when hybrids and the first full-electric vehicles appeared on our roads as sloth-like creatures focused solely on minimizing environmental impact, the potential was there for some astounding performance vehicles. The instantaneous torque provided by an electric motor can produce staggering acceleration. Indeed, when the BOOST button on this GV70 Electrified is pressed, horsepower leaps from the advertised total of 429 from the pair of electric motors front and rear to a healthy 483hp for 10 seconds.
To be honest, it’s not like the standard 429hp is slow. Even without prodding the magic spot on the wheel, a jab of the rightmost pedal gives a healthy jolt to the backside. And frequent use of the overboost will decrease the expected range of the 77.4kWh battery from the already rather low 236 miles. But goodness, what fun will be had between recharges. This chassis is already well regarded, underpinning the standard gas GV70, G70, and Kia Stinger. The extra mass of the battery is there, certainly, but the handling and ride quality are still stellar.
It takes a trained eye to notice that this is different from the standard GV70. Really, only the lack of tailpipes and the filled-in mesh of the grille are dead giveaways. I even struggled to find the charging port upon my first arrival at a high-speed charging station, as it is well hidden within that grille. It’s a beautifully designed crossover, even in this silver that seems destined to fade into the background of traffic. I rather enjoy that there is little that makes it look like an EV, as most dedicated EV platforms seem to lean into the “weird for the sake of weird” styling ethos.
The interior is similarly well-appointed, with plush leather surfaces and the usual great-feeling metallic buttons and toggles on the steering wheel. The rear seat is still a bit tight on legroom for larger folks behind tall people up front, but if you’re sized more like the average human than my family is, you should be fine. The widescreen infotainment system works just as well here as it does in other Hyundai/Genesis/Kia products, though I’d still like to see an update to wireless for the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. I mean, there is a wireless charging pad that will work for most modern smartphones - I’d rather not keep the device plugged in all the time just to use my preferred navigation app.
That said, you will be using a cord rather frequently as I noted. I’m feeling less frustrated by somewhat lower stated battery ranges than I once was, as most EV charging does and should happen at home. With a home Level 2 240v charger, the GV70 Electrified can go from 10 percent to 100 percent charge in around seven hours - that’s plenty for most drivers. I’m still evaluating what will be right for my home, as it is all electric and built during the Carter administration with absolutely no planning for electric vehicle charging.
Thus my charging must happen at public stations, and here Genesis gets it right. The 800-volt architecture baked into the GV70 Electrified allows the vehicle to be charged (at the right stations) at a full 350kW. Moving from 20 percent to 80 percent charge takes around 18 minutes, so if you have working DC fast chargers along your route this can easily be used as a road trip machine. If your family is anything like mine, any road trip fuel stop involves at least 18 minutes of restroom breaks and milling about the convenience store for coffee, Reeses’ Cups, and other snacks sure to smear on the white leather seats. So as high-speed infrastructure improves and charging is better co-located with the interstate, this will only become a better long drive companion.
It’s fair to say that I’m impressed with the 2023 Genesis GV70 Electrified. It’s becoming easier to see how an EV can fit into more and more people’s lives, but this one proves that you don’t have to choose something that looks weird just to rock down to Electric Avenue.
[Images: © 2023 Chris Tonn/TTAC]
Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.
Some enthusiasts say they were born with gasoline in their veins. Chris Tonn, on the other hand, had rust flakes in his eyes nearly since birth. Living in salty Ohio and being hopelessly addicted to vintage British and Japanese steel will do that to you. His work has appeared in eBay Motors, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars, Reader's Digest, AutoGuide, Family Handyman, and Jalopnik. He is a member of the Midwest Automotive Media Association, and he's currently looking for the safety glasses he just set down somewhere.
More by Chris Tonn
Latest Car Reviews
Read moreLatest Product Reviews
Read moreRecent Comments
- Redapple2 MOVE ! Germany rolling thru suckah.
- Redapple2 Random thoughts:1- the germans have nice colors and great color combos on convertibles.2- I will NEVER buy a car with vinyl seats. Ever.3- If you pick the illuminated logo option, you move yourself to the wanker category.
- Mister Mazda CX-30 has entered the chat. What does this VW bring to the table, at around the same price, that would convince a buyer that this is a better choice?
- Jkross22 The Toyota dealer near me charges $300/hr in labor. Those adaptive headlights cost $$$$ to replace/fix/align. As do all of these nanny systems that don't work anywhere near as advertised. The cost to replace a water pump in our Mirai was $2500. The cost to replace a heater core is $5800. These repair costs are not sustainable and ultimately we are the ones paying for this bs nonsense.
- FreedMike Is this the part where I tell everyone again that I've had four VWs and none have given me much trouble, if any?
Comments
Join the conversation
Nice but flashy cars, unfortunately
How many people:
1) drive more than 200 miles a day
2) can't charge at home??
THOSE people would be inconvenienced by an EV.
Most everyone else could easily DD one, even if they don't currently think they can.