2023 Genesis Electrified GV70 Is Seriously Underrated

The 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70 is a very interesting SUV. While the entire Hyundai Motor Group currently focuses its electric vehicles (EV) on its E-GMP dedicated architecture – the one that allows vehicles to be built from the ground up as EVs – this SUV is actually a modified version of the gasoline-powered GV70 we all know and love. Yet, somehow, although it’s essentially an afterthought that’s sorta forgotten in the lineup, it works.

2023 Genesis Electrified GV70 Review: Almost No Compromise

Perhaps the 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70’s best quality is that although its underpinnings weren’t originally designed to support a battery and electric motors, it manages to do so without much compromise for its owner. What I mean by this is that its own sister, the Electrified G80, was built around the same philosophy, but needs to make do with a lifted floor to accommodate its battery.The Electrified GV70 doesn’t have this problem due to the fact that it’s an SUV. The slightly lifted ride height prevented Genesis from fiddling with its floor. It also only loses 11 liters of total cargo space (1,600 versus 1,611 liters when the rear seatbacks are folded flat). So you don’t lose much from trading gasoline to electrons.Riding on the Hyundai Motor Group’s M3 architecture, the Electrified GV70 is powered by the same 77.4-kWh liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack as that IONIQ 6 I drove a few weeks back. And just like that car, it powers two electric motors, one installed on each axle for permanent all-wheel drive. But the GV70 is a bit different. First, it can disconnect the front motor from the wheels for improved efficiency at high speeds. Second, its motors are considerably more powerful than an IONIQ 6.For reference, total combined output jumps from 239 to 320 kW, or the equivalent of 429 horsepower and 519 lb-ft of torque. However, when activating the wicked Boost mode button, that output climbs to 360 kW or 483 combined horsepower for 10 seconds. According to Natural Resources Canada, the 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70 will cover 383 km on a full charge. And just like its IONIQ cousins, it will fast charge at a rate of 240 kW on a 350 kW fast charger (during ideal conditions).Pricing, in typical Genesis fashion, is where things get seriously interesting. Just like all of the vehicles this carmaker sells, it’s an “all-inclusive” price. This means that contrary to an Audi, a BMW or a Mercedes-Benz, you don’t need to purchase extra packages to get simple options like Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. Everything is included in that price, even hidden dealer fees and freight. In this case, it’s $84,500. Expensive, yes, but one hell of a bargain next to, say, a BMW iX.

Fast, Smooth And Quiet

I tell you, I was already a huge fan of the regular GV70, but in electric mode, it simply gets better. What I always liked about this SUV is that it’s the right size for the segment. It also manages to feel like a German vehicle, all while giving its owner a sense of getting a lot for their money. In EV mode, these qualities are even more obvious.Because, let’s face it, although the German luxury car brands do all offer EVs now, none of them, except for maybe BMW, are actually competing against what Hyundai is putting onto the market these days. The Electrified GV70 has about the same range as an Audi e-tron, but comes out of the box with considerably more performance. It also charges faster than a god-damn Mercedes-Benz EQS.Perhaps where the driving experience of an Electrified GV70 is at its weirdest is when you realize that it essentially drives like an IONIQ 5 or IONIQ 6, and even a Kia EV6. None of that actually makes sense because the GV70 doesn’t ride on the same platform, but rather utilizes bits and pieces of E-GMP. I guess it all comes down to Hyundai’s fantastic and highly familiar i-PEDAL one pedal driving regenerative braking technology.In the GV70, it’s operated the same way as in its corporate cousins, by using steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. Pull three times on the left paddle, and the i-PEDAL feature turns on. Hold down the paddle, and the entire system defaults to automatic mode, automatically adapting to your driving style. If that’s not your thing, you can use the paddles to modulate the level of braking resistance you prefer. There’s just so much flexibility that it makes Nissan’s E-Step system in the Ariya look stupid.

When In Doubt, Boost It!

The obvious coolest feature in this SUV is the Boost button which yields all kinds of shit and giggle moments. For maximum effect, punch it when the car is in Sport mode and with the traction control system turned off from a standstill. I seriously recommend hanging onto the steering wheel when that happens because the Electrified GV70 will catapult itself with the same kind of neck-snapping velocity as a Nissan GT-R. No, it isn’t as fast as that car, but a 3.8-second sprint from 0-100 km/h is still fucking impressive for a luxury mall-finder.As for range, I ended my 1,000 km week’s drive with the car -during autumn temperatures that were ranging between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius – with a combined energy consumption of 21.7 kWh/100 km. This translates to a real-world range figure of 356 km, not far behind what Genesis claims.Speaking of luxury, the Electrified GV70 is full of it, which is expected given its nameplate. But Genesis only barely changes a few things inside to let you know this is the EV version, like the entire gauge cluster that replaces the old rev counter for an EV display for instance. The entire cabin also gets its own bespoke color combinations. Thank God, my example was plastered in white leather like some versions. Apart from that, this is essentially the same cabin as the gasoline model.The build quality in this car is second to none and so is sound deadening. That’s because Genesis went the extra mile to improve cabin NVH due to the fact that it’s an EV. Thicker glass, added sound insulators inside the door panels and noise-cancelling technology in the car’s audio system are all ways Genesis made sure this cabin was vault-quiet. And it works.Where the 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70 was a bit too finicky for my taste, however, was in the way you operate its infotainment system. While generally easy to comprehend, this system is heavy in information which can make it difficult to get around at times. The system does give you two options to operate it, either from the touchscreen itself or from a console-mounted knob dial. The problem with that dial is that it’s almost the same shape and size as the transmission dial, so you constantly end up grabbing the wrong one to operate the system.At the end of the day though, the Genesis Electrified GV70 is a fantastic EV that’s based on an already fantastic luxury SUV. What I find a bit sad about this vehicle is that Genesis doesn’t advertise it enough. It’s the quiet overachiever nobody really cares about. That’s a shame, because this could very well be the best electric compact luxury SUV currently on sale.