When we had our chance to drive the Genesis GV80 awhile back, it appeared to signal a shift in Genesis’s plans for the luxury market, with the Korean upstart focusing more on utilities and crossovers after initially starting its launch with two sedan models. The GV80 is still a very good luxury SUV, but Genesis knows that it has to gradually move towards smaller segments and embraces a sportier lifestyle in order to expand its sales footprint. The 2022 GV70 is a step towards this goal, but is it the perfect complement to the GV80?
Sharper GV70 Styling Points To More Dynamic Luxury
Genesis designers have been on a proverbial tear as of late and have been on a roll when it comes to delivering the goods on exterior design. With the GV80 preferring a more relaxed life, the GV70 is a sharply more dynamic entry with designers going for the sportier side of the luxury SUV coin. The brand’s hash mark style headlights and shield-shaped chrome grille are still here but they now mesh with a tapering roofline that’s much more athletic than before and leads to the wider taillights. The rear of the SUV is also where it’s a mixed bag for us, we like the wide dual exhaust tips, but the odd triangular-shaped window feels like it was plastered on like an afterthought. The Matterhorn White in our example is one of the tamer colors in the GV70’s palette roster but it’s a tolerable evil.
The GV70 is supposed to go toe to toe with the BMW X3 and the Mercedes GLC and we think that the company is on to something here with the styling looking fresher and not being hampered by as many exterior compromises as some of its rivals. That in turn helps give the GV70 a unique edge and allows it to have a design that’s not as herring to the eye.
Luxury And Confidence In Abundance In GV70 Interior
The cabin design in the GV70 also reflects its sporty intent, and from some angles, it’s more daring to look at than the GV80’s relaxed layout. Fine materials are still abundant inside, but there are more angles, curves, sweeps and bold colors to help draw the eye to multiple aspects of the interior. A knurled glass shift knob adds premium ambiance to the GV70 while the second-row seats have more space than its G70 sedan template, and address some of the cramped accommodations for taller passengers.
The large infotainment system is carried over from other Genesis products and while it’s technically a touchscreen unit, the long reach from your seat to the screen itself discourages this. Instead, Genesis prefers you use the large control knob and the voice control system to navigate your way around and both setups do a very good job of minimizing frustration and lag time when going through the motions.
Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a built-in WiFi hotspot are all standard goodies in the GV70 with audiophiles having the option of equipping the SUV with a premium Lexicon sound system. The front seats themselves are more bolstered than the bigger GV80 but the thrones here will not hold a candle to M and AMG sourced hardware when it comes to navigating twistier sections of tarmac. Instead, they balance comfort with keeping you in place and we suspect that will be sufficient for most buyers.
A Duo Of Performance For Any Occasion
Buyers looking to get a GV70 of their own will have a choice of two engines to choose from. A 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder is the base engine and it produces a balanced 300 hp. However, it can also be equipped with a bigger 3.5 liter twin-turbocharged V6 which tacks on 75 more hp for a revised figure of 375 hp. This extra power makes a difference and allowed our tester to be a spirited contender when tasked with the daily commute.
An eight-speed automatic is the lone transmission here, and it allowed our Sport Prestige example to make the dash to 60 mph in an impressive 4.9 seconds. The GV70 comes with plenty of baked-in athleticism and for an SUV, its handling manners stood out time and time again. The lone price to pay is in fuel economy with our tester rated for 19 mpg in city driving and 25 mpg on the freeway with the GV70 requiring a steady diet of premium fuel.
The simplified performance ladder also allows it to hand with established segment benchmarks but it will be interesting to see how the two engines hold up as they age and their rivals get more performance-focused updates. In the meantime, look for the GV70 to continue to be a good mixture of value and performance in the near term.
Value Quotient:
Pricing for the 2022 Genesis GV70 remains a potent trump card for the brand with a base model starting at $53,645 with V6-powered examples like our tester following Honda’s method of packaging key features with the base GV70 serving as a base. Our tester arrived with two packages (the Sport Advanced and the Sport Prestige packages which helped push the final figure to $65,045.
That figure may seem a bit steep when viewed by untrained eyes, but in the segment, it actually represents a pretty potent value with the GV70 undercutting offerings from Jaguar, BMW, and even Mercedes-Benz
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.