SWINGING SIXTY (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

The Genesis GV60 brings something new to the market for mid-sized EV crossovers. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 35

This the car that should properly establish the Genesis brand, the all-electric GV60. It's yet another mid-sized EV with premium aspirations. But in this case, there's some really clever technology to back up the hype.

Backgroundword count: 159

You might by now have some vague recognition for the Genesis brand, the Hyundai Motor Group's premium car maker. But it's probably quite unlikely that you can picture one of its products. The company needs a definitive model; and this is it, the GV60. Originally launched back in 2022, it was the Genesis brand's sixth European market model and its third EV offering - the others are the slightly larger GV70 electric crossover and the G80 electric large luxury saloon. The GV60 though, is the model that aims to sell in the numbers Genesis needs for better European recognition. It uses the engineering already seen in the Hyundai IONIQ5 and the Kia EV6 - so e-GMP platform, advanced 800V electrical architecture and two years after launch was improved with a larger 84kWh battery pack. There's tough mid-sized EV crossover segment competition. But this GV60 also has a few extra tricks up its sleeve - as we're going to see.

Driving Experienceword count: 421

All models in the range now feature the same improved 84kWh battery pack, with the entry-level 'Pure' variant using it to drive a 229PS motor on the rear axle, this confection delivering a 348 mile range. Next up is the mid-range 'Sport' version, which has a 218PS motor on the rear axle and a further 100PS motor at the front, creating an AWD model with 318PS of total power output, 605Nm of torque and a 318 mile range. The most sophisticated stuff is saved for the top 'AWD Performance' variant, which borrows its potent 490PS Dual Motor AWD powertrain from the uber-rapid Kia EV6 GT. As a result, a GV60 'AWD Performance' will sprint to 62mph in just four seconds, though if you exercise that acceleration frequently, you won't get anywhere near the claimed 311 mile range figure. Featuring on this top model is a 'Boost Mode' that you activate via a button on the steering wheel, which gives the car an extra 95Nm of pulling power for easier overtaking. The second unique 'AWD Performance' feature is a 'Drift Mode' - which you might think a little weird on an electric SUV. This alters the torque split of the All-Wheel Drive system to send more power to the rear motor and maximises the impact of the GV60's electronic limited slip differential. A myriad of customisable drive settings of course are a feature of every GV60, as is the case with so many new EVs. We approve of the fact that, unlike quite a few other segment rivals, this Genesis trusts you to make wide-ranging brake regeneration force changes, via these steering wheel paddles. Using these, you can reduce the off-throttle energy harvesting on the highway where you don't need it; and increase it for town driving (where it's useful) via five settings, the most forceful of which is an 'i-Pedal' mode that slows the car so much when you come off the gas that you hardly ever have to use the actual brake pedal. You can separately alter braking force too - via 'Comfort' and 'Sport' settings, the latter rather over-sharp for our taste. The other thing to fiddle with is the 'Active Sound Design' system, which allows you to alter the volume of the artificial sound all EVs have to make at slow urban speeds; and, via a menu of 'Advanced Settings', enables you to introduce various fake drive sounds that rise and fall with throttle use - though you'll probably try them once and then turn the system off.

To see the full road test text contact us on 0330 0020 227