Can electrification make luxury offerings that much better?
- Genesis is adding another battery-electric vehicle to its lineup by electrifying its midsize crossover, the GV70, for the 2023 model year. But is it any good?
- Starting at $66,975, the 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70 features a 77.4-kWh battery pack, 236 miles of range, and 429 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque.
- Beyond a silent ride and smooth electric power delivery, Genesis is incentivizing buyers by offering three years of free 30-minute charging sessions with Electrify America.
Electrification doesn’t have to be a statement. Sharp angles, futuristic styling, and alternative materials are all choices that manufacturers make to help their electric vehicles stand out in a crowd of internal combustion. BMW’s top-of-the-line XM plug-in hybrid or even the upcoming Kia EV9 are just two recent examples of this boisterous approach, with shocking designs and explosive powertrains.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Adding an electric powertrain shouldn’t necessarily disrupt the long-held flow of owning and operating a vehicle. And in the 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70, it doesn’t.
Genesis claims an average of 64 miles per five minutes of 800V, 240-kW DC fast charging.
Genesis
Originally launched in 2021, the Genesis GV70 is a luxury, midsize crossover loosely based on the Genesis G70 sedan. Initially, the GV70 was offered with two ICE powertrains—a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder and a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6—for $42,595 on the low end and $63,545 at the top.
Inflation has added a few thousand dollars to the MSRP of the ICE versions for 2023, but the electrified version slides in at $66,975 including an $1125 destination fee to nearly match the top-of-the-line ICE model. You can also upgrade to the Prestige package at a sticker price of $73,775 for additional interior and infotainment amenities.
However, the standard features and equipment of the Electrified GV70 make a strong case even without additions. And its unique chassis construction only adds to that.
For starters, the model is not built on Hyundai’s dedicated EV platform (E-GMP), but rather on the ICE GV70 platform itself. To achieve this, the 77.4-kWh lithium-ion battery pack is laid out skateboard-style underneath the chassis, with two 160-kW electric motors connected at the front and rear to create standard all-wheel drive.
The Electrified GV70 inspires confidence to push through high-speed sweepers, with immediate steering action.
To account for the 5038-pound curb weight, Genesis added hydraulically damped bushings to the suspension and increased chassis stiffness by 24% thanks to additional carbon-fiber crossmember sheets. Also, fewer body panels are required to build the all-electric version—374 pieces versus 456 pieces—making the structure more stiff.
This complex construction amounts to a model that handles much like its ICE brethren. With a compliant, electronically adaptive ride and MacPherson front, multi-link rear suspension, the Electrified GV70 inspires confidence to push through high-speed sweepers, with an immediate steering action that requires only small movements off-center.
Despite its heft, the model actually feels quite maneuverable and light due to its responsive steering and excellent damping over unpaved, pot-hole-ridden, and smooth roads alike. It’s not quite as dynamic as the similarly sized Porsche Macan, but it’s pretty close while also requiring less effort to drive.
Genesis added a three-piece floor insulator and active trunk and door dampers to reduce road noise.
Genesis
Despite the comparatively small battery pack, the Electrified GV70 makes a brisk 429 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque, with 483 hp available in short stints thanks to the “boost mode” switch. Rapid acceleration is no problem for the Electrified GV70, whether starting from a stop light or making a quick pass on the highway.
However, it’s not tailored for explosive enthusiast driving, but rather to deliver smooth power that can be aggressive. Because of this, the accelerator mapping is especially well-tuned, and power delivery is linear and directly correlated to pedal inputs. Ultimately, the powertrain is easy to use, exceptionally quiet, and will still squat down like a drag-prepped Foxbody when you ask it to.
Genesis
Genesis
Regenerative braking has three settings or can be turned off entirely. This is where the silky driving character of the Electrified GV70 suffers a bit. During our drive, only the lightest regenerative braking mode was tolerable for day-to-day driving, while level two was useful in heavy traffic. Level three functioned as one-pedal driving and was much too grabby when lifting off the accelerator.
We switched off one-pedal-driving for most of the drive. The blending of its traditional steel brakes and pedal-actuated regenerative ones was noticeable but in a way that provided clear feedback to the driver.
An aluminum skid plate has been added front and rear to improve aerodynamics and protect the electric motors on each end.
Genesis
Altogether, the Electrified GV70 will go an estimated 236 miles on one charge, with a maximum charging rate of 240 kW and an 18-minute 10%-80% charge time. After a roughly 150-mile drive through Atlanta traffic and North Georgia backroads, we ended the day with an estimated 56 miles remaining, indicating that its range figures are accurate save for our persistent use of boost mode.
That said, 236 miles is on the low end of the electric crossover spectrum as compared to a BMW iX or Tesla Model Y but falls in line with more direct competitors like the Audi Q4 e-tron and Mercedes-Benz EQB.
Genesis says the final range figure was less about direct competition and more about designing the model to its liking. The model-specific 20-inch, five-spoke wheels were chosen for visual reasons after more efficient 18- or 19-inch rims were considered.
Braking hardware consists of four-piston calipers and 360-mm discs up front and one-piston calipers as well as 345-mm discs in the rear.
Genesis
But beyond the wheels and reverse g-matrix grille, the Electrified GV70 looks nearly identical to the gasoline-powered versions, and that trend continues inside. The aircraft-wing-shaped surfaces, 14.5-inch LCD display, and three-zone climate control are all carried over from the ICE GV70, though certain features like the Glacier White Nappa Leather interior and aluminum trim are EV-specific. Prestige Package buyers also receive a simple but useful head-up display, Lexicon premium audio, impeccable active road-noise control, and toasty heated second-row seats among other upgrades.
Interacting with the climate control, infotainment screen, and instrument cluster is relatively intuitive. Infotainment items can be accessed through a single swipe or knob twist; the climate controls use a temperature knob; and the integration of blind-spot cameras through the instrument cluster is seamless and safe.
The four-way power lumbar driver’s seat offers firm massaging (great for eradicating muscle fatigue on long drives), while the soft-close technology on its interior cubbies adds to the quiet aura inside. Low points of the interior experience include an overly busy set of steering wheel buttons and no wireless Apple CarPlay connectivity.
Nappa Leather seats are optional with the Prestige Package while the base model seats are made with recycled yarn and wool.
Genesis
With two electric models (GV60 and Electrified G80) already in the fleet, why is Genesis adding another electric model? For one, the company has committed to being fully electrified by 2030, recently announcing an EV expansion to 15 states. The Electrified GV70 will be built at Hyundai’s Montgomery, Alabama, plant, making it (temporarily) eligible for IRA tax credits thanks to its EPA SUV classification and murky Treasury Department battery sourcing interpretations. Electrified GV70 customers will get three years of 30-minute complimentary Electrify America charging sessions from the date of vehicle purchase.
In beating rivals like Infiniti last year, Genesis is now chasing Lexus and Acura. And boasting three electrified models in the face of luxury brands that are lagging behind is more than just posturing.
You could almost say the Electrified GV70 is a strategic model above all else, that is, if it wasn’t so damn good to drive. It won’t take you the farthest or go the fastest, but you’ll probably be the most comfortable with the least road noise. And that’s worth something.
Keyword: The 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70 Is Effortlessly Plush