A new luxury player is set to enter the EV game in Australia, but how will the Genesis Electrified GV70 fare against hot European competition?
Brains, beauty and brawn: the new Genesis Electrified GV70 will go on sale in Australia from mid-2022, leading the charge in the Korean luxury brand’s first wave of battery-electric cars. The GV70 EV will be joined by the smaller Electrified GV60 SUV and Electrified G80 sedan during the third quarter of this year. But it’s the mid-size GV70 SUV that’s attracting most attention from the outset, offering plenty of zero-emissions performance in combination with a spacious cabin and the promise of attractive pricing that should make it super-competitive in this all-important market segment.
A new hierarchy
Production versions of the 2022 Genesis Electrified GV70 are due Down Under from July, kicking off the Korean brand’s EV onslaught that will soon be bolstered by the Genesis Electrified G80 sedan and Electrified GV60 small SUV.
With only a few prototype examples of each EV currently on the ground in Australia, Genesis is yet to confirm full specifications until closer to launch.
However, we do know it will offer just one highly-specified Electrified GV70 model grade.
According to the Hyundai-owned luxury marque, that model will be comparable in terms of features to what you get in the Genesis GV70 3.5T petrol AWD with Luxury Pack, which starts at $89,876 plus on-road costs.
When it arrives, the Electrified GV70 will be positioned as the flagship of the mid-size SUV family, with Genesis Australia saying it will be priced between $105,000 and $115,000 (plus ORCs).
That should see it comfortably undercut key rivals such as the BMW iX3 (from $114,900) and Mercedes-Benz EQC (from $124,300).
There won’t be many option boxes to tick, either, with four matte paint finishes the only decision you’ll have to make, adding around $2000 to the bill.
Under the skin, every Genesis Electrified GV70 will use the same EV powertrain, comprising two electric motors (one for each axle, thereby offering all-wheel drive as standard), as well as a 77.4kWh lithium-ion battery that’s said to provide more than 450km of driving range on a single charge.
We’ll dive into more about driving and recharging the GV70 EV soon, but from the outside it won’t be easy to pick from its combustion-engined siblings.
Key features to look out for include an enclosed ‘Crest’ grille and unique ‘Electrified’ 20-inch wheels. There’s no exhaust outlets, either…
Familiar cabin
In the cabin, the 2022 Genesis Electrified GV70 is even more familiar.
A trio of upholstery colours will be on offer, however much of the EV’s equipment is carried over from the regular GV70.
In fact, the only immediate difference you’ll notice is the instrument cluster and its EV info, replacing fuel consumption figures and a tacho.
Oh, and the huge ‘Boost’ button at the base of the steering wheel, but we’ll circle back on that function soon too.
The prototype model Genesis provided for our first taste of the Electrified GV70 was fitted with an older instrument display. However, we’re told it’ll get the same 3D-effect display as the Electrified G80 when both go on sale from July.
When it comes to safety, the big tech-laden SUV should tick all the boxes, albeit without a crash test rating yet from ANCAP or an equivalent overseas safety authority.
It’s also worth mentioning that the Electrified GV70 is built on a modified version of the current GV70 SUV platform, not Hyundai Group’s E-GMP dedicated electric vehicle architecture.
Even so, the e-GV70 will bring oodles of driver assistance aids, such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane assist, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, safe exit assist and more.
As per the GV70 3.5T, there’s lots of tech on board including a large 14.5-inch touch-screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 3D maps, live traffic updates and digital radio, to name a few.
It’s all well laid-out and super-easy to use, but the GV70’s 16-speaker Lexicon audio system only sounds adequate with the volume turned three quarters of the way up, which is a shame.
As with many other emerging EVs, the electric GV70 also offers a vehicle-to-load (V2L) function with a 3.6kW charge, allowing you to charge or power up household items, laptops, camping gear and the like.
Booster shot
As exciting and feature-packed as the 2022 Genesis Electrified GV70 is, a lot of the nitty-gritty when it comes to the EV side of things is still unconfirmed.
Genesis promises upwards of 450km of range from a single charge, however an official Australian (ADR) or European (WLTP) figure is yet to be revealed.
Stringent Korean-market figures are nothing to write home about – 373km on (2245kg) models with 20-inch wheels as tested here that will be standard in Australia, or 400km on those (2230kg) models fitted with 19-inch rims.
At its unveiling, the GV70 EV was also quoted with an estimated 500km-plus range, based on the more generous Chinese CLTC standard. So it looks like we’ll wait and see how that translates to Australian figures and, more importantly, real-world conditions Down Under.
In terms of charging, Genesis Australia says the GV70 EV’s 350kW rapid-charging capability means you’ll be able to recharge its lithium-ion polymer battery from 10 to 80 per cent in less than 20 minutes. It might not be based on the E-GMP, but it still utilises an 800V architecture as found on the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Kia EV6.
And when it comes to performance, the Electrified GV70 is similarly impressive.
Power is sent to all four wheels via a pair of 180kW electric motors – one at each axle – producing combined outputs of 360kW of power and 605Nm of torque.
Remember that ‘Boost’ button we talked about earlier? One press of it provides maximum torque of 700Nm for 10 seconds. You can use it in any drive mode and as often as desired until the battery reaches 20 per cent of charge or less.
Overall, the Electrified GV70 is bucket-loads of fun. Even regular take-offs are immediate yet smooth and almost silent, while the brake pedal feels delightfully like a regular car (read: non-EV), rather than artificial like some others.
But the acceleration in Boost mode is something else, with a 0-100km/h sprint time of just 4.2 seconds.
We just hope Genesis has done some fiddling to negate the significant amounts of torque steer we experienced on our short drive.
All-round comfort
Production versions of the 2022 Genesis Electrified GV70 won’t come with locally-tuned suspension the same way almost every other model sold through Hyundai or Genesis Australia does.
Instead, the Electrified GV70 will be fitted with “Australian-approved” components, but a set-up essentially tuned for the Korean market.
It’s too soon to know how that might affect Aussie-delivered GV70 EVs, however our brief drive of the prototype – albeit on a smooth, private track – gave a positive first impression.
The entire experience is super-smooth; from acceleration to cornering, the Electrified GV70 feels solid and planted.
Riding on 20-inch alloy wheels, it’s refined and all but silent on parts of the test track with fresh bitumen.
Surprisingly, Genesis says the extra battery and motor tech doesn’t eat into the cabin space, so the GV70 EV still offers a generous 542 litres of boot space with all five seats in place, extending to 1678 litres with the second row folded.
It also means passengers in the second row are treated to the same amount of rear seat space as petrol and diesel versions of the GV70, with enough space for four adults to travel in comfort.
Again, full specifications are yet to be confirmed, but there will be heating for the outboard seats in the second row, as well as a reclining backrest, a centre arm rest, USB ports and air-con controls.
Watch this space
From our first taste, the 2022 Genesis Electrified GV70 ticks a lot of boxes.
It’s outrageously fast in Boost mode, offers the same refined luxury that Genesis is known for and is future-proofed in that when EV charging infrastructure catches up in Australia, it’ll already be capable of more convenient rapid charging.
The Electrified GV70 might not land in Oz with the same dynamic prowess as the BMW iX3 or pace as the Audi e-tron, but it will bring a more palatable price for an impressive package.
So, watch out Euros, and watch this space as we dive further into the GV70 EV – and the other new Genesis electric cars – as they reach the Aussie market in the coming months.
How much does the 2022 Genesis Electrified GV70 cost?Price: $105,000-$115,000 estimated (plus on-road costs)Available: July 2022Powertrain: Two permanent magnet synchronous motorsOutput: 320kW/605Nm (700Nm Boost mode)Transmission: Single-speed reduction gearBattery: 77.4kWh lithium-ion polymerRange: 373km (Korean market) /450km-plus (ADR estimated)Energy consumption: 23.3kWh/100km (Korean market)
Safety rating: Not tested