In a rather pathetic attempt to drag my household into the 21st Century, I’ve bought an air fryer. So far, all I’ve used it for is to make a toasted cheese and tomato sandwich. Not very adventurous, I know, but it’s a start. We have two coffee machines which require pods, but, to be honest, I prefer a mug with instant coffee. I’m a Neanderthal, according to the rest of the family.

Without a doubt, things are changing across millions of kitchens everywhere. There are so many different gadgets that require a plug or a charger. It’s much the same with cars because, as with our kitchen, more now come with a cable as standard, which needs to go into a socket.

Take the various Genesis cars, for example.

A little bit of luxury

Some of you reading this may not be familiar with Genesis. Lexus is the premium end of Toyota; Infiniti used to be the premium end of Nissan, so, following those lines, Genesis is the premium end of the Hyundai / Kia brand. I think Genesis would prefer I use "luxury" instead of "premium". Hey ho.

But put it this way, if you’ve spotted a striking-looking SUV or saloon but weren’t quite sure what it was, there’s a very good chance that it was a Genesis. And if you wanted a Genesis with a traditional engine, you’ll need to move quickly because they’re being phased out.

Genesis is going all-electric.

The Genesis lineup

The Genesis GV60 was the company’s first battery-powered car, and that’s now been joined by the GV70 SUV and G80 saloon, although to ensure you know these cars are battery powered, they’re referred to as the Electrified GV70 and Electrified G80. I hope you’re following this!

I’ll be testing the battery-powered G80 in the near future, but for now, let’s concentrate on the Electrified GV70.

GV70 Exterior

As I hinted at earlier, the GV70 is a smart-looking car. It’s unmistakable and stands out from an increasingly bland crowd. The front of the car has a grille which features dozens of shiny silver diamond shapes, with the flap for charging the car hidden behind them. It’s so well disguised that it took me five minutes to find it. The front spoiler also has the diamond shapes, and it all looks very smart and distinctive.

Range, power & prices

So, now that the petrol and diesel power options have gone (some may be available from stock), you’ll need to know the important battery-related figures.

There’s a dual motor setup, which means you get AWD. Power tops out at 483bhp, propelling you from 0-60mph in 4.4 seconds and eventually to a top speed of 146mph. This is pretty decent performance for a vehicle that tips the scales at 2.3k tonnes. Its predicted range is 283 miles, which is nothing startling in EV terms, although the battery can cope with a 350kW charge, meaning you can boost it from 10-80 per cent in a shade under 20 minutes.

Prices start at £65,915 (Jan 26) for the Pure trim, while Dynamic and Luxury trims both add around £5k to the price. More about the specifications shortly.

Driving experience

Out on the road, the Electrified Genesis GV70 is surprisingly good to punt around despite its weight. There’s a Boost button on the steering wheel, which is aimed at providing you with all the 483bhp for around 10 seconds so that you can quickly overtake something, but for most of the time, the car cruises along nicely using about 60bhp. To be honest, I hit the Boost button once to see what happened, but from then on, I never really needed it.

There’s plenty of ‘feel’ through the steering wheel so you can hustle along quickly and confidently. Genesis also fit the car with a clever bit of kit which scans the road ahead of you and spots potholes and ridges. The technical wizardry then adjusts the suspension settings before you hit said potholes and ridges. It makes for dignified progress.

There are Eco, Comfort and Sport driver settings. I used Comfort and, well, it does what it says on the tin. Sport made the ride a tad firm.

This is one of the quietest cars I’ve ever driven. The windows are double-glazed to help shut out any racket.

Interior

As mentioned earlier, Genesis wants to be seen as a premium, even luxury brand, and as soon as you hop inside, you wouldn’t disagree. It’s stunning. The materials used throughout the cabin look good and feel good. Build quality is terrific.

The party piece is the 27-inch screen which sweeps along the fascia, encompassing sat nav, telephone controls, radio tuning and the driver’s digital readout. The climate controls are in a smaller panel below the screen. You can flick through stuff like the radio and sat nav by using a rotating wheel which is positioned on the centre console between the front seats, although it’s a bit too close to the gear selector and easy to mistake. Perhaps familiarity will help in that respect, but I, more often than not, kept twiddling the wrong dial.

If I had to choose one spec, I’d stick with the entry-level Pure trim because you get everything you really need, including sat nav, heated seats, heated steering wheel, front and rear parking sensors, keyless entry and start, leather upholstery, powered front seats, 19-inch alloys, roof rails, rear view camera, powered tailgate, etc.

A welcome addition to the UK automotive landscape

To complete the premium experience, you get a reassuring 5-year unlimited mileage warranty, 5 years of complimentary scheduled maintenance, 5 years of roadside assistance, and the car will be collected and returned to you via a dedicated concierge service.

Genesis is a very welcome addition to the UK automotive landscape. They provide an excellent alternative to other luxury and premium models. They’re still an uncommon sight on our roads, so if you fancy something different, the Genesis Electrified GV70 should be exactly what you need.

words: Graham Courtney
pictures: Genesis

Genesis GV70 - An Excellent Premium Alternative