Genesis Electrified GV70 arrives in Australia

PREMIUM South Korean brand Genesis has introduced a supplementary model to its medium-size GV70 SUV line-up, the ‘halo’ Electrified GV70 priced from $127,800 plus on-road costs. 

It joins the fray against a handful of few pure battery electric vehicle (BEV) contenders in the segment, including the Audi e-Tron, BMW iX3 and Mercedes-Benz EQC – but that will change soon as other manufacturers including Lexus, with its RZ, launch their own BEV competitors.

The Electrified GV70 sits atop a range of petrol and diesel GV70 variants ranging in price from the base rear-drive GV70 2.5 petrol from $68,500 (before on-road costs) up to the all-wheel drive GV70 3.5 twin-turbo V6 petrol from $84,600 + ORC.

One question being asked is whether the extra $43,200 buys enough green credentials to salve an environmentally concerned conscience.

And the answer to that depends on a number of factors, qualified by the fact that this “green” 2.3 tonne, electric SUV has 360kW (nearly 500 horsepower) and 700Nm on tap that allows it to punch harder in performance terms than many other so-called sports SUVs – for example the 375kW/650Nm BMW X3 M that is $40K costlier than 

With twin 180kW/350Nm electric motors – one driving the front wheels and one for the rears – the all-wheel drive Electrified GV70 is claimed to accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in 4.2 seconds.

That said, the full 360kW is only available for 10 seconds at a time by pushing the steering wheel mounted ‘boost’ button that gives an extra 40kW before a delay to the next opportunity to uncork full performance.

And drivers can tone down the Electrified GV70 to a more meek and mild demeanour at the touch of a button if so desired.

While the Electrified GV70 uses the same electric powertrain as the just-released GV60, unlike that car, is rides on an adapted ICE platform instead of the Hyundai Motor Group’s E-GMP dedicated EV architecture.

Genesis has equipped the battery-powered GV70 wwith a SUV-specific e-Terrain mode, which the brand claims to facilitat a stable driving experience across the spectrum of driving conditions.

Range per charge of the 77.4kWh battery pack is 445km (WLTP) and, when plugged into a 350kW rapid charger, a charge from 10 to 80 per cent can take as little as 18 minutes.

The application of a 400V/800V multi-rapid charging system enables drivers to use a variety of 400V and 800V charging stations without the need for an additional converter.

A disconnector actuator system (DAS) in the Electrified GV70 can automatically connect or disconnect the front motor and drive shaft according to various conditions, such as driving mode and vehicle speed. The system enables seamless switching between rear- and all-wheel drive for maximum energy efficiency.

Based on the speed of the vehicle ahead, the following distance, and navigation map road sign data such as the position of safety cameras, the car automatically adjusts the amount of regenerative braking in three stages.

A one-pedal drive function can bring the vehicle to a stop without the driver touching the brake pedal.

The vehicle is similar in appearance to other GV70s, even featuring a closed-in version of the same grille, complete with a discrete front charge point that does not shout about this being an EV.

It rolls on 20-inch alloys with meaty, soft compound Michelin rubber in front of extra-large four-piston front and two-piston rear brakes commensurate with the vehicle's weight and performance potential.

Fifteen colours are available including four optional matte tones (+$2000), one being a pinkish bronze colour.

Inside, Genesis says the vehicle “draws inspiration from a Korean aesthetic philosophy that emphasises the ‘Beauty of White Space’ to create a driver-oriented, intuitive and minimalist cabin”.

Despite slight intrusion to the floor height caused by the presence of batteries beneath, Genesis claims creative packaging has delivered a second row that offers space comparable to conventional GV70, with a lower centre tunnel relative to the rest of the floorpan.

Interior colour choices comprise Obsidian Black, two-tone Pine Grove Green/Ocean Blue or contrasting Glacier White/Ocean Blue (featuring copper-coloured piping).

Each interior colour combination uses Nappa leather upholstery with luxury quilting and 3D backlit door trims.

A 14.5-inch touchscreen features an augmented reality navigation system that displays 3D road guidance information as well as warnings from the car’s various active safety systems, using a combination of forward image information from the surround view camera, with forward object recognition from the windscreen camera and the front radar, along with navigation map data, to generate the navigation display.

The multimedia unit also incorporates an EV-specific interface and functions, as does the digital instrument cluster that recognises the driver’s eyes through a camera to present information in 3D, with each drive mode having its own graphical theme.

Sound is piped through a 14-speaker, 1050W Lexicon by Harman premium audio system with surround sound from a choice of sources including Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, multiple Bluetooth connections and AM/FM/DAB+ radio stations.

Other goodies include fingerprint authentication to access numerous settings, 18-way power-adjustable front seats, three-zone climate control, wireless phone charging, acoustic laminated windscreen and door glass and manual rear door sun shades.

Among the onboard safety equipment are eight airbags, pedestrian-friendly active bonnet, blind-spot monitoring, blind-spot cameras, driver attention detection, leading vehicle departure alert and forward collision alert plus auto emergency braking with car/pedestrian/cyclist detection as well as junction turning/junction crossing function.

The vehicle also prevents the driver from changing lanes into passing or oncoming traffic, has an evasive steering assist function, auto high beam, lane-keep and lane-follow assist, parking sensors with low-speed reverse collision avoidance assist, multi collision brake, rear cross-traffic alert with auto braking, rear occupant warning, safe exit assist, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, surround view monitor, trailer stability control and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

The Electric GV70 has exterior and interior vehicle-to-load capability that can feed electric power into a building, other vehicles or into appliances inside and outside the vehicle itself.

Included in the purchase price are a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, eight-year/160,000km high-voltage battery warranty, five years of complimentary servicing with valet service, 10 years of 24/7 roadside assistance and navigation map updates, plus a choice of five-year Chargefox subscription or supply and installation of a home AC charger.