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First Drive: All-New 2022 Genesis GV70 SUV Delivers Comfort, Agility, and Luxe
Take note BMW and Mercedes-Benz. There's a sporty new compact SUV contender.
By Jeff S. Bartlett
Last updated: July 27, 2021
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Genesis has fully committed to the vital luxury SUV market, first with the impressive
GV80 midsized SUV and now with the compact
GV70. Each brings elegance, refinement, and performance to their segments.
Sized like the
BMW X3 and
Mercedes-Benz GLC, the new GV70 is positioned as a stylish alternative to the established European offerings. It shares four- and six-cylinder turbocharged engines with the larger GV80, resulting in strong performance from this smaller model. The GV70 takes some design cues from its elegant big brother, though this new model remains quite distinctive. There are clear Genesis brand touches throughout, but the GV70 is certainly its own vehicle.
The GV70's character is very much in alignment with the better European models, with a pampering blend of sport and luxury. We rented the four-cylinder version from Genesis for an early preview. The GV70 is now on sale, and we are in the process of buying one for testing.
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What we rented: 2022 Genesis GV70 2.5T Advanced
Powertrain: 300-hp, 2.5-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine with 8-speed automatic transmission; all-
wheel drive.
Base price: $41,00
MSRP: $49,150
Destination fee: $1,045
Total cost: $50,195
CR's Take
The GV70 gives Hyundai’s fledgling luxury brand a vital entry into the compact SUV market. Based on our initial time behind the
wheel and our experience with the GV80, we are enthusiastic about the prospect of the GV70 disrupting the established competition, even though it's quite late to the game.
The GV70 is much more than a junior version of the GV80. It's a unique entry, with a more enthusiast-targeted driving experience, and it comes across as a stylish and sporty SUV. It's less upright and boxy than most peers, without giving up much functionality. The interior has an elegance seldom seen in this class; it's certain to make a strong impression in the showroom.
The driving manners are reminiscent of Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz—a high compliment. It pulls this off with an impressive balance of body control, ride quality, and agility that strikes at the midway point between sporty handling and pampering luxury. The base engine is invigorating, delivering strong acceleration when needed, and it's equally at home cruising around town.
We look forward to buying our own to test, in part because driving the rented preproduction model has been so enjoyable.
What We Like
Interior fit and finish: The cabin has a simple elegance with premium details. Not quite to the gilded extreme of the GV80, the GV70 does have extra touches throughout. The wood inlays have a playful color streak, and even the power seat controls on the side of the front seat bases have nickel-finish surrounds. Those embellishments make the GV70 look tasteful, and the soft-touch surfaces, smooth control action, and abundant stitching make it feel special. (One tester noted that he hasn’t seen that many ovals since the overly elliptical 1996 Ford Taurus.)
Front seats: These sumptuously padded leather perches are quite comfortable, with welcoming support for thighs and torso. It's notable that while the SUV has European-inspired driving dynamics, the seats are cushy yet still supportive. This is a nice combination. Drivers of a range of heights noted a high level of comfort, aided by four-way lumbar adjustments for both the driver and front passenger.
Steering wheel: The two-spoke steering
wheel looks a bit basic; most steering wheels have three or four spokes. But this simple design choice works brilliantly, creating an uncluttered feel. The
wheel itself is a bit thicker than most and well-padded, making it pleasurable to operate and easy to grip.
Rear seat: The GV70 is less boxy and upright than some rivals, but it still has decent rear seat space. There's enough headroom and legroom for taller passengers, although there isn’t much leftover space for hats. A nice touch: power buttons on the left side of the front passenger seat to allow the driver to easily create more rear legroom.
Ride and handling: Road manners are a defining characteristic of the GV70. It's quite exquisite for the class, and several test drivers thought it even outshined the GV80. It feels rear-
wheel-biased and very eager and tied down in corners, making it enjoyable to both drive casually and in a spirited fashion. The suspension isolates occupants well from road aberrations while maintaining good body control—a rare balance. The steering is quick yet not nervous and has a well-judged effort.
Powertrain: The GV70 benefits from the same engines that are used in the larger, heavier GV80, ensuring brisk performance. The 300-horsepower, 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder in our rented GV70 delivered strong acceleration, accompanied by an invigorating soundtrack when pressed. It worked well with the eight-speed automatic transmission, delivering smooth, quick shifts. The overall feel was frisky refinement. At 300 hp, the GV70 boasts 40 to 50 more horsepower than the base engines of its key competitors.
For more excitement, the GV70 can be had with a 375-horsepower, turbocharged 3.5-liter V6. Our drivers think the four-cylinder may be all the engine most shoppers will need, and they will appreciate that it promises up to 3 mpg more combined, based on EPA estimates, than the V6. All-
wheel drive is standard on all GV70s.
What We Don’t Like
Cargo space: Storage space is at a premium in the front. There's a small
armrest console, with two cup holders in front and a well where you can wirelessly charge a phone or plug it into one of the USB ports. (The phone stands on end, tilted back. Because it's out of sight, it's easy to leave it behind.) The rear cargo space is compromised by the high load floor and the angle of the rear hatch. It's very serviceable for groceries, but a run to a warehouse store may require folding down a rear seat.
No wireless CarPlay or Android Auto: It's odd for an all-new model with a fancy infotainment system and wireless Qi phone charger to not have
wireless CarPlay or
Android Auto. So yes, iPhone and Android users will need to plug in, despite not needing to for power. This is surprising given that several less expensive Hyundai models, including the redesigned Hyundai Tucson at half the price, have this ability.
Gear selector: The rotary gear selector knob is right behind the infotainment dial, making it very easy to grab the wrong controller when not looking. Each has a different texture, which we may learn over time. For now, extra focus is needed to ensure you're grabbing the intended control.
Blind spot view monitor: Hyundai has cleverly developed a way to use a camera on each side of a vehicle to display a video feed in the instrument panel when a turn signal is activated. This is a feature that might impress passengers more than the driver, because the feed is shown within the speedometer or tach on models equipped with a digital gauge display. When turning left, the feed is shown on the right side of the gauge cluster. This feature might make drivers too lazy to check their mirrors or turn their head when necessary.
What We’ll Keep Our Eyes On
Infotainment screen: The 14.5-inch screen adds to the cabin's novel appearance. It's quite wide and able to show many controls and features. But it's far away from the driver, making it a long reach to the touch screen, thereby diminishing the benefit of the screen real estate by making some text a challenge to read. It also encourages users to interact with the system via the rotary dial, which is less familiar than using the touch screen. If it were positioned an inch or two more forward, making it closer to the driver, this would have been alleviated.
Controls: The various controls received a mixed response in our initial seat time. We appreciate that there are physical buttons for many common modes in the infotainment system, like map or audio. But there's a definite learning curve to the rotary controller and it strikes us as a bit challenging to use when driving. (The physical form of the dial is improved, making it easier to use compared with the flush dial found in the GV80 and G80.) Some buttons lack contrast, making them tricky to discern at a glance when driving. The climate controls are gorgeous, with a clear display, dials with temperature displays within them, and a combination of touch surfaces and discreet buttons. Again, more time is needed to fully assess these.
Phone nook: There is a multifeatured phone nook forward of the cup holders with two power outlets and wireless Qi charger. It readily holds a large phone, which leans back against the charger. One downside is that you can very easily forget the phone because it's truly out of sight. We wish the SUV reminded drivers to take their phones like Audis do.
Fuel economy: Genesis estimates that the combined city and highway fuel economy for the four-cylinder GV70 will be 24 mpg. If the GV70 records that in our testing, it would put the new SUV in a strong position compared with its competitors. The segment tends to range from 20 to 24 mpg overall in our tests. It's worth noting that Genesis points out that when fitted with the 21-inch wheels (Sport package), the combined fuel economy drops to 22 mpg. We would add that the larger wheels would also likely firm up the ride, increase the risk of flats from potholes, and require more expensive replacement tires. Bottom line: Stick with the 18- or 19-inch wheels. The claimed fuel economy for the twin-turbo V6 is 21 mpg.
Track performance: The GV70 performed with grace on the road, tackling curves with poise. We look forward to seeing how it conducts itself at our track through the more challenging road course and accident-avoidance maneuver.
Safety and Driver Assistance Systems
The GV70 has forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking that can detect pedestrians and vehicles approaching from the side, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert, and driver monitoring, which analyzes driving patterns and eye position. It's available with an upgraded version of Hyundai’s Highway Driving Assist feature, which can follow lane markings; control steering, acceleration, and braking; assist the driver in changing lanes; and automatically adjust the distance between the car and the vehicle in front of it. It can also recognize speed limits on highways and adjust the vehicle’s speed accordingly. Remote smart parking, where the SUV controls the steering and acceleration, can be operated from inside the vehicle or from outside using the key fob.
Genesis claims that the GV70 will be the first vehicle to use a radar-based rear occupant alert. This technology is much more sophisticated than the ultrasonic sensors that Hyundai has offered in other models. It's supposed to detect movement of, say, a baby in a car seat or a dog, and also sense breathing. We appreciate the ongoing advances to reduce the risk of leaving a child or pet behind, and we look forward to trying this new system.
There's an exhaustive list of advanced connected features. One that stands out is the remote image capture, which allows the owner to check the vehicle’s surroundings by using a phone to access the 360-degree surround view cameras.
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