Genesis GV70 Reviews

[wuffy]

Nice review but I am really tired of seeing a completely loaded version for all of the tests. I'm buying one around $51k, not 65k so it would be nice to see a review of one about 15k cheaper. Best thing I liked from this review was the viewing of the underneath of the GV70. First time I've seen that.

 

[Lionorion]

Excellent review but they cite "wireless Apple Car Play" which I don't think is true, is it?

You are correct The GV70 only has wired Apple Car Play. Good catch!

 

[TBickell]

Took so long to get the this review out and it feels like they just phone'd it in. If people are that sheep like and can't get away from the "badge" then that explains a lot about our world.

 

[YEH]

While SG is one of the better YT reviewers, Mark needs to quit pontificating as to who the buyers of Genesis are/will be, as he clearly has little clue and is just going with his gut.

Even before Genesis added the 2 CUVs, and in fact, even before the G70, the conquest from luxury brands were led by Lexus, BMW, Cadillac and Mercedes.

That's hardly surprising as those 4 brands had/have larger RWD sedans.

While it could happen, not likely that an NX owner decided to change and get a G80; much more likely that a GS owner decided to switch to the G80.

And that was before Genesis finally got its own distinct design language and went from having interiors (more on that later) that were subpar in certain respects to class-leading.

Since then, Genesis has added the G70 and 2 RWD CUVs - which are more appealing to owners of Germans than the G80 and G90.

Mark talks in absolutes (no German buyers) when this board and even the comment section in the review say otherwise.

There seem to be a good mix of German, Japanese and mainstream brand buyers (for those buyers moving up into the lux segment, just as there are for the Germans and Japanese), as well as some British (mostly LR/RR).

But when it comes to conquest of Japanese lux buyers, there are generally 2 different kinds.

On the one hand, you have the value-oriented Japanese buyer.

They don't know or care whether a vehicle is FWD and shares its architecture and/or powertrains with a mainstream family member because what they prioritize are value and reliability.

These types of buyers are the ones who drive an NX, RX, ES, TLX, RDX, MDX, QX60, etc.

For many of these buyers, a GV70 or GV80 is not an option due to the sticker shock.

Then, you have the Japanese buyer who don't have a problem paying what the Germans charge, but don't want to deal with the risk/hassle of owning a German longer-term (these are actual buyers and not lessees).

With the Japanese options dwindling when it comes to RWD sedans and non-existent when it comes to RWD CUVs, Genesis fills that space as being an option to the Germans.

Going back to the interior thing, have no issue with Mark's take on past Genesis interiors - as have criticized them aplenty myself, but do take issue with his stating that Genesis interiors have caught up (more like surpassed) the Germans and Japanese.

Aside from the LS and LC, pretty much every other Japanese lux model shares plenty with their respective mainstream brand.

Heck, these days - the Palisade Calligraphy has a nicer interior than many Japanese lux models.

Good that they finally have a TV ad, but the commercial in itself is rather meh.

 

[Davep]

I think he’s wrong about Mercedes and BMW buyers. We had narrowed our choices to the Macan, X3, GLC, and GV70. The latter won out.

 

[cruskal]

Took so long to get the this review out and it feels like they just phone'd it in. If people are that sheep like and can't get away from the "badge" then that explains a lot about our world.

It’s because they have established trust and quality over time and well known players, Genesis will take a couple of years to get there. Very few put effort into searching a new brand (none of my friend knew about Genesis and those who got to know, don’t trust the new brand immediately over these well known players).

 

[mythdoc]

While SG is one of the better YT reviewers, Mark needs to quit pontificating as to who the buyers of Genesis are/will be, as he clearly has little clue and is just going with his gut.

Even before Genesis added the 2 CUVs, and in fact, even before the G70, the conquest from luxury brands were led by Lexus, BMW, Cadillac and Mercedes.

That's hardly surprising as those 4 brands had/have larger RWD sedans.

While it could happen, not likely that an NX owner decided to change and get a G80; much more likely that a GS owner decided to switch to the G80.

And that was before Genesis finally got its own distinct design language and went from having interiors (more on that later) that were subpar in certain respects to class-leading.

Since then, Genesis has added the G70 and 2 RWD CUVs - which are more appealing to owners of Germans than the G80 and G90.

Mark talks in absolutes (no German buyers) when this board and even the comment section in the review say otherwise.

There seem to be a good mix of German, Japanese and mainstream brand buyers (for those buyers moving up into the lux segment, just as there are for the Germans and Japanese), as well as some British (mostly LR/RR).

But when it comes to conquest of Japanese lux buyers, there are generally 2 different kinds.

On the one hand, you have the value-oriented Japanese buyer.

They don't know or care whether a vehicle is FWD and shares its architecture and/or powertrains with a mainstream family member because what they prioritize are value and reliability.

These types of buyers are the ones who drive an NX, RX, ES, TLX, RDX, MDX, QX60, etc.

For many of these buyers, a GV70 or GV80 is not an option due to the sticker shock.

Then, you have the Japanese buyer who don't have a problem paying what the Germans charge, but don't want to deal with the risk/hassle of owning a German longer-term (these are actual buyers and not lessees).

With the Japanese options dwindling when it comes to RWD sedans and non-existent when it comes to RWD CUVs, Genesis fills that space as being an option to the Germans.

Going back to the interior thing, have no issue with Mark's take on past Genesis interiors - as have criticized them aplenty myself, but do take issue with his stating that Genesis interiors have caught up (more like surpassed) the Germans and Japanese.

Aside from the LS and LC, pretty much every other Japanese lux model shares plenty with their respective mainstream brand.

Heck, these days - the Palisade Calligraphy has a nicer interior than many Japanese lux models.




Good that they finally have a TV ad, but the commercial in itself is rather meh.

Many good points here, but I take issue with the idea here and in other recent posts that car enthusiast forum members and comments on enthusiast videos are representative of the buying population as opposed to a very, very small slice of it. Most buyers, by far, are just are not savvy in this way. They don‘t know or care the difference between FWD or RWD much less the more complicated bits and they are more and more driven by how the car facilitates their continuous access to their cell phone.

They are brand conscious just like with their choice of phone, which doesn’t mean they won’t switch from Mercedes or whomever, but it’s not a given.

Genesis’ own marketing shows clearly who they think their target market is: wealthy women for whom the car is to be a symbol of style and luxury.

 

[SebringSilver]

Best review so far really well done. The SQ5 is a boring blob IMO. As is the non coupe GLC43. Drove both of those and yes the GLC43 is quicker and more of a drivers car but not by much. And as they noted, this is the spouses car and she would never notice the difference or care 0-60 in 4.3 sec vs 4.8 sec. Brand snobbery is an issue for sure and if they want to play in this segment they must separate from the Hunyadi dealership experience. But, spouse was an Audi snob (traded her Q7) and now cant stop raving about the GV70.

I’ve owned 8 Audis and I honestly cannot understand why the Q5/SQ5 is so popular. They’re so completely devoid of personality and worst of all, they’re made in Mexico. The Audi shop foreman and the service tech I deal with tell me NEVER buy a Q5.

While SG is one of the better YT reviewers, Mark needs to quit pontificating as to who the buyers of Genesis are/will be, as he clearly has little clue and is just going with his gut.

Even before Genesis added the 2 CUVs, and in fact, even before the G70, the conquest from luxury brands were led by Lexus, BMW, Cadillac and Mercedes.

That's hardly surprising as those 4 brands had/have larger RWD sedans.

While it could happen, not likely that an NX owner decided to change and get a G80; much more likely that a GS owner decided to switch to the G80.

And that was before Genesis finally got its own distinct design language and went from having interiors (more on that later) that were subpar in certain respects to class-leading.

Since then, Genesis has added the G70 and 2 RWD CUVs - which are more appealing to owners of Germans than the G80 and G90.

Mark talks in absolutes (no German buyers) when this board and even the comment section in the review say otherwise.

There seem to be a good mix of German, Japanese and mainstream brand buyers (for those buyers moving up into the lux segment, just as there are for the Germans and Japanese), as well as some British (mostly LR/RR).

But when it comes to conquest of Japanese lux buyers, there are generally 2 different kinds.

On the one hand, you have the value-oriented Japanese buyer.

They don't know or care whether a vehicle is FWD and shares its architecture and/or powertrains with a mainstream family member because what they prioritize are value and reliability.

These types of buyers are the ones who drive an NX, RX, ES, TLX, RDX, MDX, QX60, etc.

For many of these buyers, a GV70 or GV80 is not an option due to the sticker shock.

Then, you have the Japanese buyer who don't have a problem paying what the Germans charge, but don't want to deal with the risk/hassle of owning a German longer-term (these are actual buyers and not lessees).

With the Japanese options dwindling when it comes to RWD sedans and non-existent when it comes to RWD CUVs, Genesis fills that space as being an option to the Germans.

Going back to the interior thing, have no issue with Mark's take on past Genesis interiors - as have criticized them aplenty myself, but do take issue with his stating that Genesis interiors have caught up (more like surpassed) the Germans and Japanese.

Aside from the LS and LC, pretty much every other Japanese lux model shares plenty with their respective mainstream brand.

Heck, these days - the Palisade Calligraphy has a nicer interior than many Japanese lux models.




Good that they finally have a TV ad, but the commercial in itself is rather meh.

I agree with what you’re saying. We’ve had over 20 European cars including AMGs, BMWs, all sorts of Audis, Porsche, as well as some cool Japanese cars like NSXes, yet there was zero hesitation to get a GV70 the moment we test drove it. In fact, I’m sure there are many people who are desperately looking for a high quality alternative to the same old same old European luxury brands.

 

[Davep]

I’ve owned 8 Audis and I honestly cannot understand why the Q5/SQ5 is so popular. They’re so completely devoid of personality and worst of all, they’re made in Mexico. The Audi shop foreman and the service tech I deal with tell me NEVER buy a Q5.


I agree with what you’re saying. We’ve had over 20 European cars including AMGs, BMWs, all sorts of Audis, Porsche, as well as some cool Japanese cars like NSXes, yet there was zero hesitation to get a GV70 the moment we test drove it. In fact, I’m sure there are many people who are desperately looking for a high quality alternative to the same old same old European luxury brands.

Same here. The runner-up for us was either the Macan or Cayenne. Price was not a factor for us. We simply wanted the best car (taking everything into consideration), regardless of price, and we got it in the GV70. True there are brand conscious people, but these same people.such as ourselves, want the best in class, and I believe many, like us, will opt for the GV70. Once the word gets out about this car, I have little doubt there will be many German buyers who opt to buy the GV70.

 

[mythdoc]

Now there’s a headline for this review thread:

BREAKING: “GV70 Best in Class, Beats Macan Regardless of Price!”

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[TBickell]

I agree with all of the above. This is a viable alternative to the Germans and the Japanese but they need to get the word out and their marketing stinks. I know that they are focused on "digital marketing" but you have to throw some ad dollars at the TV. People who are spending 50k plus still watch TV. Old school TV. Not everyone is streaming. I just did a little 500 mile road trip through northern Arizona in my G80 loaner and saw exactly 2 Genesis products. Ironically one was the old Hyundai coupe and the other was a GV70 just like mine that is in the shop ( cruel irony there) . I had a few people come up to me in the parking lot at the Grand Canyon to ask " what kind of car is that?". Hardly anybody knows about this brand and it's been around for 6 or so years. Other than the golf tournament they sponsor and Tiger's crashing of the GV80 they haven't done much. Hell they should cut Tiger a check.

This "compact" SUV is suppose to be their most important product and they couldn't even get cars to the key on-line reviewers in a timely fashion. The cars started arriving at dealers in early June way ahead of what was expected. I remember my dealer telling me " they just showed up" 3 months ago when I got mine. That's just weird. With lack of strategy like that I'm starting to wonder if they will even make it. And it's not about not having cars to sell due to the Corona panic/chip shortage. Other manufactures are still advertising across all platforms on brand new vehicles like the new Pathfinder etc etc. They are all dealing with the same world.

I watched the Savageese review again and while I appreciate how he does his reviews he really phoned this one in. They seemed so bored reviewing this thing and if they are going to mock any vehicle that can't turn a zero-60 time in under 4 seconds then stop reviewing. But no that won't happen because these guys are getting rich doing this. They didn't touch on the incredible tech like the finger print ID, the road preview adaptive suspension, eLSD and other features that the competition does not have. There wasn't even a segment where he was driving it. I've watched many of his reviews and even though he said he would get this over the X3 he acted like he could care less. These "reviewers" are starting to get a bit cocky and complacent. But hey... they discovered the golden goose so that's what happens.

 

[Davep]

Now there’s a headline for this review thread:

BREAKING: “GV70 Best in Class, Beats Macan Regardless of Price!”

This poster continues to post cynical comments even thought he doesn’t own a Genesis and likely has no plans to buy one,

 

[Davep]

I agree with all of the above. This is a viable alternative to the Germans and the Japanese but they need to get the word out and their marketing stinks. I know that they are focused on "digital marketing" but you have to throw some ad dollars at the TV. People who are spending 50k plus still watch TV. Old school TV. Not everyone is streaming. I just did a little 500 mile road trip through northern Arizona in my G80 loaner and saw exactly 2 Genesis products. Ironically one was the old Hyundai coupe and the other was a GV70 just like mine that is in the shop ( cruel irony there) . I had a few people come up to me in the parking lot at the Grand Canyon to ask " what kind of car is that?". Hardly anybody knows about this brand and it's been around for 6 or so years. Other than the golf tournament they sponsor and Tiger's crashing of the GV80 they haven't done much. Hell they should cut Tiger a check.

This "compact" SUV is suppose to be their most important product and they couldn't even get cars to the key on-line reviewers in a timely fashion. The cars started arriving at dealers in early June way ahead of what was expected. I remember my dealer telling me " they just showed up" 3 months ago when I got mine. That's just weird. With lack of strategy like that I'm starting to wonder if they will even make it. And it's not about not having cars to sell due to the Corona panic/chip shortage. Other manufactures are still advertising across all platforms on brand new vehicles like the new Pathfinder etc etc. They are all dealing with the same world.

I watched the Savageese review again and while I appreciate how he does his reviews he really phoned this one in. They seemed so bored reviewing this thing and if they are going to mock any vehicle that can't turn a zero-60 time in under 4 seconds then stop reviewing. But no that won't happen because these guys are getting rich doing this. They didn't touch on the incredible tech like the finger print ID, the road preview adaptive suspension, eLSD and other features that the competition does not have. There wasn't even a segment where he was driving it. I've watched many of his reviews and even though he said he would get this over the X3 he acted like he could care less. These "reviewers" are starting to get a bit cocky and complacent. But hey... they discovered the golden goose so that's what happens.

I like not seeing many GV 70s on the road. One thing I dont like about the GLC is they are a dime a dozen; you see many of these on the road. Regarding reviews, I have little doubt this is likely a strategic decision. I’m sure this has been discussed at higher levels. Its not possible to know all the factors that Genesis has to consider in making strategic decisions.

 

[Darken]

Another great review…

 

[TBickell]

^
better late than never !

 

[Fairburne]

I agree with all of the above. This is a viable alternative to the Germans and the Japanese but they need to get the word out and their marketing stinks. I know that they are focused on "digital marketing" but you have to throw some ad dollars at the TV. People who are spending 50k plus still watch TV. Old school TV. Not everyone is streaming. I just did a little 500 mile road trip through northern Arizona in my G80 loaner and saw exactly 2 Genesis products. Ironically one was the old Hyundai coupe and the other was a GV70 just like mine that is in the shop ( cruel irony there) . I had a few people come up to me in the parking lot at the Grand Canyon to ask " what kind of car is that?". Hardly anybody knows about this brand and it's been around for 6 or so years. Other than the golf tournament they sponsor and Tiger's crashing of the GV80 they haven't done much. Hell they should cut Tiger a check.

This "compact" SUV is suppose to be their most important product and they couldn't even get cars to the key on-line reviewers in a timely fashion. The cars started arriving at dealers in early June way ahead of what was expected. I remember my dealer telling me " they just showed up" 3 months ago when I got mine. That's just weird. With lack of strategy like that I'm starting to wonder if they will even make it. And it's not about not having cars to sell due to the Corona panic/chip shortage. Other manufactures are still advertising across all platforms on brand new vehicles like the new Pathfinder etc etc. They are all dealing with the same world.

I watched the Savageese review again and while I appreciate how he does his reviews he really phoned this one in. They seemed so bored reviewing this thing and if they are going to mock any vehicle that can't turn a zero-60 time in under 4 seconds then stop reviewing. But no that won't happen because these guys are getting rich doing this. They didn't touch on the incredible tech like the finger print ID, the road preview adaptive suspension, eLSD and other features that the competition does not have. There wasn't even a segment where he was driving it. I've watched many of his reviews and even though he said he would get this over the X3 he acted like he could care less. These "reviewers" are starting to get a bit cocky and complacent. But hey... they discovered the golden goose so that's what happens.

"And it's not about not having cars to sell due to the Corona panic/chip shortage. Other manufactures are still advertising across all platforms on brand new vehicles like the new Pathfinder etc etc. They are all dealing with the same world."

This just makes the other manufacturers stupid. Hey let's spend millions of dollars advertising cars we don't have to sell. Brilliant! The best form of advertising is word of mouth. Always has been and always will be. If Genesis is selling their cars as quickly as they can make them in this chip shortage crisis. Then why spend millions? My guess is that they have a specific advertising budget that they are willing to spend at this time. They just aren't using it in traditional somewhat outdated ways at this time. John Legend and his wife did a GV80 advertisement for the Superbowl and people still don't know what a Genesis is. Millions upon millions of viewers and people still don't know.

Digital advertising is a lot more focused and is a lot more likely to get the attention of potential buyers. Those people buy the car and word of mouth slowly takes over.

Having said all that if times were normal flooding tvs with ads constantly would work but like I said to start, "Why spend the money when your already selling all the cars you can make?"

 

[TBickell]

Agree to a point. You have to be ubiquitous in today's fragmented world. It's not about having one splashy ad with celebrities on one big show. It's about being everywhere especially if this is their make or break product. The You tube reviewers are a great way to get the word out and they didn't even do that right. Yes they are selling because people want new cars and the chip shortage will guarantee that no dealer sits on a lot of inventory but still. Do a better job of getting the word out on what is suppose to be the most important vehicle the brand has launched to date.

 

[mythdoc]

Same here. The runner-up for us was either the Macan or Cayenne. Price was not a factor for us. We simply wanted the best car (taking everything into consideration), regardless of price, and we got it in the GV70. True there are brand conscious people, but these same people.such as ourselves, want the best in class, and I believe many, like us, will opt for the GV70. Once the word gets out about this car, I have little doubt there will be many German buyers who opt to buy the GV70.

This poster continues to post cynical comments even thought he doesn’t own a Genesis and likely has no plans to buy one,

All I did was restate your own observations. Was that unfair? Do you want to take them back now? Assuming you don’t, just to be clear to all the readers and posters, you are saying that between a GV70 and Macan, comparably equipped, you think the GV70 is the better car regardless of price. Yes? Tell us what factors and observations led you to conclude this.

 

[Platinum Jeweler]

I watched the Savageese review again and while I appreciate how he does his reviews he really phoned this one in. They seemed so bored reviewing this thing and if they are going to mock any vehicle that can't turn a zero-60 time in under 4 seconds then stop reviewing. But no that won't happen because these guys are getting rich doing this. They didn't touch on the incredible tech like the finger print ID, the road preview adaptive suspension, eLSD and other features that the competition does not have. There wasn't even a segment where he was driving it. I've watched many of his reviews and even though he said he would get this over the X3 he acted like he could care less. These "reviewers" are starting to get a bit cocky and complacent. But hey... they discovered the golden goose so that's what happens.

I agree on the Savagegeese review even though they liked the GV70 for many reasons. They really do need to give an honest interpretation of each vehicle they review since we look to them for an expert analysis and the compact SUV category is huge, so why be complacent?

 

[SebringSilver]

All I did was restate your own observations. Was that unfair? Do you want to take them back now? Assuming you don’t, just to be clear to all the readers and posters, you are saying that between a GV70 and Macan, comparably equipped, you think the GV70 is the better car regardless of price. Yes? Tell us what factors and observations led you to conclude this.

The Macan is a great car! My assistant has one and she lets me drive it occasionally when we go somewhere together. But they are maybe too successful for their own good and you see them literally everywhere. I haven’t owned a Porsche since my 991.1 and don’t feel a strong urge to get another one (but if Porsche decides to put backseats in the GT3 Touring then maybe that would change). The Macan leans more toward performance whereas the GV70 leans more toward luxury, but both cars have a good measure of each attribute, just in different concentrations.