Since the Summer 2021 Genesis is now selling cars in Europe. It was obvious for us to get our hands on all the models we got here and for me personally it was obvious to get my hands on a GV70 especially (since I have to give my IONIQ Plugin away).
So here we are, test drove the GV60, G70, GV70 (love on first sight), G80 and GV80 (the others are handled in an additional review that I will publish soon).
Before someone starts to get angry, I still have my Hyundai Genesis Coupe and I think I will keep it forever… (13 years old now) Even when the GV70 is a freaking good car with some of the finest interior extras and a lot of goodies (more on that later), sometimes you need a “rough ride” on the weekend with a manual Coupe who is not the fastest car on earth, but creates tons of fun.
Lets head back to the Genesis company in europe and start with some information:
When you order a Genesis in Europe, or get in touch with them, you first get a GPA (Genesis Personal Assistant). This person is there for all your questions and wishes regarding your Genesis.
For example, I want to have my tires changed, since Genesis does not have any exclusive dealerships in Germany (currently only a showroom in Munich), you tell your GPA, and he/she will arrange a transport for your car to get the tires changed. You will get the same (or bigger/better) car for the time, your car is on the way.
Additionally to the GPA you have a 5 years “all around” service. This also includes all technical services for the 5 years of your guarantee.
The Genesis GV70 itself
The Genesis I ordered has the following configuration:
– Genesis GV70 Sport Package (Vik Black)
– 2,2 Liter Diesel Engine
– Lexicon Audio System
– Comfort package
– Technic package
– Fingerprint authentication
– Sunroof
Exterior
Especially with the Sport Package the GV70 is a very good looking car. The sport package gives the genesis a way better look (IMHO), The front grille and chrome-parts are darker and you have the bigger vents in the front, which l find a very harmonical addition to the overall look.
The rear of the car does look a tiny bit like the rear from the Porsche Macan. But still has its own details to keep the individuality of Genesis. One small sidenote, if you go into reverse or let the car park itself out (backwards), there are some very bright additional rear lights which keep the area behind the car so illuminated that you can see even the tiniest obstacle in the rear-view camera at night.
Talking about cameras, the cameras in the GV70 (it has many of it) are very good at daylight, they do not stutter even at high speeds and they are excellent at nighttime or in areas with bad light conditions.
Interior
Let’s go inside. My car has the stock leather-trim (half leather / black) and even when it is not even the full trim (you can choose nappa-leather for example) it has a fully leather dashboard and door boards which are stitched. Even some way more expensive “premium cars” here in Germany do not come close to this kind of “look and feel”. There is no rattle, everything has a tight clearance.
The 14 inch screen is slightly pointed towards the driver, and has a very good/high resolution. The response is seamless and the menu is even good for HMC beginners. It is very easy to get to 95% of the functions you need.
The included Navigation system is good compared to Android Auto (for example). The maps are accurate, the traffic is always up-to-date (integrated mobile card / Genesis connect) and in some tests the routes the car-navigation and google picked are 99% identical.
One of the highlights is the AR mode. Some of you may know it from Mercedes-Benz, for example, I can tell you the GV70 AR Navigations is great and can compete with the current competitors. It is a very good addition to the (also good) head-up-display.
The seats in the front and in the back of the car have a very high comfort. The driver seat especially has (thanks to the comfort package) its benefits.
You have a massage function (driver side only), adjustable side-pads for more race-feeling (driver only and programmable when in Sport-mode or over a specific speed), heated and cooled seats (both) and very long leg-rests (both).
Lexicon Audio system
This is one of the biggest surprises i had with this car. The Lexicon Audio system is a real steal and must have in my opinion.
It has a wonderful sound. Very good highs, very good mid and strong and clean low/bass. We did a test drive with the lexicon from the GV80 and although the GV80 has slightly better bass it does not really compete with those clean highs from the GV70. One of the best (if not the best) sound systems i have ever experienced in a stock car.
Well done Genesis / Lexicon 🙂
The Engine
The 2,2l Diesel engine (200 hp / 440 nm), is not the most efficient engine you can buy in this class. But around 7,5 L/100km is ok for a car with over 2,000kg weight. But as i said, some competitors have better fuel-efficiency. In my opinion this is ok, due to the fact, Genesis is going to be all-electric in the future and don’t want to “waste” money on a dying engine-segment.
The 440 nm combined with the 4wd are good for around 8 seconds to reach 100km/h. You have a total of 6 drive/terrain modes. The drive modes are Eco, comfort and Sport.
Eco: The engine responds “rather slow” to your foot and is using the highest gear as soon as possible
Comfort: Normal engine behavior, good gear-usage (always in a gear where you can adjust speed or overtake without downshifting), good suspension comfort.
Sport: Fast pedal response, slightly heavier steering, the gearbox is trying to stay in a rather high gear, the driver seat is getting a lower seating surface and “pumped up” side-pads for better lateral support.
The Terrain modes are snow, mud and sand.
I did not have a chance to test them at the moment, i will talk about it in a later review when i have a chance to notice the differences (brace-yourself-winter-is-coming-meme*)
The car itself drives fantastic. Even when driving faster or in sport you don’t have the feeling of driving such a “big and heavy” car. Only in corners you notice some differences to smaller cars since you are reaching the limit of the tires faster.
First impressions after 3000km:
Great start for Genesis and me.
The delivery was easy and fast, the people (delivery-man and my GPA) are nice and courteous.
This car is full of nice gimmicks, comfort and an extremely wonderful sound system.
Even when i am sometimes missing the Sport+/Custom drive mode (not available with the Diesel engine) I have to admit this is a very good driving car, which can run thousands of kilometers without hassle and even when you are faster (160+ km/h) the car stays very silent inside. The comfort is more than enough for long rides and on top of all this you get an also beautiful design (especially Sport package) and many people who ask you about the car.
As soon as I test more of the options (Terrain Modes for example), the service for the car and have around 15,000km with it, I will make another post to keep every reader updated on how the car is doing.
See you soon for future updates!
