Test drive: 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70 boosts the luxury SUV

When the Genesis GV70 launched for 2022, I advised a friend who’d been car shopping for months to wait for it. He couldn’t afford the Jaguar F-Pace, wanted something that stood out more than the Audi Q5, and didn’t want his brother’s BMW X5. I brought the GV70 to his driveway.

“What the hell is this?”

Two days later, he was leasing it. He loves it. But the electric version of the GV70 luxury crossover, launched new this year on the same platform, is even better.

It has the same distinct design hallmarks as the gas GV70, except with a secret charge port in the solid crest-shaped grille. It looks more mainstream and more luxurious than the quirky but lovable GV60 hatchback, which was the first full battery electric model by Genesis.

It’s a better GV70, quicker than the excellent twin-turbo V-6 despite being 500 pounds heavier, and it’s much quieter, giving it a performance duality unique to electric vehicles. Yet it retains the same sumptuous interior design, even if it’s not as spacious as it could be if it didn’t share a platform with the combustion GV70.

The range and efficiency come up short of competitors, and the range plummets at highway speeds of 75 mph or more. For shoppers looking for an around-town luxury crossover that won’t go on many long road trips, it stands above other luxury electrics that share a gas platform, including the Audi Q8 E-Tron.

Con: Electrified GV70 name

If it wasn’t clear, let me reiterate: the Electrified GV70 is a full battery electric vehicle. No gas engine, no gas generator, no hybrid. There’s enough confusion from automakers’ marketing departments (see Toyota) on vehicle propulsion classifications that the Electrified GV70 is not only a mouthful but potentially misleading. The term “electrified” could apply to any propulsive motor component, including hybrids, plug-in hybrids, even a mild hybrid with a 48-volt electrical system assisting the start/stop function, such as Volvo now has throughout its lineup. They could say they’re the first with an electrified lineup. This electric GV70 is all electric all the time.

2023 Genesis Electrified GV70

2023 Genesis Electrified GV70 test drive review

2023 Genesis Electrified GV70

Pro: Genesis GV70 interior design

Like the GV70, it’s gorgeous inside. White is never a good leather choice for families, but the quilted Glacier White nappa leather in my tester teamed with elliptical touch panels and metallic buttons to make for a special welcome every time. A thin band of vents hooded with black leather and white cross stitching topped the dash, and the elliptical design flair graces all the details, from the climate panel to the door and glove box latches. The only hiccup is how the 14.5-inch touchscreen, which is controlled by a console dial, sits atop the dash like a shoebox.

Pro and Con: Not optimized for electric vehicle platform

Like the 2024 Audi Q8 E-Tron and Volvo XC40 Recharge, the Electric GV70 shares a platform with its gas-powered counterpart. In addition to saving automakers money from designing a new platform, it provides a familiar bridge to introduce customers to electric vehicles. It looks and feels like the gas GV70. But that limits all the space saving and open floor plans that can be optimized on a vehicle that doesn’t need a drive shaft tunnel or other mechanical components not used by an EV.

Pro: Electrified GV70 ride quality

The Electric GV70 rides smoother, quieter, and more luxuriously than not only the gas GV70 but most other crossover SUVs on the road. It’s whisper quiet, even on 20-inch wheels. Supplementing the fully independent suspension is an electronically controlled suspension that uses the driver-assist system’s cameras and sensors to control the damping and effectively iron out road wrinkles before you hit them. It also has a feature called Active Noise Control-Road that combats road noise with sound waves at opposite frequencies, Genesis says.

2023 Genesis Electrified GV70

Con: GV70 estimated range falls short of reality

EV owners know that mile range estimates are not to be trusted. They’re far more varied than in a gas car, especially on a highway. It’s best to stick with the battery percentage meter, which in the Electrified GV70 is a couple layers into the touchscreen. The mile range appears in the cluster, same as it would the gas car. Knowing that, I was surprised how quickly the Electrified GV70 lost range at highway speeds of 75 mph. On two separate trips of the same distance to and from the same place, I started with 62 miles left, according to the trip meter; I drove 33.7 miles and had 22 miles remaining when I stopped on both trips. Losing 6.3 miles of range out of an estimated 40 is a loss rate of 15.75%…

Con: Electrified GV70’s limited range

…and since the range tops out at 236 miles, it’s not a good car for drivers who log lots of highway miles. If I were to drive the same rate of speed in the same conditions, which was relatively flat, climate control off, and perfect 65-degree weather for an EV, I’d have less than 200 miles of real highway range. On those two trips I didn’t press the Boost button on the steering wheel that, for 10-second increments, boosts output from 429 hp to 483 hp. Normally I would have, especially at on-ramps.

Estimated and actual range is an imperfect calculation to be sure and subject to many variables, but that percentage loss rate gives some indication of what I could expect in real-world highway driving. The Electrified GV70’s range estimate appears to be a best-case scenario, more optimistic and less reliable than most other EVs I’ve tested. Maybe I need to drive at 55 mph and in a tunnel to come closer to its estimates.

Pro: Quick DC-fast charging

The upside, however, is that Hyundai vehicles and their 800-volt architecture result in some of the quickest DC fast-charging times of any electric automaker. In the real world, at an Electrify America bay rated at 150 kw but with a charge speed that peaked at 188 kwh, it met Genesis’ estimates, charging from 12-79% in 18 minutes, delivering 54 kwh of total power back to the 77.4-kwh battery pack.

The Electrified GV70 is a quicker, cleaner, quieter but no less luxurious take on its gas counterpart. It’s about $8,000 more than a similarly equipped 2024 GV70 3.5T AWD Sport, but since it’s manufactured in Alabama, it should qualify for half, or $3,750, of the revised $7,500 federal EV tax credit for eligible shoppers. Another consideration: It’s sold in only 23 states due to parent company Hyundai’s compliance with emissions laws based on states.

2023 Genesis Electrified GV70

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2023 Genesis Electrified GV70 AWD Prestige

Base price: $66,975, including $1,125 destination

Price as tested: $74,350

Drivetrain: 77.4-kwh battery pack, 160-kw front and 160-kw rear motors, 429 hp (483 hp with 10-second boost) and 516 lb-ft of torque

EPA range and efficiency: 236 miles of range, 2.7 miles per kwh, 91 MPGe

The pros: Style, ride quality, quick fast charging

The cons: Name, range

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