2023 Genesis GV60 with style, luxury and speed

Hyundai and related subsidiaries – namely Genesis and Kia – have hit the ground running with the deployment of their most advanced electric platform, E-GMP. First introduced in late 2021 with the Hyundai Ioniq 5, it’s now time for Genesis’s take on the platform with the luxurious and powerful 2023 Genesis GV60 Performance.

Genesis is Hyundai’s high-end offshoot sub-brand intended in the same way as Lexus is to Toyota, or Infiniti is to Nissan. The Genesis marque offers a selection of luxurious sedans and SUVs that prioritise a premium experience over an affordable price point.

The Genesis GV60 is the smallest of the brand’s three SUVs and is designed as a ground-up electric vehicle. The design has taken into account the lack of mechanical components to maximise interior space, so you won’t find a large transmission hump eating into passenger footwells.

The design also incorporates a futuristic slew of whacky design touches and quirky features – but more on that within the review.

The Genesis GV60 line-up comprises a two-strong offering. Pricing begins at $103,700 for the self-titled GV60 AWD and ends at $110,700 for the GV60 Performance AWD. Both these figures exclude all applicable on-road costs and delivery charges, so expect to pay more once it’s on the road and registered.

These two specifications differ slightly in their powertrain outputs and equipment levels. Whereas the entry-level GV60 delivers 234kW/605Nm to all four wheels, the GV60 Performance boasts 360kW/700Nm in Boost mode and comes with larger 21-inch wheels, as well as adaptive suspension and an electronic limited-slip rear differential.

It’s the latter variant that this review broaches – the GV60 Performance AWD range-topper. Once you buy the flagship GV60 variant, there are virtually no extra boxes to tick in terms of options, just extra-cost paint colours such as this car’s $2000 Matterhorn White matte finish.

You also get a five-year complimentary Chargefox subscription, or a home wallbox charger installed at your home – Genesis lets you choose. This is an appreciated gesture, and to provide free installation is generous from the Korean brand.

The Genesis GV60 Performance’s $110,700 price puts its squarely in the range of premium electric vehicles such as the $100,235 Tesla Model Y Performance and $104,900 BMW iX3.

Genesis quotes a 466km cruising range (WLTP) from the 77.4kWh lithium-ion battery pack. It recharges at one of the quickest rates available in Australia, up to 350kW DC fast charging that takes the car from 10 to 80 per cent charge in as little as 18 minutes.

At first glance inside the GV60’s cabin, you’re wowed by a collection of interesting design touches such as the crystal ball gear selector and the chintzy door trims.

It’s a decidedly modern and futuristic-looking interior layout, while the blue leather-appointed upholstery presents a striking impression paired with that highlighter yellow contrast stitching. There are silver plastic trim pieces on the door cards and around the centre console, but for mine, these are not up to the task of a premium offering. The plastics feel hollow and tacky, which is surprising given the outlandish visual appeal (and the price tag). The leather doesn’t feel particularly premium underhand either.

With the lack of a transmission tunnel, there’s a load of room for your legs to flay about as needed, and the seating position affords a good view out of the cabin – if perhaps a little high. Taller drivers might not be able to get the steering wheel low enough in order to see the digital instrument cluster.

The seats are plush enough for the job and have heating/cooling functionality easily accessed by a button on the centre console.

The cabin won’t be to everyone’s tastes – it wasn’t to mine – but there’s no doubt there’s a certain space-aged theme to the interior that will find appeal with the right buyer.

Storage-wise, you’re well covered off with big dual cupholders in the floating centre console, a big centre console bin, a storage spot under the dash, a drawer-style glovebox, and wide door cards for large drink bottles.

There are rear-view mirror screens awkwardly placed at the top of the door cards to take the place of traditional side mirrors. These are incredibly difficult to use in practice, most notably when reverse parking. There is little spacial context available with a screen as opposed to a mirror, which makes it all the more odd that there are large side camera housings attached to the side of the car like normal side mirrors. I don’t understand the point, but I digress…

Back seat passengers are well covered off with ample legroom and good headroom. Amenities in the back include sun blinds, heated seating, USB-C ports, a central armrest with cupholders, and air vents placed on the B-pillars.

There is a nifty 250-volt mains-style power outlet below the rear seat bench too.

The boot contains 432L of space and can expand to 1460L if the rear seats are folded in 60/40 fashion. There’s also a small 20L space under the front bonnet.

Under the boot floor there’s a compartmentalised space to store things like charge cables and storage nets, while the items above can be hidden away by a cargo blind.

The Genesis GV60 scores a pair of 12.3-inch screens that cover off infotainment and the instrument cluster gauges. These are placed side-by-side one another, effectively giving a widescreen dash array.

A colour head-up display is also situated above the affair, for the driver.

The software underneath the infotainment and instrument cluster functions very well and looks very slick in its design. There are menu items simply displayed horizontally across the screen, while you can also jump to certain functions thanks to shortcut buttons below the air-conditioning panel.

There annoyingly isn’t a dedicated phone shortcut, however there is a favourites button that can be set to your preferred function.

You can configure the instrument cluster to show varying information, with my favourite feature being the infographic widget that displays what the powertrain is doing at any given moment. You can even have a camera feed displayed on the instrument cluster to effectively provide a see-through bonnet.

The GV60 Performance is fitted with a 17-speaker Bang and Olufsen sound system that sounds pretty epic across the board. You get lovely bass pumping through the cabin and a clear top end that makes your tracks sound incredible at higher volumes.

Interestingly, there is no wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. You have to plug your phone into the car to access the technology, which is pretty old hat in this futuristic model.

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program has safety-tested the 2023 Genesis GV60 to a full five-star rating based on 2020–22 criteria.

It scores 89 per cent for adult occupant protection, 89 per cent for child occupant protection, 63 per cent for vulnerable road users, and 88 per cent for safety assist systems.

Genesis equips the GV60 with an impressive array of safety measures in both active and passive respects.

Standard inclusions equate to: autonomous emergency braking (pedestrian and cyclist detection), AEB for junctions, adaptive high beams, lane-keep assist, lane-following assist, parking collision avoidance assist (reverse, forward and side), safe exit assist, 360-degree camera, adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert, and traffic sign recognition.

The adaptive cruise control and lane-following measures combine to allow easy cruising on the freeway, though you can’t take your hands off the wheel or it’ll become annoyed. It does a good job of keeping speed and reacting to cars merging in front, and you can handily change the parameters of the system in the settings.

There are eight airbags including a centre front airbag on the GV60.

Genesis provides a five-year warranty (unlimited kilometres) for the GV60, and it’s handily accompanied by free servicing for the first five visits. These services should be completed at 12-month or 15,000km intervals, whichever is first.

Curiously, the warranty doesn’t extend to everything. Genesis only warrants against paint defects for 12 months (unlimited km), and it’ll only fix defects relating to rattles and squeaks up to a measly 1500km.

As part of the Genesis service experience, the first owner will be provided with a loan car during servicing, so long as you’re within a 70km radius of Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane. Five years of roadside assistance is provided too.

Along with the purchase of a GV60, Genesis offers five years of complimentary Chargefox vehicle charging, or installation of a home charger.

Combined, these complimentary inclusions make the Genesis an appealing no-added-costs purchase.

Insurance is on par with other vehicles in this segment at $3215.73 per annum for a 35-year-old male living in Chatswood near Sydney. This is compared to $4328 for an iX3 and $2920 for the Tesla Model Y. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

Our GV60 Performance claims to run 19.1kWh/100km in terms of energy consumption, and we find the car runs fairly close to that claim returning 20.3kWh/100km. This means the car should travel around 380km on a full 77.4kWh charge. This doesn’t quite equate to Genesis’s claimed 466km range, though this figure will vary based on things like individual driving styles, location, topography, climate, vehicle condition, and accessories installed.

I made an effort to use fast chargers where available, with hit-and-miss effect. Out of a 180kW charger I recouped energy at a max 116kW rate, and out of a 350kW charger I received a maximum 173kW rate. In earnest, this has little to do with the car, and more to do with the charging networks.

According to Genesis, the GV60 has the capability to recharge at a 350kW max rate. I never quite achieved that rate when I connected to a 350kW charger, though that’s likely an issue with the charger rather than the car itself.

As with most electric ‘performance’ vehicles on the market these days, the GV60 is largely a point-and-shoot operator. With that, I mean you point it in a straight line, and it shoots off down the road at an eye-widening pace.

The car runs normally on 320kW/605Nm outputs, sent to all four wheels, though a Boost mode ups the ante with 360kW and 700Nm providing ultimate acceleration for 10 seconds at a time. This Boost mode is easily accessed by a fluoro steering wheel button and it primes the car for sporty driving by inflating the bolsters (to hold you in) and puts the car into sport mode (activates the adaptive dampers and sharpens throttle response).

Straight-line acceleration is incredible under full throttle – you’re pinned right into the seat back and it’s a forward surge that doesn’t relent (there are no gear changes to pause the sensation).

However, the GV60 struggles to back up that dynamism through corners. There’s no hiding the car’s 2210kg heft when going around bends – the dampers do firm up to make the best of the situation, but you really have to wash off speed before turning in and managing the tall hatch body through twistier sections. Steering feel is a good, hefty weight that reassures what you’re dealing with, though ultimate feel from the tiller is lacking.

When you’ve calmed down and re-selected normal mode, there’s an odd delay after pressing the throttle – the car doesn’t give full power for a brief moment and conversely there’s also a ‘rev hang’ effect whereby it continues applying power for a fraction of a second after you’ve come off the throttle. This is an odd phenomenon and doesn’t overtly detract from the experience, but is something to keep in mind when in traffic.

The steering-wheel-mounted paddles can change the amount of regeneration experienced, even resulting in a ‘one pedal’ drive mode at maximum regeneration.

Cabin comfort remains high for everyday driving with a supple ride control over all manner of road surfaces. Larger imperfections are absorbed without much stress and the GV60 doesn’t pick up minor imperfections either. In fact, road and tyre noise on the whole are impressively well managed, especially with the lack of engine noise, which would usually drown everything out.

For a buyer to walk past the established prestige brands and their high-end electric products, such as the BMW iX3 and Tesla Model Y, Genesis GV60 buyers are looking to sample something a little bit different, perhaps something even quirky.

Quirky is what the Genesis GV60 delivers in spades. Be it the weird glowing orb gear selector or in-your-face colour scheme, this is a product that doesn’t subscribe to the typical luxurious playbook.

But there are some aspects that don’t hit the luxury brief at all, such as certain interior materials choices or the what-were-they-thinking digital mirrors.

However, in all, there is no denying the electric architecture underneath is one of the best on the market. It’s hugely fast, easy to recharge, and offers a solid amount of range.

As well, Genesis offers a respectable after-sales care program to make sure your transition to electric is as smooth as possible. This is exactly the kind of care you’d expect from a premium purchase.