From charging up other EVs to a crystal sphere that rotates into a gear selector, the Genesis GV60 is filled with innovation and this week we’re taking it for a spin.
Better yet, we’ve got the Performance version that features up to 483 horsepower in Boost mode. More on that in a moment, but first let’s look at its battery and charging.
The GV60 has a 77.4 kWh battery, which is somewhat small given the GV60’s price.
Genesis says the GV60 will go from 10 to 80% of charge in just 18 minutes and is able to add up to 60 miles of range in 5 minutes. While charging at a local EVgo station we saw a peak charging rate of 214 kW.
While the GV60 is certainly one of the fastest charging EV’s available, once you hit 80% you’ll want unplug unless you just have to have that last 20% of charge, because at that point the speed falls off a cliff.
Once our GV60 hit 80% the charging speed slowed down to 20 kW. While driving at 79% of charge the GV60 predicted I had 159 miles of range.
The GV 60’s base price is $58,890 and the pricing climbs to $69,560 – as tested – with the Performance package and optional uyuni white paint. Yes, the color white is a $575 option.
Despite the extra cost, that Performance is something that I would want because it helps set the car apart with its Boost mode and AWD. If you get the GV60 base model you’ll get a vehicle that’s rated to 248 miles per charge. The Performance model knocks that range down to 235 miles, largely because of the wider tires and the gobs of available torque.
Our Performance model is rated at the equivalent of 97 miles per gallon in the city. That drops to 82 MPGe on the highway.
Based on a one day driving evaluation of the GV60, the build quality appeared to be rock solid.
The handling was nice and tight, but compliant and plush. It does a nice job of splitting the difference between what I would call a luxury car and a performance car.
It’s not a sports car, although when it comes to 0-60 acceleration it will certainly beat quite a few lower end ICE sports cars.
As with many new EVs, the GV60 features artificial sound being pumped into the cabin. When punching the accelerator it sounds like something out of a sci-fi series and if you hit the Boost mode button along with mashing the pedal both speed and sound are amplified.
Car and Driver recorded a 3.7 second 0-60 mph run in the GV60. The Boost mode will only last 10 seconds, which is a similar limitation we found when driving the equivalent drive mode set ups in Ford’s Mustang Mach-E GT-Performance and BMW’s i4 M50.
The GV60 takes corners nicely as long as you’re not pushing it hard, although it isn’t going to keep pace at the limit in tight turns with the BMW i4 M50 that we had recently on EV Rider, according to Automotive Addicts editor Malcolm Hogan, who has reviewed both cars for a full week.
While the GV60 might not be quite the canyon carver the i4 M50 is, that’s not its mission. The GV60 is tuned as more of a luxury automobile than perhaps the BMW.
While the BMW has a sportier interior, the GV60 has a bit of a more gee-whiz feel to it, thanks in large part to the crystal sapphire gear shifter I mentioned earlier.
While it doesn’t add any extra functional value it does make for some great eye candy and it’s a conversation starter.
When I showed the GV60 to some neighbors, they got a kick out of the shifter, which I’m sure is exactly why Genesis put the extra effort into it. It’s one more thing to set the EV apart from the pack, and, it’s an increasingly crowded pack as more sport/crossover utility EVs come to market.
Hogan has spent a good bit of time in both the GV60 and its corporate brother, the Hyundai Ionic 5.
“In my in my time with the Genesis GV60 I’ve noticed it’s a much softer vehicle than the platform it’s based on, which is the Hyundai Ionic 5 and I’m pretty impressed with the vehicle. It’s very responsive, pretty powerful. It’s probably one of the better EVs I’ve driven thus far, and I’ve driven quite a few EVs,” Hogan said.
The GV 60 has a number of innovations. Among them is what’s known as a vehicle to load adapter, which turns the car’s battery into a big electric outlet to power things like 220v appliances or even charge another EV. Think of it as the modern-day equivalent of being able to bring a stranded friend a gallon of gas.
The GV60’s infotainment system is one of the best I’ve yet to experience, with big targets on the touchscreen, reinforced with traditional buttons and a jog wheel for many controls.
Unlike some cars with just touchscreens, doing things like tuning stations on the HD Radio is a breeze with redundant physical controls in addition to touch controls.
For a look at the GV60’s other features, such as the frunk, fingerprint reader and more, along with a full road test, watch the video at the top of this post and if you’ve enjoyed this edition of EV Rider, please give the video a like and subscribe to the EV Rider YouTube channel.
