The last of the Hyundai family trio is here. The Genesis GV60 joins the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6 in offering customers a more luxury option for a compact EV that shares the same platform as its brethren. So is it different enough from the other two to justify the higher price?
Performance
Motor – Here in North America, the 2023 Genesis GV60 is only available with a dual-motor (AWD) layout. The standard GV60, which is called the Advanced, has a total output of 314 hp and 446 lb-ft (234 kW & 605 Nm) which is about the same as the top spec models of the Ioniq 5 and EV6. This demo vehicle is the Performance trim and it has more powerful electric motors that put out 429 hp and 446 lb-ft of torque (320 kW & 605 Nm). However, if you press the little green “Boost” button on the steering wheel, then for the next 10 seconds or less, you’re free to use the full potential of the GV60 which is 483 hp & 516 lb-ft of torque (360 kW & 700 Nm). There’s even a special graphic on the driver display that makes you feel as though you’re in a Fast & Furious movie. This Boost mode is only available on the Performance trim. The acceleration is ferocious whether you’re using Boost mode or not. But obviously with Boost mode, you feel the difference. There’s even a little chirp of the front wheels as the car accelerates from a stop.
Driving Range – With this Performance trim, the Genesis GV60 has an estimated driving range of 378 km (235 miles). If you opt for the Advanced trim, the driving range is an estimated 399 km (248 miles).
Battery & Charging – Regardless of which trim you choose, the GV60 has a 77.4 kWh battery. Charging the car from a level 2 charger will take approximately 7 hours. Charging from a level 3, 350 kW DC fast charger will take 18 minutes from 10% to 80%. But those types of chargers are few & far between so from a more common 50 kW DC fast charger will take just over an hour for the same state of charge.
Braking – The 2023 Genesis GV60 has quite a few ways to slow down. The normal brakes are strong and stop the 2,210 kg (4,872 lbs) mass of this EV with not much effort. You can choose between Comfort & Sport brake pedal feel with Sport being too sensitive in my opinion.
There are 3 different modes of regenerative braking. Levels 0 to 3 provide no regen braking to almost one-pedal driving. i-Pedal is Genesis’ version of one-pedal driving and it is smooth to bring the car to a stop. And finally there’s auto regen braking which uses various sensors to automatically adjust the amount of regen braking that is required for the given driving situation. Personally, I don’t like this mode because it’s always different and never the same. I just use the i-Pedal mode. The regen braking modes are adjusted with the steering wheel mounted paddles.
Handling – This Performance trim of the Genesis GV60 comes equipped with sport tuned electronic dampers. However, they have a tough time dealing with the mass of the GV60 through corners. For the most part, the car feels stable around bends but putting the power down is a challenge that the suspension can’t properly deal with. Of the three Hyundai Motor Company EVs, the Kia EV6 still feels the most sporty to drive and it’s about 300 lbs lighter than this GV60.
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Comfort
Ride Comfort – Although this Genesis GV60 may not be as enjoyable to drive around a twisty road as it’s Kia brother, it is easily the most comfortable of the three. Whether the adaptive dampers are in Comfort or Sport mode, they make the car comfortable over the roughest of roads.
Further aiding to the comfort are the seats which not only offer excellent padding but also have a lot of adjustments and have a “relaxation” mode. This uses the air bladders that are built into the seats to reduce pressure points and promote blood circulation on longer journeys. It’s not quite a body massage but it’s a decent feature after a long day at work.
Interior Space – The 2023 Genesis GV60 has the same amount of headroom, across both rows of seats, as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 on paper. In reality, the sloping roof means that taller occupants in the back seats will feel their hair brushing against the headliner. Front legroom is more similar to that of the Kia EV6 but it has the least amount of rear legroom among the three cars. The front seats can recline to almost make a business class bed on an airline and the front passenger seat can be moved forward for more space in the back via controls on the side. The rear seats have some degree of recline for added comfort.
In the trunk, the Genesis GV60 has 680 L (24 cu-ft) of space with the rear seats up and 1,550 L (54.7 cu-ft) with the seats folded. One thing to note, you have to walk around to the sides of each rear seat in order to fold them down. There’s also a small storage space in the frunk.
Noise, Vibration, & Harshness – This being an electric vehicle, there are absolutely no vibrations from the powertrain. It is as smooth as a lightsaber through butter. Road noise is kept in check and the electric motor whine is a whisper. If you do want some fake noises when you’re driving, there are three options for you. There’s Futuristic, G-engine, and E-motor. Of the three, the E-motor sounds the most natural while the Futuristic is just too obnoxious to my ears. You can also customize these sounds if you choose to.
Odds and Ends
Pricing – The 2023 Genesis GV60 is not a cheap car. The Advanced trim starts at $71,000 CAD ($59,290 USD) with this Performance trim costing $79,000 CAD ($68,290 USD). The only options are the paint, accessories, and protection.
Gadgets – This top spec Performance trim has every feature that can be fitted to the GV60. Soft leather upholstery, heated & ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel, panoramic moonroof (it does not open), hands-free power liftgate, surround view cameras, rear sunshades, head-up display, wireless phone charging and many, many more features.
There are a few gadgets that are rarely seen in cars such as a fingerprint scanner on the center console, a face scanner so that you can use biometrics to open the car, the aforementioned relaxation front seats, and the ability to remotely move the car forwards or backwards in a parking spot without anyone in it.
The infotainment system is the same type that is found in other Genesis vehicles but with a few extra widgets for the EV portion of this car. The graphics look crisp and clear with the menu being well organized. There are physical quick access buttons underneath the climate controls for map, navigation, radio, track skip, and so on. It supports Apple CarPlay & Android Auto connectivity but neither of these apps are able to connect wirelessly.
Interior Design – The cabin of the 2023 Genesis GV60 thoroughly feels and looks like a luxury EV. The seats are real leather on this trim while the rest of the materials are made up of environmentally friendly options. There’s also suede on the door panels with two reflective stripes that are easily visible at night in another car’s headlights.
With this demo vehicle’s particular white & grey colour option, the cabin feels spacious and airy. However, I think that the bezels around the infotainment and instrumentation screens should have been white like in the Ioniq 5. It makes more sense with this choice of interior colour but black and blue are other interior colour options of the GV60.
There are a lot of little storage areas throughout the interior. There’s decently sized door packets, the glove box slides out rather than popping down, the floating center console has a huge bin between the seats, there’s a little cubby next to the front occupant’s feet and a smaller one with a pop down lid, almost like a small glove box.
One of the funkiest design elements of the interior is the gear selector. When the car is off, it shows a crystal ball. Push the button to start the car and the ball rotates to reveal the rotating mechanism for R, N, D and P is right in the middle of it. This is an electronically motorized gadget but there is a lockout right next to D should the motor inside it fail.
Exterior Design – Compared to its siblings, the 2023 Genesis GV60 looks alien. It has smooth flowing curves through its exterior design. The trademark dual LED headlamps and diamond shaped grille are present but the grille isn’t as big as on some other Genesis vehicles. The large 21-inch wheels may seem massive but they fill the wheel wells nicely. The door handles pop out when the car is unlocked and pop back in for a clean look when the car is locked or driving.
Safety – The GV60 is equipped, as standard, with almost every safety feature and driver aid that is available on this model. The only one feature that is available on the Performance trim is the Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist. But every other feature is standard and all of the driver aids work flawlessly including the brilliant Highway Driving Assist that allows for decently long periods of hands-free driving on certain highways. It’s not an Autopilot system and the car will inform you to put your hands back on the steering wheel if you’re inattentive or if it has trouble navigating through certain situations.
The 2023 Genesis GV60 also received a Top Safety Pick+ Award from the IIHS. It received Good scores in all crash tests and Superior marks for the crash avoidance & mitigation systems.
Warranty – The 2023 Genesis GV60 is covered by a 5 year / 100,000 km new vehicle and powertrain warranty in Canada. In the United States, new vehicle warranty is the same at 5 years / 60,000 miles but the powertrain warranty is 10 years / 100,000 miles. Better yet, Genesis vehicles come with a valet service. So when it’s time to take the car for a service, Genesis will pick it up for you and provide a vehicle for you until your car has had its service done. The battery is covered by an 8 year / 160,000 km warranty. For more information on Canadian warranty, click here. For information on USA warranty, click here.
Conclusion – Overall, the 2023 Genesis GV60 is the luxury option of the three cars from Hyundai Motor, as one would expect. There’s a lot of talk on the Genesis website about sporty driving dynamics but the Kia EV6 feels sportier still. In fact, I would not recommend this Performance trim of the GV60 as it costs too much and the upcoming Kia EV6 GT is more powerful and costs a few thousand dollars less. But the Advanced trim is definitely worth considering as it is different enough from the EV6 and the Ioniq 5 and it genuinely feels like a luxury EV.
Thank you to Genesis Canada for providing the vehicle. www.Genesis.com
2023 Genesis GV60 Performance Gallery
