Styling
There's still something mighty appealing about the 'smoothed-off pebble' look of the Genesis GV60 (not to mention aerodynamic, with a 0.29Cd rating). The facelift for the 2024 model year was subtle and essentially gave more definition to the front and rear lamp clusters, which are more clearly separated at the front and bejewelled too, while the sides were also discreetly tidied up as well. Overall, though, it remains a distinctive-looking thing and is the Genesis which most stands out on the roads when you pass one going the other direction or travelling on the motorway; the gorgeous 21-inch 'technical-spoke' alloys are also a big hit too. About the only bone of contention with the appearance of the GV60 is what you would call it - some refer to this as an SUV, but for us it just seems like a large hatchback. At 4.5 metres long, less than 1.6 metres tall and about two metres wide with only 160mm of ground clearance, its stance doesn't feel remotely jacked-up or with any pretence at off-road purpose; we guess if you call a
Kia EV6 an SUV or a crossover, you'll do the same for the Genesis too, but we're not in that camp ourselves.
Interior
The GV60 has always had a lovely, well-built and ergonomically correct cabin, and that continues in the facelift car. There's a little bit of theatre with that globe-shaped shifter, which rotates from its default 'glass orb' look when the car is powered off to the rotary dial to control the transmission when you get ready to go, and then a smashing layout that has only been enhanced by a stronger level of standard equipment for the updated cars. The twin 12.3-inch digital screens both look nice and work well, with a large degree of configurability, but the retention of a physical, dedicated climate control panel cannot be underestimated. Material finishing is the centrepiece, though, with our test car featuring wonderfully plush blue leather upholstery, complemented by blue carpets/mats, door cards, dash top and steering wheel, all offset by a tasteful bronze-gold finish for the main trim details that's replicated on the piping of the seats. It gives the Genesis' cabin a suitably upmarket ambience and we heartily approve. As, also, we do of regular glass door mirrors, rather than the gimmicky camera option which has been seen on the GV60 from time to time. Seems as if it has been removed from the UK configurator, though, so we're clearly not alone in this viewpoint.
Practicality
There's enough room for four adults to sit comfortably onboard the Genesis GV60, thanks to a lengthy wheelbase of 2,900mm. While it's maybe not the most capacious vehicle of its size/price equivalent - whether you consider it an SUV or not - it's decent enough and there's also a 432-litre boot to play with at the back. Again, that's not vast for a car at this level of expenditure, but it should suffice most needs, with up to 1,550 litres on offer if you fold the second row of seating down.
Performance
There's little reason to complain about the straight-line pace of the GV60 Sport Plus. You need to remember to press the little yellow-green 'Boost' button on the steering wheel to liberate the full 490hp/700Nm, but when you do the Genesis is hilariously quick. It's nicely calibrated, though, so the (rapid) increase in speed feels linear and 'natural', rather than simply being thumping electric acceleration for the sake of it. Happily, when the GV60 is not in 'Mad Mode', the throttle and brake pedals are both easy to modulate, while there's enough grunt to the powertrain that it doesn't feel gutless. Honestly, the Magma might be on the way and it will feature a sharpened chassis, but it doesn't strictly need 500- or 600hp-plus to go with it; this dual-motor Genesis is more than swift enough for most reasonable people's needs.
Where it's not quite so impressive is in economy. Genesis officially claims around 3.3 miles/kWh, enough for a quoted one-shot range of nearly 300 miles. However, our first drive involved a long motorway run down to Gatwick airport, a distance just shy of 190 miles, and it was touch-and-go on whether the GV60 would make it. It ran for four hours at 2.7 miles/kWh, leaving us on the electrical equivalent of fumes by the time we rolled off the M23 towards LGW. And, across the course of a week of testing, covering a hefty 689 miles in the process, every time we fully charged the car we got an indicated maximum range of c.220 miles, with the Sport Plus averaging out to 2.7 miles/kWh by the end of the period. Sure, with careful driving at lower speeds and lots of regen phases, you might get the GV60 beyond the 3 miles/kWh mark when the weather's nice outside... but we guess anyone using it for a greater proportion of mixed-roads use are going to be working with 200-220 miles at most. Possibly less in the depths of winter.
Ride & Handling
Despite the mammoth 21s at the corners and the power output of nearly 500hp, the GV60 Sport Plus has very pleasant ride comfort and rolling refinement. It's quiet at speed, as you'd expect of something prestigious and upmarket that's fitted with plenty of hidden sound-deadening, which has no internal combustion engine, and which has a slippery, aerodynamic shape to cut through the air with the minimum of fuss, but thankfully the damping can also efficiently soak up lumps and bumps in the tarmac and keep itself to a hushed dignity while it's doing so. This GV60 is maybe not the most comfortable car you'll ever travel in, but it's certainly one of the best in its particular class (EVs in the £50-70k bracket, loosely speaking) so that's a boon.
It also handles tidily, with particular praise reserved for steering that's surprisingly weighty and effective. However, it favours outright grip and impressive dual-motor traction to get itself down the road at pace, rather than any sort of delicate and delectable chassis adjustment or playfulness. That's not necessarily an unusual trait in an AWD EV that weighs in the region of two tonnes, so perhaps the Genesis can't be criticised too heavily in this regard, but it's nevertheless clear that the 'Sport Plus' part of this GV60's name relates to its bonkers straight-line speed, rather than the way it tackles a series of challenging corners on your favourite road. It's undoubtedly effective; it's just not massively memorable, but at least it leaves plenty of 'dynamic headroom' in the GV60 range for the impending Magma to occupy.
Value
At a starting price of £54,855, the GV60 range isn't what you'd call affordable, especially when a
Tesla Model 3 starts at less than 40 grand and even a base-spec
BMW i4 kicks off at £51,280 - and both of those marques, whether you agree or not, either have a more established reputation as EV manufacturers and/or legacy carmakers. For a 'new' brand like Genesis to gain traction, it really ought to undercut at least the Beemer, even if selling it at Tesla levels may not be feasible, and when our optioned-up Sport Plus was as near as makes no difference £75,000, you can see the price might be biggest stumbling block to owning (or leasing) a GV60. As you'd expect of a Korean car, and a top-end Korean car at that, Genesis gives you lots of desirable equipment as standard on the GV60 Sport Plus, but there is still the facility to add some expensive options from the dealership that will push the basic price of £68,455 to the sort of level of our tester.
Verdict
With only modest tidying of its exterior looks to talk about, the Genesis GV60 Sport Plus remains a compelling, if unusual choice in the premium EV sector. Its rounded appearance remains distinctive and its strengths of a quality interior, lots of standard kit, plenty of pace from its dual-motor drivetrain and comfortable, refined driving manners continue, making this Korean car a strong all-rounder. Its handling is a bit inert, it can be expensive if you're injudicious with tick boxes come ordering time, and the real-world range is closer to 200 miles than it is to 300, but generally we still like GV60 plenty - and the arrival of the exciting and intriguing Magma variant, therefore, can't come soon enough.
