Genesis GV60 All Electric

For those of you who still aren’t aware of the name Genesis (which included a bloke in the hotel car park where this gathering occurred), Genesis is the luxury arm of the Hyundai Group, just like Lexus is to Toyota.

You may remember that last year I reviewed both the GV70 and GV80, two of Genesis’ SUVs, and I really liked them. More recently however, not only have Genesis electrified their GV70 and G80 saloon, but they’ve also created a new SUV in the shape of the GV60, and along with other members of the Northern Group of Motoring Writers, Muddy Madam and I were invited over to Yorkshire to drive the range.

Being the newest vehicle on the Genesis fleet, we were eager to get our hands on the GV60, and with a starting price of ‘just’ over £54,000 we started with the base-spec, Premium.

Calling the Premium the base-spec model is really quite disingenuous as its specification sheet reads like an automotive wish list. It is, however, the only GV60 that ditches four-wheel drive in favour of rear-wheel drive, and with 226 bhp / 168.1 kW, it may also be the least powerful, but it has the best WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure) range of 321 miles.

Jump in and you’re greeted with one of the nicest, and funkiest interiors of any car on the market today - you can’t help but smile.

Everything about it gives the impression that you are in a concept car - examples being the crystal ball on the centre console that spins upside down to reveal the drive selector as soon as you push the starter button, and the funky microphone-looking speakers in the door. Both of these made Muddy Madam very happy (its the little things).

Front and rear passenger room is immense, no matter how tall or wide you are you are never likely to feel claustrophobic. There is so much more positive stuff to write about the interior, but I’ll save that for when I get to borrow one for a week.

Out on the road the Premium’s single rear-mounted electric motor feels sprightly, and will effortlessly get you from 0-60mph in around 7 seconds. That’s all well and good in a straight line, but what about when the roads become twisty? Well, for starters, the steering feels weighty and accurate, and despite it being a heavy car there’s less body lean that you might imagine, and it’s impressively grippy around corners.

The GV60 defaults to Comfort driving mode when you switch it on, but you also have the choice of selecting either Sport or Eco. Sport is the sharpest, obviously, with a quicker accelerator response and heavier steering. Not only does make the driver display gauges glow red, but it also tightens the seat bolsters to grip you around corners.Eco does what it says, and is set up to maximise your range between charges. You can also adjust the strength of the regenerative braking using paddles on the steering wheel, and lifting off the accelerator in Level 4 is so strong that you rarely need to use the foot brake.

After an hour's drive we arrived back at the hotel and both agreed that we are impressed, not only by its comfort and level of poshness, but its power delivery was both super smooth and relentless.

It could be argued that you really don’t need the other, faster models as the Premium is more than adequate. Then we laughed and jumped into the full fat GV60, or Sport Plus as it’s officially called.

Resplendent in Sao Paulo Lime, the Sport Plus comes with a 214bhp electric motor on each axle giving four-wheel drive. Wait, it gets better, there's a Boost button on the steering wheel, and once pushed, for a 10 second bout of utter hooliganism, you have 482bhp on tap.

Press the button and plant your foot and expect to be thrilled and scared at the same time as you’re catapulted from 0-62mph in just 4 seconds. It feels like it too, as you're instantly and forcibly pinned back in your seat. As you would expect, it’s quite addictive, and if you’re wondering why not just have the power available all the time, that’s because constant use would significantly drain the battery.

The GV60 Sport Plus does this amazing thing in which it can casually take you where you want in comfort and style, then turn into a fire-breathing monster at the touch of a button, literally.

The Active Road Noise Cancelling does a great job of doing just that, then the bespoke Bang & Olufsen sound system provides a subtle but rich, high-quality sound with a choice from four moods: relax, energetic, bright and warm.

This particular model had digital side mirrors fitted, and although they’re designed to reduce drag and noise, I couldn’t get used to them, so they’re not an option I would choose.

Despite being cavernous on the inside, the GV60 isn’t a huge car, so threading our way through tiny villages or parking wasn’t a problem.

After another hour or so of driving, both Muddy Madam and I were totally smitten with the GV60’s practicality, looks and of course speed, and agreed that if we had the cash we’d buy one in an instant. That said, there’s obviously a difference between driving one for a few hours and living with one, so as soon as I’ve finished writing this I’ll get onto the PR team at Genesis to ask if we can borrow one for a week.

Our next drive of the day was the new electrified GV70, but I’ll tell you more about that next time.