Genesis GV70 Electrified
2022 onwards
I drove the hour or so to Ascot racecourse on a Sunday afternoon, fully expecting an hour, maybe two, behind the wheel. Nothing in the information I'd been given actually gave any indication as to how long the unaccompanied drive would be, but I presumed (incorrectly as it turned out) that it would be a reasonable amount of time.
However, I was escorted down to the car and given a brief but very useful tour of the car and its features and then, before departing out of the gates, told that the drive was for 30 minutes. I did offer a surprised reaction to this, but was told that this was all that had been allotted for these drives.
So, I pulled out (once the gates had been opened) and turned left and drove towards unfamiliar roads.
Whilst I had been to Ascot a few times before, they had always been for work events and I'd driven in and out the same way. So, exiting left was new territory.
On the Road
I drove along the High Street and beyond, eventually turning right and heading towards Sunningdale. I had a thought about going to Wentworth and taking some photos there, but with just half an hour behind the wheel I decided that stopping for photos wasn't really an option. Plus, I didn't actually come out where I'd expected and missed Wentworth completely!
On the road, the GV70 was extremely composed and it dismissed bumps and imperfect road conditions in a manner that my daily drive (the MG5) was entirely incapable of. It drove comfortably and smoothly, with great feel from the wheel and, importantly for me as driver, great support for my large frame (and bottom).
Whilst it drove easily at a slow and refined pace, pushing the throttle pedal showed a great deal of power and acceleration. Like the Mercedes EQE I drove the previous weekend, it wasn't a violent reaction to pushing the 'quiet' pedal, but progress was swift and definitely unstrained. This means that you can make swift progress without conveying a hurried impression to the occupants.
Due to the way I looped around the roads of Surry, some of the roads on which we travelled were ones we had covered on our journey to Ascot. The road surfaces were, in parts, really poor. Whilst they still felt bad in the Genesis, it was a massive improvement over the MG and it didn't unsettle the car in the way it did on our run in. I was really impressed.
In the Cabin
The level of comfort in the GV70 Electrified was extremely good. My seat was a good size and very comfortable. It was, of course, adjustable in many ways via buttons on the seat that were hidden from view, but easy to use. My seat also had a massage function, with various options, and were ventilated as well as heated. This is a major plus in my personal opinion.
The Genesis had a lot of interesting features and I really need more time behind the wheel to explore them. However, one that worked incredibly well and is, I think, something we should see in many more cars of the future, was the blind spot monitors.
Lots of cars have little orange or red warning symbols that appear in the door mirrors when you indicate and try to change lane. However, in the GV70 (or at least in the model I drove with the options included) blind sport imagery was displayed in the dash.
Indicate left and the left blind sport is shown in the place of the speedometer on the left side of the instrument binnacle. Indicate right and the right blind sport is shown in place of the power display on the right side of the binnacle. It isn't immediately intuitive to look there and, in spite of knowing about it before starting driving, I initially didn't use or even notice it. However, I did quickly learn to glance down and check for any obstacles when changing lane. I'm a big fan of this particular option.
I really need to get a longer drive in the car and the opportunity to test carrying passengers, whether it is family or friends, so as to assess the comfort levels for those who I might carry in a professional capacity if I make the purchase. I did get in the back, in the seat immediately behind where I had been sat as the driver, and it was a bit cramped. I could cope there for a reasonable journey, but I wouldn't say it offered executive levels of room and comfort. The Mercedes EQE definitely provided a better environment for rear seat passengers.
That said, I did have the seat set quite a way back and it may well have moved even further back when I powered down and went to exit the vehicle. It is possible that I could find a comfortable driving position that did allow for better rear seat space. This is something that I would expect to test more thoroughly if I get a more sensible test drive.
Range and Charging
With such a short time in the car, I did not really get the chance to assess whether the claimed range was realistic. Therefore, I will have to rely on data from the EV Database (see info at the foot of the review) to offer a guide. The stated range of the car is 283 miles from the car's 77.4 kWh battery. The EV Database states that the range is between 155 and 315 miles.
When you reach a public rapid charger, the GV70 can charge at a rate of 233 kW, enough for it to be quoted as a charging speed of 530mph... So, 265 miles of range can be added in just half an hour.
The Rest of the Genesis Electrified Range
At the moment, the electrified Genesis models are just the G80 saloon and the GV70 SUV. I would hope this will change soon.
The ranges stated in the above table are approximations based upon the combined cycles (city and main roads) in the cold and in warmer weather. These are not guarantees and they are not based upon the experience from my test drive.
You can find lots of information about electric vehicles, past and current, at http://www.ev-database.org
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