TRAVIS LANGNESS: If you're entering the EV market these days, there are two pretty white hot segments to do it in, pickup trucks and luxury vehicles. And if you don't really make a pickup truck, well, there's only one place left to go.
Enter the 2023 Genesis GV 60. It's a compact crossover, it's fully electric, and, yes, it's here to take on vehicles like the Tesla Model Y. Now, of course, there are other competitors out there, stuff like the Ford Mustang Mach-E, the Audi e-tron, and the Volvo XC40 Recharge. So what makes the GV 60 different? Well, let's find out.
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This is the first all electric vehicle for the Genesis brand which is a big deal. Because right now, luxury and electric go together pretty well. That's why it makes sense for Hyundai to take its Ioniq 5 EV and create a version for the Genesis brand to cater to its own clientele.
Genesis, in case you missed it, is the luxury brand that Hyundai spawned recently. And that's how we got here, the GV 60. The GV 60 is a small SUV slotting in below crossover relatives like the GV 70 and 80 both of which have scored highly in our Edmunds' rating tests. But those models are powered by gasoline. And the GV 60 is not. So what exactly do you get?
You get a choice between rear wheel drive and all wheel drive or performance all wheel drive. And according to Genesis' horsepower claims and range estimates, here are the numbers. Rear wheel drive, 225 horsepower and 280 miles of range. All wheel drive, 314 horsepower and 249 miles of range. Performance all wheel drive, 429 horsepower and 229 miles of range.
Now all of these models get a 77.4 kilowatt hour battery pack. They even get an electronic limited slip differential. Oh, yeah, they do. You also get a boost mode for 10 second bursts of extra juice and a drift mode that Genesis calls athletic driving. I'm here for it. I'd like to go ahead and put my name down too for the first person to drift mode in an electric SUV.
Now what about pricing? Genesis hasn't announced anything official yet. And we don't know exactly when it'll go on sale. But we have a rough estimate. If we had to guess, it seems like the GV 60 will steer clear of the high pricing from Audi and Jaguar, the $70,000 mark and stick towards prices like the Tesla and the Ford have in this pricing range around $50,000.
Around the exterior of the vehicle, a few things stand out. The front fascia certainly isn't bland. I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing yet. There's a clamshell hood, digital mirror cameras, electronic door handles. Is this thing trying too hard? There are some clean design lines. But from the rear 3/4, it just looks kind of bland. And the wheels, I'm not sold yet on those either. They look a little bit too Pontiac Aztecy.
Enough roasting. Because the GV 60 appears perfectly sized for what most shoppers will need. It sits low to the ground for easy access to get into the inside. And it's got a big greenhouse, lots of headroom. So passengers will have lots of room inside. I'm digging those roof rails too. They're easy for me to reach. And how rad would it be if a bunch of GV 60s were running around with Thule roof boxes or mountain bikes? I don't see a lot of that on Mach-Es. At least not yet.
The GVC 60 experience starts before you even get in. If you touch the door handle and show your face, a small camera will tell that it's you, recogonize your face, and unlock the car then adjust the seats, steering wheel, and infotainment settings to your preference. Genesis calls this Face Connect. It's a little bit strange especially if you like to dress up as Ted Lasso on the weekend. Like will the car recognize me if it thinks I'm Jason Sudeikis? Should I shave the mustache?
There's a fingerprint mode too. You can drive your car without the key simply by using your fingerprint. Inside the GV 60, you have a similar overall design and aesthetic to existing Genesis models with some key differences. This two tone colourway and a third accent stitching color definitely catches your attention. And there are playful ovals placed throughout the cabin to make it feel friendly and welcoming.
And then, of course, these steering wheel buttons look like missile launchers which is always a good thing. You've also got a massive screen that stretches from in front of the driver to the traditional center of the touch screen area, a lot like the Mercedes MBUX system. But here it's controlled by a dial just like in the Genesis GV70 and others.
We're lukewarm on this dial. Because it definitely looks cool, and it's fun to spin around, but execution can be a bit clunky when you use it. And that brings us to my crystal ball. Actually, Genesis calls it a crystal sphere. You rotate it to control the transmission. But when the GV 60 is off, it also turns into the car's source for mood lighting.
Listen, I'm as comfortable with an all seeing, all knowing orb as you are, but it does look pretty good in person. As far as charging this bad boy, there's a lot to learn. First of all, where are you going to charge them? Well, Genesis plans to build dedicated proprietary systems for its cars to use in Korea. As far as the US, it's still a mystery though.
Hyundai and Genesis could start building their own stations, or they could strike a deal with Chargepoint, Electrify America, or similar companies to use their existing infrastructure. For now, it's part of the GV 60 mystique. And there are still plenty of other details about charging the GV 60. There have been reports that it will be able to charge itself wirelessly.
But we're not sure yet if that'll make it to the US. Who's to say? If you use a fast charging station, Genesis claims you can get the GV 60 from a 10% charge to 80% in just 18 minutes. But chargers that fast are rare in the US currently. So maybe that's something we'll just have to wait on. What we do know is the GV 60 will include battery conditioning which is where the car automatically prepares the battery for the best charging temperatures possible on its own, on a hot or cold day, for instance.
Of course, it will tell you, the owner, how to help, like the best time of day to charge and where to find an optimal station. The car will work with you to get the fastest, most efficient charge possible. That seems like a good thing that we'll get here after all.
After our first look at the GV 60 today, I'd say that all luxury EV automakers should definitely take a look over their shoulders. Because what's clear is that this is not just an automaker trying to get in on the rush to do it. Genesis is jumping in with both feet. The most important thing of all is that the GV 60 has us wanting more. And I think it's enticing enough to maybe start attracting people who haven't considered an EV before.
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