2023 Genesis Electrified GV70 Review: An Electric Luxury Rocket

It has a boost button, and you’re going to want to use it.

Published June 10, 2023

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Updated June 10, 2023

Genesis has been killing it with every new car that rolls onto the lot lately. One of their biggest standouts has been the GV70 crossover. Its combination of performance, value and luxury is unrivaled in its segment. It beats out stiff, seasoned competition like the BMW X3 and Audi Q5 to be our choice for the best luxury compact crossover.

The lone knock on the GV70 — one that could be leveled at much of the Genesis lineup — is fuel economy. The Korean luxury brand built a new combustion crossover in the 2020s, and it’s not that thrifty of one. The GV70 earns 22 mpg in city driving and 28 mpg on the highway. That dips to a pickup truck-like 19 mpg city and 24 mpg highway if you upgrade to the V6.

A natural response to the GV70 would be, “Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if Genesis built a GV70 — but electric?” And someone at Genesis apparently thought so. because that’s precisely what the company did with the 2023 Electrified GV70. It’s not a quirky E-GMP vehicle like the GV60 or Hyundai Ioniq 5. It’s a GV70 built on the same platform, but with a dual-motor electric powertrain pumping out 429 horsepower (483 hp with boost mode engaged) and 516 lb-ft of torque.

Genesis loaned me an Electrified GV70 to test for a week around my home in Southeastern Michigan. And I loved almost every minute of it spent behind the wheel.

The 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70: What We Think

The Genesis Electrified GV70 has a lot going for it. It’s lovely to cruise around in. It looks and feels premium. It’s practical. And it does not require a drop of gasoline to operate. I enjoyed driving it as a family car for a week. What I’m not sure about is who is going to buy an Electrified GV70.

Genesis says there is “extremely limited availability” for the Electrified GV70 and only in certain states. And starting at $65,580, it’s hard to make a case for the Electrified GV70 being a great value proposition. Its main rival, the Tesla Model Y, offers more range, better charging infrastructure, and — as of this writing at least — pricing that tops out around $11,000 cheaper. I wish there were a tuned-down, more affordable version.

The Genesis Electrified GV70 is a low-key EV

Genesis describes the Electrified GV70’s looks as “minimalist.” It’s hard to tell it’s an EV at all. The Electrified GV70 looks almost exactly like the combustion GV70. It carries no EV badging. Its shiny faux grille could pass for a functional one at first glance. And the telltale EV charging point is hidden within that grille. Where the E-GMP cars are loud and proud to be electric, the Electrified GV70 blends right into the crowd.

The Genesis Electrified GV70 can be an absolute rocket

Slow EVs can feel quick with instant torque. Quick EVs like the Electrified GV70 can feel almost alarmingly rapid in everyday traffic. Car and Driver clocked the Electrified GV70 accelerating from 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds, the same speed as the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. You even get to press a Boost button. You get some torque steer. The tires squeal for grip. It’s fun — perhaps too much fun for safe operation on well-trafficked roads — but fun.

The Electrified GV70 doesn’t drive like a spry, lightweight sports car. It checks in at 4,982 pounds, which is more than 500 pounds heavier than the larger 3.5T GV70. But that weight is low and keeps you planted. And with a stiffer chassis than the standard GV70, the Electrified GV70 seemed remarkably well-balanced and controlled (not to mention quiet and comfortable). It would make an excellent grand tourer (for the sort of limited-range tours one could do with an EV).

Driving the Electrified GV70 for a week was almost devoid of driving annoyances. The exception was the sketchy rear emergency braking that caught a glimpse of taillights in my daughter’s school parking lot and slammed me to a stop so hard, I was certain I’d hit something.

The GV70’s interior is excellent

Hyundai Group (Hyundai, Kia, Genesis) excels at interiors. The Electrified GV70 is more staid than the GV60 — there’s no transforming crystal shift knob — but its quality and design elevate a $70,000 SUV to feel like a $100,000 one. Genesis sweats the small (but consequential) stuff — like the frequently used control knobs being made of knurled metal — to make the car feel a bit more substantial. There’s also a generous amount of space behind the second row with the seats up, nearly 29 cubic feet. I tossed my son’s baseball gear and family picnic items in the back without a second thought.

The Electrified GV70’s range is passable … but only just

The Electrified GV70 has 236 miles of range. Factor in charging to just 80 percent as you would on most road trips, and that works out to 188 miles. That’s enough to cover even masochistic commutes; I wouldn’t drive that much in a week if I weren’t a car journalist. But the point of range anxiety isn’t getting stranded by the road; you’ll charge before that. It’s that the range is constantly in mind and forcing you to plan and alter plans. I don’t have a Level 2 EV charger at home; after a few days of school runs and drug store trips, I had to back off taking the Electrified GV70 on my ~110-mile test route.

The good thing is that Genesis has maybe the best fast-charging tech on the market (certainly among relatively affordable EVs). And if you can find a functioning 350-kW fast charger — definitely an if — the Electrified GV70 can replenish from 10–80 percent in 18 minutes.

What are some Genesis Electrified GV70 alternatives?

There aren’t that many comparable electric luxury compact crossovers out there. And those that do exist are — like the Electrified GV70 — available mostly in limited numbers. The glaring exception is the Tesla Model Y, which is now the world’s best-selling car. It can offer about 100 miles more range than the Electrified GV70. And at present pricing, the top-spec Model Y Performance is more than $10,000 cheaper.

The closest Electrified GV70 alternative from a legacy manufacturer is the Lexus RZ. The electric Lexus is cheaper, starting at $59,650. But it’s not as quick. And if you opt for anything but 18-inch wheels, the range dips below 200 miles. A similar option, at least performance-wise, could be the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT.