Genesis GV70 long-term test: report 5
Genesis hasn't been around for long, but it already has a What Car? Award winner in its line-up. So, can the new Genesis GV70 follow up on that success and convert buyers from mainstream rivals?...
The car Genesis GV70 2.5T + 8AT AWD Luxury | Run by Darren Moss, deputy digital editor
Why it’s here To show that Genesis can mix with premium rivals at the top end of the large SUV market
Needs to be Luxurious, comfortable, and able to function as a mobile office when needed
Mileage 5344 List price £46,470 Target Price £46,470 Price as tested £60,229 Test economy 26.6mpg Official economy 29.7mpg
21 February 2024 – Morning mode
Our Summer and Winter range tests of electric cars are some of the most interesting days in my work calendar. Each time, we drive a range of models at our test facility in Bedfordshire from full until fully empty, to find out how far they’ll go under real-world conditions. The only downside is that these are long days – and in the winter, we both start and end the day in the dark.
So, what you want at 6.50am on a cold morning, with a long drive ahead of you, is a car that’s comfortable and quiet. And thankfully, that’s exactly what my Genesis GV70 is designed to be.
My 300bhp 2.5-litre petrol-engined GV70 is more powerful than the alternative 2.2-litre diesel, and on this early morning drive I was grateful for its deep reserves of power.
Indeed, when you consider the GV70’s bulk – it’s about 200kg heavier than the rival Audi Q5 – the fact it can propel you to motorway speeds in 6.1sec is impressive. And while my fuel economy is still in the relative doldrums, the motorway portion of the journey did allow my average to climb to 26.6mpg – only a short way behind the car’s official average of 29.7mpg.
There are two routes to take once you’re within a few miles of our test site – the first keeps you on the motorway for as long as possible, while the other takes in country roads with sweeping corners. Feeling the need to wake up ahead of a long day’s testing, I took the latter, and put my car into its Sports mode.
This alters the responses from the accelerator pedal, lets the eight-speed automatic gearbox hold on to each gear for longer, and increases the weight of the steering. Plus, it brings up some racy looking graphics on the digital instrument cluster.
While the difference isn’t night and day, the GV70 does feel even punchier in Sports mode, although the engine doesn’t sound as sporty as you might like when you’re pushing on. And while there’s plenty of grip and precise steering, the GV70 also leans over a lot in bends.
Still, the result was that I arrived feeling comparatively bright-eyed, having enjoyed a better eye-opener than a morning coffee.
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