Genesis of the Genesis GV60 – The Brands first Electric Car
You may be scratching your head thinking ‘What is a Genesis?’ and ‘What on earth is a GV60?’. Fear not, let us explain. Genesis is a new luxury car brand birthed by Hyundai in 2015 with the focus on taking on BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus. Their current UK line up is as follows, G70, G80, GV70 and GV80 – set to join this cast is the new electric GV60. Let’s take a look.
What is it?
Based on the underpinnings of the popular Kia EV6 and Hyundai IONIQ 5, the GV60 is Genesis’ first foray into the electric market. It is set to be the brands third SUV model since their inception. With Hyundai being a veteran in the EV market the GV60 is not starting from scratch. Size-wise it sits in the same bracket as the previously mentioned EV6 and IONIQ 5 but also competes with the likes of the, Ford Mustang MACH E, Volkswagen ID4, Skoda Enyaq and Jaguar I-Pace. Tough competition – but the GV60 comes well equipped for battle.
Performance and Range
From launch the GV60 will be available in three models – Premium, Sport and Sport Plus. Premium being the entry model, Sport equates to mid spec and the Sport Plus is the topping the cake. The entry level Premium comes equipped with a meaty 226bhp single, rear mounted motor. Enough power and then some for your everyday tasks. At the other end of the scale sits the Sport Plus. Ok, now here is where it gets silly considering this is a family sized SUV. The Plus has an electric motor on each axel for four-wheel drive. In normal driving mode, each motor is given 160kW to play with. However, when you press the ‘Boost’ button that number rises to 180kW – with a combined output of 483bhp! Yes, just 17bhp shy of 500 electric horses in a family SUV. When ‘Boost’ mode is engaged the car will accelerate from 0-62mph in 4.0secs.
Every version of the Genesis GV60 will have the same 77.4kWh battery. The same battery you will find in the EV6. Additionally, its 239k rapid charging capability enables it to charge from 10-80% in just 18 mins. However, at time of writing these chargers are still quite rare in the UK, even still that is faster than a Tesla Model Y!
In terms of range, less is more. Because the Sport and Sport Plus come with beefier four-wheeled drive powertrains, more power is needed – hindering electric range figures. Officially the Sport Plus will get you 289 miles (WLTP) of range and the Sport can get you 3 more miles at 292 miles (WLTP). Comparatively the Premium comes top trumps, it can manage up to 321 miles (WLTP).
Design and Interior
When you step into and sit down in the GV60 amazement is surely to follow. You would be hard pressed to find any similarities to its Hyundai counterpart. Materials and design feel like they have been plucked from a concept car rather than a car that is actually being produced. For example, there is a crystal ball on the centre console that flips upside down to reveal the drive selector as soon as you press the start.
Heads-up display and digital instruments are standard on all models, these instruments show driving info, media, and navigation functions. There is a ‘augmented reality’ navigation function that put sat-nav directions within your line of sight. Infotainment wise, Genesis gives you a 12.3in touchscreen infotainment screen that’s positioned high on the dashboard and angled slightly toward the driver. The software is like what you’ll find in the GV60’s siblings, meaning that it is fairly intuitive and reacts quickly to all your inputs.
Want one? We can get you one – current estimated lead times are late Q4 2022 – early Q1 2023
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