In case you hadn’t heard, Hyundai Motor Company announced last month that their luxury Genesis brand will go all-electric by the year 2030. To say that is ambitious is an understatement, but they are well on their way. My last two Genesis loaners, the last G80 and the GV60, were both EVs. This week we’re reviewing the 3rd EV in the lineup, the 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70. Let’s see how it stacks up as a daily driver, and whether it’s $74K price tag is worth considering.

2023 Genesis Electrified GV70 Overview

The first thing you need to know about the EV GV70 is that it will only be sold in select retailers in 22 states across the country. See below to see if you are in, or adjacent to, one of said states. Dealerships can be weird about selling outside of their state or region, as I found out trying to purchase an entry-level Defender up near Long Island, NY. They informed me that they prefer to only sell them to the tristate area, but they would ship one to Texas. Anyway, I’m getting off-topic here, moving on.

Once you acknowledge that EV GV70s are only available in half the country, you pick your powertrain (there’s only one) and move on to the package section. Genesis, like their Hyundai and Kia brethren, keep things pretty simple. You get the base Advanced or pay $6,800 for the Prestige.

As you can see below, our tester was maxed out with said Prestige package which adds stuff like:

• Nappa leather upholstery
• Microfiber suede headliner
• Heated second-row seats
• Heated steering wheel
• 15-speaker Lexicon sound system
• Head-up display
• 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster

Now, don’t expect to get a lot of color options. There are only four in fact, black, silver, and two versions of the same gray. And if all colors cost more money, that makes the base price technically a bit higher than stated, no?

All-in, including that extra Savile Silver paint upgrade, and you’re at $74,350, assuming that limited availability doesn’t come with an additional mark-up! Let’s get into the details a bit and see if it’s worth the MSRP.

2023 Genesis Electrified GV70 AWD Prestige Inside & Out

Dull mandatory color upgrades aside, Genesis is killing it with exterior design lately. I’m not all-in on the split headlights, but I love how integrated it looks with the split taillights (which I love). Overall it’s such a nicely flowing design and, as many have stated, emulates some pretty high end stuff from Bentley, etc. which isn’t a bad thing. Genesis went with the huge luxo-SUV grille but it’s much more integrated and attractive than some stuff from other companies (hi Lexus!). Speaking of that, the wheels are a little blingy, but like a lot of other Hyundai and Kia designs they are interesting and unique so I dig em. Overall, the EV GV70 gets a high rating on exterior styling and it very much matches the price tag.

The interior is similarly well-designed and appointed, with high quality materials throughout the cabin. I’ll get my biggest gripe out of the way early, the color shows every speck of dirt. Check out that armrest in the top middle of the gallery above, even on a relatively low mileage vehicle it’s already pretty dirty. It’s hard to say how it would be for an owner to keep it clean on a regular basis, maybe automotive journalists are just dirty people, I’m not sure. I bathe regularly.

From a technology perspective, the massive 14.5-inch touchscreen is fantastic and easy to use. While Genesis fell slightly into the “oh damn we forgot the screen, just tack it onto the top of the dash” trap, the resolution and usability are both first rate. I did find it interesting that the smartphone connection was done via regular ole USB, while USB-C is available as a charging option. Not that I care, I’m just getting to the “OK pick one” phase.

From a comfort and convenience perspective, everything is just as it should be. The quilted leather seats are massively comfortable and the 37.2 inches of rear legroom is great considering the compact size of the EV GV70. Cargo capacity is 28.9 cubes with the rear seats in place, which isn’t massive, but it handled daily driver and hockey practice pretty well. Fold the seats and you’re looking at 56.9 cu. ft. which is more than reasonable for a compact SUV.

Cool feature – the button to open the rear hatch is built into the bottom of the wiper! It gives the rear an even cleaner design while keeping the button up high where it’s easy to push.

2023 Genesis Electrified GV70 AWD Prestige On The Road

Out on the road, like most EVs, it’s quite quick. Genesis cites 429 horsepower and that electric torque hits hard and fast. Like a lot of EVs it starts to run out of steam as speeds increase, likely related to the 4,982 pound curb weight as well. There are multiple drive modes, but I didn’t notice a massive difference in driving experience between them. You see a small alert pop up on the bottom of the 12.3-inch driver’s information screen to let you know that it’s changed.

On the EV side, I think it’s kind of cool that there is a “driver-only” HVAC setting. I have seen that on some other vehicles, but it’s a practical feature when you’re cruising solo and want to save some range. Like other Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis EVs you can use the paddles to change the EV GV70s driving behavior. With multiple pulls you can move things over to one-pedal driving, a quick graph on the dash shows what phase you are in.

Summary

The plan to go all-electric is certainly ambitious, the G70, G90, and GV80 are all still petrol-powered. However, the lessons learned from the EV GV70, the EV G80, and the purpose-built all-electric GV60 have likely set the wheels in motion pretty well. There are a handful of other compact luxury options, from the class-leading Tesla Model Y, to the recently released Lexus RZ 450e (which I’ve just been driving) and the Audi Q4 e-tron. The Electrified GV70’s $65,850 starting price is higher than all of the other EVs noted above, but in the end this EV GV70 is pretty impressive. So, time will tell if it will take away some sales from some of the competition.