By William Byrd
It’s hard to stand out these days, especially if you are a crossover SUV. Perhaps you think your shape is sleek and unique. But it isn’t. That means you need to focus on the details. The headlights, taillights, and trim are even more important for attracting buyers. Genesis has invested heavily as it wades into the luxury crossover market. It’s been a couple of years since I last drove a new GV70, so let’s see how it’s getting on.
2026 Genesis GV70 3.5T Overview
The 2026 Genesis GV70 is one of those cars that makes you say, “What’s the catch?” It’s handsome, well-equipped, punches above its price point, and comes with a warranty that makes many European brands look like they’re not even trying. It also got a meaningful refresh for 2026 with revised headlights, grille, and wheel designs on the outside, and a new standard 27-inch OLED widescreen display with an updated climate-control interface inside.
The GV70 lineup spans six trims split across two powertrains. The 2.5T models run a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder good for 300 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque. The 3.5T models—which include the car reviewed here—step up to a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 making 375 horsepower. All-wheel drive is standard across the board, as is an 8-speed automatic transmission.
2.5T AWD — $48,985. The entry point. You still get the 27-inch OLED display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated front seats, and a full suite of active safety tech. It’s a great place to start.
2.5T Select AWD — $51,885. Adds a wireless charger, panoramic sunroof, and Highway Driving Assist. A sensible step up for most buyers looking for a bit more.
2.5T Advanced AWD — $56,435. You’ll get leather seating, surround-view camera, Bang & Olufsen audio, tri-zone climate control, and adjustable ambient lighting. A great option for someone looking for the first tier of serious luxury.
2.5T Sport Prestige AWD — $59,795. The top of the four-cylinder range. It’s got a sport-tuned suspension, Nappa leather, a head-up display, and a “D-Cut” sport steering wheel. More personality than the Advanced, and a solid value before you cross into V6 territory.
3.5T Sport Advanced AWD — $64,415. The twin-turbo V6 enters the picture. The 375-horsepower upgrade is worth it, plus you get the tech from the 2.5T Advanced and the more aggressive Sport tuning.
3.5T Sport Prestige AWD — $71,095. The top of the range, and the one we’re driving here. Every option box checked: V6 power, electronically controlled suspension, electronic limited slip, the full Bang & Olufsen system, Nappa leather, and the complete safety suite. At around $71K, it’s priced well against other luxury crossovers from BMW, Audi, and Mercedes that will cost considerably more to reach a comparable level of equipment, and still won’t include a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty when you get there.
Our tester just had some pretty blue paint added. Out the door at $72,225.
2026 Genesis GV70 3.5T Sport Prestige AWD Inside & Out
I pulled up in the GV70, and my stepdaughter took one look at it and said it looked just like the Honda CR-V TrailSport I’d had the week before…just a different color. She’s not wrong, exactly. In the current crossover landscape, everyone has converged on roughly the same silhouette: a slightly swooped roofline, squared-off rear, and enough road clearance to suggest you could theoretically take it off-road even if you never will. From a distance, in motion, they all start to blur together for people who aren’t paying close attention to the details.
Get closer, and the GV70 separates itself from other options. The 2026 refresh brought updated headlights featuring Genesis’s signature two-line LED design with new “Micro Lens Array” technology. The grille has been revised a bit, and the 21-inch five-spoke sport wheels on this Sport Prestige trim have a sharpness to them that earns a second look in a parking lot.
It’s a genuinely gook looking car. The low roofline and athletic stance give it a coupe-like quality that most of its direct competitors can’t quite pull off. So, yes, it’s a crossover. But not all crossovers are the same.
The interior is where the GV70 makes its case most convincingly, and it’s a strong one. The centerpiece of the 2026 update is the new 27-inch OLED display that stretches across the dashboard. What Genesis has done is configure the instrument cluster and infotainment screen so that they appear as one continuous, seamless panel or displayed as two distinct zones. When it’s running contiguous, it looks genuinely dramatic.
The cabin is built around a center-stack design with carbon-fiber trim that manages to feel sporty without being shouty. The orange interior accents and those brash orange seatbelts aren’t for everyone, but I dig it. It’s a small thing that signals a specific attitude, and I appreciate said attitude.
The wireless charger is one of the most consistently useful I’ve used in a press car. Usually, there’s a ritual: place it, check the icon, reposition it, check again, give up, and plug it in. Not here. Wherever I set the phone on the pad, it charged. The only minor complaint is that the charger sits a bit further back, making it a little awkward to reach back up to retrieve it. Just something to keep in mind if you’re the type who grabs your phone the moment you park. Or are at a light. Or whatever. Be safe hoons.
Heated seats on this trim have three levels, and the lowest actually earns its keep. The usual story with my press cars is that the minimum heat setting still feels like someone turned a space heater on my ass. The GV70’s lowest setting is genuinely usable…pleasant, even. The same graduated approach applies to the heated steering wheel, which offers two levels. Minor things, but it makes a bit of a difference.
Back seat? Comfortable. Not exceptional, not cramped. The kind of backseat that adults can tolerate on longer trips without filing a formal complaint. Cargo space behind the rear seats: 28.9 cubic feet, while the maximum capacity is 56.9 cubic feet.
2026 Genesis GV70 3.5T Sport Prestige AWD On the Road
The 3.5T engine makes its presence known immediately. Three hundred and seventy-five horsepower running through AWD is just the right amount of power for this vehicle, enough to feel like a genuine performance machine when you want it, refined enough not to feel like a chore in daily traffic. The eight-speed automatic is smooth, and this Sport Prestige trim’s electronically controlled suspension with “Road Preview”—which reads the road surface ahead using the front camera and adjusts accordingly—works quite well.
On the tech and usability side, a few things stood out. Good and bad. Waze directions display in the central driver cluster between the gauges in addition to the main infotainment screen. For people who use Waze instead of native nav, this is the right call. Keeping directions within your primary sightline is great and works cleanly. The side-view blind-spot cameras should be standard on every car.
The climate control “buttons” along the dashboard are new for 2026. When I tried to adjust the vent direction, I kept inadvertently brushing the buttons above them along the dash, which changed what was on the screen. It’s the kind of ergonomic quirk that you’d probably adapt to over a week of ownership, but it caught me more than once during the test period. Non-button buttons take some getting used to. So, if you’re coming from a car with physical climate controls, give yourself an adjustment lap.
The key fob is a similar story. They look great, but the buttons are small and require more deliberate pressing than I’d prefer. After a week, I still wasn’t hitting the remote start button on the first try. None of these is a deal-breaker. They’re the kinds of things that show up in a week-long test and would likely be smoothed over with longer ownership.
Summary
The 2026 Genesis GV70 3.5T Sport Prestige is the car you buy when you want the full luxury compact SUV experience without paying the full luxury compact SUV tax. The interior, especially that gorgeous display and the thoughtful material choices, competes with cars that cost significantly more. The V6 powertrain is excellent. The warranty is class-leading. The orange seatbelts are genuinely fun.
My stepdaughter still thinks it looks like a CR-V. She’s not the target audience.