Genesis GV60 Premium long-term test: our upmarket EV is practical as well as posh

Verdict

As a family car the GV60 is coming up trumps. It has all the basics, such as a lot of space, and its excellent tech makes it easy to live with. Admittedly it isn’t perfect – I’d like a smoother ride, a smaller turning circle and a rear wiper – but it’s making this family man very happy.

• Miles: 2,036
• Efficiency: 3.7 miles per kWh

Speaking as a father, if there’s one thing I need in a car these days, it’s practicality. And the good news is that the Genesis GV60 provides plenty for my family.

To be honest, this head-turning electric car gives us more than we really need, because my wife and I decided to stop expanding our family after just one child, and none of our daughter’s hobbies require us to lug around masses of stuff. When she goes to football matches, she has only a few bits of kit to carry; most drama rehearsals need nothing more than a script and a few snacks; and when we go away, there’s no problem fitting a couple of suitcases and a scooter in the boot.

It’s true that the sloping roofline restricts the ability to carry really tall items, but that’s never been a problem. Instead, I like the fact that the luggage-area floor is level with the boot lip, which makes loading and unloading easy, and that the charge cables can be kept out of sight in a neat under-floor compartment.

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Our daughter, meanwhile, really appreciates that, as an only child, she usually has the back seat to herself – or herself and a specially invited soft toy. That means there’s never any squabbling over space, and instead she can unfold the armrest and settle down with a bottle of something chilled in one of the handy cup-holders, and – more often than not on a long journey – an audiobook played through the stereo via Apple CarPlay.

Even in her child seat, she has plenty of legroom – although she wasted no time in finding one of the GV60’s neat party tricks: a set of controls on the side of the front passenger seat that allow the rear occupants to adjust it from the back. This means our daughter can increase the amount of legroom available to her – albeit at the expense of her mother’s legroom (and also her sense of humour) in the front seat.

Given how much luxury there is in the back – including heated seats – it’ll come as no surprise that things are even more pampering up front. There’s a huge range of adjustment on the driver’s seat and steering wheel – all electrically operated, of course – which makes it possible to fine-tune the driving position to exactly the way I like it.

As the icing on the cake there’s also a massaging function, and it’s set up to automatically start doing its thing after I’ve been driving for an hour. It sounds like a gimmick that no one asked for, but I’ve come to really appreciate it on my regular trips to see family in Sussex.

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Another thing I’m a fan of – indeed, I use it on every journey – is the array of parking-assistance systems. These include front and rear sensors, and an around-view camera. 

The latter, in particular, has been a godsend on many occasions, helping me squeeze what is quite a large car into tight parking spaces.

I’ve also been impressed with how most of the trim in the car has stood up to the challenges of both winter and a young footballer who loves crumbly snacks. Yes, there are a few muddy scuff marks here and there, and there’s no hiding the dirt on the floor mats, but the pale upholstery still looks in remarkably good nick.

Genesis GV60 Premium: second fleetwatch

The Genesis GV60 's classy cabin is somewhat tainted by cables for phone connectivity 

It’s no secret that Genesis is part of the Hyundai empire and its cars share much with plenty of Kia and Hyundai models. But it’s important that a Genesis looks and feels more upmarket than, say, an Ioniq 5 – and I think the GV60 generally does, with its large infotainment screen and classy materials. So I’m surprised that wireless Apple CarPlay isn’t available, especially when there is a wireless charging pad. I reckon that trailing a cable across the cabin cheapens the overall effect.

Genesis GV60 Premium: first fleetwatch

Posh Genesis GV60 EV impresses with incredible economy

One of the things that has impressed me most about my Genesis GV60 has been its economy. It’s averaging almost four miles per kWh, which is pretty much the same as the BYD Dolphin I ran previously. However, a trundle through suburbia one Sunday evening showed just how good it could be. I was returning from a visit to the in-laws in South London, three-up and with both the stereo and air-con turned on, and the Genesis returned nearly 6.0mi/kWh. I was genuinely shocked – in a good way!

Genesis GV60 Premium: first report

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Premium electric SUV joins our fleet for six months

• Miles: 856
• Efficiency: 3.9 miles per kWh

You don’t need to be eagle-eyed to notice that there’s something very different about my appearance in the photos on these pages. Gone is my usual uniform of jeans and black T-shirt, replaced by something altogether smarter. 

The reason is my latest car from the Auto Express fleet, a Genesis GV60. I’ll be running it for the next six months and it’s certainly a step up the automotive social ladder for me. Hence, I’m taking some pride in it, dressing accordingly and keeping the badge gleaming. 

In fact, that badge has already been the cause of much confusion, because friends and neighbours keep complimenting me on my new Bentley. I can understand their confusion, and I imagine it’s not lost on the Genesis design team that their badge bears more than a passing resemblance to the renowned British luxury brand’s. 

Still, those designers clearly deserve a pat on the back, because no one has ever accused me of sticking a fake badge on something undeserving. In other words, to the untrained eye, this all-electric Korean SUV looks like a proper Bentley. It clearly appeals to our neighbour’s cat, too, given that he has taken to sunning himself on the rear spoiler.

Perhaps most importantly, the GV60 is also going down well with me and my family. I’m only a few weeks into the loan, but the high quality is what has impressed me most so far. Although Genesis is a brand owned by the Hyundai Group, the interior could easily pass for something from a prestige German brand. And that’s despite the fact that this is the entry-level version of the car.

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Open the door – neatly, the flush exterior handles pop out when the driver walks up to the car with the key in their pocket – and the first thing you notice is the bright upholstery. It’s artificial leather, but it does a very decent job of impersonating the real thing. 

I’m also delighted to report that the grey/white colour scheme is bearing up well in the face of occasional assaults from my 10-year-old daughter, who loves nothing more than a football match followed by a pack of Mini Cheddars on the way home. The GV60’s Saville Silver paintwork (a £740 option) is also coping well with muddy football club car parks and the generally awful weather lately. 

Equally impressive is the on-board tech, which is very user-friendly; the main display is a touchscreen, but it can also be operated via a clickwheel on the centre console. Plus there are several easily used controls on the steering wheel, along with a few buttons that I can programme as shortcuts. 

The positive news continues when I look at more practical elements of the car. Firstly, it has more space than our three-person family really needs – not that I’m complaining, especially with seats as comfortable as these. And secondly, the GV60 is proving a very comfortable companion on my regular trips to visit family on the Sussex coast. That 160-mile round trip isn’t even close to troubling the official range of 300+ miles, and average efficiency of 3.9 miles/kWh seems good. 

However, there are a couple of negatives. The ride around town is a little too firm and the relatively large turning circle makes the car harder to manoeuvre than I’d like. 

Overall, though, life with the Genesis is good and I’m looking forward to smartening my act up even further in the coming months. 

*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.