FUNKY looks, great acceleration and a state-of-the-art interior combine to make the GV60 a very likeable electric vehicle.
The first dedicated electric model from Genesis – Hyundai’s premium offshoot – is built on the same platform as the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq5. It comes in three flavours – Premium, Sport and Sport Plus – all featuring the same 77.4 kW battery.
The Sport Plus version, tested here, is the most potent, with the dual motor set-up offering instant and blistering off-the-line speed.
There’s an electric motor on each axle, providing four-wheel drive as each motor churns out 214bhp.
However, the GV60 becomes even more punchy when you press the ‘Boost’ button, rising to 241bhp per motor for a combined 482bhp.
That’s enough to take the car from a standing start to 62mph in just four seconds. From the moment the boosted acceleration pins you back in your seat, it’s a button that proves quite a temptation.
Handling is sharp and trustworthy, with the GV60 feeling well-planted when cornering swiftly.
If you’re in a more relaxed driving mood though, it’s a comfortable car in which to travel travel, with plenty of room front and back, along with a high level of smoothness and refinement.
The car sports one of the most intriguing interiors you could wish to find.
An illuminated sphere down to the driver’s left is the first thing to catch the eye. It rotates when you switch the engine on to reveal the ‘drive, park, reverse’ dials. All very swish.
Then there are the digital side mirrors, which work through a camera mounted where conventional wing mirrors would usually be found, feeding a picture through to a screen inside the cabin angled towards the driver.
It takes a bit of getting used to, but seems to work well and certainly helps the GV60 feel state-of-the-art.
The leather steering wheel has a chunky feel, with the circular ‘drive mode’ and ‘boost’ buttons located towards the bottom.
Soft-touch materials are sprinkled all across the cabin, with stitching matching the car’s exterior colouring adding a splash of colour.
The centre console has a floating effect and is coated in stylish patterned chrome.
A substantial dual screen spans half the width of the dash, starting in the middle as an infotainment touchscreen and stretching out behind the steering wheel to double as the head-up display.
The car is equally intriguing when viewed from the outside, with many a pedestrian turning their head for a second glance during my week in the car’s company.
The standout choice of paintwork – a rather vivid yellow colourscheme - certainly helps to attract attention.
And it also highlights the car’s confident, sweeping lines.
The car’s 239kW rapid charging capability allows it to go from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in as little as 18 minutes so long as you can locate the correct type of charger.
As you may have guessed by now, all this high-end niceness doesn’t come cheap. The starting point is around £47,000, but that rises considerably – to over £75k in the case of my test car – as you go up the trim trail or select options.
For that price, it needs to be good...... and it is!
Genesis GV60 Sport Plus
ACCELERATION: 0-62mph in four seconds
TOP SPEED: 146mph
BATTERY: 77.4 kW
POWER: 482bhp on boost
DRIVEN WHEELS: All four
RANGE COMBINED 289 miles on WLTP scale
PRICE OF THIS MODEL: £65,405 (£75,245 as tested with options)
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