Korean brand’s first dedicated electric car is an upmarket take on the award-winning Kia EV6 On sale Now Price from £47,005
Will Nightingale Will.Nightingale@haymarket.com
IT’S ALWAYS TOUGH for a new car brand – particularly one with premium aspirations in a market that, for decades, has been dominated by the German triumvirate of Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. But it didn’t help that, when Genesis arrived in the UK last year, its offerings were slightly underwhelming. Not terrible, by any means – but given the competition it was up against, the GV80 luxury SUV wasn’t efficient or comfortable enough. Meanwhile, the BMW 3 Series-sized G70 saloon was a car we described as “well off the pace”.
It was starting to look as though Genesis might go the same way as Infiniti (the premium arm of Nissan) and decide it would be better off focusing on less discerning markets. So, our expectations for the new GV60, the South Korean brand’s first dedicated electric car, were slightly muted – despite knowing that it was closely related to our 2022 Car of the Year, the Kia EV6.
Indeed, the GV60 is built on the same underpinnings as the EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5, plus it has the same ultra-fast charging capability and 77.4kWh (usable capacity) battery. This gives it an impressive official range of between 289 and 321 miles – broadly in line with what the EV6 and Ioniq 5 can achieve, if not quite as far as the Tesla Model Y.
The longest-range version is actually the cheapest Premium model that we’re focusing on here. It has a single 226bhp electric motor driving its rear wheels, whereas the more powerful Sport and Sport Plus models get two electric motors and four-wheel drive. However, unless you’re bothered about Tesla-style neck-snapping acceleration, there’s really no need to spend the extra. The entry-level Premium is more than fast enough and can hit 60mph from a standstill in around seven seconds.
The suspension is well judged, too. The GV60 is a little softer than the EV6, so it smooths out minor road ripples more adroitly and stays more settled on the motorway. The only drawback is that the suspension can struggle to deal with sharp-edged bumps, including potholes – particularly when you’re accelerating. This results in the odd unpleasant thwack, although it’s usually only a once-in-a-journey experience. For the rest of the time, ride comfort is superb by electric car standards.
You won’t exactly be relishing every early-morning drive along a country road, but the GV60 corners relatively well, too. It isn’t quite as agile as the EV6 (another trade-
