2022 Genesis GV70 2.5T Luxury Sport Line Review

South Korean luxury brand Genesis continues to fly in an upward direction. Having only launched here a few years ago, its 2022 sales were up 41.6 per cent to over 1,000 units – not a patch on the German giants just yet, but still a big increase – and it’s launching new products all the time, including the Electrified G80 sedan and GV60 electric SUV. Almost half Genesis’ local sales came from one car though: the GV70. Are half of all Genesis buyers choosing the correct car? We tested the 2022 Genesis GV70 2.5T Luxury Sport Line to find out.

The GV70 competes in the highly lucrative premium mid-size SUV segment and it’s not short of competition, including the BMW X3, Audi Q5, Mercedes-Benz GLC, Jaguar F-Pace, Range Rover Velar, Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Volvo XC60.

Price & Equipment: 8/10

The 2022 Genesis GV70 range starts at $68,900 plus on-road costs and we tested the entry-level 2.5-litre turbo petrol engine with the optional all-wheel drive system ($70,900 +ORC or around $79,000 drive away). Three engines are available: the entry-level 2.5-litre turbo petrol we tested here, the 2.2-litre turbo diesel and the 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 at the top of the range.

The standard equipment list is lengthy and includes 19-inch alloy wheels, automatic all-LED lighting, automatic wipers, a panoramic sunroof, roof rails, keyless entry with push button start along with a hands-free tailgate and remote start, heated/auto-folding/auto-dimming mirrors, a power adjustable steering column, leather upholstery, 12-way electrically adjustable front seats with driver’s memory functionality, heated and ventilated front seats, dual-zone climate control with rear air vents, a 14.5-inch touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation with live traffic, digital radio, an 8.0-inch digital driver’s display, a nine-speaker sound system, three USB-A charging ports and a wireless phone charger.

Safety equipment includes eight airbags, auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian, cyclist and intersection assist, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert (both with braking), a blind-spot camera, adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality, lane keeping assistance with lane trace assist, auto high beam, lead vehicle departure alert, speed sign recognition with intelligent speed limit assist, safe exit assist, front and rear parking sensors and a 360-degree camera.

There are two option packages available for the GV70 2.5T: the $4,500 Sport Line Package that adds different wheels, sportier exterior styling with gloss black trim pieces, Nappa and suede leather upholstery, a sports steering wheel, additional LED ambient lighting and a sport+ driving mode.

There’s also the $11,000 Luxury Package, which adds 21-inch alloy wheels, Nappa leather upholstery, a suede headliner, Matrix adaptive high beam functionality, a 1,050W 16-speaker Lexicon sound system, automatic parking, remote parking functionality, 18-way electric adjustment for the front seats with massaging, a third climate control zone for the rear seat, additional LED ambient lighting, a heads-up display, a 12.3-inch 3D digital instrument cluster, a heating steering wheel, heated rear seats, driver attention monitoring and rear privacy glass. Choose the Luxury and Sport Packages together and they are discounted to $13,000 (instead of $15,500).

Refreshingly for a luxury car, the 2022 Genesis GV70 2.5T offers a plethora of colour and trim options. no-cost colour options include ‘Vik Black’, ‘Capri Blue’, ‘Cardiff Green’, ‘Makalu Grey’, ‘Mauna Red’, ‘Uyuni White’, ‘Savile Silver’, ‘Barossa Burgundy’ and ‘Himalayan Grey’. There are also three $2,000 matte colour options: our test car’s ‘Brunswick Green’, ‘Matterhorn White’ and ‘Makalu Grey’. On the inside, depending on the exterior colour chosen, the standard car is available with black, beige, tan and burgundy leather – choose the Luxury Pack and you get the former three options, and choose the Sport Line Pack and you can choose from black, red or even blue Nappa leather.

There are a huge amount of competitors to the GV70 2.5T but we consider the Audi Q5 45 Sport (priced from $82,900 plus on-road costs) to be its biggest rival. Both the GV70 and Q5 45 use turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engines with all-wheel drive systems, though the Genesis’ bigger 2.5-litre unit makes 41kW/52Nm more than the Audi’s smaller 2.0-litre engine. And then there’s the value equation.

On the outset, the GV70 with the Sport Line and Luxury Packages asks $83,900 plus on-road costs – just $1,000 more than the Audi. Yet you have to option around $10,000 of optional equipment on the Q5 to match the Genesis’ standard equipment, including the $1,690 Comfort Pack, the $5,600 Technik Package, the $520 interior lighting package and $1,990 premium paint. While the GV70 isn’t cheap, putting the overall value equation into closer consideration makes it pretty good value for money.

Performance & Economy: 8/10

Under the bonnet of the 2022 Genesis GV70 2.5T is – as the name suggests a 2.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that makes 224kW of power (at 5,800rpm) and 422Nm of torque (between 1,650rpm and 4,000rpm). It’s mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and can be paired with either rear-wheel drive or – in the case of our test car – all-wheel drive.

The engine itself is not a bad unit, with ample grunt all over the rev range – especially with peak torque hitting at just 1,650rpm. It’s very quiet too, and even at full throttle, is barely heard. What dulls it, however, is the GV70’s porky 1,973kg tare mass – itself likely due to the immense sound deadening that the GV70 has. It’s quick with a claimed 6.1 second 0-100km/h sprint time, but it doesn’t feel as quick as those numbers suggest from behind the wheel.

The only available transmission in the GV70 is an eight-speed torque converter automatic, which is generally quite good, delivering largely imperceivable gear shifts. It also has paddle shifters for manual control. The only annoyance with it is that it uses a rotary dial with lovely damping to shift gears – but the infotainment system also uses a rotary dial located only a few centimetres away from it, so make sure to take care when using the infotainment dial.

The claimed combined fuel consumption rating of the GV70 2.5T is a disappointing 10.3L/100km with CO2 emissions of 235g/km and we achieved 11.3L/100km in mixed driving. It must use a minimum of 95RON premium unleaded and it has a 66-litre fuel tank. While the engine has good levels of performance, its fuel economy isn’t great and for that reason alone, we’d check out the upper-spec 279kW 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine option.

Ride & Handling: 9/10

Using the same ‘C2’ platform as the excellent G70 sedan and Shooting Brake, the 2022 Genesis GV70 2.5T rides and handles well. Despite having huge 21-inch wheels – and passive dampers, as the adaptive units are only for the V6 – the GV70 rides quite well. It’s firm, yep, but it’s never harsh and its body control is reasonable as well. It’s a keen handler too, with a great chassis and meaty steering that help connect the driver to the road – more so than a Q5. A BMW X3 is more fun, but not by much – and the GV70 is more comfortable overall, which definitely suits its vibe more.

As mentioned when discussing the engine, the GV70’s lack of road noise is excellent. It feels very solidly built and even at highway speeds, there’s only a bit of rumble thanks to the huge wheels. The GV70’s active safety systems are all great too, with a nicely subtle feel to them – as you’d expect, given Genesis is owned by Hyundai. The GV70’s visibility isn’t as great, however, thanks to thick pillars – but the mirrors are big and the 360-degree camera system is quite detailed for parking.

Interior & Practicality: 9/10

The cabin of the 2022 Genesis GV70 2.5T is mostly great, with excellent quality, an interesting design, good practicality and – perhaps most importantly for a new brand in the luxury segments – a fresh take on what a luxury interior should be. The quality inside the GV70 is excellent, from the soft touch plastics, to the leather on the dashboard, Nappa leather on the seats and doors and even the switchgear like the indicator stalks – everything feels really nice in hand and quite solid.

The seats of the GV70 with the Luxury Package are fantastic. They offer 18 ways of adjustment, as well as light massaging functionality, and are very comfortable. Plus, the Nappa leather upholstery feels great, and it’s available in multiple colours as well. We also love the GV70’s LED ambient lighting, which features multiple colours and multiple parts of the cabin as well, including the rear doors.

The GV70’s cabin is also reasonably practical, with a big box underneath the centre arm rest, two big cup holders on the centre console, a clever wireless charger bin ahead of the cup holders, a big glove box and reasonable door pockets, though they should be lined with felt to eliminate rattles.

In the centre of the GV70’s cabin is a huge 14.5-inch infotainment system that can be controlled via touch or using the control dial that integrates a touch pad, situated on the centre console. The system is great – it’s easy to use, the screen quality is excellent and there’s a huge number of features on offer from the wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, to the inbuilt satellite navigation with live traffic, to the digital radio and even features like quiet mode, which limits the volume. The 1,050W 16-speaker Lexicon sound system is also excellent.

The back seat space of the GV70 is not its strong point, it must be said, but it’s roomier than an Alfa Romeo Stelvio, for example. With both the Luxury Package selected, there’s a lot of features, including a separate climate zone, heated seats, two USB-A charging ports, a centre arm rest with cupholders, map pockets and reasonable door pockets too – plus, there are inbuilt sun shades in the windows. The room on offer isn’t huge, however – two six-footers will be fine, but legroom isn’t amazing and there’s a big transmission tunnel in the middle. Keep it to two, we say.

The boot of the GV70 measures a healthy 542-litres with the seats up and a large 1,678L with the seats folded – that’s 42L seats up/158L seats down bigger than the Q5’s boot, respectively. The boot has a few features like a mat, releases for the rear seat folding and storage on the side – plus, a roadside assistance kit and a full-size alloy spare wheel located underneath the boot floor.

Service & Warranty: 9.5/10

Like other Genesis products, the 2022 Genesis GV70 2.5T is equipped with a five-year/unlimited km warranty with five years of roadside assistance and five years of servicing included in the price. If you live within 70km of a service centre, Genesis will even pick up your car and leave you with a loan car while your car is getting serviced. The GV70’s service intervals are once yearly/every 10,000km.

Audi also offers a five-year/unlimited km warranty with five years of roadside assistance in Australia, while a five-year/75,000km service pack costs $3,140 ($628 per service). The Q5’s service intervals are 5,000km longer than the GV70, but otherwise, the Genesis’ ownership experience is superior to Audi’s.

The 2022 Genesis GV70 2.5T Luxury Sport Line DiscoverAuto Rating: 8.7/10

Overall, the 2022 Genesis GV70 2.5T Luxury Sport Line is a fantastic addition to the mid-size luxury SUV segment, and offers plenty of attributes to shake up the segment. It’s very comfortable, it drives well, it’s absolutely loaded with standard equipment, it has an excellent quality interior and overall, it features enough of a unique identity in a segment that can feel a bit same-samey.

It’s not quite perfect, however – the drivetrain feels a bit limp wristed thanks to its heavy weight, the rear seat isn’t huge and its service intervals are a bit short. But overall, it’s a fantastic first time effort from a brand that we think more Australians should be taking seriously. We’d be considering the upper-spec 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 variant of the GV70 because if the 2.5-litre engine drinks this much, you may as well have its extra power. But regardless, the GV70 is a great luxury SUV you should be test driving.