At first glance, it is easy to assume that the Genesis GV60 Performance is just another one of those egg-shaped electric vehicles you see out on the road.
To take words from the voiceover actor who narrates the commercials for the Dodge Charger Daytona EV, the GV60 looks like one of those “lame, soulless, weak-looking sleep pods” out on the road.
However, during my week with the Genesis GV60 Performance, I found that this fast, comfortable, egg-shaped little demon was not just fun to drive at any speed; it left me feeling addicted and itching to chase the dragon.
The exterior of the Genesis GV60 Performance
James Ochoa
Genesis is to Hyundai, like Lexus is to Toyota
Hyundai’s luxury brand Genesis has been around for nearly ten years, but I don’t blame you if you don’t know what Genesis is.
Compared to its Japanese contemporaries, such as Honda’s Acura, Toyota’s Lexus, or Nissan’s Infiniti, the South Korean luxury brand is much younger. Officially, Hyundai started the Genesis brand in 2015 and didn’t start selling cars in the U.S. until the 2017 model year.
However, within that span of time, Genesis grew from being little more than an offshoot of Hyundai to evolving into a true threat to European luxury oligarchs like BMW and Audi.
The GV60 Performance is a prime example. It is Genesis’s first attempt at an electric vehicle, but thanks to its Hyundai roots, it isn’t painting an entirely new picture without instructions.
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The GV60’s exterior stands out among EV crossovers
On the outside, Genesis has applied its in-house design language, which prevents the GV60 from being some sort of “copy and paste“ luxury EV.
The one I tested came in a nice shade of blue called Capri Blue and from the side, it is easy to mistake its coupe-like silhouette and shape with Tesla’s Model Y. But that’s where the comparisons with Tesla‘s golden goose stop.
Compared with the Model Y’s “soft,” bubbly shape, the GV60 Performance adopts a more youthful and aggressive “boy racer” look akin to its Kia-badged sibling, the EV6.
Genesis has given the face of the GV60 some of its signature details, including its split-design LED headlights and taillights and an aggressive front grille.
To further emphasize its sporting qualities, Genesis gave the GV60 Performance styling akin to an aggressive body kit and big 21-inch chrome wheels that seem more at home in a rap video from 2005 than on a “sporty” modern electric vehicle. Although the whole vehicle rides on a normal ride height for a “sports” model, Genesis’s styling tweaks give the GV60 a wide, low stance that makes it look like you’re coming face-to-face with a grappler in an octagon.
All things considered, the GV60 Performance is packaged to seamlessly connect subtle elegance with flashy sportiness. While some luxury buyers may scoff at its bold and youthful “Fast and the Furious” style approach, Genesis’s decision to embrace such a look creates one of the more visually appealing electric SUVs on the market—at least to those who like it.
James Ochoa
The GV60 Performance’s interior is thoughtfully laid out
But where the “boy racer” aesthetics stop is in its interior, as its rather sporty and athletic exterior appearance transitions to something more akin to a lounge when you open up the doors.
Inside the GV60 Performance, it’s evident that Genesis has prioritized luxury and occupant comfort over anything else. Genesis uses a “show, don’t tell” approach to distinguishing itself as a luxury brand.
Inside, the seats and most touch surfaces are finished in nice, soft, but durable Nappa leather upholstery, in addition to metal and soft-touch plastic. But it shines in the futuristic yet inviting layout of the area around the occupants.
From the driver’s seat, every little control, button, dial, or knob is positioned in a way where you can sit “La-Z-Boy style” and not exert any energy whatsoever.
Like most EVs, the GV60’s dash is dominated by big screens for the gauges and the infotainment system. It runs the usual Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which outputs sound to a powerful Bang & Olufsen premium sound system.
You do have to reach and hunch over from the driver’s seat to physically touch the touch screen. However, Genesis seems to have realized that changing the navigation destination and radio station tuning on the fly would be anything but inevitable and could be an issue for some drivers.
To combat that, the GV60 has a scroll wheel, as well as manual volume and turning rollers that rest on your natural hand position on the center console. In some other cars that feature Apple CarPlay, I would have to take my eyes off the road, but by using the scroll wheel, I was able to make certain commands and functions become virtually muscle memory.
Another one of my favorite pieces inside the cabin is something Genesis calls the Crystal Sphere. I like to call it the crystal ball, but it’s a gorgeous, ornate orb in the middle of the center console that spins around 180 degrees to reveal the gear selector when the car turns on. It’s one of those small details that add a small touch to emphasize that this isn’t your ordinary, run-of-the-mill luxury EV.
Even seemingly innocuous trinkets made an impression.
The key felt like it was given a special atelier touch. Even though it is made of white plastic, it has a diamond-quilted exterior, which feels like it was meant to be worn as an accessory. The way I saw it, I think it was intentionally made to match a Chanel Flap Bag; the resemblance is just uncanny.
The GV60 Performance is a thrill to drive
While the GV60 Performance is very comfortable on the inside and feels like a place where you’d like to relax, where it truly shines is out on the road.
Underneath its skin is a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup that produces 429 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, making this a very fast car, even for an EV.
In its most powerful driving mode, Boost Mode, it produces a maximum of 483 horsepower, helping launch the GV60 from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 3.7 seconds, quicker than most of its competitors, including the Tesla Model Y Long Range and the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT.
Apart from the comfortable interior toys, hands down, my favorite feature on the GV60 Performance is the Boost Button. It’s a tiny green button on the steering wheel that sticks out like a piece of hard candy and feels just as sweet when you indulge in its offerings.
The steering wheel-mounted Boost Button on the Genesis GV60 Performance.
James Ochoa
It works and feels exactly like it sounds.
Do you remember Vin Diesel or Paul Walker when they pressed those steering wheel-mounted buttons labeled ‘N20’ in the Fast and The Furious Movies? No nitrous oxide is connected to the car, but the easiest way to describe the sensation is exactly that. For exactly ten seconds, the GV60 rockets you with all the power it can physically endure—a temporary state of performance nirvana.
However, just because it can be a spaceship in the straights doesn’t mean Genesis skimped on handling. Its electronically controlled limited-slip differential and adaptive suspension hug corners like the car rides on rails and provide excellent feedback through the steering wheel.
As a result, the GV60 Performance is a dream to drive on arrow-straight highways and on the curves of my favorite mountain roads.
But when it comes to stopping, it doesn’t suffer from the harshness that most EVs suffer with regenerative braking. If the car’s braking feels too aggressive or uncomfortable, its regenerative braking can be adjusted on the fly through paddles attached to the steering wheel. Level 0 lets the GV60 coast like a “normal” car, while Level 5 is its “one-pedal-driving” mode.
The Genesis GV60 Performance.
James Ochoa
Cons:
One area where the GV60 Performance falls short is its range. It is very short compared to other EVs that cost up to tens of thousands less.
According to the EPA’s estimates, its electric range is only 235 miles; far shorter than the Tesla Model Y Long Range’s EPA-estimated 330 miles and even the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT’s 270 miles.
While 235 miles sounds like a lot, if you are a spirited driver, have long commutes, or do a lot of long-distance driving in general, expect to charge up a lot.
At the same time, the GV60 charges very quickly. Genesis equipped the GV60 with an 800V architecture that enables ultra-fast charging, which can charge from 10 to 80% capacity in just 18 minutes using a 350kW DC fast charger (which is rare to find in some places). Even at a 250kW Electrify America station, the most amount of time I spent at a charging station was only about a half hour; I waited longer for a spot at a charger than actually charging.
But while the Genesis GV60 Performance is equipped with a ton of cool features, one of the features I found difficult to use was its automatic “smart parking” system. Half the time, it fails to identify a parking space, and when you are able to do so, you have to travel diabolically slow.
I live in New Jersey, where 25 miles per hour is the normal speed that other drivers drive in parking lots. When I tried using it for parking at the mall, I nearly got into an accident because it failed to identify a parking space faster than someone in a dark blue BMW X4 cut me off and took it.
Additionally, this car also has artificial engine noise sounds. It’s called “Active Sound Design,” which comes with three virtual engine sounds: futuristic, which sounds like something out of Star Wars, G-Engine, which sounds like an actual engine, and E-Motor, which sounds like an electric motor.
No matter which sound you choose, it all sounds like the car is stuck in 3rd gear. After a certain speed, or if you hold a pedal at a steady rate of acceleration, it starts to drone and becomes very annoying very quickly.
However, in my opinion, the worst thing about this car is its price tag. The GV60 Performance I drove had an as-equipped total price of $71,930, which would lead me more towards the Lucid Air Pure, Ford Mustang Mach-e Rally, and even the Hyundai IONIQ 5N.
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Reflection:
The Genesis GV60 Performance is a perfectly well-balanced, beautiful, and very fun electric luxury crossover to drive and live with. There wasn’t a dull moment with this car when I wasn’t feeling either exhilarated or absolutely comfortable; it is a rare balance that this machine has somehow achieved.
But unfortunately, there are sacrifices in order for that to happen, and in this case, it is range, and the fact that it cost nearly $72,000. On the price front, I would consider buying one used rather than waiting for discounts on new ones.
Despite this, I see this car as a very good jump-off point for Genesis to disrupt the luxury EV market.
At the 2024 New York International Auto Show, the Genesis booth prominently featured the upcoming Magma cars, including the GV60 Magma concept, which is slated to be an even higher-performance version of the very car I drove.
After my experience with this “Performance” model, I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of thrills the Magma could offer. I can’t wait.
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