Drive enough luxury vehicles and something important becomes clear: there is a difference between luxury and luxury worth buying. Sure a $160k Rolls Royce is luxurious but if you’re not swimming in cash like Scrooge McDuck, it’s a luxury that isn’t worth taking out a sizable loan for. Plenty of moderately priced luxury vehicles offer respectively posh perks but often these vehicles are still priced too high for the average consumer. And worse yet, some so-called luxury vehicles are only luxury in name and can constructed of subpar materials. Suddenly, luxury sounds more complicated than expected.
Thankfully the automobile industry is made of up segments so that we, as the consumer, can more easily wade through the competitive market. If a crossover is what you’re searching for, the solution to the madness that can be the luxury vehicle market lies in one single vehicle: the 2022 Genesis GV70. Cue the clouds parting and the angelic music, this luxury crossover is the answer to the question, can a truly luxurious crossover be both affordable and worth the purchase.
What This Dad Digs about the 2022 Genesis GV70
Good Gravy, That Design is Flawless – Few vehicles leave a visual mark like the 2022 Genesis GV70 and although the saying goes “true beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” this ride would still be beautiful if no one was looking at it. Actually, I found out the opposite is true: all eyes were on the GV70 during my week driving it around town and I don’t blame them. Both inside and out, the GV70’s expresses both luxury and sport in a majestic swirl of bold lines and smooth curves. The shield shaped grill up front is the perfect size and caps off a sloping, aerodynamic hood line. The front and tail light are sharip slits of LED power that bring a nice balance to both ends of the GV70. From the outside, it’s simultaneously lean and girthy, transitioning in width from top to bottom to create a handsome silhouette from all angles.
Inside, the sophisticated design takes a detour into “classic retro” at its very best. Jagged and harmonic lines travel through the interior, highlighting a minimalistic motif that screams confidence. The dash design harkens back to classic car aesthetics with its rounded curves that encircle the climate controls and bring the dash forward toward driver and passenger. The star of the show is the 14.5 superwide infotainment screen that squats high on the dash. More on that screen later but as far as design goes, this unconventional screen size and placement create the perfect focal point to a nontraditional but brilliant interior design.
Buttery Smooth Driving – All that gorgeous design wouldn’t amount to a hill of beans if the GV70 didn’t deliver once the wheels hit the pavement. Thankfully, Genesis engineers spent as much time on the performance and comfort as they did on the vehicle’s swanky looks. Under the hood, the GV70 comes equipped with a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that produces a respectable 300 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. Powered with an 8-speed transmission and all wheel drive, this engine configuration is powerful enough to propel the GV70 forward with confidence but it won’t wow you with bursts of aggressive speed. And that’s okay, because the GV70 doesn’t feel built for the track but instead feels built to track the miles comfortably.
Handling is elegantly responsive and although the GV70 feels slightly heavy on the corners, it also has an extremely well grounded stance that creates a sense of safety and power. The suspension on the GV70 is finely tuned for a buttery smooth drive that minimizes road conditions nicely. While at high speeds, the cabin is almost whisper quiet – a perfect environment for sleeping toddlers in the back seat.
Just the Right Size – Not too small and not too large, the GV70 sits on a sedan frame so it easily fits in the garage but its large enough inside to comfortably carry five full sized adults. As evident in the photo below, my daughter and her car seat fit comfortably in the back seat leaving her plenty of legroom. Up front, the bucket seats are as roomy as they are comfy making for hours of easy sitting. The cargo area is spacious and accommodating at 28.9 cubic feet. Lay the second row seat down plat and the cargo space opens up to 56.9 cubic feet.
Tech Done Right – From the gauge cluster to the infotainment screen to the user interface, the tech inside the GV70 is out to prove another old saying: true beauty is on the inside. Except here that beauty is digital. I mentioned the gorgeous 14.5 infotainment screen earlier but the gauge cluster behind the steering wheel has its own charm. Only one side of the cluster is digital as a manual dial sits on the left hand side and is always visible, even when the vehicle is turned off. It’s an off-beat setup, one that reflects the stylised nature – or the ying and yang – of analog and digital in the GV70.
That impressively long infotainment screen is difficult to miss and why not; it has a gorgeously low profile and it’s perched majestically at an ideal height on the dash. It’s a touchscreen enabled screen but thankfully Genesis placed a rotary dial for easy navigation from the center console. This dial makes controlling the infotainment software a breeze to use. Apple Car Play and Android Auto are compatible but both are a wired affair here. One of the key features of tech I found brillant were two, small buttons that could seem insignificant on first glance. Located on the inner side of the front passenger’s seat, they allow for the driver to move the seat forward or fold down on itself. Simple commands but never have I seen them so strategically placed – adjusting that seat easily from the driver’s position allows for on the fly adjustments for both additional passengers or cargo.
Safety as an Extension of Tech – Modern automobile safety features crucially rely on technology and in the GV70 this tech works exceptionally well. Every GV70 comes standard with emergency braking, lane-keep assist, and adaptive cruise control with Highway Driving Assist (HDA), a navigation based safety experience. When cruise control is on, the HDA assists in braking, throttling and steering, when needed, keeping the vehicle safely in the middle of the lane. This feature is perfect for long road trips when alertness can falter.
The trim level of the GV70 we tested was the Advanced model and adds some additional safety features; specifically blind-spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, and an overhead 360 camera. In use during my daily commute, all safety components on the GV70 worked as expected. The HDA was particularly impressive; it responded quickly to road conditions and it’s convenient being that it comes standard.
What Gets This Dad’s Downvote on the 2022 GV70
Fuel Economy is less than stellar – When an automotive company gets so many things right on a vehicle, it’s difficult to focus on shortcomings. The GV70 doesn’t have many of them but truth be told, I was expecting the fuel economy to be better than it was. The base level of the GV70 garners 22 miles per gallon in the city and 28 miles on the highway, with a combined rate of 24 miles per gallon. Those numbers aren’t bad, just a bit lackluster. Other vehicles in this class, like the BMW X3 and the Audi Q5, offer slightly better numbers. During my week with the GV70, I experienced a combined rate of 23 miles per gallon, which goes to show that fuel economy can vary depending on how you drive the vehicle.
Luxury Worth Paying For
THe GV70 has already won a slew of awards including the Texas Auto Writers Association’s best Luxury Car of 2022 in the range of $40-65,000. Nevermind that it certainly deserves that award but the GV70 is also an incredible value for that price range. The GV70 starts at just above $41,000 and the Advanced trim level our review vehicle came in adds an additional $8,150 to that base price. Considering all the great safety features that come standard – not to mention that kick ass infotainment screen – the GV70 certainly feels like luxury worth paying for.
Phillip is a filmmaker, an award-winning playwright, screenwriter and craft beer aficionado. He writes about cars, car tech, and various other cool Dad things. He lives, works and plays in Dallas, Texas.
