In Toronto, we don’t say “I love you,” we say “I’ll pick you up at Pearson.” With its jam-packed arrival queues adjacent to the busiest highway in North America, a YYZ run is dedication. I had not one, but two airport pickups scheduled the same week, and with some relatives coming in from England, the luggage space of a compact luxury sedan simply wouldn’t do. So what about a Genesis GV70, a slightly left-field option in the fierce compact luxury crossover weight class?
Well, it turns out that timing is everything. The week I had the Genesis GV70, a drive event where the press got their hands on the facelifted 2026 model was going on in Texas, so I’m a bit behind the curve here. Then again, it’s a relatively subtle facelift, so maybe more than 300 miles in the 2025 model will tell us enough. Let’s find out.
[Full disclosure: Genesis Canada let me borrow this GV70 for a week so long as I kept the shiny side up, returned it with a full tank of premium fuel, and reviewed it.]
The Basics
Engine: 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6.
Transmission: Eight-speed conventional automatic.
Drive: All-wheel-drive with electronically controlled limited-slip rear differential.
Output: 375 horsepower at 5,800 rpm, 391 lb.-ft. of torque from 1,300 rpm to 4,500 rpm.
Fuel economy: 18 MPG city, 24 MPG highway, 20 MPG combined (12.9 L/100km city, 10 L/100km highway, 11.6 L/100km combined).
Base price: $60,250 including freight ($80,000 Canadian).
As-tested price: $70,500 ($80,500 Canadian)
Why Does It Exist?
It’s 2025, and every luxury automaker has a compact crossover. Now that the upper-middle-class doesn’t want to lift their road bikes onto the roof of sport sedans and their kids have hobbies like playing large instruments, the compact crossover is the de facto entry-level luxury car form factor because it just kinda does everything. In a world of BMW X3s and Audi Q5s, the existence of the Genesis GV70 makes perfect sense. It’s here to move volume, bringing Genesis’ unique flavor of luxury to a hot segment.
How Does It Look?
When you’re dropping in the neighborhood of 70 grand on a car, you’ll likely want it to look its price tag, and the Genesis GV70 punches above its weight class. The slim lights, the compound curves, the clean liftgate and intriguing surfacing — it all adds up to a crossover that looks expensive. Compared to the GV70, the Audi Q5, BMW X3, and Lexus NX just look a bit homely. Oh, and we haven’t even opened up the door to the showstopper interior.
What About The Interior?
Step inside the GV70 and you’ll immediately notice that beyond the seats and steering wheel, everything is wrapped in extremely convincing smooth leatherette, from the dashboard to the door cards to the steering wheel airbag cover.
It’s a grand gesture, but one that hints at all the little touches in materials. Knurled knobs, cold satin bright trim, a little bit of crystal on the shifter, a tasty bit of metal on the pedals. Oh, and the availability of actual colors, like this navy blue. It all adds up to a genuinely luxurious experience, an outlier from the feeling that the gap between regular cars and luxury cars has really narrowed over the past decade.
As for comfort, it’s generally quite good thanks to touches like reclining rear seats, an “Ergo-Motion” driver’s seat that can serve up a light massage, and plenty of steering column adjustability. However, I could never quite get the lumbar support hitting where I needed it. Your mileage may vary. Still, the GV70 is quite practical, swallowing checked bags and carry-ons with room to spare and providing enough room for four actual adults to spend a few hours onboard without complaint.
How Does It Drive?
While the Gv70 comes standard with a great 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, those looking for something extra will likely want to pop for the option 375-horsepower six-cylinder party piece under the hood of the 3.5T model. It’s not the most musical engine ever made, but that’s just as well, as extensive cabin insulation has it sufficiently muted; as for performance, it doles out a plateau of torque with impressive smoothness. Flick the drive mode selector twice toward you and the steering weights up, the eight-speed gearbox picks a lower ratio, the dampers stand at attention, and the driver’s seat bolsters hug you tighter in preparation for proper left-lane stuff.
When you really get shifting in the V6 GV70, you’l find it’s not quite as immediate as a Porsche Macan, nor is it rabid like a Mercedes-AMG GLC 43, but instead a more measured, confident sort of performer. Think cornerback, not acrobat.
There’s actually some decent communication coming through the steering wheel and upshifts are pleasingly quick, but even with the dampers as firm as they’ll go, you do have to be deliberate with your inputs to manage the curb weight. In a way, this is its own sort of fun, and you can really feel the electronically controlled limited-slip differential work while powering out of low-speed corners.
The flipside of this backroad demeanor is that the GV70 3.5T serves up exceptional everyday manners with a library-quiet cabin, deft damping and spring rates that smoothly dispense with most road imperfections, and a bootful of go-power when you need it. Just keep in mind that it is thirsty—I only managed around 23 MPG in my week with it, and spent most of that time on the highway rather than in-town.
Does It Have The Electronic Crap I Want?
Does it ever. In addition to the usual toys of wireless Apple CarPlay and a full suite of advanced driver assistance systems, the Genesis GV70 can be specced with a bewildering array of gadgets. You can park it from the key fob, open it with your phone, load up your driver profile with your fingerprint and have it try to automatically set a seating position for you based on your height and weight. That last function feels like a work-in-progress, but still, something to show your friends.
One thing that’s going away with the facelift is the optical 3D instrument cluster, a neat gimmick that doesn’t get along with everyone’s vision, but can be fun if you dig it. Think of it as a giant Nintendo 3DS but with all your gauges, and you’re on the right track.
The only thing that doesn’t work quite as intuitively as I’d like is the climate control panel, which has a touchscreen for heated seat and heated steering wheel activation. Real buttons would be nice, although real buttons are also a reason to rush out and buy the pre-facelift GV70 because the bank of infotainment hard keys in the dashboard are changing from lovely metallic-finish buttons to capacitive touch pads, a tradeoff for adding traditional volume and tuning knobs.
Still, the beauty of the GV70’s tech is that it doesn’t feel bloated. There are still enough normal controls for easy operation, menu structures are incredibly easy to navigate, and while you can geek out over some of the gizmos, they’re never obtrusive. Whether you love or loathe gadgets, you’ll likely get along with the Genesis GV70, and that’s an art the German competition has lost.
Oh, and then there’s the available Lexicon audio system, which is still among the best you can get in the segment, pulling fadeaway threes on the Harman/Kardon and Burmester systems in the BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC when it comes to faithful sound reproduction and range. It’s not quite as amazing as the Bowers & Wilkins system available in the Volvo XC60, but it’s still near the head of the pack.
Three Things To Know About The Genesis GV70 3.5T
- Solid power comes with noticeable thirst.
- The cabin makes the German competition feel cheaply made.
- It just got facelifted, and you’re looking at the old one.
Does The Genesis GV70 3.5T Fulfill Its Purpose?
In many ways, the Genesis GV70 3.5T feels like the six-cylinder compact luxury crossover to buy right now. It’s not as playful as a Porsche Macan or as swift as a BMW X3 M50, but it feels more upscale than anything else in its segment, made of gorgeous stuff and designed to be special.
As a luxury product, I’d take this over an X3 or a GLC or a Lexus NX or an Audi Q5 any day of the week, because it genuinely feels like you’re getting your money’s worth. As for whether I’d buy the last of the pre-facelift 2025s or the first of the facelifted 2026s, that’s a tougher answer. The 2026 model ports over the tech updates of its GV80 big brother and brings some color and trim tweaks, but nothing feels missing from the pre-facelift car.
What’s The Punctum Of The Genesis GV70 3.5T?
Now this is what a $70,000 compact crossover should feel like.
Top graphic credit: Thomas Hundal
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It’s probably customizable, but I absolutely hate a counterclockwise rotating tach on the right in an instrument panel. Tachometers belong on the left and like their partner, the speedometer, should go clockwise as whatever they are indicating increases.
most people just pay attention to the displayed MPH as a number instead of using the dials anyway
I am used to looking at a dial for velocity. In the manual transmission equipped cars I drove, I knew when to shift, based on sound, and the tachometer was pretty redundant. But when I was curious about RPM, a counterclockwise tachometer, and not where I expect it to be, would just annoy the hell out of me.
Yeah. First world problems. Shame on me.
Ive got an Audi virtual cockpit and have it set to the style with the horizontal speedo and tach and its weirded people out who arent used to it.
most of the time Im just trying to see how high I can get my MPG on my commute by not using my brakes
When I was 6 or 7-ish (?) my parents had an Oldsmobile (probably a 61 or 62) that had a colored horizontal speedometer bar with an audio speed limit alert.
Thanks. I haven’t dusted those brain cells off in well, six decades now.
I live in a borderline upper class area on Long Island, and I’ve been seeing a ton of Genesis’ . So they seem to be doing something right.
theyre following in the footsteps of infiniti and Alfa
hot thing for people who want to be different, who will probably eventually trade it in for a lexus when they want a better dealer experience but are still anti-german
I’ve ridden in several Lyft/Uber Genesis’s (Genensi?) and they’ve been very pleasant and a couple have had > 50K miles on the clock. I think the S Koreans know what they’re doing. I rented the equivalent of the Hyundai Sonata in Australia (i45) ten years ago and it seemed as competent as a Camry or an Accord.
The interior of this thing was an emotional roller coaster for me. First:
My knee jerk reaction was to argue with it being a showstopper because modern interiors suck. Then I saw the picture with a hooded gauge cluster and actual buttons and knobs and thought maybe I was wrong. Then I came to this:
Nope, nope, nope. You were so close Hyundai, but you tripped just before the finish line. I was right in the first place: Modern interiors suck, including this one.
Thanks Thomas! 🙂
I know it’s priced competitively, but da-yum, $70K is still quite a wad of cash for most folks (well, for me at least). Especially if spent on an imported luxury SUV, which is sure to depreciate significantly during the first year of ownership.
Lovely actual color on that review car. I think I’d MUCH prefer the 2025 with the satin metallic bezel on the dash that incorporates real buttons vs. the 2026 version. So, there’s no actual volume knob on the 2025? I’m just curious… it’s not like I’d ever be in the market for one of these. 😉
The wheels are nice, but that embossed waffle pattern on the spokes look like they were designed with the sole intention of collecting brake dust. I assume (at that price) they offer some alternative wheel styles from the dealership.
Yes, the quilted upholstery suggests luxury, but it’s practically a cliche now (most things are by the time Infiniti does it). I know it’s a tiny niggle, but I’d have preferred that
HyundaiGenesis had stiched in almost any other pattern (perhaps abstract Pikachus would have been nice?) just to avoid the cliche, but I’m sure most actual shoppers in this semi-rarified segment will like the traditional diamond pattern.Extra kudos to them for installing a really decent factory stereo system. Almost nobody’s gonna have the dash of their brand-new luxobeast torn up to swap in an aftermarket head unit, so actually selecting a good one from the get-go is smart and appreciated. I aspire to someday own a car with a really great sound system in it. 🙂
If I EVER got 23 MPG from a mixed-use tank on my ’04 XC90, I’d literally get down on my knees and praise Glob for such a miraculous achievement. 😉
Ugh! Airport pickup trips. I was working in Los Angeles, and my fiancee was flying into LAX. The C pillar back looks a little hearse-ish, but otherwise, I like it. I might slightly want wheels that don’t look like blades from a food processor. Maybe there’s a different treatment available?
Like BoatyMcBeerFace, I’m puzzled by the delta between base price and as-tested price in $US vs $CDN.
I’m curious about price and fuel economy numbers for the 2.5 liter. I don’t think I need 375 HP. And where is this thing screwed together? You know, tariffs and all that.
This is all hypothetical. The only way I’m ever buying one of these is used.
Show them what? How to design a hideously ugly looking SUV? Because it sure as hell looks awful.
I just can’t get over the design. In a vacuum, it’s not bad…but compared to its bigger brother, the GV80, it looks downright homely to me.
They just need to fix everything behind the C-pillar (on the sides only). Make it a little more upright, tone down the chrome and the swoopiness. It doesn’t belong to the rest of the car.
I respect Genesis for doing something different, design-wise, even though that design language isn’t something that I’ve connected with.
With that said, the interior and exterior design on this vehicle “feels” like it came out about 5 years ago, which is strange.
Que?
Base price: $60,250 including freight ($80,000 Canadian).
As-tested price: $70,500 ($80,500 Canadian)
A $10k difference USD translates to a $500 difference CAD?
$70,000? I’ll take an Audi SQ5 for $65,000, thanks. Up more torque than it’s down hp on the Genesis. And to me, it looks better inside and out.
$70k is the as tested (i.e. fully loaded) price. A fully loaded SQ5 is $75k. In fact, pretty much any way you spec them, when comparably equipped the Audi is consistently about 5 grand more. The new SQ5 also has a squircle steering wheel for no good reason.
But I’d be perfectly happy with a “base” SQ5 over a “fully loaded” Genesis. To each their own.
Base price: $60,250 including freight ($80,000 Canadian).
As-tested price: $70,500 ($80,500 Canadian)
Hmmm. Only $500 CAD to cover $10K USD in options? What a steal!
“In Toronto, we don’t say “I love you,” we say “I’ll pick you up at Pearson.”
I’ve been to probably 60-70% of the major airports in North America, and YYZ, while a great song, is probably my least favorite airport. The only others that come close are ATL and DFW. Oh, and Newark. Newark can also eat shit, but I’d take it over Pearson.
ATL could burn to the ground (with everyone safely evacuated) and I would have nothing to offer but one satisfied chuckle.
Now, if ORD burns to the ground, I’m dancing on the ashes.
So many people hate O’Hare, and I get it, but personally I don’t mind it. I used to live in Chicago and I would fly out of there at least twice a month for 4-5 years. For about the past 10 years, I’ve flown back to Chicago on average once a month, always to and from ORD. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t awesome, but I’ve spent so much time there, I guess I’ve just gotten used to its “quirks”. Or I have some variation of Stockholm Syndrome where I’ve developed positive feelings for a place that’s objectively kinda awful.
My main problems with O’Hare are related to driving in an out of it, and getting to and from the parking lots. Maybe living in the city, that wasn’t an issue? I live about 90 minutes away but it’s the closest big airport, so I’m usually looking at a 5-60 minute wait for the shuttle to pick me up and take me to the parking lot at the end of my trip. That fucking tram was also broken for god knows how long.
Ive flown into ATL three times.
Every single time was a shitshow.
And while proximituy for most of my formative years meant PHL and EWR are old frenemies at this point, by all accounts EWR is literally understaffed to the point of danger. Its on the AVOID BOOKINGS list for me. It was always a dump, but now its actually dangerous.
FRA is sprawling but efficient. Still don’t like Heathrow or LAX. Sea-Tac, SFO, IAH I can manage.
RDU is an efficient, smaller airport. Easy to park, navigate, and get in and out of.
I must be in the minority here… But I didn’t really like it. Granted I haven’t driven a lot of the competition.
I got a 2025 2.5 gv70 rental for one week. The looks were outstanding, but everything else felt like a compromise.
The gas and brakes both felt unnecessarily touchy
Tons of turbo laaaaag
The suspension was always too stiff over bumps, but then the tires couldn’t handle the weight of the vehicle around aggressive corners
Needlessly thirsty for such a small vehicle -22mpg
The interior design looked great, but there were just enough annoyances where I would never want to live with this daily.
The touch screen is miles away from the driver
The seek button is inverted (Hyundai/Kia/Genesis)
Rear doors doesn’t have touch less lock/unlock
The interiors of the equivalent Germans have taken a massive step back. A $60,000 German crossover in 2025 has an interior that’s primarily hard plastics and functions that are completely controlled by a touchscreen and/or haptic crap.
the 2.5 we used for a few weeks was pretty ho hum. but I think that is the draw of the 2.5. it is nice enough looking to be considered luxurious and at a really decent price point. the 2025 we used was marked at just under 50K. I think the interesting part is that the 3.5TT version is even available when so many other stop at 2.0 turbo 4 cylinders.
My understanding is that the Germans (at least BMW) have advanced alloys in their engine for greater knock resistance, while the Koreans just run a little richer so as no to knock, leading to worse fuel economy.
You also have to look at Genesis in context. Hyundai et al are already ahead of the pack and doing fairly well with electrification. There really isn’t any good financial reason for them to try to develop more efficient and refined ICE powertrains at this point…slash even if they did I think the best they could do is catch up to Audi and maybe Mercedes.
No one is catching up to BMW on ICE at this point. The B58 and its variants are just so goddamn good. It’s one of the most reliable engines they’ve ever made, it makes big power with a single turbo and moderate boost, it sounds great, it runs buttery smooth, and it’s more efficient than most 4 cylinders
I’ve heard arguments that it’s the peak of what ICE is capable of and I don’t think they’re that far fetched. That engine is fucking special. My dad’s X5 50e still gets nearly 30 MPG when the battery is depleted.
There is a part of me that would be really interested to see what Genesis would put out if they decided they needed to compete in the Escalade/Navigator fully full size SUV arena.
Is that a typo or is the conversion from USD to CAD done using logarithms?
It’s a weird inventory thing were only the top trim of the 2025 model year is showing as currently available in Canada. The extra $500 on the as-tested price is just the premium paint charge.
Those wheels look like something I would’ve put on my Escalade in Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition when I was a kid
The GV70 is definitely in the conversation for the most universally acclaimed car of the last 3-4 years or so. There isn’t a single publication, YouTube channel, etc. that has a bad thing to say about it. They’re apparently fantastic.
That being said, buy one (or any Genesis) used. They have a great certified program that allows you to keep what’s left of the full 10 yeah powertrain warranty, extends the bumper to bumper one, allows you to use their concierge service. and offers in house financing at new car interest rates.
But new? Not a great idea. Korean car depreciation is no joke. For context there’s a local dealership that has a certified 22 or 23 GV70 with 30,000 miles, a clean carfax, and the V6 for under 40 grand. If you desperately want a new one you should lease it.
If I were to need a new car tomorrow I’d consider picking up a used Genesis…but unfortunately my wife has less than 0 interest in the brand and all my German luxury car obsessed family would bully me into another dimension, so it probably wouldn’t happen. But they are great buys if you want an old school luxury experience.
This generation ovoloid interior doesn’t do it for me – otherwise I’ve been keeping an eye on the GV70 for a long time, and I am also a german car driver for quite some time now. The thing is, I am not interested in the 3.5TT. What is the consensus on the 2.5T? I know it can’t keep up with the Germans in the fuel economy deparment – the achilles heel of the Koreans – but it is a 2.5, as opposed to a 2.0. there’s opportunity there. How does it aquit itself? I have not had time to review the reviews extensively.
From experience, the 2.5T’s great against the German 2.0Ts. A bit thirstier than the German four-cylinder competition at the pumps, but 300 horsepower is sprightly, and the GV70 2.5T feels lighter on the nose than the V6 model.
The general consensus is that it’s fine. It still gets the car to 60 in the 5s and returns better but still lackluster gas mileage. At the end of the day 300 horsepower is 300 horsepower.
I think the real selling point for a Genesis over the German products other than the lower cost of entry and more understated styling is the ownership costs. You’re not going to get hit with random four figure bills every time you bring it in for service and if you go certified you get basically twice the warranty.
Since most of the Genesis powertrains also see duty in Hyundai/Kia products they’re not particularly sophisticated. The minus is that they’re less smooth, less efficient, and sound worse. It just comes down to what you prioritize and how long you want to own the car…but I’d imagine that the lower cost of ownership will offset the additional gas cost very quickly given how much it costs to keep a German luxury car going.
I think they’ll eventually be worth more as well. The initial depreciation is bad but due to them being less risky long term I doubt that they’ll bottom out as badly Ze Germans do. If you’re planning on buying used and keeping long term I struggle to see why you’d go German over a Genesis unless you specifically want a dedicated performance model or a Porsche.
Thank you. Alongside a second fuel efficient car for local errands – a PHEV/EV of some sort – this might make sense for us. Certified sounds like the way to go.
The GV70 is a great car, I’d just recommend you find a standalone Genesis dealership to deal with because Hyundai dealerships are a hell I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy…and I say that as a Hyundai owner
yeah the dealerships are terrible. I’ve had three seperate issues with my elantra that needed diagnostics and two times they told me it would take MULTIPLE WEEKS before they would be able to even look at it!
I root for Genesis and generally think they provide good value for the money, but $70K for leatherette in a small CUV? Is that really the state of this segment?
This was pretty much my exact thought when I read the word leatherette and thought about how poorly that’s held up on the driver’s seat of my car
The leatherette isn’t on the seats. The sentence said “everything EXCEPT the seats and steering wheel are a convincing leatherette” which is pretty par for the course in this segment.
Yeah, the seats in this trim are upholstered in real leather, but on interior panels, you’ll find leatherette in places where most competitors use simpler soft-touch plastic.
I did miss that, thanks for clarifying.
Poorly written article. It never says seats are leather, it implies they are not leatherette.