2025.05.22 GENESIS
A New Benchmark for Luxury EVs: The Genesis GV60 Marries Delicate Emotion with Cutting‑Edge Tech for a Truly Dynamic Drive
I slipped behind the wheel of Genesis’ freshly updated luxury compact EV, the GV60. From its clean silhouette and polished proportions to the overwhelming performance and advanced tech hiding beneath the calm, this car kept me gawking—right up until the moment I pressed that oh‑so‑tempting Boost button.
After roughly three years and five months, Genesis has given the GV60 its first facelift, and the premium EV crowd is buzzing again. Along with crisper styling, the update boosts usability and overall polish while doubling down on signature Genesis refinement. With heavyweight players flooding the luxury‑EV ring, how does the GV60 stand out? I grabbed the Performance AWD model to find out—experiencing its unique blend of style, tech, and brute force firsthand.
Design: Evolved Details, Pure EV Sculpture
“One, two, three, four …” I counted the tiny cubes sparkling inside the headlamps. Those Micro Lens Array (MLA) lights perform DRL, turn signal, low beam, and high beam duty—all in a razor‑thin strip. Genesis has never skimped on the little things, and the MLA system makes the brand’s hallmark two‑line motif look slimmer and sharper than ever.
Chrome? Virtually none. One strip arcs from the windshield header over the side glass to the rear spoiler, bending into a lightning‑bolt kink at the C‑pillar—an unmistakable signature for Genesis’ tech‑flagship EV.
The brand’s first clamshell hood helps ditch fussy shut‑lines, trading them for bold surfacing that amplifies EV purity. New body‑color wheel‑arch trim and lower cladding push the look even sportier and more upscale.
With its trademark low‑slung, broad‑shouldered stance, the GV60 now adds Performance AWD‑exclusive 21‑inch wheels, a swoopy coupe‑CUV roofline, and a rear wing spoiler—blending raw dynamism with elegant poise in a single future‑forward luxury sports‑coupe silhouette. A front bumper stretched by 30 mm (about 1.2 in.) caps the car’s bolder face, while aero tweaks—under‑floor panels, airflow‑minding wheels, and more—sharpen its wind‑cheating game. The relentless pursuit of efficiency brings to mind Genesis’ documentary Journey to the Aurora, echoing the brand’s mantra of “moving endlessly toward wonder.”
The test car’s body color, Tromsø Green, takes its name from Norway’s aurora capital and captures that celestial magic in sheet‑metal form. The hue is luxuriously rich and thought‑out—exactly what you expect from a premium badge. Bold metallic pearls give the finish a lively sparkle that pops even brighter under clear daylight than beneath a night sky painted with northern lights.
High‑Tech Meets Heart—A Cabin You’ll Want to Linger In
The Galaxy Black/Aqua Green two‑tone interior is a perfect foil for Tromsø Green paint. Fit, finish, and color harmony feel downright decadent; stack it against class rivals and you instantly see what “true luxury EV” means. The vibe recalls the exotic flair and hand‑crafted polish once reserved for boutique sports cars.
That daring color palette never feels out of place because clean design and laser‑cut details keep the look cohesive. Genesis leans on its “Beauty of White Space” philosophy to maximize the dedicated‑EV layout while dialing up a high‑tech mood.
One of the GV60’s headline acts is the Crystal Sphere: at rest it’s a glowing objet d’art; press the start button and it rotates 180° to become the shift‑by‑wire dial—pure theater every time you climb in.
The 27‑inch display dissolves the line between gauge cluster and nav screen, expanding your sense of space when you blow the map full‑screen. Size alone doesn’t shout luxury—snappy software and deep content do. Built‑in streaming lets you watch music videos or movies without tethering a device; even the cherry‑blossom animated menu felt delightfully premium.
The Bang & Olufsen sound system doubles as jewelry when idle and delivers an immersive stage when live. Tap Genesis’ own high‑bit‑rate “Genesis Music” service for lossless tracks—no Bluetooth compression, all clarity.
I rolled into a quiet outdoor lot for a top‑up break. With A/C off and windows cracked, the Relaxation Comfort seats reclined, birds chirping, sky overhead through the Vision Roof—an ordinary charging stop felt like a micro‑vacation.
Flip down the precisely engineered rear backrests and a six‑footer can sprawl full length. Gaze at the sky through glass, then at the quilted trim around you, and it’s easy to forget you’re not in a boutique hotel suite.
Thrills Delivered by High‑Output E‑Power and a Dialed‑In Chassis
The updated 84.0 kWh Gen‑4 battery pushes rated range from 451 km to 481 km (280 – 299 mi) in Standard 2WD, yet still crushes a 10–80 % fast charge in just 18 minutes. My Performance AWD tester showed roughly 450 km (280 mi) at a full charge—more laps of fun, fewer stops.
Genesis’ low‑number naming means more sport, and the GV60 walks that talk. Exhibit A: the BOOST button positioned for your right thumb on the wheel.
With a 160‑kW motor at each axle, the Performance AWD GV60 feels crisp and eager even tooling around in Comfort. There’s no need to dip into Sport—roll into the throttle and it leaps ahead on cue. Press the BOOST paddle and each motor spikes to 180 kW, like popping a factory seal: this plush, family‑sized, camp‑friendly EV hurls itself from rest to 62 mph in four seconds flat.
Numbers this quick used to come with cramped cabins and rattly suspensions; the GV60 serves them up with all four tires glued down and the cabin Zen‑calm—making the hit feel even stronger. Once you’re hooked, Boost becomes your secret weapon for freeway merges and two‑lane passes.
Need old‑school thrills? Fire up Virtual Gear Shift (VGS) and the drivetrain “steps” through virtual ratios while e‑ASD layers in a silken, faux six‑cylinder growl. Flip the switch off when you want silence—either way, the soundtrack is addictively premium.
Luxury is great, but it’s meaningless if controls lag. The GV60 never stumbles: in daily traffic it glides without jerks or over‑braking; switch to Sport or simply start hustling and the compact‑SUV dimensions vanish—response is pinpoint‑sharp.
Built on a low center of gravity and a broad footprint, the GV60 delivers handling sharp enough to satisfy dyed‑in‑the‑wool enthusiasts. A light flick of the wheel sends the nose carving through switchbacks with a quick, fluid grace that lingers in your mind long after you park. The new three‑spoke steering wheel, now with beefier grips, transmits tire chatter straight into your fingertips.
Genesis backs that sweet helm feel with a well‑tuned rack, a sports‑car‑grade e‑LSD, and big monoblock 4‑piston brakes, so the GV60 snaps precisely where you point it. You feel fused to the chassis—then grin wider when you discover the hid-den Drift Mode, a reminder of how seriously Genesis takes the “dynamic” in dynamic luxury.
Even on 21‑inch rubber, the updated Preview ECS air suspension lets the compact EV play two roles: hard‑edged sports car when the road begs, polished luxury sedan when it doesn’t. Speed bumps pass with a single, well‑damped stroke; on loose gravel the body stays level, impact thuds and tire roar neatly hushed.
In theory, an EV should be the perfect blank canvas for luxury‑car refinement—no combustion thrum, no exhaust roar. In reality, kill the engine noise and every stray squeak, wind rush, or tire slap steps into the spotlight. Genesis attacked that challenge head‑on: even with Active Sound Design switched off, the GV60 lets virtually no high‑frequency whine, gusty wind, or coarse‑pavement rumble break the hush. Credit ANC‑R (speakers emit counter‑phase sound to wipe out road roar), beefier insulation, and tighter body sealing. The net NVH is simply top of class—yes, including the usual German suspects.
On the drivability front, Smart Regeneration 3.0 is a revelation. Lift off and the GV60 decides—on the fly—how much regen you need: hold a safe gap to the car ahead, coast efficiently on an open stretch, or bleed speed for an upcoming speed bump or intersection. It factors traffic flow, your throttle habits, and nav data to pick the perfect regen level every time. The result feels so seamless it’s practically semi‑autonomous, melting away stop‑and‑go fatigue.
Lane‑keep and the rest of the ADAS suite now lean on a direct‑contact wheel sensor (HOD) plus an in‑cabin driver cam (ICC), making the assistance smoother and safer. A new Digital Center Mirror joins the digital side mirrors, supplying a panoramic rear view that shines in rain, darkness, or when the trunk is stuffed. The Surround View monitor is great, but I usually let Remote Smart Parking Assist 2 do the dirty work—quicker and more precise than my own three‑point shuffle. And Genesis’ Walk‑Away Lock clicks the doors when you stride off, a final touch of white‑glove convenience. There are more features than we can list, but each one quietly lifts daily satisfaction.
The GV60 overwhelms its class with out‑of‑segment luxury, character‑rich design, meticulous detailing, and leading‑edge tech. Factor in the spacious EV‑specific cabin, polished ride, and genuine driver engagement, and you have every rational excuse—and plenty of emotional pull—to sign on the dotted line. After this mid‑cycle update, Genesis hasn’t merely refreshed its compact EV; it has crafted a luxury electric that sparks instinctive want.
Photography by Jin‑Ho Choi
