2024 Genesis GV60

Anybody who enters the GV60 makes a couple of comments.  The first is about the interesting blue interior color. Everyone seems to like it, it’s just so very different from what we’re all used to. The other is the lighted globe between the two front seats (more on that shortly). The third thing people comment on is the high-tech look of the interior, or as we might call it: the sci-fi look.

Interior

Let’s start with the most interesting, intriguing, and fun feature - the gear selector knob. At first glance you’ll note that there is something spherical between the two front seats - like a crystal ball of sorts. A really nice looking sphere, I must say - lit up and oh so very smooth to the touch…

Put your foot on the break and hit the start button behind the steering wheel and you’ll notice the crystal ball rotating around to reveal the gear selector knob. This is such a high-tech move that anybody who gets in the car wants to see it again. Good thing this is an electric vehicle, so the constant shutting down and restarting isn’t hurting it too much.

My question, of course, is how long will it take until this spherical swooshing detail breaks and I can’t select gears - probably stuck in some random parking lot where I don’t want to be. Even so, I definitely think it’s a very cool detail.

Our test vehicle has a dark blue, almost gray, interior. This goes for both the leather as well as the Alcantara on the door panels. Throughout the car we also have this very cool neon yellow contrast stitching, giving the GV60 a really nice look overall.

The GV60 kind of reminds me of the interior of a Mini Cooper, mainly due to all the round design features and circular speakers. I love how the glove compartment slides out like a drawer rather than what were used. Fun touch.

The full length sunroof is a nice touch, especially with an oh so interesting way of opening up - it clam-shells… So the front and back piece retract their opposite ways, parting the ceiling to make way for the sun to shine in.

Another interesting feature in the Genesis GV60 is a little button on the side of the passenger seat backrest -  the side facing the driver. This button, weirdly enough, is the seat adjuster for the passenger seat. Now, the passenger seat is maneuvered using buttons on the lower right hand side of said seat, as is the norm, but I guess Genesis figured that the rear occupants (and the driver) should be able to assist the front passenger in their seat adjustments.

I guess this might come in handy if the driver is helping whoever is sitting in the front seat, but with kids in the car it’s an entirely different story… Mom started to move around a lot once the kids found that button.

Bang & Olufsen

The Bang Olufsen sound system (B&O Premium Audio system) is really impressive. It feels like there are speakers everywhere in the car - crank up your favorite tune and it’ll sound like you’re sitting in the concert hall with them. Also included is an Active Noise Control feature - I guess further dampening the noise in the already quite electric vehicle.

Now, with all this super-high-tech (and cool, and fancy, and…) features and toys it’s rather weird - and very irritating - that I still have to plug my phone in to access Apple CarPlay. It’s actually full-on BS. A $25,000 Toyota has wireless Apple CarPlay, so I would expect a model year 2024 Genesis - a $71,320 Genesis GV60 Performance, no less - should also offer a wireless connection to Apple CarPlay..! And Android Auto for that matter.

In all fairness - I of course got used to plugging my phone in whenever I got into the GV60. And yes, that works just fine. I’m just really confused as to why I would have to plug my phone in when driving around in a car worth more than some houses..

Rear Seats

The rear seats are well-appointed - and thanks to the multiple speakers back there the rear passengers also get to enjoy the great audio system. However, it’s not really made for (tall) adults - I’m 6 foot and I’m hitting my head on the ceiling.

Also, the floor is high enough that it puts me in a interesting position where the underside of my thighs are not touching the seat cushion. For kids, though, the rear seat works fine - even three kids (oldest is 11) abreast is not a problem - they seem to think it’s a very comfortable car, even in the back seat.

Trunk Space

There’s a sizable amount of trunk space in the Genesis GV60. I’m not going to call it ginormous, but it will definitely get the job done for any everyday shopping needs - maybe even for carrying your gear to a sports activity, depending on your sport of choice, of course.

Exterior

The Genesis GV60 is very, well, round. The interesting - yet still very round - design lines of the GV60 give it a high-tech look and feel - but thanks to Genesis keeping a somewhat normal front grille on the car it’s not going to stick out like a vehicle from a science fiction movie (phew!).

The headlights - as well as the rear brake lights - are really built INTO the body. I mean they don’t stick out of, or protrude from, the car like so many other manufacturer’s have chosen to do with their designs. I kinda like the Genesis way, it adds a very smooth look to the entire GV60.

One might note that the front wheels are extremely close to the front of the car - there’s pretty much no overhang. The same goes for the rear wheels - the wheels are positioned as far forward and back as they can be.

The rear has a cool fin - probably designed more for airflow and aerodynamics, but it does add a nice look to the rear of the GV60.

The ginormous Genesis-emblem on the nose of the GV60 actually style-wise fits really well with the lines of the car. The headlights and the Genesis logo do well together.

Driving Characteristics

The 2024 Genesis GV60 Performance comes with an insane amount of power. Like enough power to get anyone into real trouble. There’s two electric motors - 160 kW up front and 160 kW on the rear axel. Since most of us are not adept at converting kW to horsepower I instead opt for the “holy shit”-scale - and judging by the reactions I get from my passengers the GV60 Performance goes way up the HS scale. One passenger - while recovering from being thrown back into his seat, and whiteout knowing about the scale of HS - introduced an alternative: the HF-scale.

The battery has a capacity of 77.4 kWh - again, what does that translate to? I need another scale. Something we can relate to is an electronically controlled suspension, because that means that the engineers have put a lot of thought into how this vehicle handles. The combination of tight suspension (yet comfortable when in the applicable drive modes) and massive power translates to only one thing: One heck of a ride! Whipping around corners - or taking an extra lap in a roundabout - you’l notice that the GV60 seems to have a lot in common with a go-cart. This vehicle handles really really nicely.

City driving is a breeze - actually quite thrilling if you want it to be. Highway driving is a breeze, extra thanks to the highway driving assist which will do most of the driving for you. And for an extra kick, stick the Genesis GV60 into sport mode and go to town. Literally.

Speaking of roundabouts… Whipping around roundabouts will lure out the inner idiot we all have. The GV60 sticks nicely to the asphalt and the nose will go where you point the steering wheel. With a smile on your face, you will blow away from anybody at a red light. Well at least pretty much anybody you might come across - there are a couple of cars in the world that are going to be faster, but they are few and far between.

By sticking the car in one-pedal-driving mode - called i-PEDAL in Genesisian - will save your brakes for pretty much all eternity. With iPedal turned up to the max level you actually should not have to use the brakes at all - if you do it’s either in an emergency situation or you’re a horrible planner when it comes to your driving. Why? Well, the iPedal will bring the car to a total stop if you let off the accelerator.

Comfort, Convenience & Safety

The smart cruise control is a great adaptive cruise control, nicely coupling with the steering assist. If you’re on the highway the Genesis Highway Driving Assist system kicks in (if you tell it to) and it’ll do most of the driving for you. Obviously you’ll need to keep your eyes on the road, but the automated driving system feels reliable.

I really really like head-up displays - you know, like the “in the air in front of you” displays you see fighter pilots use in the movies. Well, the Genesis GV60’s head-up display projects all the information one might need while driving - albeit in an area a bit smaller than other vehicles utilize. Regardless, it makes driving so much easier and safer when I don’t need to take my eyes off the road, ever.

Included in the Advanced Safety Technology group of features is the forward collision avoidance assist, the lane keeping assist, the lane following assist, the driver attention warning system, the blind spot assistance, collision avoidance assist, blindspot view monitor (a camera that live-feeds a view of your blind spot), rear cross traffic collision avoidance assist, safe exit assist (makes sure you don’t swing your door open onto a passing car or bike), and advanced rear occupant alert to name a few. Yeah, that’s a ginormous list, I know, and I left some stuff out…

The last one on the list, advanced, rear occupant alert, seems to be a feature in most cars nowadays. Really what it does is it flings a message onto the dashboard screen and tells you to turn around and make sure you’re not leaving a kid, a dog, or something else you value in the backseat when you leave the car.

Another notable smart feature is the Blindspot View Monitor which projects a live view of your blindspot onto the dashboard. This means that when you hit the blinker you get a little screen showing you what’s in your blind spot. It’s a Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis feature, and it takes a little getting used to because you forget to look at that screen - but once you do get used to it, it’s a great help.

The 2024 Genesis GV60 Performance also comes with the Genesis digital key as well as fingerprint authentication. So it’s not just Jason Statham in The Transporter who can turn on his car with his finger - it’s also you in the GV60.

Summary

The 2024 Genesis GV60 is a mini-beast. It has the (horse)power to knock you hard against the headrest, and pretty much whip away from anything else on the road. The GV60 also has a refined style - classy yet still fun. The spherical shifter is a nice touch, as is a lot of the interior details. If you’re looking for a really fun electric vehicle, the GV60 should definitely be on the list.