The Electric SUV That's Turning Heads and Winning Hearts

A luxury electric SUV called the Genesis GV70 Electrified is getting a lot of attention in the UK. The car is made by Genesis, a brand owned by the same Korean company that makes Hyundai and Kia vehicles. Several drivers, including a car expert and a family new to electric vehicles, spent weeks living with the GV70 to see how well it works in real life. What they found surprised even the toughest critics.

Genesis is not yet a well-known brand, and many people who see the GV70 on the road stop and ask what kind of car it is. But the people who have driven it say that is part of its charm. The car looks stylish and elegant without trying too hard, and it does not shout about being electric. It looks almost the same as the gas-powered version, which gives it a classy, low-key appearance.

Car writer Steve Fowler picked up his GV70 from a special showroom called the Genesis Studio inside the famous Battersea Power Station in London. The studio offers a unique experience based on a Korean idea called son nim, which means treating every guest like an honored visitor. Customers are offered Korean tea, shown color samples on real car doors, and guided through their new car by a personal specialist. Steve says the experience felt more like visiting a luxury boutique than a regular car dealership.

While Steve was on holiday, he lent the GV70 to his colleague Simon Best, whose Kia Sportage had broken down and needed a costly new turbo. Simon's family, including his wife, three daughters, and in-laws visiting from New Zealand, all got to try the car together. Their reactions were overwhelmingly positive from the very first drive. Simon said the GV70 made his old Kia feel like ancient history.

Simon's wife quickly became a huge fan, especially because of the Ergo Motion seat, which gives the driver a gentle massage while on the motorway. She also loved the physical dials, which are decorated with a textured pattern called knurling and feel like expensive jewelry. Even the school run, which is usually a stressful task, became something she looked forward to each day. Her only complaint was that the clock is in an awkward spot on the big screen.

The three daughters were blown away by the car's high-tech features inside the cabin. They loved the glowing ambient lighting and the massive panoramic sunroof that made the backseat feel like a glass capsule. The rear climate control screen became a big hit with their friends during summer heatwaves. The girls said they felt like VIPs every time they climbed in.

Steve was also very impressed after more than a month of daily driving. The GV70 is officially rated at 287 miles on a full charge, but his car showed 319 miles after one overnight charge, which is eleven percent more than expected. Even after a long motorway drive to Heathrow Airport, the car's estimated range went up instead of down. Steve found this result remarkable and said it was one of the biggest surprises of owning the car.

Charging the car was easy and affordable for both drivers. Simon charged the GV70 overnight at home and found it simple and cheap. Steve used a public Shell Recharge fast charger that added 150 miles to the battery in just a few minutes, giving him enough time to check his messages before heading back on the road. Both drivers agreed that charging felt much less complicated than they had expected.

Steve did have a couple of small complaints about the car. He found it confusing that the gear selector and the infotainment controller were similar shapes and placed right next to each other, causing him to press the wrong one more than once. He was also a little disappointed by the 15-speaker Bang and Olufsen sound system, which he felt did not sound as impressive as it should for such an expensive car. He said rival cars offer better audio setups and hoped future updates would fix the issue.

The GV70 costs nearly £80,000, and cheaper electric SUVs like the BMW iX3 claim a longer range of 500 miles. However, Steve said the GV70's build quality, luxury details, and driving experience are hard to beat at any price. He even noticed that the door bins are lined with soft, high-quality plastic, a small detail that shows just how much care went into the car's design. For both Steve and Simon's family, the Genesis GV70 Electrified made a strong case for being one of the best electric SUVs on the road today.