MODEL ON TEST: PURE – MILEAGE – 6,004

Talk about a baptism of fire. No sooner did the Genesis GV60 Pure arrive at my front door than it was being immediately used and abused.Two visits to the NEC in Birmingham up the M40 in the space of four days for corporate events, then the May bank holiday weekend saw two trips around the M25.

In just the first ten days of the keys being with me, I’d already covered 800 miles. I realise that’s not that much for some people, but it felt plenty enough to start getting used to the Genesis.And much of the latter half of that was in the mini heatwave that we experienced.

At least that mileage, and the ambient temperature, gave the GV60’s electronics a chance to settle. Interestingly, with so much of that initial mileage being on the motorway, a full charge was only showing as offering 280 miles or so. And then, just as I was thinking that felt a bit low and that I need to check the official combined figure (348 miles, since you ask), the warm weather arrived and I was doing some more urban, lower speed mileage and the next time I max charged it had leapt up to a more respectable 324 miles. My average efficiency crept up as well to 3.5 miles/kWh. I’m hoping that continues its upward trajectory as,given the GV60’s slippery shape, I’d kind of expected it to be a little closer to 4 miles/kWh or above. Perhaps I’m expecting a little much from it there, especially as I’ve been using the air conditioning a lot in the heatwave. I have to admit to having had a bit of a soft spot for the GV60 ever since it first arrived in 2022. Not entirely dissimilar to Polestar, it feels like a slightly left field, discerning choice for those who don’t want to follow the crowd.Yes, you could go for its sister cars, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 or Kia EV6, both of which are great cars, but you’ll also see several others of those in every car park. The GV60, not so much. Then there’s also the interior quality. I’m sure I haven’t found every nook and cranny of the infotainment and on-board system as yet, but I’ve had a good electronic rummage around and haven’t not been able to find anything that I was looking for. So far,so good.The wireless Apple CarPlay has also been, touch wood, pretty faultless too, so long may that continue.

At first glance, it’s a little confusing that the infotainment system can be operated via a BMW-style iDrive rotary controller as well as being a touchscreen, but actually it just works. Also, it helpfully prevents you from covering the screen in fingertip smudges as well – another personal bugbear.There are some nice touches around the harder items too. I’m particularly fond of the drawer-like glove box and also the chunky thick-rimmed steering wheel. I’ve yet to properly drive the GV60 in anger down any twisty country roads, but there’s no doubt that you feel connected to the road and confident in being able to hustle it with a good degree of verve.

My 13-year-old son was pretty awe- struck by the rotating crystal sphere gear selector and, while I must admit to also liking it, I do worry about its longevity for secondhand owners in the future. And, being the crushing bore that I am, nice though these emotional additions are, they do all add weight which in turn reduces efficiency – things that most car engineers are constantly concerned about. I know, I know, I’m hilarious at parties.

The Genesis isn’t perfect though. While I love the flush door handles, they’re not hollow grip ones like on the Jaguar I-Pace and instead are Aston Martin-like levers.Although they do have finger indents on the inside, more than once I’ve found my fingers slipping off them, especially if you’ve got your hands full with other items.

Other niggles? Well, the lack of a rear wiper is a constant annoyance for me personally as I always back into my home parking space, which makes it difficult in the wet. In Genesis’ defence, the rear mirror can double as a rear camera at the flick of a switch, but it remains frustrating.There’s a little irony of course in the fact that Hyundai did a reverse ferret on the rear wiper with the Ioniq 5, fitting one with its midlife refresh after criticism.

The other gripe is a self-criticism more than anything and one I only discovered by mistake when accelerating hard to join a motorway. Having been rather over-zealous with my right foot (honest, officer), my speed briefly went above 70mph as I joined the motorway, at which point the seat bolsters expanded and gripped me tight enough to make me reconsider my lunch choice.They thankfully returned to normal when my speed dropped back to down to normal motorway speeds, but it was a shock to the system and not entirely pleasant. I need to investigate how to switch that off.

Overall though, it’s been a great start with the GV60 and I’m looking forward to the next three months of Genesis-motoring.

NAT BARNES

WHAT’S HOT: Interior build quality.

WHAT’S NOT: Lack of a rear wiper.

STANDARD EQUIPMENT:

10.25-inch digital instruments, 19-inch alloy wheels with Michelin Primacy 4 235/55 R19 tyres and tyre repair kit, 60/40 split/fold rear seats, Adaptive cruise control with speed limiter, Ambient lighting with 64 colours, Anti-lock brakes with electronic brake force distribution and brake assist, Automatic headlights, Autonomous emergency braking system, Blind spot recognition, DAB radio with 10.25- inch touchscreen, navigation, 8-speakers, USB-C sockets, voice control and steering wheel controls, Drive mode selector, Driver, passenger, side and head airbags with passenger side de-activation, Dual zone climate control, Electric and heated mirrors with power folding, Electric front seats, Electric park brake with auto hold, Electric tailgate, Electric windows front and rear, Electronic stability programme with traction control, Emergency e-call system, Faux leather upholstery, Fingerprint sensor, Heat pump, Heated front seats, Heated steering wheel, ISOFIX child seat safety fasteners for rear outer seats, Keyless entry and start, Lane follow assist, Lane keep assist, Leather steering wheel, LED daytime running lights, LED headlights, LED taillights, Parking sensors front and rear, Rain sensing windscreen wipers, Rear privacy glass, Rear cross traffic alert system, Reversing camera, Traffic sign recognition, Trailer stability programme, Tyre pressure monitors, Wireless Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and Bluetooth smartphone compatibility and Wireless smartphone charger

OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT FITTED TO TEST CAR:

Comfort pack – 18-way electric driver’s seat, acoustic rear glazing, electric tilt and telescopic steering wheel with memory functionality, heated rear seats, driver’s seat memory, front premium relaxation seats, rear side window blinds, ventilated front seats (£2,930)

Innovations Pack Plus – blind spot view monitor, digital rear-view mirror, digital key, advanced autonomous emergency braking system, head-up display, highway driving assist, intelligent front-lighting system, parking collision avoidance assist for front, side and rear, remote smart parking assist, surround view monitor (£4,170)

Tromso Green metallic paint (£810) Vehicle-to-load pack (£580)

FACTS & FIGURES

PRICE: (NEW) £54,115

PRICE: (AS TESTED) £62,065

ELECTRIC CAR GRANT ELIGIBLE? No

COLOUR: Tromso Green metallic

BUILT IN: Ulsan, South Korea

CODENAME: JW

GENERATION: 1 Facelift

PLATFORM: E-GMP

BODYSTYLE: 5-door SUV, 5-seats

LAYOUT: Rear-wheel drive

POWERPLANT: Single electric motor and 84kWh lithium-ion battery pack

GEARBOX: 1-speed automatic

MAX POWER: 168kW/225bhp/228ps

MAX TORQUE: 258lb ft/350Nm

TOP SPEED: 115mph

0-62MPH: 7.8secs

CO2 EMISSIONS: 0g/km

ECONOMY: (COMBINED) 3.7 miles/kWh

RANGE: (COMBINED) 348 miles

RECHARGE TIME:
AC DOMESTIC SOCKET (10-100%) 34 hours 40 minutes
AC 11KW (10-100%) 7 hours 35 minutes
DC 50KW (10-80%) 1 hour 21 minutes
DC 240KW (10-80%) 18 minutes

INSURANCE GROUP: 38

BIK RATE: (2026/2027 TAX YEAR) 4%

SIZE: (LENGTH/WIDTH WITH MIRRORS/HEIGHT/ WHEELBASE) 4,545/1,890/1,580/2,900mm

BOOT SPACE: (MIX/MAX/FRUNK) 432/1,460/53 litres

KERB WEIGHT: 2,050kg

TOWING WEIGHT: 1,600kg

EURO NCAP RATING: (pre-facelift) five stars

SPARE WHEEL: (FULL-SIZE/SPACESAVER/RUN-FLAT/ SELF-SEALING/REPAIR KIT) No/no/no/no/yes 

WARRANTY: 5 years/Unlimited miles

WARRANTY: (BATTERY) 8 years/100,000 miles

DATE ARRIVED: 15th May 2026

COSTS None

FAULTS None