Genesis finally has a challenger to the BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC, and Audi Q5.
Officially revealed earlier this year, the Korean luxury brand has today detailed what will power its mid-sized SUV. It’ll touch down in Australia in the first half of 2021.
The GV70 will be offered with a choice of one diesel and two petrol engines. The turbo-diesel is a 2.2-litre four-cylinder unit with 155kW of power and 441Nm of torque, while the petrol options are a turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder and a twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre V6.
The smaller engine has 224kW and 422Nm, while the bigger unit makes 280kW and 530Nm and is good for a claimed 5.1-second sprint to 100km/h. Both engines appear to have been borrowed from the larger G80 and GV80.
All-wheel drive will be standard with the V6, and optional on the four-cylinder models.
Like the larger GV80, the GV70 wears a distinctive face and a large shield grille up front. The roof line is raked aggressively at the rear, and there’s a prominent shark fin behind the rear door.
The rounded boot and prominent diffuser at the back are reminiscent of the Porsche Macan, although the split tail lights are pure Genesis.
Measuring 4715mm long, 1910mm wide and 1630mm tall with a 2875mm wheelbase, the Genesis GV70 is 1mm shorter, 13mm wider, and 37mm lower than a BMW X3, with an 11mm longer wheelbase.
Sport models have a different front bumper, dark chrome trim, a larger exhaust, and a choice of unique 21-inch alloy wheels.
Standard safety equipment will include:
- Forward-collision avoidance assist
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Lane-keeping assist
- Blind-spot assist
- Speed limit assist
- Driver attention monitoring
- Adaptive cruise control
- Highway Driving Assist II
Inside, the GV70 shares its single-spoke steering wheel with the GV80, though the Sport model has a different steering wheel.
Genesis will allow owners to pay for fuel or parking from within your car using CarPay (no, not CarPlay) and a fingerprint scanner for authentication.
The car can also be started using the fingerprint sensor. Once the car recognises your digit, it’ll automatically move the seats and mirrors to your preferred spot and pull up your frequently-visited destinations on the satellite navigation.
There’s a prominent horizontal line running across the dashboard, while the climate control binnacle is a touch panel in an oval housing that runs across the driver’s side of the cabin.
Genesis is finding its feet in Australia, although the rollout of the GV80 SUV and its GV70 smaller brother will help drive sales.
It opened its first boutique in Sydney last year, and followed it up with a more conventional showroom in Parramatta. The brand initially planned to set up a second boutique in Melbourne during 2020, but has been forced to delay its opening.
