I recently test drove a Genesis GV70, but the GV60 [1] which I didn’t test drive is a nicer car.
The GV70 and GV60 are all electric so they are quiet and perform well. The GV70 has a sun-roof that opens, it was the first car I’ve driven like that and I decided I don’t like it. Having the shade open so I can see the sky while stuck in a traffic jam is nice though. The GV60 has a non-opening sun-roof with a shade that can be retracted, this is a feature I’d really like to have in my next car.
Electric cars as a general rule have good acceleration and are quiet, the GV70 performed as expected in that regard. It has a head-up display projected on the windscreen for the speed and the speed limit on the road in question which is handy. When driving in a car park it showed images from all sides which is really handy, I wish I had explored that feature more.
The console is all electronic with a TFT display instead of mechanical instruments but the only significant difference this makes in driving is that when a turn indicator is used the console display shows a video feed for the blind-spot that matches the lane change direction. This is a significant safety feature and will reduce the incidence of collisions. But the capabilities of the hardware seem under utilised, hopefully they will release a software update at some future time to do more with it.
The most significant benefit of the GV60 over the GV70 is that it has cameras instead of mirrors at the sides of the car. This reduces drag and also removes the need to adjust mirrors to match the height of the driver. Also for driver instruction the instructor and learner get to see the same view. A logical development of such cars is an expansion pack for instruction that has displays in the passenger seat to show the instructor the same instrument view as the driver sees.
The minimum list driveaway price for the GV60 is $117,171.50 and for the GV70 it is $138,119.89 – both of which are more than I’m prepared to pay for a car. The GV60 apparently can be started by fingerprint which seems like a bad idea given the poor security of fingerprint sensors, but as regular car keys tend not to be too difficult to work around it probably doesn’t matter. The Genesis web site makes it difficult to find the ranges of electric cars which is surprising. A Google search suggests that the GV60 can do 466Km and the GV70 can do 410Km which are both reasonable numbers and nothing to be ashamed of.
The GV70 was a fun car to drive and the GV60 looks like it would be even better. I recommend that everyone who likes technology take one for a test drive, but for my own use I’m looking for something that costs less than half as much.
IMHO _all_ new cars (not just electric) are insanely expensive.
Five years ago I bought a _used_ 3yo Nissan Leaf for the price of a 6yo Honda Civic.
Doesn’t have the range of a GV60, of course, but it’s a really nice car for running errands around town and handling my pretty-short commute to work.
No regrets. One tenth the price of what you just looked at.
I’m looking at second hand LEAFs now. They are more expensive than I hoped, as you note a second hand LEAF holds it’s value better than a typical ICE car.