New Genesis GV70 2.5. is a Star

And the award goes to...

Genesis GV70 crossover parked on the beach, front

If you hear the sound of groaning these days, it’s the shelf at Genesis HQ in Fountain Valley, California; groaning under the weight of the multitude of awards and accolades, gongs and trophies lavished on this young automaker’s model line-up.

Car of the Year this, SUV of the Year that, and a mountain of J.D. Power quality and customer satisfaction awards. The latest, and most-coveted J.D Power Initial Quality Award? Yup, top place went to Genesis.

And the hot new Genesis GV70 crossover I’ve been driving has already scooped-up everything from Top Compact Premium SUV in J.D. Power’s APEAL Study, to the super-high-profile 2022 Motor Trend magazine “SUV of the Year” award, to Top-rated Luxury SUV from Edmunds.

Genesis GV70 crossover, parked on the beach, side:from above

Talk about an over-achiever. If this was the Academy Awards, it would grab the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director.

Totally justified too. This is a “cute-ute” compact sport-utility that can go head-to-head with superstars like BMW’s X3, Audi’s Q5, Cadillac’s XT5, Volvo’s XC60, and Mercedes’ GLC and go come out top of the class.

Yes, amazing value is a big part of the appeal. The well-equipped GV70 2.5 I’ve been driving, kicks off at just $42,900 – that’s thousands of bucks less than the competition. Even checking plenty of options boxes, you’re hard-pressed to break $52-grand.

Genesis GV70 crossover, parked profile

But it’s so much more than that. It boasts everything from really cool exterior design and best-of-the-best interior, to dynamic, agile handling and zippy performance.

It’s based closely on the mechanical bits of Genesis’ equally impressive G70 sports sedan, but is wrapped in truly gorgeous, head-turning bodywork.

Yes, it took me a while to warm to that flashy, oversized, shield-like mesh grille. But while it looks over-done, and over-bearing in the low-to-the-ground G70 sedan, it works better in the taller GV70, flanked by those big air-gulping intakes and skinny LED headlights.

Genesis GV70 crossover, front seats

And the exterior design is brimming with so much really cool detailing. Lots of eye-candy, like the swoopy roofline, the lovely body creases, the use of shiny brushed metal to outline the shape of the windows, and those quite-stunning optional 21-inch “G-Matrix” wheels. I could gaze at it all day long.

Genesis GV70 crossover, spacious back seatsIf you really want to be wowed, just open a door and slide inside the Bentley-esque cabin with its acres of diamond-quilted leather and lovely detailing. It feels like something out an SUV costing $100,000 let alone $40,000.

And it’s surprisingly roomy too, with stretch-out back-seat space and an impressive 28.9 cubic feet of load volume behind the rear seats. Opt for the panoramic glass roof and the cabin gets flooded with light.

Genesis GV70 crossover, dashboard, steering wheel, quilted seats

Power-wise, two GV70 engines are on offer. Our tester came with the 2.5-liter turbo four-cylinder packing an impressive 300 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque. It’s mated to a silky-smooth eight-speed automatic and standard all-wheel drive.

Want more? There’s a potent twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 delivering 375-hp and 391 lb-ft that really puts the “sport” in sport-utility. And all for around $55,000.

But while all that power is a blast, most of us would be perfectly happy with the 300-hp 2.5. It delivers quick off the line sprinting, has super-strong mid-range thrust for safe, speedy passing and on-ramp merging, and is hushed and quiet at high-speed.

Genesis GV70 crossover, parked on the beach, from the rear

It’s nicely economical too, averaging over 28 the gallon on the highway and 22 around town.

Show the GV70 a twisty backroad, and it steers with pin-point precision, grips like a tube of Superglue, and rides with smoothness and sophistication. No, it doesn’t quite have the performance and handling pedigree of a BMW, or the vault-like build of a Mercedes, but it’s pretty close.

It really is rare that a vehicle comes along that checks so many boxes, leads the pack in so many areas, and over-achieves in pretty much everything it does. That’s this Genesis GV70.

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