The Genesis Electrified GV70 is a truly luxurious electric SUV
Enlarge / If luxury means having stuff that makes your life easier or more pleasant but which isn't absolutely necessary, then the Genesis Electrified GV70 is very much a luxury car. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)
Among the definitions of "luxury" are descriptions such as "great comfort," and something that adds pleasure of comfort that isn't absolutely necessary. Those seem like perfect descriptions of the Genesis Electrified GV70, a handsome electric vehicle that maintains the Korean brand's seemingly perfect hitting streak.
That may come as a surprise, because some electric vehicle purists have a tendency to look down on EVs like the Electrified GV70. That's because it uses a platform that was designed to be powertrain-agnostic rather than riding on a bespoke EV architecture. Genesis has access to one of those-one of the best in the industry in fact, called E-GMP. It underpins the quirky-looking GV60 crossover, as well as some very good EVs from Hyundai (which owns the Genesis brand), but not the GV70.
That hardline take might feel intellectually rigorous, but it's misguided. Both BMW and the Korean OEMs have developed rather fine platforms that can be used to build pure EVs or cars with combustion engines, and I'll go as far as to say the Kia Niro EV, BMW i4, BMW i7, and Genesis G80 are each better than their hybrid or gas-burning variants, albeit more expensive.