Our cars Grateful for what we had Now it has gone, Pete appreciates his time with our Genesis. Pete Tullin


Like many things in life, it’s not until you experience the alternative that you really appreciate what you had. Having bid a tearful farewell to our Genesis GV70 and embarked on a lengthy southerly journey the very next day, I was able to reflect on the differences between a more run-of- the-mill EV and the extraordinary properties of the GV70.


And guess what, the adage that you get what you pay for turns out to be true. Who’d have thunk it?


Now, we can argue until the cows come home whether any motor vehicle is worth the fat end of £80k, let alone one with an obscure Korean emblem on the bonnet, but I guess that depends on how much you value badge kudos over exceptional refinement and quality. Although it’s almost impossible to quantify well-being, as there are so many erroneous factors that come into play, what I can say for certain is I arrived at my destination feeling considerably more fatigued in my lesser charge than I did whenever I tackled the same journey in the Genesis. Given the 335-mile trip consisted mainly of three-lane highways I can say with utter confidence that the most telling factor here is the difference between a car which does an OK job of noise, vibration and harshness suppression versus one that is verging on being hermetically sealed. Throughout my reports, I’ve returned time and again to the value of refinement and comfort and the associated safety benefits of not feeling jiggered because of exposure to excessive noise bombardment and I’ve lost count of the folks I’ve bored to death with diatribes relating to how quiet, how cosseting and


how relaxing it is to drive an Electrified GV70. Maybe in some distant future, when magnetic levitation finds its way into car suspension, we’ll look back at steel springs and adjustable dampers in the same way we now view Dobbin and his cart but as things stand the Electrified GV70’s ride quality strikes as good a balance between comfort and control as any large SUV using the tools that are currently available.


Of course, there were other factors that fed into my Zen-like experiences, such as the fine leathers and subtly back-lit translucent trim that adorned the GV’s interior, and in the case of our GV, £1,660 worth of heated, massaging, comfort seats. To many this may seem like a frivolous extravagance but if you are a high-mileage driver then what price avoiding a numb bum and an


ongoing series of appointments with your chiropractor?


While the seamlessly electrified operation of the seats and windows and the reassuring precision of the switchgear all added to the sense of sophisticated build integrity, the contribution of clearly legible menus and haptic rotary infotainment controller shouldn’t be underestimated. Negating the need to studiously prod at an infotainment menu on a touchscreen while trying to focus on the road ahead is yet another one of the GV’s subtle stress relief aids, which only made for a more relaxing experience. I still find it baffling that we continue to punish people for using their phones while driving yet permit them to prod and poke touchscreens with total impunity. Anyway, taking everything into account, and despite the best efforts of the charging network to undermine its many virtues, my time with the Electrified GV70 was almost entirely positive. Certainly, there were times when I considered getting the train to visit relatives down South rather than endure the two or three stop, seven- hour ordeal to get from Newcastle to Weybridge but this had more to do with the failings of the charging network, which


Why we’re running it


To see how our former winner works in everyday use.


remains at best a joke and at worst an absolute nightmare.


Yes, more chargers are being installed every day, but hello, there are even more new EVs being sold daily, and wouldn’t it be nice if you could rely on the current ones to work, maybe a bit like filling up at a petrol station, rather than crossing your fingers and girding your loins every time you flip open the charging flap?


Okay rant over, because although I could fill a book with the number of frustrations I experienced with the charging network – and granted some of those vexations have been exacerbated by the GV’s relatively modest battery range – if I take those frustrations out of the equation then my Genesis experience overall was one of great positivity, thanks to its outstanding luxury and genteel refinement.


Genesis Electrified GV70 Sport


P11D £64,300 Price as tested £77,825 Official range 341 miles Engine size/power twin electric motors, 490hp Our average consumption 2.4 miles/kWh Mileage 8,780 miles


www.businesscar.co.uk | May/June 2025 | 43


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53