Genesis GV70 2025 review

When you think of a luxury SUV, where does your mind travel to first? BMW? Mercedes-Benz? Perhaps Audi?

You might not immediately think of Hyundai’s luxury brand Genesis, then. But should you?

Founded in 2015, the Genesis brand has always been a bit of an underdog in the space. It currently sells the G80, GV80 and GV60 in Australia. And for 2025, the brand has updated its midsize luxury SUV, the GV70.

The luxury automaker states it has not just made its middleweight SUV quieter and more refined, but also more comfortable and all-around better to drive.

But is this the best GV70 yet? Does it tick all the boxes? And most importantly, can it compete with the mainstays from Europe?

We drove the revised midsize luxury SUV in Queensland at its local launch to find out.

What are the GV70 Signature Sport’s features and options for the price?

For 2025, the Genesis GV70 opens at $78,500 before on-road costs for the base Advanced variant, while the mid-tier Signature starts from $87,500 list. However, the variant we spent most time in was the flagship Signature Sport which has been priced from $100,000 before on-road costs.

Price of entry is up by $8000 when compared to the pre-facelift.

The GV70 in Signature trim offers:

• 27-inch OLED screen incorporating touchscreen and instrument cluster
• Separate touch screen climate control
• Head-up display
• Wireless Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay
• Heated, ventilated and power front seats
• Nappa leather upholstery
• Heated second row seats
• Heated steering wheel
• Second row climate control
• Panoramic sunroof
• Wireless phone charger
• Fingerprint authentication
• Remote start
• Smart key access
• Active sound design
• Bang & Olufsen sound system
• Aroma scents

The 3.5-litre V6 variants gain:

• Electronic limited-slip rear differential
• Electronic control suspension preview (looks ahead of vehicle and adjust suspension accordingly)
• ‘Individual’ suspension drive mode

The top-spec Signature Sport adds the following features:

• New design, dark metallic 21-inch alloy wheels
• Sport+ driving mode
• Monoblock black callipers
• Flat-bottom steering wheel
• Alloy pedals

In terms of standard spec, the Genesis GV70 variants feel very well appointed and tick almost all the boxes of what is expected at this segment and at their price points.

How does the GV70 Signature Sport drive?

We started our drive program in the sunny Gold Coast and headed south through the dense rainforests and twisty roads of the nearby Springbrook National Park.

Saddled up in the Genesis GV70 with its 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6, at first I thought this would be the wrong car for these kinds of roads. At 2088kg, it’s quite a heavy thing and you can certainly feel it through the chassis. There is some noticeable body roll, but that’s totally expected in an SUV. These are most definitely not sports cars.

However, as the roads got tighter and narrower and as we rose up through the valleys below, the GV70 felt remarkably agile even when carrying that much weight. The steering is precise and gives plenty of feedback.

The V6 is silky smooth and responsive and you can definitely hear a little snarl through the firewall. It’s probably augmented, but if anything, it should be louder.

There is plenty of power on tap thanks to the 279kW/530Nm tune of the V6. It’s unchanged over the pre-facelift, but this will be enough power for most. It’s mated to an eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission which is certainly smooth, but not overly responsive if you need to give the car a boot, like when overtaking, for example.

You can also still get the GV70 with a 224kW/422Nm 2.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which we also drove on the facelift launch. While it’s slightly more efficient than the V6, I found it to have lazy throttle response, and also needed to work much harder than the six-cyinder unit.

Once through the twisty stuff, the GV70 feels like a real cruiser. Unlike the 2.5-litre variants, the V6 gains adaptive suspension. It’s a supremely comfortable ride and definitely screams luxurious refinement.

The cabin is almost a silent affair: minimal wind noise, tyre noise and very little engine noise at low revs. Genesis has done a lot of work to make this updated 2025 GV70 even better in terms of its NVH levels, and it shows.

Even at highway speeds, you can happily have a conversation with your partner without needing to raise your voice. If the kids want to have a nap in the back, I don’t think they’ll find drifting off to sleep too difficult of a task.

Genesis has improved the NVH by doing a mixture of things, including using anti-sound waves, hydro suspension bushes, revised transmission mounts, acoustic glass, sound absorbing wheels and a reinforced body structure.

It sounds like a lot of changes, but the reality is that the model is all the better for it. In the Signature Sport, there are terrain and drive modes available. Unfortunately, when you put the SUV in sport or sport+, you don’t get any greater fanfare from the engine, which made me a little sad.

While I understand this car is luxurious first and foremost, I do think for the sports model they could have let us hear the V6 a little more!

The Genesis GV70 was a solid drive in its pre-facelift phase. We had the pleasure of having the model at the very first Chasing Cars Car of the Year, and even then, I was impressed.

The 2025 changes have made the Genesis even more comfortable and luxurious to drive than before.

But if you had to ask me what powertrain to go for, I’d say the V6 every day.

What is the GV70 Signature Sport’s interior and tech like?

The revamped interior of the GV70 is a real highlight of this vehicle.

For 2025, Genesis has made some great enhancements to the cabin. In the Signature Sport, it’s as good as it gets. Nappa leather seats, stainless steel centre console, various soft material choices, beautifully-appointed heated leather steering wheel. The list goes on.

But the really big change for the interior is the addition of a very wide 27-inch screen that incorporates the touchscreen and the instrument cluster into one big unit. It’s crystal clear, easy to use and looks the business. It also runs wireless versions of both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The screen is also fairly customisable and you can run the satellite navigation right across the expanse if you wish to do so.

It’s great to see Genesis using a separate screen entirely for the vehicle’s HVAC controls. By not having the climate control buried in submenus, it’s a much easier to use system. Very nicely done.

The front seats are a highlight, too. Nappa leather, heated and ventilated, these pews are extremely comfortable and feel incredibly well appointed and constructed.

I could happily sit in these sumptuous seats for hours on end with no complaints whatsoever, while boses well for the GV70’s long-hauling potential.

Features in the front of the cabin include a wireless charging pad, dual USB-C ports, a head-up display, multi-function heated steering wheel and even a phone steriliser.

In the second row, occupants gain an updated climate control panel, along with dual USB-C ports, magazine pockets and a fold-down armrest with two cup holders. Second row space isn’t too bad, but it’s not as comfortable as some other SUVs in this luxury segment.

One small gripe is the size of the door bins, which would struggle to fit a medium sized water bottle.

In the boot, owners gain 542 litres of storage space with the second row up, but it can expand to 1678 litres with the second row folded down.

The GV70 has a space saver spare wheel, a 12-volt socket, cargo blind and a roadside kit as standard. An electric tailgate also makes things a little easier when carrying shopping.

All in all, the interior is the highlight of the Genesis GV70. It’s a comfortable, practical yet very luxurious place to spend time in. And as I’ve already said above, it’s an even quieter, almost library-like ambience inside the updated GV70 for 2025.

Is the GV70 Signature Sport a safe car?

The Genesis GV70 was initially tested by ANCAP back in 2021 where it received a five-star rating, however the rating excludes the V6 engine variants.

The GV70 scored 89 percent for both adult and child occupant protection, while its safety assist received a score of 87 percent.

As standard, all GV70s include the following safety features:

• Eight airbags
• Blind spot collision avoidance
• Driver attention warning
• High-beam assist
• Intelligent speed limit assist
• Lane follow and lane keep assist
• Multi-collision brake
• Rear cross-traffic brake avoidance
• Rear occupant alert
• Forward collision avoidance assist 2 (NEW)
• Lane following assist 2 (NEW)
• Smart cruise control (NEW)
• Remote smart parking assist
• 360-degree surround-view monitor

How do these systems work in the real world? The updated GV70 unfortunately lets itself down when it comes to these safety features.

The two big annoyances are the speed limit chimes and the lane-keep assist systems. The audible alert if you venture more than one kilometre over the speed limit is a frustrating system and needs to be turned off every time you drive the vehicle.

Secondly, and to no real surprise, the lane-keep assist seemed very poorly tuned to the point where I felt it was interfering too much with my regular driving. To add to the problem, the driver monitoring system is on the touchy side and is overly sensitive, alerting you even when looking at the navigation screen.

I hope Genesis is able to solve some of these issues with an over-the-air (OTA) update because it detracts too much from an otherwise very pleasant driving experience.

What are the GV70 Signature Sport’s ownership costs?

For warranty, all Genesis GV70s are covered by the brand’s five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

For scheduled servicing, the GV70 will need to head to a Genesis dealer every 12 months, or 10,000 kilometres. Servicing is complimentary for the first five years, or 50,000 kilometres.

Also included as part of the vehicle’s purchase price is 10 years of roadside assistance coverage, along with the availability of a courtesy vehicle service.

For fuel efficiency, Genesis provides an official combined claim for its 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine of 11.3L/100km, however with a mix of highway and some spirited driving, we saw closer to 13L/100km. The 3.5-litre’s highway claim is 8.6L/100km which isn’t so bad considering the smaller displacement 2.5-litre engine’s highway claim is 7.5L/100km.

The honest verdict on the GV70 Signature Sport

Is the 2025 GV70 the best version of the Genesis midsize SUV yet? And do the updates make it feel like level competitor to the likes of Audi Q5 and BMW X3?

Well, Genesis has brought even more refinement and luxury to its midsizer for 2025, featuring a beautifully-appointed cabin and, in the case of the V6, a silky, buttery powertrain. The pre-facelift GV70 was a good drive, but it’s now quieter and a more precise steer.

Not only that, but the new 27-inch OLED screen is the tech centrepiece and a true highlight of this vehicle in the new car market.

But it’s not all perfect. The Genesis’ suite of annoyingly intrusive safety systems lets down the overall driving experience, which is a shame at this price point. The lane keep assist and driver monitoring system, in particular, need to be updated for customers going forward.

As I said at the beginning, Genesis is somewhat of an underrated, underdog kind of brand. More people need to come into Genesis dealerships and sit inside the updated GV70, or even take one for a test drive.

Annoying safety alerts aside, this is a luxury SUV you should be strongly considering. Even against some of popular German rivals the South Korean marque continues to pursue ever harder as the brand evolves and matures.