“Is that a Bentley?,” Robert McKeigan hollered out the window of his pickup as I parked in a fueling lane at Stub’s Gas & Oil in Wiggins early afternoon on my way to Wray.
“No, it’s a Genesis,” I responded, “you know, from Hyundai’s new luxury division.”
More specifically, I was driving a 2022 Genesis GV70 all-wheel-drive SUV crossover, one that drew attention wherever I took it. It is a new luxury compact competing with the Acura RDX, Audi Q5, BMW X3, Mercedes GLB and GLC and others.
McKeigan and his wife, Adriana, were impressed with the GV70’s sleek structural beauty, and the guess that it might be a Bentley was based on its winged emblem at the front of the hood. The Genesis wings have similarities to several other car logos, including Aston Martin and Chrysler.
The Genesis name was a Hyundai model for 10 years before launching a slow start toward its own division in 2017. Today it is a full-fledged division with five models, based in Ulsan, Korea. In addition to the GV70, the nameplate also rides on three sedans – G70, G80 and G90 – and a larger SUV crossover, the GV80. Famed golfer Tiger Woods was driving a GV80 when he was seriously injured in an auto accident in California in February.
The good-handling GV70 has the feel of a relatively heavy compact, and sizes up that direction when compared with the popular Audi Q5. The Genesis has longer wheelbase, is an inch longer overall and 200 pounds heavier than the Audi.
The top-trim-level GV Sport Prestige’s twin-turboed 3.5-liter, 6-cylinder engine is powerful and smooth, tied to an 8-speed automatic transmission (with paddleshifters) and standard all-wheel drive. The V-6 develops 375 horsepower and 391 lb.-ft. of torque. It averaged 23.4 miles per gallon on drive to Wray and back. Available also is a turbocharged 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder of 300 horsepower.
It is a delight to drive; a complaint, though, is the closeness on the center console of two rotary dials, making it not unusual to grab and twist one for the other until the driver is more familiar with the setup.
The forward-placed dial controls infotainment on a large, 14.5-inch touchscreen. Directly behind it is the gearshift rotary.
In my first drive of the review vehicle, I wondered why a small “eye” kept looking up at me from its insertion into the dash; it is an eye for scanning the driver’s fingerprint, which allows activating the GV without a key.
The GV70 3.5T Sport Prestige model’s base price of $52,600 climbed to $64,045 with addition of a Sport Advantage package of nappa leather, heated steering wheel, remote smart parking assist (practice this before using it in downtown Denver) and Lexicon premium audio. Also a Sport Prestige package of 21-inch wheels, carbon fiber trim, heated rear seats, manual rear-side sunshades and head-up display.
Genesis models are currently sold at Hyundai stores; beginning in 2022 the company will open exclusive Genesis stores.