• Pros

• Overall goodness. The GV60 instantly shoots onto the list of our favorite EVs. While pricy (just under $70K for the AWD, higher powered--429 hp--version with adaptive suspension and slightly less range than the 314 hp AWD “base” model), this EV has it all. Decent range, plenty of power, sharp handling, great comfort, and good space.
• Ride. This is a comfortable car. Even with the weight of the batteries in the floor, its electronically controlled suspension system feels sophisticated, and soaks up the bumps very well. The ride is not squishy, it’s a tight, European style comfortable, like an Audi. Due in part to the EV powertrain and in part to the slippery exterior shape and good sound deadening, the EV60 is nice and quiet inside. The interior is upscale. Materials are good quality, if a little self-consciously “techy.”
• Handling. Despite the comfortable ride, the GV60 stays flat in normal driving and is easy and enjoyable to drive. It’s not a sports sedan, but it’s utterly competent, with flat, well-controlled cornering. Tracking on the highway is perfect, and the GV60 feels like an upscale ride all the time.
• Range and power. The GV60 is one of three vehicles with a shared platform made by the Hyundai group. The Hyundai Ioniq is the mass market version. The Kia EV6 is the edgier version, and the GV60 is the luxury version. All of them share a powertrain that on the GV60 delivers a reasonable range of 235 to 248 miles (depending on configuration). Until the next battery technology break through, that’s smack in the middle of what you can expect to get, and the fast charging capacity helps. Power feels plentiful. OK, make that more than plentiful. And instantaneous. It’s delivered smoothly. For the EV parlor trick (making your friends’ lips move back towards their ears during acceleration), there’s a “boost” button on the steering wheel that adds an extra 50 hp for 10 seconds of passing, aggression, or just showing off.
• Practical. In addition to practicality and cost savings of the electric drivetrain, the GV60 is a four door with a hatchback. It’s not huge, but it’s roomier inside than you’d expect from its exterior dimensions due to the lack of a traditional engine compartment. Front seats are spacious and comfortable. Back seat room is good. Cargo area is adequate, but because of the hatchback, it's far more useful than a trunk. The load height is a little high, but it’s flat to the rear bumper.
• Blind spot warning. Genesis has two nice features that should help keep your GV60 out of the bodyshop. When you signal to the left or right, a camera shows you the view looking backwards from that side of the vehicle. That’s great in city traffic, where the blind spot monitor might not pick up a bicyclist racing down the street on your right. When you’re on the highway, the blind spot warning is embedded in the head up display. So without looking left or right, you can tell when a car is coming up next to you. Blind spot warning lights are traditionally built into the side view mirrors. The GV60 has them there too, but duplicates the warning where you’re even more likely to see it. Every car should do this.
• Visibility. Up front, visibility is great, with a low cowl that’s easy to see out of. Out back, they stole a design idea from the Prius, and extended the rear window down below the spoiler. From the outside, it looks racy, but in your rear view mirror, you can see more of what’s behind you. Good idea.
• Looks. The exterior looks great. It’s clean, athletic, and upscale. It’s “roundy” but not too much so. We like it.

• Cons

• Not the best screen software. The infotainment system is not the most intuitive. When you start the car, you see a clean, blank screen, which is nice. But that adds an extra step to get to anything, even the 'Home' screen. The 'Home' screen itself isn’t all inclusive. It’s a series of vertical tiles, and you may have to scroll beyond the first page to find the menu you need. There are some hard buttons for common applications, like map, media, etc. But the hard buttons are not terribly well located. They’re low, below the ventilation controls and in the center console. They’d be more useful immediately under the screen, where you could see them without taking your eyes so far off the road. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are wireless, and good alternatives.
• A little over-styled inside. While we love the exterior design, inside we felt a little like we dropped into a club that was not for people dressed like us. The seats in our test car were a medium blue leather. Okay. The rounded “gear” selector rolls over when you shut down the car, and reveals a, what? A crystal looking orb of some kind? Ever been to someone’s house where they installed every high end finish, and overdid it a bit? I’m sure they’re trying to give a high tech, futuristic impression, and they do (Face ID is an option to unlock the car, for instance). But for us, a tad more restraint would be more elegant. Maybe simply going with the black seats would fix everything.
• Lock, unlock. OK, this can be turned off, but the car beeps, unlocks, and unfurls its mirrors as you approach it with the key fob in your pocket. Like it’s expecting you. That can be nice, but it unlocked and locked itself four times the other night while we went back and forth taking the garbage out.

Get the Car Talk Newsletter