Thoughts on the Genesis GV60 after two years of ownership

I’ve owned my GV60 for two years now and thought I’d update with my thoughts. There are some things that annoy me, and this review will sound pretty negative, but overall it’s a good car and I do not regret buying it.

Driving:

The steering is fairly precise, and throttle/brake response is good in all driving modes. However, in non-Eco mode (AWD instead of RWD), the rear wheels are always powered, and the front wheels are powered as needed. This engagement/disengagement can happen even when not accelerating, which causes issues when turning. The turning radius can increase or decrease depending on the front motor’s involvement, causing the car to swerve, which can be frustrating. I often stick to Eco (RWD) mode and use the Boost button for quicker acceleration, but the throttle mapping changes with Boost, making it tricky when already pressing the pedal.

The one-pedal mode decelerates too slowly, requiring me to use the brake pedal often. My previous car, a Bolt, had much smoother one-pedal deceleration, allowing me to stop perfectly without touching the brakes. The GV60 seems slow to apply friction braking as speed decreases, affecting the overall braking experience.

On the plus side, the car offers five levels of regeneration controlled by paddles, from one-pedal mode to true coast. Oddly, coast mode disables regeneration when braking, which seems inefficient, but having true coast mode is excellent for highway driving. The suspension is good at absorbing bumps but has noticeable body roll in sharp turns.

Driving aids/assistance:

The driving aids often generate false positives, so I keep them turned off. The blind spot warning beeps frequently when changing lanes, even with no other cars around, and the forward collision system occasionally brakes unnecessarily, especially when I change lanes and accelerate. The system resets every time the car starts, which can be irritating.

Lane-keep assist works but feels too linear and keeps me closer to the right edge of the lane. The adjustments aren’t smooth, making it less comfortable to use. However, the obstacle warning system is very reliable, detecting approaching cars, bikes, or pedestrians when backing up with limited visibility.

The instrument panel defaults to the driving-aid display every time the car starts, but all its features are disabled in the U.S., showing nothing useful. This is just a wasted screen in the U.S. version.

Infotainment:

My biggest complaint about the infotainment system is its slow startup time—over 30 seconds before the satellite radio is functional. Every time you turn on the car, the screen defaults to a hybrid map view, and you must manually switch to the radio screen. The physical controls are convenient, though, with rotary dials for volume and track changes located where a traditional shifter would be.

The navigation system is decent, but the voice recognition struggles with business names and sometimes even street addresses. Additionally, the map doesn’t display traffic, making phone-based navigation more practical if traffic is a concern. However, you can view the map on the instrument panel, which is useful, especially when navigation is active.

The climate controls are mostly physical and work well, separate from the infotainment system.

Misc:

Despite these complaints, the GV60 is comfortable, with good outward visibility and storage. It’s compact compared to modern cars (178 inches long) and has more of a car-like appearance than a crossover, which I appreciate.

I was a fan of the GV60 when I was shopping a year ago. I loved the size, interior layout, and efficient use of space. I eventually went a different direction because: 1) The AWD range was too limited for my needs, and 2) Genesis lease deals were non-competitive. I got a BMW iX for not much more per month, and it’s a different class of car, although a bit bigger than I’d like.

I loved the GV60 just by looking at pictures online. None were in stock when I bought my Ioniq 5. I thought these cars were basically identical, but it turns out there are pretty large differences. My car only has three levels of regeneration (four if you count level zero), but yours has five. And I didn’t notice any change in turning radius depending on whether the front motor is engaged.