The 2022 Genesis GV70 Sticks the Landing

Running a luxury brand without a compact crossover is akin to running an ice cream shop without vanilla. It’s the default model, the sales center, the profit driver. For years Genesis has made do without this crucial component, racking up sales in the shrinking sedan segment while biding time until the real hot metal arrived. That time has come. The 2022 Genesis GV70 is here, and it’s everything the upstart brand needs it to be.

To begin with, it’s cheaper than its rivals. Genesis may not be trying to position itself as the bargain option, but in early days it never hurts to undercut your opposition. Despite offering similar equipment and comparable power to the most popular versions of BMW’s X3 and Mercedes’ GLC, the GV70 costs thousands less.

You’d never know from the curb. Simply put, the GV70 is also among the best-looking cars in its class, up there with the Volvo XC60 in the fight for the design crown. Perhaps more impressive, it doesn’t merely look like a scaled-down GV80. There’s an athletic presence that’s absent in its larger sibling, from the slicked-back roof to the artillery-barrel exhausts on the Sport models. The core Genesis design themes—a large-crest grille, split lights, and a long defining character line—are all here, but the GV70 proves that the basic styling elements can support multiple distinct and attractive SUVs.

The theme continues inside. We’ve previously noted that the Genesis GV80 has one of the best interiors in any car under $100,000; the GV70 adapts the same style to a sportier, smaller, and cheaper canvas. What it lacks in grandeur it makes up for in clever detailing and thoughtful touches, from the fingerprint reader that can function as a keyless ignition to the intricate patterns in the ambient lighting. Color, too, is used to striking effect. Both the outside and inside of the GV70 can be optioned with hues far more adventurous than anything the Germans offer: Matte burgundy paint, dark green leather, blue sports seats. Stuff you’d never see in a largely bland segment.

Dynamically, the GV70 also provides a bit more spice than a standard GLC or Q5 can offer. The sweeping roads of upstate New York demonstrated the crossover’s ability to carry momentum, pivot sharply, and never be caught wrong-footed by its own weight. Up to 100 percent of the power can be sent to the rear axle, with an electronic diff distributing that power between the wheels. You can feel that rear bias most clearly under partial throttle through the corners, the mostly neutral GV70 ever-so-slightly adjustable on throttle. But where the same delicate composure made the GV80 a standout among its bloated brethren, the GV70 falls more closely in line with the athletic side of its segment… such as it is. Like the BMW X3 or Alfa Romeo Stelvio, it’s balanced and precise without being much fun. They share underpinnings, but a G70 with a hatch this is not. I’d imagine compact crossover shoppers aren’t expecting that anyway.

What they do expect is smooth, effortless pace. On that front the GV70 delivers handily. This application may be the best yet for the twin-turbo 3.5. A low-end 391 lb-ft dollop of torque and a quick-handed eight-speed automatic give you the smooth, effortless, drama-free passes that you’d expect from a big-engine Benz. Push hard and you’ll find that the engine is best kept away from redline, but 375 hp is more than enough to motivate a compact crossover. The 2.5-liter base engine was not available to test.