Genesis GV60 – mellow yellow

THE first dedicated electric model from Genesis is primed to propel the luxury car brand into a place in which people don’t instantly associate the name with stadium or arena rock.

As the premium offshoot of Korean giant Hyundai it’s not as if Genesis is a start-up, nor has there been any holding back.

You can forget softly softly, this is a full-on assault that started less than a year ago and now has eight models – three of them fully electric – in the UK line-up.

That’s not all. Genesis expects to be one of the first luxury brands to be fully electric by 2025.

Their first electric model, the GV60, is a firecracker of a car – especially if you opt for the standout choice in the colour palette, a dazzling yellow paint job officially called Sao Paulo Lime – even though there isn’t a hint of green on show anywhere.

This is get your sunglasses on quick yellow, it’s yellow with a capital Y, and it looks fantastic. But then there have been vividly coloured cars in the past, plenty of them, and they haven’t all been very good.

The Genesis GV60 isn’t just good, it’s sensationally good, and while not cheap with a starting point of £47,005 – considerably more if you go for a high spec model or dip into the options tray – it offers plenty of compelling reasons to consider choosing one.

It is built on the same platform as the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq5 and there are three versions up for grabs, called Premium, Sport and Sport Plus, all of which feature the same 77.4 kW battery.

Of the trio the one we tested was the fiery Sport Plus twin motor with four-wheel drive and an irresistible yellow Boost button placed tantalisingly on the steering wheel.

Most of the time each motor can generate a sizeable 214bhp but prod that Boost button and you have lift-off – a seismic 482bhp of wallop that hits 62mph from zero in four seconds before reaching 75mph just two and a half seconds later. Top speed is 146mph.

The mid-range GV60 Sport variant, again with four-wheel drive, is also swift with 314bhp while the entry level Premium with rear-wheel drive is still reasonably powerful with 226bhp.

It’s not all about pace though as this is a comfortable car to drive and travel in with an extraordinary degree of space both front and back, solid and stable dynamics, a smoothness over all but the harshest road terrain and silence through being electric and well insulated.

There are three driving modes of Eco, Comfort and Sport, the latter of which will load up the steering, tighten the seat bolsters, sharpen the responses and glow red on the dash just in case you’re still in any doubt.

The downside of Sport of course is its effect on the car’s range which is otherwise very attractive, officially ranging between 289 miles (Sport Plus) to the 321 miles of the Premium model, though in reality you’re not going to hit either of those marks.

As for powering up, the Genesis is compatible with standard, rapid and super rapid chargers and when ultra-fast charging at 350kW it’s possible to boost the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in just 18 minutes.

Step inside the GV80 and you are greeted by a wonderland of design, comfort and luxury – from the digital instruments and head-up display to the state of the art tech and soft-touch materials.

While all models get a 12.3-inch touchscreen that’s angled slightly towards the driver the real cabin showstopper is a crystal ball that revolves to reveal the drive selector when you press the starter button.

The level of standard kit and number of compartments and cubbies is top notch, in fact the only negative aspect of the car concerns rear visibility which is compromised by the narrow back windscreen with a bar splitting it in two.

The boot isn’t huge at 432 litres but the rear seats do split and fold 60/40 and lie pretty flat too so you can cram in a fair amount of clobber.

Add to all this a full suite of safety gear, a five-year unlimited mileage warranty with eight years cover on the battery plus home collection, delivery and replacement car and the Genesis GV60 ticks plenty of boxes.

Selecting options makes a big difference, including to the price, as highlighted by the Sport Plus model featured here. Its list price of £65,405 had soared to £75,245 by the time extras like Innovation (£2,070), Comfort (£3,390) and Outdoor (£880) packs had been added along with a Bang & Olufsen audio system (£990), a panoramic roof (£1,120), Sao Paulo lime paint and brake callipers (£1,120) and digital camera interior wing mirrors (£1,240).