Compact SUVs are the white bread of the automotive world, and their luxury versions artisanal white bread, I guess. The size and form factor is just so useful and comfortable – higher riding with more cargo space – that it’s easy to see why this has become the dominant idiom in the world of personal transportation.
Most offerings here are painted in a rainbow of grays and styled more or less like a Honda CR-V with different lighting elements and front clips. Amidst this sea of competent crossover drabness, the Genesis GV70 is a beacon of fascinating design.
That’s never more true than now, as Genesis has just pulled the curtain up on its new 2026 GV70 and Electrified GV70 (that’s the EV, if the name had you fooled). Updates to both are more cosmetic than mechanical (I’ll explain why I think that’s ok in a minute), but here are the highlights of the changes under the hood/behind the touchscreen:
- A terrain mode has been added to the drive management system, for better response in sand, mud, and snow.
- Advanced driver-assist features have been improved and added, like a better lane-following assist feature, and an improved suite of parking assist features. (The computers can now run the show for front-back, horizontal, and diagonal parking spaces).
- Most important for EV customers, the electric GV70 now comes standard with a North American Charging Standard (re: Tesla) charge port, giving drivers access to the vast Tesla Supercharging network. Game changer.
Here’s the thing: I was already pretty in love with how the GV70 went down the road. The ICE version is one of the best-driving (and most surprising) SUVs in this class that isn’t from a dedicated “performance” brand like Porsche. The 375-horsepower biturbo V6 was wicked, and the SUV was actually a ton of fun when pushed on a winding road.
So, while it would have been interesting to see where Genesis could evolve the GV70s with new powertrains or battery tech, I think most new shoppers testing either vehicle will still be duly impressed.
Focusing on revamping the exterior (a little) and the interior (a lot) is a smart way to do this. For a generation now, Genesis has been fashioning some of the best-executed, freshest interiors in the business. While the exterior revamp is subtle – I like the new hood and wheel options but the shapes are largely carryover – the interior has blossomed in shapes, color, and textures.
I love the quality and smoothness of the leather the brand uses. And the fact that you can spec the cabin not just in brown or black but also in a color called Ultramarine Blue that looks like the material Tom Ford would use to make Captain America’s formalwear. (It also reminds me a lot of a Tudor’s navy blue dial, if you’re into watches.)
Look closely and you’ll spot incredible details everywhere. From the multiple styles of stitching on the quilted seats, to the mother-of-pearl meets Milky Way inserts on the Electrified’s front armrests. The GV70 cabin takes shape, color, and texture to new levels of bliss.
Oh, there’s also a single frame screen that stretches across the front two-thirds of the dashboard, that my kids are sure to love and ask to play with every time we get in the car.
In the end, provided nothing was done to blunt the GV70’s appeal as an undercover driver’s car, I think this is a job well done by team Genesis.
