We already know the 2022 Genesis GV70 is going to be a handsome SUV thanks to an early preview in October. Its attractive lines, clearly inspired by but not a direct copy of the GV80, will give the luxury brand an entry-level option alongside the recently updated G70 sedan. But while we’ve had a good look at the GV70’s exterior and interior styling, Genesis has been mum on official specifications and details of the new SUV. Until now.
According to the company’s home-market website, we now know the 2022 Genesis GV70 will offer three different engines, a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-four, a turbocharged 3.5-liter V6, and a 2.2-liter turbodiesel inline-four – don’t expect the oil-burner to make it to the US, though. Each will likely come with an eight-speed automatic transmission; Rear- and all-wheel drive will be available, though the latter should be standard on the 3.5-liter engine. As such, the GV70 should be a pretty stout rival for the Mercedes-Benz GLC, BMW X3, Lincoln Corsair, and Volvo XC60, particularly if it drives as nicely as the GV80 does.
Power To The People
The 2022 Genesis GV70 will share its engine offerings with its larger SUV sibling, and that means a 2.5-liter four-cylinder will be standard, forced induction coming courtesy of a twin-scroll turbocharger. In the GV70, the engine will produce 300 horsepower and 311 pound-feet, the same as the GV80. That also holds true for the 375-hp, 391–lb-ft 3.5-liter V6, which will be one of the GV70’s two optional engines. The second is a 2.2-liter turbodiesel four-banger, making 207 hp and 325 lb-ft. Of course, the diesel isn’t slated for the States.
Something all but guaranteed to arrive here is the GV70 Sport, a sleeker take on the SUV’s styling. Blacked-out badging and exterior brightwork and an expressive color palette will help the GV70 stand out, even among such aggressive rivals as the BMW X3 M40i and Audi SQ5. Like those emotive SUVs, the Genesis will come with an electronic limited-slip rear differential, a boon in both sporty driving and slippery conditions. In a YouTube livestream, a graphic seemed to indicate that the E-LSD could portion up to 70 percent of the rear axle’s torque to the right or left, and we’ll reach out to confirm that tidbit with Genesis representatives.
Genesis also says the GV70 will offer an electronically controlled suspension with road preview, technology similar to Mercedes-Benz Active Body Control. Using both a front-facing scanner and navigation information, the GV70 can detect and prepare for potholes, upcoming curves, and other obstacles, automatically adjusting damping force to smooth out the ride without sacrificing body control. If it arrives in the US, that feature will be a segment first – it’s normally reserved for flagship sedans and SUVs from competitive marques.
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Helping Hand
Like any modern vehicle, the 2022 Genesis GV70 boasts a list of active driving technology as long as your arm. Forward collision warning and prevention, blind spot monitoring, and lane-keeping assist will likely be standard (as they are on the G70 sedan), and the GV70 will move the brand forward further. Advanced safety and security technology includes a fingerprint scanner to start the vehicle and pay for cloud-based services like gasoline and tolls, and the rear occupant alert system can now detect breathing of a baby or movements of a dog to make sure the owner (or passersby) can intervene before tragedy strikes.
Highway Driving Assist II, the second generation of the innovative Hyundai technology suite, will now include automatic lane changes (activated by the turn signal stalk), and it will respond better to the close-range cut-ins that one might encounter at a zipper merge. Meanwhile, navigation-based adaptive cruise control will also preemptively reduce speed in curves, improving driver confidence and passenger comfort.
An Emotional Proposition
As with the sporty G70 and its refined G80 big sibling, expect the GV70 to offer more overt sportiness than the comfortable, capable GV80. The small SUV is based on a new Genesis rear-drive SUV platform (that likely borrows liberally from the G80/Kia Stinger architecture), so we expect nimble responses from the GV70 in either rear- or all-wheel-drive form.
Genesis hasn’t quoted official curb weights yet, but we think the SUV should come in just under 3,900 pounds in rear-drive, 2.5T form, with all-wheel drive adding about 200 pounds and the 3.5-liter V6 adding 250 pounds. All in, a loaded GV70 should weigh about 4,400 pounds, roughly in line with competitors in the class.
Where the GV70 distinguishes itself, both from other Genesis products and from its segment rivals, is expressive design. It features the same shield grille motif and equal-sign headlamps and tail lights as its siblings, only those features are mounted to a swoopy SUV form factor. Gone is the GV80’s upright, formal D-pillar and upward-sweeping daylight openings, replaced by a gently curving rear hatch and triangular quarter windows.
Like both the G80 and GV80, the GV70 features a body line that starts at hood level and spans the length of the vehicle, cascading downward over the rear wheels to give the SUV a hunkered, forward-leaning appearance. However, the GV70 flips the script on its siblings by placing the rear fender haunches above this line. It’s unusual and attractive, a descriptor that also applies to the smoothly rounded rear hatch, marking the GV70 as the next evolution of Genesis brand design.
The GV70 will launch in South Korea soon, with US deliveries expected sometime in the latter half of 2021. It’s arguably the most important launch for the relatively new luxury brand, bringing it into the hotly contested small luxury SUV space. Luckily for Genesis, the 2022 GV70 looks poised to succeed.