2026 Genesis GV70 Road Test and Review

2026 Genesis GV70 3.5T ・ Photo by Brady Holt

What makes a luxury car? Is it glittering styling, opulent interior trim, and high-end amenities? Or is it the driving experience that truly separates a premium car from an ordinary one? 

One obvious answer is to say, well, both of those. But getting both of those can be expensive. 

Still, that’s what the 2026 Genesis GV70 aims to provide. This is a compact luxury crossover SUV that costs less than rivals from Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz while trying to outdo them in both glamour and performance. 

The GV70 has been a hit for Genesis since its debut in 2022, and the 2026 model is updated with revised styling, a new screen-focused dashboard, and some mechanical tweaks. For this review, we just spent a week testing the 2026 GV70 to see how it’s keeping pace with the competition. Keep reading as we explore all its pros and cons so you can see if it’s the right luxury SUV for you. 

Packed With Standard Features

While the GV70’s European competitors like the BMW X3 and Audi Q5 now start at more than $50,000, this Genesis hits the market at a starting price of $47,985. Genesis is the luxury brand of the value-focused Korean carmaker Hyundai, and the GV70 continues that tradition of feature-packed cars costing less than the competition. 

Even the base GV70 2.5T includes 300 horsepower, all-wheel drive, heated front seats, a nine-speaker stereo, GPS navigation, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping steering assistance, and front and rear parking sensors, plus this year’s new 27-inch dashboard screen. Or you can pay $50,885 for the popular 2.5T Select model to add a panoramic sunroof, a wireless smartphone charger, and a power-adjustable steering column. Other GV70 2.5T models are the Advanced ($55,435) with genuine leather instead of leatherette, ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and a 16-speaker Bowers & Wilkinson stereo; and the Sport Prestige ($58,795), which is primarily an appearance upgrade that includes 21-inch wheels and aluminum interior trim. 

The 2.5T comes with four cylinders. The rest of the GV70 lineup is the six-cylinder, 375-hp 3.5T, which begins at $63,415 for a Sport Advanced model. (We’ll discuss the engines more soon.) That’s a $7,000-plus premium over the similarly equipped 2.5T Advanced, though the 3.5T does bring the 16-speaker stereo. That’s to say nothing of the $15,000 jump from the cheapest GV70 2.5T. Our test vehicle is the top 3.5T Sport Prestige ($70,095), which has Nappa leather upholstery, a microfiber suede headliner, 21-inch wheels, an electronic limited-slip differential, a head-up display, heated rear seats, and built-in rear windowshades.

These are not budget prices. But for a luxury SUV, they’re competitive. But if you’re a price-conscious shopper, think about the specific amenities you’re interested in. Genesis saves a few relatively common options for upper trim levels. You might find a competitor with a cheaper way to get, say, heated rear seats.

2026 Genesis GV70 3.5T ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Graceful Yet Athletic Shape

With a long nose, relatively low roof, and smoothly flowing roofline, the GV70 avoids the boxy, upright proportions of most leading competitors. Yet Genesis didn’t go for edgy sharp corners like you’d find in the latest BMW X3. The GV70 is sleek and elegant, yet its proportions and silhouette still give it a confidently athletic attitude. Genesis dresses up the front and rear with split two-piece headlights and taillights (a horizontal strip keeps the pieces apart). Perhaps the closest competitor, aesthetically speaking, is the Porsche Macan – which costs some $15,000 more. 

Genesis adjusted the styling for 2026, but you’d have to be a GV70 expert to notice. The front bumper is reshaped to emphasize a wide opening below the grille, while last year’s model had larger openings under the headlamps. The grille’s pattern and the rear bumper also got some tweaks, and the wheels are restyled. 

Overall, the GV70 looks small yet expensive, and sporty yet not garish. That wasn’t an easy needle to thread, and it’s a high point of this SUV. Genesis was wise not to mess with success in its update. 

2026 Genesis GV70 3.5T ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Flowing Dashboard With Big New Screen

The GV70’s dashboard has a similar aesthetic to the exterior – soft curves instead of sharp edges. Genesis aims to dazzle with rich materials, too, except for shiny plastic door handles. 

The 2026 model combines last year’s separate gauge cluster and central touchscreen into a single 27-inch screen that spans most of the dashboard. Unlike many vehicles with a similar design, the GV70’s screen is a single undivided unit rather than two separate screens arranged side by side. A white background flows across to form the background behind the speedometer and the infotainment system. 

Genesis designed the screen for beauty over ease of use. The graphics are crisply rendered and attractive, and the gauge cluster is customizable with different views. But neither the infotainment system’s default view nor its homescreen is configured to display information. The former is a decorative unlabeled GPS map, while the latter is an attractively rendered list of menu options. Plus, a console-mounted dial is easy to confuse with the nearby rotary gear selector. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which let you use your smartphone’s apps on the big screen, are a helpful workaround to any fussiness with Genesis’s own infotainment setup. They connect wirelessly to the car. 

2026 Genesis GV70 3.5T ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Spacious and Comfortable Cabin

The GV70 is a compact SUV, but it’s usefully spacious for passengers and cargo. Two adults will be easily comfortable in well-shaped, supportive front seats. And two more will be fine behind them without much squeezing. As in other Genesis models, the front-passenger seat has a button on its side that lets the driver or rear passenger slide it forward to create more rear legroom. And upper trim levels let you extend the front seat cushions for additional leg support. 

We wish you didn’t need the Advanced model for ventilated front seats and a heated steering wheel, though. And the available Ergo Motion system – which automatically activates a massaging function after a couple of hours in the car – felt like it was pushing us out of the seat. 

The GV70 has a respectable 28.9 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seat and 56.9 cubic feet with the rear seat folded. It felt a little tighter than that in the real world, but it’s certainly enough to be useful. If you need more space, the mid-size Genesis GV80 is both bigger and boxier. The GV70 can tow a competitive 3,500 pounds with either of its available engines. 

2026 Genesis GV70 3.5T ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Choice of Two Powerful Engines

As we mentioned, the GV70 comes with a choice of two turbocharged engines – a four-cylinder and six-cylinder. The base 2.5T is a 2.5-liter with 300 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque, while most competitors open around the 250 mark. The 3.5T is a 3.5-liter that makes 375 hp and 391 lb-ft. We’ve found both engines to be lively and pleasant-sounding. The four-cylinder makes a deeper growl than the humming whir found in many competitors. And the V6 makes an authoritative roar. 

The GV70 isn’t any quicker than the competition on paper. The 2.5T needs about 6.5 seconds to reach 60 mph, while the 3.5T takes about a second less. But that’s still quick, and these engines sound good.  

This power complements the GV70’s well-sorted suspension and sporty handling responses. Some people will prefer lighter steering; it has some heft even in the selectable Comfort mode. On the other side of the spectrum, some folks will prefer sharper, more precise steering. But the GV70 is confident and fun to drive at higher speeds, all without sacrificing a smooth and quiet ride. It feels like a solid, expensive vehicle.

2026 Genesis GV70 3.5T ・ Photo by Brady Holt

The Economical Option Is Electric

The GV70's powerful engines don’t deliver great gas mileage. In EPA testing, most 2.5T models manage 20 mpg in the city, 28 mpg on the highway, and 24 mpg combined, on premium-grade fuel. That’s not terrible for a luxury SUV, but many four-cylinder competitors sip less fuel. We averaged 23 mpg the last time we tested a GV70 2.5T. The 2.5T Sport Prestige gets 2 mpg less than other models. 

The 3.5T gets 18 mpg in the city, 24 mpg on the highway, and 20 mpg combined, and we matched that EPA estimate during our weeklong test. That’s not great for a compact SUV, even with this much power. The 393-hp BMW X3 M50 gets 27 mpg combined in EPA testing. 

Genesis doesn’t offer a gas-electric hybrid version of the GV70. But it does have a fully electric model, priced from $64,380. That’s about the same price as a 3.5T, and with even more speed: 429 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. The 2026 Genesis Electrified GV70 goes an EPA-estimated 243 to 263 miles per charge, depending on the trim level. That’s below class leaders like the Tesla Model Y and Audi Q6 e-tron even after an upgrade this year. But it’s more than enough for most folks’ daily driving, and if you can charge at home, it costs much less to run than a gas-powered GV70. 

2023 Genesis Electrified GV70 ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Highest Safety Status

The GV70 earned the highest designation of Top Safety Pick+ from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Unlike many cars, it earns the top score of Good even in the IIHS’s tough new evaluation of rear-seat safety in frontal impacts. The GV70 also earned five out of five stars for overall protection from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, though just four out of five stars for frontal crashes in particular. 

Every 2026 GV70 includes forward automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping steering assistance, blind-spot monitoring with a rear cross-traffic alert, and eight airbags. Starting with the 2.5T Advanced, it also includes rear automatic braking, a blind-spot camera, and a surround-view parking camera. The top 3.5T Sport Prestige has a head-up display that projects information onto the windshield so you don’t have to look down to see things like the speedometer or GPS directions. While we wish the latter feature were more widely available in the GV70 lineup, it otherwise boasts an excellent safety record. 

2026 Genesis GV70 3.5T ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Competitors to Consider

The GV70 faces a number of strong competitors in the compact luxury crossover segment. Leading alternatives include the top German models, the Audi Q5, BMW X3, and Mercedes-Benz GLC; the Japanese Acura RDX and Lexus NX; the Swedish Volvo XC60; the Italian Alfa Romeo Stelvio; and the American Lincoln Corsair. 

Against these competitors, the RDX, NX, and Corsair cost less than the GV70. But the Lexus is smaller and noisier, and the RDX and Corsair are more focused on comfort than sporty performance. 

The XC60 costs about the same as the GV70 and gets better gas mileage, but it’s more about steady competence than standout driving manners or design details. The Stelvio takes the opposite approach with delightful driving manners but a spare, dated dashboard. The Germans drive well and look modern, and they get great gas mileage for this segment, but they don’t look as graceful as the GV70 (if that’s the aesthetic you’re looking for) – and they cost more. 

The GV70 is also luxurious and comfortable enough to be a sportier, less-expensive alternative to the mid-size Lexus RX 350 and Lincoln Nautilus. If you’d rather have a fuel-efficient hybrid powertrain than lots of horsepower and sharp handling, one of these competitors could be for you. 

2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e Hybrid ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Final Thoughts

The 2026 Genesis GV70 continues to be lavish rather than merely nice, all while it’s priced between budget-focused rivals and the big-name competition. It’s a compact luxury SUV that’s comfortable yet fun to drive, spacious yet stylish, and richly finished yet not obscenely expensive versus the competition. 

Except for the fully electric model, the GV70 doesn’t get great gas mileage. And while its new infotainment setup looks slick, it’s not the easiest setup to use. But otherwise, this is an SUV that works hard to truly blow you away rather than just get the job done well – and it often succeeds. If you’ve always bought Audis, Lexuses, or Mercedeses until now, check out the GV70, too. 

2026 Genesis GV70 3.5T ・ Photo by Brady Holt