Ian Lamming discovers time to be of the essence in the Genesis GV60
UP early, there’s somewhere to go, far away, with reputations at stake.
Teenage boy is out of bed, fed and dressed, the car is charged and the journey begins. Then it all goes to pot when someone decides to break down in the middle of seven miles of roadworks and the trunk road grinds to a halt. I simply don’t have time for this.
Fortunately I know the road and can see an escape route, down a seldom used track that leads back to the village where I’ve just joined the dual carriageway.
There’s a cross-country route to school and while it will take longer at least it’s in the right direction and we will keep moving.
It also offers me the chance to drive the Genesis GV60 in anger – because make no bones about it, I am angry. I swear I have developed traffic cone-aphobia and this isn’t helping.
My tunnel to freedom takes the form of a beautifully scenic B-road through the Dales, empty of traffic and with a decent enough surface.
GV60, that’s the fully electric cross-over vehicle from the new-to-the-scene Genesis brand, loves to be driven hard. Given it is electric I would normally pussyfoot around, hypermiling every inch of its battery’s reserves.
But today time is of the essence so caution is hurled to the wind, to mix my metaphors, and I’ll worry about charging it later. That said the 265 mile range seems to be dropping slowly despite the heavy-footed approach.
What also catches my attention is that putting on the back demist, the aircon and even the heated seats doesn’t seem to impact on range very much at all, so I can enjoy the experience to the full.
And what an experience that is. This particular GV60 is the 229PS, 350Nm, single motor, powering the rear wheels only, but the silky smooth performance remains impressive. EVs have a unique power-delivery which is compulsive. It is instant, deep and very satisfying allowing breath-takingly quick overtakes and pass-storming hill climbs, all accompanied by next to no noise at all.
Battery packs give the GV a very low centre of gravity and the suspension and ride are superb. Dial in sharp steering and you have a car that loves the twisty way home.
Sooner than I could possibly have imagined we arrive at school, depositing number one son, before heading up the dreaded motorway, the scourge of modern electric vehicles.
But Genesis takes it very much in its stride and despite pushing on to make up for lost time the range fails to drop off alarmingly like many EVs do under power.
GV60 satnav is brilliant at finding the quickest route and I love the way a direct red dotted line tells you which way the crow would fly.
Arriving on the dot of the appointment, I’ve completely fallen in love with this car…how much do they cost, I ask myself? Starts from £47k, I discover, now that could be affordable, making the GV a contender to be my next car.
GV60 is striking from any angle, uber-contemporary and with its winged badge, happily taken for a Bentley by passers-by.
The interior is plush personified with gorgeous trim, stunning hi-tech dash and perfect ergonomics. It’s a lovely place to reside. It’s even got a crystal ball which flips 180 degrees when you press the starter button to reveal the gear control – very cool.
When an hour passes you by the seat’s lumbar support is automatically activated to massage your back, which is symbolic of the level of thought put into the Genesis to take special care of its driver and passengers.
Now the nights are closing in the double-decker LED headlights front and back come into play with great effect illuminating the road ahead to day-light proportions and warning those behind to prevent anyone crashing into the back.
The Genesis range has breathed fresh air into a sector that was in danger of becoming a bit samey and the GV60 now extends that influence across the electric vehicle class. In a stressful situation, like being caused by a traffic hold up, it soothes away the pain and leaves you feeling much better than you would expect at journey’s end. No wonder it is fast building a great reputation.
Fact File
Genesis GV60
Engine: single electric motor, rear wheel drive
Power: 229PS
Range: 321 miles (claimed)
0-62mph: 7.8 secs
Top speed: 115mph
Transmission: automatic
CO2 g/km: 0
Price: £47,820.00
