{"id":29734,"date":"2022-09-01T08:35:37","date_gmt":"2022-09-01T12:35:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=29734"},"modified":"2022-09-02T08:36:51","modified_gmt":"2022-09-02T12:36:51","slug":"payne-genesis-gv60-is-stylish-sci-fi-tesla-challenger-charging-excepted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/payne-genesis-gv60-is-stylish-sci-fi-tesla-challenger-charging-excepted","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Genesis GV60 is stylish, sci-fi Tesla challenger \u2014 charging excepted"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bay City<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 I\u2019m a car columnist, but you may find my electric car reviews sound increasingly like electronics reviews.<\/p>\n

Payne, you write a lot about high-tech and charging.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

I know, I know. When I reviewed the Tesla Model 3 back in 2018, I marveled at its acceleration and crisp handling. But the more EVs I drove, the more they all felt the same. The Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Volkswagen ID.4. Torrid acceleration, smooth ride, low center of gravity in corners. Rinse, dry, repeat.<\/p>\n

What continued to separate Tesla from the pack was technology and charging. Over-the-air updates, Autopilot driving, seamless charging stops, look-at-me-remote-driving-the-car-out-of-parking-space-with-my-smart-phone-for-goodness-sake.<\/p>\n

I called the Model 3\/Y smartphones on wheels. Everyone is playing catch up. Well, the 2023 Genesis GV60 has gotten darn close.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The top of the line in Hyundai Motor Group\u2019s skateboard-chassis-based trilogy of Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, the premium GV60 EV wows in style, speed, technology \u2014 even surpassing the Tesla in build quality and the ability to remote parallel-park itself. No kidding.<\/p>\n

But Genesis still badly lags in Tesla\u2019s secret sauce: road-trip charging.<\/p>\n

I took the GV60 on my favorite long loop test \u2014 a weekend with family in Charlevoix, 250 miles up north. Like my short-loop test to Hell and back it is Pure Michigan: unique towns for photography, great twisty roads for performance, interstate chill time to test infotainment and driver-assist features. The big add of the Charlevoix loop is I get to test electric-vehicle range and charging availability, and show off the car to the public and friends along the way.<\/p>\n

Like a luxury car (or electronics device) the GV60 passed the style test with flying colors. Though I find all three Hyundai Group siblings to be uniquely premium in their looks, passersby definitely preferred the Genesis. The Hyundai Ioniq 5? Nice, but too boxy. The Kia EV6? Nice but too bulbous. The GV60? Just right.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

\u201cThe Porsche Macan-like rear hatchback caught my eye,\u201d said a middle-aged pal.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got to ask, what kind of car is that? A new Audi? It\u2019s really beautiful,\u201d said a 20-something employee at a Taco Bell carryout window.<\/p>\n

As those comments suggest, the Korean-assembled GV60 rejects Tesla\u2019s Apple-simple design (there\u2019s not even a proper frunk), for an elegant European-styled SUV with plenty of curves, signature split-headlights, and even a big grille. The grille is hardly necessary as EVs have no gas engine to cool, but Genesis apparently feels the need to link the car to gas-engine siblings like the GV70. An anthropomorphic face also makes a human connection.<\/p>\n

To my cartoonist\u2019s eye, the face looks like Stitch in Disney\u2019s Lili & Stitch movie. Whatever your thoughts, it\u2019s unique.<\/p>\n

The design detail continues inside with a big,\u00a0Mercedes-like digital screen stretching across the dash, crisp pages to flip through on the infotainment screen\u00a0and floating console below like a Cadillac Lyriq. Unlike Tesla, there are upscale flourishes everywhere, with fat dials controlling everything from the screen to the side mirrors to the transmission.<\/p>\n

But in operation, GV60 is one of the most Tesla-like vehicles I\u2019ve tested. It wants to show off.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Roll up to a parallel parking space and my Genesis Sport not only would self-park,\u00a0but it also gave me the option to step out of the car, stand on the curb\u00a0and let the car park itself via key fob. The process is laborious as the car inches back and forth into a tight space \u2014 but it\u2019s cool to witness.<\/p>\n

It will also park in\u00a0a perpendicular space and move out of a tight spot,\u00a0all with remote operation. Tesla pioneered this drop-the-mike tech and Genesis has embraced it.<\/p>\n

That autonomous habit extends to self-driving. It\u2019s a feature available on other Hyundai products from the gas-powered Kia Sportage to the EV6 and Ioniq 5 \u2014 and I regret that Genesis doesn\u2019t offer more capability. Think auto lane change that would put it on par with top-drawer luxury systems like Cadillac\u2019s SmartCruise, Mercedes\u2019 Intelligent Drive and Tesla\u2019s Autopilot. Still, I came to rely on it as I drove long stretches of I-75 hands-free, the GV60 rarely nannying me to keep my hands on the wheel like my Model 3.<\/p>\n

Self-driving at 80 mph is relaxing \u2014 but GV60\u2019s charging issues filled the anxiety gap. The Hyundai Group says that it is developing a charger navigation system like Tesla,\u00a0but for now drivers are\u00a0on their own for navigating via an unreliable third-party charge network.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve made this trip enough to know to ignore charge apps like ABRP and Chargeway that tell me to do a one-stopper via a West Branch charger. With a single charger, the West Branch unit could be out of order \u2014 or backed up with other vehicles. Better to use Electrify America chargers in Bay City and Gaylord \u2014 not just because they have multiple chargers, but also because weather can drain your battery.<\/p>\n

\"Detroit<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Despite filing up to the recommended 80% of range (188 miles) to go 166 miles from Bay City to Charlevoix, I wouldn\u2019t make it on a 90-degree day when battery range is just 70% (131 miles) of predicted range. So I stop twice \u2014 in Bay City and Gaylord \u2014 to be sure.<\/p>\n

On my return trip, EA\u2019s multiple charger options were crucial to getting home.<\/p>\n

I entered Bay City with 50% of range. A quick, 7-minute fill-up on a 350 kW charger (a benefit of the Genesis\u2019s fast, 800-volt platform) to 80% should have been enough to get me home with enough cushion to prepare for a 2 p.m.\u00a0meeting.<\/p>\n

\"Not<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

But the Electrify America station had a surprise in store.<\/p>\n

When I arrived, a Mustang Mach-E was on the 350 kW unit \u2014 its passengers asleep inside. I plugged into the second 350 kW unit. It was out of order.<\/p>\n

Two, slower, 150 kW chargers left. I plugged into a 150. Also AWOL. Down to my last charger.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, it worked. At 150 kW the charge to 80% took 20 minutes (plus 10 minutes wasted on out-of-order chargers), and then I was on my way. But not before I warned an arriving Mach-E owner that two chargers were out of order.<\/p>\n

Awright, Payne, enough about high-tech and charging.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"With<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Leaving the Bay City charger with plenty of battery to get home, I put the Genesis in SPORT mode, nailed the accelerator\u00a0and merged on the interstate with authority. EV60 will hit 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds \u2014 on par with a Tesla Model Y Performance, despite the Genesis weighing 400 pounds more.<\/p>\n

Much of that added weight appears the result of better engineering for a quieter driving experience. Tesla still has the lead thanks to its charging network, but Genesis is a player to watch.<\/p>\n

2023 Genesis GV60<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Vehicle type: Battery-powered, all-wheel-drive\u00a0five-passenger\u00a0SUV<\/p>\n

Price: $59,985, including $1,090 destination fee ($69,560 Performance AWD model as tested)<\/p>\n

Powerplant: 77.4 kWh lithium-ion battery with dual\u00a0electric-motors<\/p>\n

Power: 429 horsepower, 516 pound-feet torque<\/p>\n

Transmission: Single-speed direct drive<\/p>\n

Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.7 seconds (mfr., AWD); towing, 2,300 pounds<\/p>\n

Weight: 4,890 pounds<\/p>\n

Fuel economy: EPA 90 MPGe; range, 235 miles<\/p>\n

Report card<\/p>\n

Highs: Standout looks, lotsa cool features to play with<\/p>\n

Lows: Floaty handling; 800-volt platform not much benefit<\/p>\n

Overall: 3\u00a0stars<\/p>\n

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bay City\u00a0\u2014 I\u2019m a car columnist, but you may find my electric car reviews sound increasingly like electronics reviews. Payne, you write a lot about high-tech and charging. I know, I know. When I reviewed the Tesla Model 3 back in 2018, I marveled at its acceleration and crisp handling. But the more EVs I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29734"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29734"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29734\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29735,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29734\/revisions\/29735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}