{"id":34186,"date":"2025-02-27T14:49:25","date_gmt":"2025-02-27T18:49:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=34186"},"modified":"2025-02-27T14:49:25","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T18:49:25","slug":"payne-fast-n-fashionable-genesis-gv70-isnt-afraid-to-put-on-snow-boots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/payne-fast-n-fashionable-genesis-gv70-isnt-afraid-to-put-on-snow-boots","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Fast ‘n’ fashionable Genesis GV70 isn’t afraid to put on snow boots"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oakland County<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 The delicious 2024 Genesis GV70 Sport Prestige has tailpipes the size of bazookas, jewel-like dials, seats that hug you in Sport mode, split headlights and a spine-tingling welcome chime from the TV series “Westworld.”<\/p>\n

But with winter temperatures below freezing and half a foot of snow on the roads, all that really concerned me was whether it had all-wheel drive and a bottomless reservoir of windshield washer fluid.<\/p>\n

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With AWD, the 2024 Genesis GV70 was comfortable in Michigan winter conditions.<\/em><\/div>\n
Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

Viking Ocean ships are posh, but they had better have hot water in the shower.<\/p>\n

Michigan\u2019s brutal winters are a test of any vehicle, and the GV70 largely passed with flying colors. Make that salt color. At the end of my week-long journey with the Genesis compact SUV, its Mauna Red exterior (think Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii) looked more like Lotsa Salt color (think Morton Salt in your cabinet).<\/p>\n

My $68,870 Sport Prestige model came equipped with SPORT PLUS mode that automatically turns off traction control if you want to explore the limits of, say, M-32\u2019s twisties on a glorious summer day up north. But in Michigan winter, I went to the opposite end of the Drive Mode spectrum \u2014 SNOW mode \u2014 as I slid onto a sloppy Maple Road on Friday night in the teeth of a frigid Michigan storm.<\/p>\n

Neither rain nor sleet nor snow would keep Mrs. Payne and me from our weekend movie.<\/p>\n

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The 2024 Genesis GV70 options a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 that packs a punch: 375 horses and 391 pound-feet of torque.<\/em><\/div>\n
Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Genesis\u2019s AWD system churned away beautifully in the snow \u2014 SNOW mode picking a higher gear so as not to access all of the 3.5-liter, twin-turbo V-6\u2019s prodigious 391-pound feet of torque. Despite low-profile 21-inch wheels, the Michelin all-season tires did their job and I grew in confidence as I urged the dogsled through the gloom.<\/p>\n

Entering snowy Telegraph Road, I goosed the throttle to test the ute\u2019s balance, and the rear end slewed sideways like a pup on ice before the front paws gripped and pulled the sled forward. Nicely done, GV70.<\/p>\n

\u201cCut that out!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

My wife was not amused with my antics, and I dutifully returned to my job as chauffeur. Automatic windshield wipers also knew their job and began wiping away the endless flakes.<\/p>\n

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The 2024 Genesis GV70 rear has a Porsche Macan look – look closer and the dual taillights give it away as a Genesis.<\/em><\/div>\n
Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Next morning, I awoke for an early Padel game (if you don\u2019t know it, you have to try it) with friends. I set sail for Sterling Heights by way of I-696 and, thankfully, the salt trucks had done their night\u2019s work. Boy, had they ever. The highways were clear, but I was met with nonstop salt splash on my windshield from traffic in front of me. I repeatedly pulled the wiper stalk toward me to wash away the grit. Genesis obliged by squirting fluid from both base windshield nozzles and jets in the wiper arms.<\/p>\n