Genesis GV60 review - Interior & comfort

Comfort is a strong point for the Genesis GV60. It’s at its best in entry-level Premium trim, which has smaller wheels than the high-spec Sport Plus version. Although the top-spec car has fancy suspension tech to help it be smoother over bumps, the cheaper model is simpler, lighter and more comfortable.

You don’t get much noise in the cabin from the motor, so the only intrusive noise comes from high motorway speeds, where wind and tyre noise are audible. You can add clever noise-cancelling tech to combat this (as part of a Bang & Olufsen stereo upgrade), so the GV60 is really quiet inside overall.

Genesis GV60 dashboard

The GV60’s interior is excellent – it feels very well made and the materials are high quality, so it justifies its high price tag quite well. The plush steering wheel feels good to hold, and contrast stitching for the leather seats is another nice touch.

The interior is similar in some ways to the Kia EV6 that the GV60 shares parts with, but that’s no bad thing – parts such as the twin 12.3-inch display screens and useful centre console are really impressive to look at and have plenty of functionality as well. It’s more stylised than the Kia, though – there are some touches that won’t be for everyone, but it has its own personality and some buyers will love that. For example, the centre console gets a light-up orb which rotates round to reveal the drive selector once you start the car – some might see that as tacky and over-the-top, but others will love the theatre of it.

The technology on offer is generous, and in 2023 the GV60 became the first car sold in Europe available with keyless unlocking and start using face recognition. This should be both more secure and convenient, because you don't need to carry a key with you and there's no chance of wireless signals from the fob being hacked. A Digital Key is also available on smartphone, which can be shared with up to three users.

The Genesis GV60 can even park and unpark itself, not only with the driver in the driver’s seat, but also from outside the car via the key fob. We tried this out on about five occasions, but only twice did the GV60 complete the manoeuvres correctly – on one occasion it parked diagonally in a parallel space and declared itself finished, and on another it gave up halfway through stating there had been an error. Features like these are a novelty, but they’re not really viable or useful unless you can guarantee they’ll work quickly and at least 95% of the time, otherwise it’s just easier to park yourself.

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Equipment

The GV60 range is nice and simple; there are three trim levels and each has its own equipment as well as a different electric motor set-up. You can read about the technical details on the previous pages covering performance and economy.

Premium is the entry-level model, and it comes with LED headlights, 19-inch alloy wheels, two 12.3-inch infotainment screens (one in place of traditional dials and the other in the centre), an electric tailgate and a reversing camera. For 2023 cars front and rear heated seats, and an 'Ergo Motion' driver's seat with a massage function became standard, and ambient lighting was extended to a greater portion of the cabin. There's also facial recognition (read more on that below) for keyless unlocking and driving, 

There’s loads of safety kit, too, including adaptive cruise control, forward-collision assist with AEB, blind spot warning, lane follow assist and rear cross-traffic assist.

Sport models get larger 20-inch alloys and Sport Plus versions also have larger alloys and different interior trim. It means the entry-level car is the best value for money.

Technology

The GV60 has two 12.3-inch screens, no matter which version you go for, and they work really well. There are five USB ports and wireless phone charging, too, so you can make the most of your smart devices and enjoy Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity for apps and navigation. Of course, there’s a built-in sat-nav as well.

It’s a shame there’s no wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, because many other upmarket models now offer this. On two occasions during our week with the car, the wired connection wouldn’t even register and Android Auto was unavailable, which needed to be sorted by holding down the MAP and SETUP buttons below the climate control to reset the system.

The graphics on the screen are sharp and although they are similar to Hyundai and Kia’s layouts, this means it’s easy to use. It’s responsive and has all the features you need, so the GV60 scores highly for technology.

Announced in 2023, the Genesis GV60 is also the first car sold in Europe with facial recognition technology. Called 'Face Connect', once the owner has set this up (the data is encrypted and only stored within the car), they can unlock and drive the car using a facial recognition camera built into the B-pillar, without a physical key. This comes as standard, even for Premium trim.