First Drive: The upgraded Genesis Electrified GV70 brings a more refined experience

Now, Genesis has seen fit to update this crucial electric SUV, introducing a series of upgrades to its design and in-car technology. This segment is mighty popular, mind you, so these changes need to be good to keep the GV70 at the top of its game.

There’s a whole lot of technology on-board the GV70 now, too. There’s an optional UV-C sterilised box which can sterilise your belongings using ultraviolet light, while a new ‘Mood Curator’ offers four different interior settings and brings with it tailored music, an aroma diffuser and changed ambient lighting. There’s a new control panel for the heating and ventilation, though thankfully you’ve still got plenty of physical buttons to help as well.

The GV70 is also available with vehicle-to-load technology as an option. With this pack, the car’s on-board battery can be used to supply power to domestic devices via either the main plug at the nose of the car or a three-pin socket inside the cabin.

The steering isn’t the most communicative, but then that’s par for the course in this segment. Given that all cars ride on 20-inch wheels as standard, the GV70’s ride is impressive but we do think it could be even more relaxing on smaller alloys.

You’ve also got 13 colour options to choose from with matte, metallic, pearl and solid finishes available. They all look pretty classy, too, with greens and dark blues helping to give the GV70 quite an old-school look to it.

Space-wise, things aren’t bad though taller rear-seat passengers may feel a little cramped, particularly if there’s an equally-tall driver or passenger ahead of you. The 503-litre boot is about right for the segment, and larger than the 500-litre boot that you’ll find in the Mercedes EQC. Fold down the rear seats and this can be increased to a helpful 1,590 litres, too.

Step up to Dynamic grade cars at £70,715 and you’ll get 20-inch alloy wheels, a head-up display and a blindspot view monitor. Top-top Luxury, meanwhile, has an electric panoramic sunroof, active road noise cancelling and ventilated front seats. It’s quite punchy at £74,915, meanwhile.

The Electrified GV70 might be seen as an alternative to the mainstream, but it’s a very compelling electric vehicle in its own right. We’d steer clear of the top-spec version, simply because it bumps the car’s price too high, but entry-level models deliver a high level of standard equipment so you needn’t feel short changed.

Our only criticism is levelled at the performance – we’d reduce the GV70’s power and unlock a little more range to make this car even better.