The electric Genesis GV60 has a DRIFT MODE

By topgear, 30 September 2021

The electric Genesis GV60 has a DRIFT MODE

Back in August, Genesis - Hyundai’s new luxury brand - gave us a glimpse of its first dedicated electric car, the GV60. And now it has furnished us with the first juicy details of its dinkiest crossover.

Let’s start with the big stuff. Based on the same e-GMP platform that forms the basis of the Hyundai Ioniq 5, all models get a 77.4kWh battery that can be charged from 10 to 80% full in just 18 minutes at 350kW. Its slow charging ability has been upped to 11kW too, so less time spent plugged in at home.

There are three versions: rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive and all-wheel drive infused with added performance. For RWD cars, that means a single motor delivering 225bhp and 350Nm and a maximum range of 451km. AWD models combine a 99bhp front motor with a 215bhp rear unit for a total of 314bhp and 605Nm. Range drops to 401km.

As for the Performance edition, that gets a pair of full-fat motors for a grand total of 429bhp, although torque remains unchanged. This is the least rangesome of the three, topping out at 401km from full.

There’s also a Boost Mode that’ll give you access to all of that power for 10 seconds at a time. Hit that button and you’re looking at 0-100kph in four seconds flat. And if that isn’t lairy enough for you, the GV60 also gets a Drift Mode for ‘drivers who are looking for a more dynamic experience’, as the Genesis literature puts it. And there we were thinking it a daft addition to a Golf R...

There’s plenty of intrigue beyond the raw numbers too. Drivers can choose from three different soundscapes to be pumped into the cabin: Futuristic ‘symbolizes the direction of future mobility’, G-Engine is ‘soft and sporty’ and E-Motor adds engine noises based on speed and how far the accelerator pedal is buried into the carpet.

Probably more relevant is the Road Active Noise Control tech and sound absorbing materials designed to keep things as quiet as possible inside; this is a luxurious, refined cruiser after all.

You can unlock the car via a face recognition camera hidden in the b-pillar, or failing that you can store a digital key in your smartphone, which doesn’t even need to come out of your pocket for the GV60 to start.

Genesis says it's been styled with 'athletic elegance', and reckons this is its most extrovert car to date. But what do you think?