Genesis Electrified GV70 long-term test: luxury SUV takes on the Germans

Having already lived with the car for almost a month, I was confident connecting my phone, adjusting most of the settings, and finding chargepoints on the move. Matt openly admits he’ll tailor his lessons depending on the customer; he’s happy to skip the basics on this occasion and focus on features I may not have yet noticed.

“The little magnifying glass [on the infotainment screen] is your best friend,” Matt tells us. “You can use it to find just about anything.” As such, he types ‘head’ into the search bar, and opens up a load of settings related to the crystal-clear head-up display. From here, I can select which information I do or don’t want to see, or choose to switch the system off completely.

He’s also keen to show me the fingerprint-recognition tech – an extra fitted to my car. It’s a nifty feature that allows multiple users to store their settings, whether that’s for the seats and steering wheel, menu layouts or media settings; you just scan your finger when you get in and the car does the rest. If you share your GV70 with a family member, that could be £80 well spent.

The more we delve into things, the more I’m impressed with the GV70’s functionality. “You can even control the car from the key,” he reminds us, hopping out and pointing to some of the buttons on the fob. “Imagine you were parked between a Range Rover and a pick-up – you can use the key to reverse out of the space, without setting foot inside.”

It’s not something you’d use every day, but it’s clever kit that – along with the superbly crafted cabin, excellent refinement and searing straight-line speed – goes some way to justifying the Electrified GV70’s rather lofty £65,105 starting price.

I’m hoping my time with GV70 OHM (yes, that’s a private reg) is short lived, and that I can get back into ‘my’ car as soon as possible. At that point, I’ll be able to better assess the pros and cons of this version’s spec sheet, and decide for sure if this is a better premium EV than a Mercedes EQC.

*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.