It’s rare for a new luxury car entry to come along and seriously challenge the German brands for general excellence and customer attention. It’s rarer still for it to come from a young brand. However, the Genesis GV70 compact SUV did just that. People ask me about it frequently when shopping for a new SUV, and I usually answer that their intrigue is well-placed. The GV70 is an exceptional luxury SUV, period, without any qualifiers such as “for the money” or “for a new brand.”
Photo: James Riswick
The 2026 Genesis GV70 also gets a variety of thoughtful updates that are more plentiful than the hard-to-spot exterior tweaks would indicate. The compact premium SUV’s interior now features a beautiful 27-inch OLED display with a slight dashboard redesign and improved controls. Genesis also redesigned the center console and steering wheel for enhanced functionality, while the premium audio system is now by Bang & Olufsen. The Korean luxury brand also upgraded the GV70’s advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) package.
Genesis still groups the GV70’s lineup by its engine, as indicated by the 2.5T and 3.5T monikers. The 2.5T offers base, Select, Advanced, and Sport Prestige trim levels. Meanwhile, the 3.5T offers Sport Advanced and Sport Prestige trims, though they have a more sophisticated suspension not included with the 2.5T Sport Prestige. Starting prices for the 2026 Genesis GV70 range from $49,435 to $71,545, including the destination charge.
Read our full preview of the 2026 Genesis GV70 for more background and details.
For this 2026 GV70 review, Genesis provided a test vehicle equipped with the top-of-the-line 3.5T Sport Prestige trim and no options besides Ceres Blue paint ($650).
The test vehicle’s manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) was $72,195, including the $1,450 destination charge to ship the SUV to your local dealership from the Montgomery, Alabama, assembly plant.
Photo: James Riswick
I’ll share my impressions of the GV70’s new infotainment system later in this review, but its adoption results in a tweaked dashboard. Genesis replaces the hooded instrument area and dash-top screen with one ultra-wide display placed lower on the dashboard. As a result, the air vents are now located lower into the GV70’s carryover, oval-like pod, along with infotainment shortcut buttons. That, in turn, evicts the climate controls to a new, dedicated panel below.
So, there have been changes, but the new look is very similar and just as distinctively attractive. Materials quality also continues to be exceptional. My Sport Prestige test vehicle’s interior was a snazzy Ultramarine blue with orange contrast stitching and simulated leather covering the dashboard and doors. Lower trim levels aren’t quite as nice but still have soft-touch surfaces and the same switchgear. Included is the new three-spoke steering wheel with its user-friendly physical controls.
The wireless phone charger standard on most trims is more accessible, as are the cupholders, which seem bigger than before. Genesis also addressed a common complaint (from myself included) that the adjacent knobs for gear shifting and redundant infotainment control were too similar. While their positioning is the same, the shifter has a more geometric surface, making it much easier to tell them apart by touch.
The seats are just as comfortable as before, and space up front is abundant for even this 6-foot-3 test driver. The space behind me wasn’t great, but that’s normal for this segment. However, I spent ample time riding in the back seat and found plenty of space with an average-height driver up front. Headroom is also excellent, even with a panoramic sunroof, and I appreciated the reclining seatback. The rear climate controls also now get an all-touch control panel.
Photo: James Riswick
The GV70’s technology receives the greatest attention for 2026. Genesis combines the separate screens for instruments and infotainment into one 27-inch OLED display. And yes, it’s a real-deal single screen, rather than two screens placed into one housing. It looks incredible, with beautiful, vibrant graphics and multiple driver-selectable layouts that combine various vehicle and entertainment information sources.
Choosing layouts and the information presented requires a toggle control on the steering wheel, which makes switching easier than doing it via a touchscreen menu. Still, with so many choices, finding the right one can take a while and be a bit overwhelming.
That’s my only functionality niggle with this infotainment system, though. Despite its many features, it’s not overwhelming, easy to find what you need, and the redundant control wheel makes for easier scrolling of lists. BMW and Mercedes have big, beautiful screens too, but holy cow, are they overwhelming to figure out and often annoying thereafter. Not so for the Genesis.
With the 2026 GV70, Genesis rectifies one previous omission: wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are now included. Moreover, you can integrate them into the instrument area. During my test, I had Google Maps directions streaming from Android Auto, complete with a beautifully integrated map, placed next to the speedometer gauge, while the right half of the screen displayed entertainment menus.
Genesis says it enhanced the infotainment system’s voice-recognition interface. While there wasn’t a 2024 GV70 on hand for comparison, I can confirm that the system executed commands for “Hey, Genesis, navigate to the Thompson Hotel in Houston” and “Hey, Genesis, tune to Sirius channel 313” on the first try. Notably, it only responded when I was in the front seat, so don’t worry about your kids hijacking your in-car butler.
The Advanced and Sport Prestige trims now feature a 16-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system instead of a Lexicon system. Again, I can’t compare them, but the new one certainly made my music sound good, taking advantage of the GV70’s whisper-quiet interior.
Regarding ADAS, for 2026, Genesis upgraded the forward-collision warning system to detect cross traffic better, and it now features automatic emergency steering. The standard adaptive cruise control (ACC) system’s lane-centering assistance can now follow the car ahead briefly when lane markings disappear. Additionally, new sensors can better detect when your hands are on the steering wheel, reducing annoying false alarms.
I used the ACC extensively on my test drive around the greater Houston area. As always, the GV70’s Highway Driving Assist worked well. Still, the minor improvements were noticeable. Despite the system’s requirement to keep a token finger on the steering wheel, it essentially did all the driving on the highway.
Photo: James Riswick
From an overall driving perspective, the GV70 largely carries over for 2026. The engine offerings are unchanged, with a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder (300 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque) and a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 (375 hp, 391 pound-feet) powering the SUV. Both have an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard all-wheel drive (AWD).
My test vehicle had the V6 and returned 25.4 mpg during the test drive, consisting of mostly interstate and rural highway driving. That betters the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) highway estimate of 25 mpg, not to mention its 21-mpg combined estimate. According to the EPA, the 2.5T engine returns 23 mpg combined with standard 19-inch wheels. The available 21-inch wheels lower that estimate to 22 mpg combined. Either way, fuel economy is not the GV70’s dynamic strong point.
Nope, that would be power, because both GV70 offerings are muscular. The four-cylinder’s horsepower grossly exceeds the base power plants of the Acura RDX, BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC, and Volvo XC60. It bests their torque too. The V6 is less impressive on paper, considering that the BMW and Mercedes offer similar power for about the same amount of money. Still, there’s no complaining about the GV70’s acceleration and passing power.
Opting for the V6 comes with a hefty price premium, which may not be worth it for many potential buyers. There’s more to the 3.5T trims than just extra power, though. They include an adaptive suspension that not only reacts to the road surface but anticipates upcoming bumps by scanning ahead with a camera. I didn’t drive a 2.5T version to note the difference, but the GV70 3.5T delivers an exceptional ride, even with 21-inch wheels.
Handling dynamics were tough to evaluate given the Houston-area roads that rarely have curves, but the GV70 maintains its surprisingly taut steering effort on-center and when turning. I like it, but others may scoff, especially at parking lot speeds. It also makes the even tauter steering effort in Sport mode not only pointless but annoying, as if the car is trying too hard to say: “I’m sporty.” Too much steering heft dilutes response and what little feel is there.
The Sport+ drive mode also pumps a bunch of fake engine noise into the cabin. You can tell it’s fake because of how little engine noise makes its way into the cabin in the other drive modes—or any noise, for that matter. The GV70 is an incredibly quiet car, and when combined with the comfy ride and impeccable interior, it amplifies its credentials as a top-notch luxury vehicle.
Photo: James Riswick
The many small, thoughtful changes made for the 2026 Genesis GV70 result in an even better compact luxury SUV. Its technology is now even more impactful, the interior a bit more functional, and Genesis does nothing to screw up a very good thing.
James Riswick has been testing and reviewing cars since 2007, serving as an editor at Edmunds.com and Autoblog. He has also contributed to Autoguide Magazine, Autotrader, Capital One Auto Navigator, Car and Driver, and Hagerty. He resides in Southern California and owns a 1998 BMW Z3, a 2013 Mercedes-Benz E350 Wagon, and a 2023 Kia Niro EV.
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