2026 Genesis GV70 Review | GearJunkie Tested

Genesis properly refreshes its bestselling model for the 2026 model year, which is hitting dealer lots right now. The 2026 Genesis GV70 is a unique blend of luxury and sporty motoring in an SUV package that should appeal to a wide audience.

I took a trip to Houston to drive the top-spec — 3.5T Sport Prestige AWD — version of the new GV70. I got to see a bunch of exterior and interior colors in person and drive the vehicle on city streets, country back roads, and the highway. Besides letting it loose on some straight two-lane country roads, I also got to experience it in stop-and-go traffic.

In short: If you want your everyday driver, luxury SUV to have a sporty attitude and interesting and unique paint and interior options, then look no further than the 2026 Genesis GV70. Comfy seats sadly leave out their best features for all but the driver. Overall, this vehicle is a nice place to relax and travel in, unless you’re a rear-seat passenger with long legs.

2026 Genesis GV70 3.5T Sport Prestige AWD Review

In 2024, one in three Genesis vehicles sold in the U.S. is a GV70. That’s just shy of 27,000 gas-powered models and another almost 2,500 electrified versions. The GV70 first launched in June 2021, and is the vehicle that has helped the Genesis brand grow by leaps and bounds in the past few years.

“GV70 is our most popular model in North America, and we’ve welcomed over 85,000 customers into the GV70 family in just three short years,” said Claudia Márquez, chief operating officer of Genesis Motor North America. “The newly redesigned GV70 and Electrified GV70 offer all of the utility and interior refinement of a great SUV without sacrificing the fun-to-drive character that Genesis vehicles are known for.”

Genesis’s core pillars when designing the GV70 were: an “Athletic Elegance” design philosophy, effortless through technology, and “Son-Nim” (meaning honored guest in Korean) hospitality. What that boils down to is that the vehicle needs to have muscular yet smooth flowing lines, the latest tech needs to make the vehicle easy to drive, and the materials, design, and tech in the vehicle need to make every passenger feel comfortable and like they’re having a special experience.

For the most part, Genesis has succeeded on those core principles. But, there is definitely a focus on the driver. This vehicle leaves other passengers out all too often — more on that later.

Tech Forward

Most of the 2026 updates to the GV70 are under the skin. New tech aims to make the lives of the driver and passengers easier and more comfortable. Even the sounds the vehicle makes, like parking alerts, are updated with more unique and pleasing tones. New adjustable interior ambient lighting also helps set the mood.

The most obvious tech update inside the 2026 GV70 is the massive 27-inch OLED display. The right side of the screen is a touchscreen, while the left side of the screen is not. It’s a massive, clear, and well-designed infotainment system that responds quickly to inputs, and of course has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

I really love that when you activate a turn signal, you get a circle video screen pop-up on the side of the screen that you’re turning that shows you a 3/4 view forward from the side-view mirror. This is super handy when parking and to avoid hitting curbs when turning.

A heads-up display (HUD) is also on offer. It’s bright, configurable, and really helps the driver keep their eyes up and on the road ahead.

A new three-zone automatic HVAC system with new controls ensures it’s easy to keep the climate in the vehicle just right for all passengers.

Convenience updates include enhanced voice recognition, which now allows you to control vehicle functions like the windows, HVAC, and sound system. Also, Digital Key 2 now comes with the vehicle, allowing the use of a smartphone or smartwatch to lock and operate the vehicle, and assign keys remotely to others.

The new Bang & Olufsen 16-speaker, 10-level surround sound system is truly impressive. It’s right up there with the best from the competition.

It gets Terrain modes — snow, mud, and sand — for theoretical off-road travel. The reality is that this vehicle is highly unlikely to leave pavement, but the snow mode will come in handy when headed to the local ski resort.

The driver aids in this latest GV70 are also more refined than I’ve experienced in most vehicles to date. While the lane keep assist is aggressive, it is also very smooth, where some other systems pinball you off the lines.

Highway drive assist really impressed me. While you must have a hand on the steering wheel to make automatic lane changes with a turn signal — with a new touch- versus torque-sensing steering wheel — the system is otherwise basically a hands-free system. You do need to keep your eyes on the road or it yells at you, but even that system offers less aggressive warnings than many other vehicles. 

What Makes It Go

Under the hood of my top-spec test vehicle is a 3.5L twin-turbo V6, which is only available on the Sport models. It puts out 375 horsepower and 391 pound-feet of torque. That is plenty of oomph to hit triple digits with ease — not that you’d ever do that — pull into moving traffic, and/or make passes on the highway.

There is definitely throttle lag, which is likely a combination of fuel economy desires and turbo lag, but it’s still less lag than you’ll find on many modern vehicles.

That power is managed through an eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, and an e-LSD (electronic-limited slip differential). Oh, and it has launch control, which you wouldn’t expect on a luxury vehicle like this.

The sounds from the twin-turbo V6 are heavily piped in, but they do sound pretty good. I drove through a tunnel and downshifted a few times with the paddle-shifters, with the windows down, and the vehicle sounded incredibly quiet compared to the noises coming from the speakers.

A base 2.5L inline four-cylinder engine is also on offer, as well as a plug-in hybrid powertrain option. I haven’t yet experienced either myself, so can’t comment on what they’re all about.

Ride & Handling

With impressive power under the hood comes the need to stop the mass of this luxury SUV from high speeds. Massive monobloc brakes now come on the Sport models of the GV70.

The pedal feel changes as you change drive modes, but in all modes, they have quite a bit of initial bite early in the pedal travel. While this takes a minute to acclimate to, the new brakes are quite effective.

There are two steering weights, comfort and sport, and there is quite a bit of difference between the two. Comfort is likely better for everyday driving, as sport is quite heavy but also slightly more direct.

All Sport models of the 2026 GV70 have electronically controlled suspension, which has Preview ECS and Highway Motion Control. The Preview ECS is a camera-based system that analyzes the road ahead and adjusts damping to reduce impact forces transmitted to the cabin.

The Highway Motion Control (HBC/HAS) is a system that helps minimize body roll, dive, and nose lift during events like lane changes, aggressive stops, and sudden acceleration.

New hydro bushings for body and suspension connections help absorb shocks to the chassis using internal fluid resistance to reduce harshness and improve comfort. This greatly decreases cabin vibrations.

Passenger Comfort

This is a luxury vehicle, and updates include things like better cupholders and a relocated wireless charging pad — all designed to make life inside this SUV that much easier and more comfortable.

The standout comfort feature in the GV70 is the seats. The driver seat, in particular, is very comfortable and adjustable. It has an adjustable leg support bolster, adjustable side bolsters, and even massage. What Genesis missed, though, is not giving any of those features to any of the other passengers in the vehicle. The other seats are comfortable, but lacking in these great features.

Both front seats are heated and ventilated. While ventilation takes a few seconds to turn on, the system is quite powerful and likely the quietest I’ve ever experienced.

Rear passengers enjoy comfy, heated seats and ample head and shoulder room. Getting in and out of the back is also easy, with a tall door. However, legroom is limited, although the shaped seatbacks of the front seats help with knee room.

I wish the cabin were quieter than it is, as wind and road noise are more than I’d expect from this caliber of luxury vehicle. With that said, it is a pretty quiet vehicle that uses things like ANC-R (active noise control – road) technology, using accelerometers and interior microphones to detect road-induced noise entering the cabin and using speakers to cancel out that noise.

Also, noise dampeners in the tailgate and hollow resonators inside the new 21-inch hollow wheels reduce noise and vibrations. The new steering wheel is also said to be stronger, safer, and has a much larger damper on it, which helps to reduce road vibrations from transmitting to the driver.

Style, Inside & Out

If you see a 2025 or 2026 GV70 drive by, you’d be hard pressed to spot the differences. There are some, but they’re pretty subtle. The updated G-Matrix Crest Grille is the most obvious, but the bumpers, front intake, wheels, dual exhaust, rear spoiler, streamlined hood emblem, and upgraded micro lens array (MLA) headlamps are all new as well.

The front and rear exterior two-line concept lighting and the redesigned wheels help set this vehicle apart from others on the road. I personally love the stripes on the new 21-inch wheels found on the Sport model I tested. The Sport models also feature side moldings and revised dual-exhaust, where the other GV70 models have hidden exhaust outlets.

The 2026 Genesis GV70 comes in six trim levels, with paint and interior options that equate to about 185 versions of the vehicle on offer. The new Ceres Blue paint and Nappa leather interiors, like the Ultramarine Blue, help set this luxury SUV apart from the competition.

The color palette available on this vehicle is pretty spectacular, inside and out. I particularly like the orange seat belt and contrast stitching available with some Sport interior options.

The Sport Prestige I tested comes with a unique carbon trim, while the Sport Advanced model comes with brushed aluminum trim, and the Standard and Select models come with shiny black trim. The carbon trim is an odd pattern and a bit distracting for my taste, but it is pretty unique and adds to the sportiness of the vehicle.

Pricing & Availability

Production for the U.S. market 2026 Genesis GV70 vehicles is mostly done in Montgomery, Ala., but some are also brought in from South Korea. No doubt, new tariffs will determine that mix moving forward.

2026 Genesis GV70 Pricing

• GV70 2.5T AWD MSRP: $49,435
• GV70 2.5T SELECT AWD MSRP: $52,335
• GV70 2.5T ADVANCED AWD MSRP: $56,885
• GV70 2.5T SPORT PRESTIGE AWD MSRP: $60,245
• GV70 3.5T SPORT ADVANCED AWD MSRP: $64,865
• GV70 3.5T SPORT PRESTIGE AWD MSRP: $71,545

All prices above include the mandatory $1,450 freight and handling charge.

The 2026 Genesis Electrified GV70 starts around $66k and tops out around $76k. It’s likely worth the extra cost for many buyers.

At the end of March, gas models started trickling into U.S. dealers — while dealers are still selling down 2025 model year vehicles off their lots. Electrified models should be shipping soon to dealers, but in even more limited quantities.

2026 Genesis GV70 Review: Conclusions

While pricing for the 2026 Genesis GV70 starts at under $50K for a four-cylinder Standard model, the V6 Sport Prestige model that I drove has a sticker price of $72,225, with only two options: Mauna Red Paint ($650) and NFC Key Card ($30). However, that’s still competitively priced against its rivals, vehicles like the Lexus RX, Porsche Cayenne, and Mercedes GLC.

While not announced yet, we all know a Magma version will be coming relatively soon. While the Sport model of the 2026 Genesis GV70 can already be spec’ed with lots of orange accents and has a sporty attitude, I can’t wait to see what the Magma version brings to the table. Hopefully, it doesn’t ruin the ride for everyday use, like has happened on all the BMW M Competition SUVs I’ve driven.