FAMILY CAR REVIEW: 2022 Genesis GV70

How big is the boot of the new 2022 Genesis GV70?

The Genesis GV70 will hold thirteen shopping bags in the boot when empty. This is comparable to other luxury five-seat SUVs and matches the Porsche Macan. The BMW X3 boot is a bit bigger, holding fourteen shopping bags and the old-shape Lexus NX holds twelve shopping bags.

The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as kid’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.

Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.

I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.

The twin side-by-side stroller fits in the boot of the 2022 Genesis GV70 with one shopping bag beside it.

The tandem stroller fits in the boot of the 2022 Genesis GV70, with five shopping bags beside it.

The single stroller fits in the boot of the 2022 Genesis GV70 with six shopping bags beside it.

The compact stroller fits in the boot of the 2022 Genesis GV70 with eight shopping bags around it.

Or a medium-size dog, like a labrador, fits in the boot easily.

It comes with a carpet/mat for the boot floor which makes it nice and flat for dogs and for emergency nappy changes! There is also a net storage area behind the wheel arches for family storage too and a 12V socket.

How good is storage in the 2022 Genesis GV70?

Storage in the cabin of the Genesis GV70 is really practical. In the second row, there are two cup holders in a fold-down armrest in the central seatback. We found these a good size for reusable and disposable coffee cups.

There are net map pockets on the back of both front seats that will hold but not conceal an iPad and a phone shelf and USB port in the back of the central console.

The rear door bins in the Genesis GV70 are small but will hold a refillable water bottle.

In the front of the new Genesis GV70, the cabin space is beautifully designed. With two cup holders in the central console that will hold a reusable and disposable coffee cup and in front of it is a phone charging well with USB ports.

The central console box is a good size and has a little shelf in the top and a 12V socket, it is fully felt-lined so things don't rattle around.

The glovebox will hold my wallet with the manual and an iPad would fit in there too.

The door bins in the front are large enough to hold a refillable water bottle and an iPad too.

There is a glasses case in the ceiling and there are lit vanity mirrors for both front passengers.

How noisy is the new 2022 Genesis GV70? How good is the media system in the 2022 Genesis GV70?

The media system in the Genesis GV70 is lovely and modern and easy to navigate and use.

You control it with a rotary dial down in the central console.

The Genesis GV70 has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, connecting your phone is easy and there is wireless phone charging in the central console.

The media system has some of the same great family-friendly features within it including ‘Sounds of Nature', which is just what we new parents need: white noise at your fingertips for keeping little ones calm and sleepy in the back! There are a few different sounds to choose from such as Lively Forest and Calm Sea Waves in the GV70 or even Open-air Cafe.

There is also Quiet Mode, which allows you to quieten the sound from the rear speakers and bring it into the front, if rear passengers fall asleep or are on devices.

You can also control the aircon through the media screen for the front and rear passengers.

The reversing camera image is crystal clear, you have a birds-eye-view too.

As well as 360-degree camera views.

You can turn the parking sensors off with a button down in the central console…

…as well as a button for turning on and off a rear-view camera you can use while driving. This is helpful when you have three child seats in the back however I didn't find the visibility to be too bad.

The 2022 Genesis GV70 is a lovely peaceful car to drive. Being a luxury five-seater SUV you are cocooned from a lot of the outside road and wind noise that you find in other cars, making your drive less tiring. The GV70 is effortless to drive and makes the school run something to look forward to!

Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!

That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.

If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?

It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?

A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.

Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!

I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.

The indicators are not too loud in the Genesis GV70 and the rear doors and windows can be locked using the driver's door control panel.

I found the doors and windows of the Genesis GV70 were not too loud to open and close and the doors close nice and gently and quietly.

There are controls on the side of the front passenger seat so the driver can control its position without having to get out. I love this feature so you don't have to get out at school pick-ups and drop-offs and when helping elderly relatives in and out of the car.

How many child seats fit in the new 2022 Genesis GV70?

The 2022 Genesis GV70 has ISOFix points in the two outer second-row seats, they are not within plastic guides and are easy to connect to.

There are top tether anchorages on the back of all three second-row seats, clearly labelled and within plastic guides and easy to connect to through the boot.

I found three Infasecure child seats fit nicely across this second row. I installed a rear-facing Infasecure Serene child seat alongside forward-facing Achieve More and Attain More child seats.

I also tried the Infasecure Roamer II forward-facing and the Infasecure Serene rear-facing in the outer second-row seats and I could sit comfortably between them and I'm 162cm.

Legroom is good in the GV70, with a rear-facing child seat in the back a 180cm driver can fit in front, or a 186cm front passenger.

Posting Bub into their child seats in the back from inside and outside the car is nice and easy in the Genesis GV70. Being a spacious five-seat SUV, the doorways are nice and wide and the ceiling is nice and high.

Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!

I found there is room to feed bub in the back with a child seat installed.

How comfortable is the new 2022 Genesis GV70? And How good is the new 2022 Genesis GV70 to drive?

The seats of the new 2022 Genesis GV70 are beautiful grey suede and leather with red trim to match the red interior leather in the model I tested.

For a mum travelling in the back with Bub, the second-row seats are very comfortable too. There is room to sit comfortably between two child seats. In the central seat, you can feel the firmness of the fold-down cup holders in the central armrest.

For the first year of my first daughters life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with her so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!

The steering wheel has electronic full adjustment in/out and up/down. The cruise controls are on the right of the steering wheel and they are easy to use. I found the cruise control in the Genesis GV70 to be very accurate on both motorways and at lower speeds on undulating roads.

Although it looks like one continuous air vent, there are four smaller horizontal air-conditioning vents on the front dashboard of the Genesis GV70; two below the media screen and one at either end of the dash…

… and two more air-conditioning vents in the back of the central console box for the second-row passengers.

You can control the climate using the two dials on the dash…

… or within the media screen.

There are handles above both rear doors that are well-positioned to hold a baby toy for rear-facing passengers.

The rear doors have built-in window blinds which are fantastic for keeping little rear passengers shielded from the sun while driving along. These are manually raised and lowered, unlike its big sister the Genesis GV80 which has electric rear window blinds!

There is a lined glasses case in the ceiling and there are lit vanity mirrors in both front visors…

Visibility in the new Genesis GV70 is pretty good out of the back when you have three child seats installed. The rearview camera you can activate while driving along really helps with this if your child seats are bigger and this allowed us to easily get in and out of the car when parked in narrow spaces.

One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and my daughter has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the Genesis GV70 was okay to park as the visibility is good and the camera is really helpful!

How safe is the 2022 Genesis GV70?

The 2022 Genesis GV870 has been given a five-star ANCAP safety rating. Scoring was 89% for both Adult Occupancy testing and Child Occupancy testing.

ANCAP said of the Child Occupancy testing:

The Genesis GV70 comes with eight airbags as standard, including dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags, as well as a driver knee airbag and a centre airbag which provides added protection to front-seat occupants in side-impact crashes is also standard on all variants.

The Genesis GV70 has a seatbelt removal warning for all seats, which is clearly visible in the driver's display screen.