Many manufacturers try to do luxury divisions, and some do better than others. Lexus, Toyota’s lux division – big winner. Infiniti, brought to you by Nissan – more of a struggle. Acura, courtesy of Honda…somewhere in-between we’d guess. Remember Amati? That was Mazda’s luxury nameplate, but at the last minute, they pulled back and decided not to go for it.

So, when hugely successful Hyundai and Kia decided on their own luxury brand, it was pretty exciting to say the least. Enter Genesis. And we’d have to say they’re up there in Lexus-land.

And if you want to compete these days, you need a mid-size SUV. Voila! The Genesis GV70. And with some major interior tweaks, and smaller ones to the exterior and chassis, the 2026 model is ready to do battle in the high-end sweepstakes. Does it have the chops to compete? Let’s find out!

Bolder Beauty

We already thought the GV70 was one of the most handsome SUVs in its class – and like Lexus, it’s sculpted an identity that all the models share quite convincingly.

Up front gets an enhancement for ’26 with a redesigned “G-Matrix Crest” grille, a large pentagon with an equally large lower grille, and side grilles for added aero. Signature two-line headlamps give a distinct and easily identifiable Genesis look, and the winged badge (that reminds us of Bentley) remains proudly on the hood. For 2026, a bolder skid plate design and extended intake grilles serve up some added aggressiveness.

The profile remains familiar with a sporty swept back A-pillar, and a sweeping fastback roofline that pinches down at the c-pillar. Muscular fender flares and deep cut-ins in the door panels add athletic tones. New design 21-inch alloys on our tester feature a dark gloss 5-spoke design that’s eye grabbing.

At the rear, there are new taillamps that feature a two-line design that echo the signature front headlamps for a cohesive look. A sharp cut-in in the hatch add more sportiness while dual exhausts with chrome surrounds add a finishing, eye grabbing touch.

Also catching our eye was our tester’s new Ceres Blue paint that has a grey-blue tone that’s quite elegant. (Impress your neighbors – it was inspired by the dwarf planet between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.) It also highlighted the fit in finish of our tester from the flawless paint to the exacting fit in finish, the GV70 delivers heavily on the promise of a premium vehicle. (Note: we also got to spend some time in a Mauna Red GV70, so we’ve included a couple pics as well).

Did someone say Bentley?

That was our first thought when we opened the door of our tester. While it’s not really changed, our first impression was of the rich deep blue of the ultramarine interior with deep stitched, tufted patterned leather in the seats, with contrasting orange stitching and bold orange seatbelts that just struck us as veddy British!

We also loved the carbon fiber trim that had more fiber than you’d expect in your morning bran muffin – it looked tough, modern and upscale.

More striking for most will be the updated display. Replacing a more traditional gauge display with a separate tablet in the center console, the 2026 model takes a page out of Audi (and actually, Hyundai and Kia.) creating a 27-inch widescreen display that sweeps across the dashboard. One thing we noticed, while many now have dual 12.3-inch displays, there always seems to be a hard break – you feel like you’re getting two screens slapped together. On the GV70 it really feels much more like a single wide screen with no gaps, a much cleaner and more upscale presentation.

The gauge display is a handsome rendition of traditional analog and speedo, and we loved how it automatically changed from white face to black as the sun goes down.

On the info-tainment side, handshaking between iPhone and GV was quick and effortless, and we loved how our Apple CarPlay and WAZE screen looked on the display. While the display is a touch screen and easily intuitive, those with shorter arms – or who don’t like fingerprints – can use a rotary dial on the center console. The Genesis interface is simple with scrollable tablets that remind us of BMW’s excellent iDrive system.

Keeping the climate control system out of the info-tainment is a separate capacitive touch screen below, and we found that it worked easily and intuitively, and like the Lexus RX we recently tested, we liked that Genesis gives you regular knobs for temperature.

Speaking of knobs, we were impressed how Genesis sweats the details, every control, knob, switch has a great feel to it, with nice textures – there’s even a crystal style knob for the gear selector that’s blingy but cool. Directly behind that is a handy wireless charge pad for your smartphone that takes up little space, but easy to reach. Very cool.

We found the heated and cooled seats comfy and supportive, and the driver’s seat can even be equipped with a massage function.

The rear seats are comfortable for two adults, and you probably could squeeze one in for a short trip, but a large transmission hump leaves little room in the center for those with legs.

Loading up the cargo area is easy – and we liked how the button to open the tailgate is built in rear wiper – higher up and simple to use – or you can just stand by the rear gate, and when it senses your key fob, it will open the automatically.

With the rear seats up, we found the cargo area competitive for the class, and the rear seats also fold easily to create an impressively large hold. Like that Lexus RX we had, we’re not sure this buyer will be loading up a dirty mountain bike, but it’s nice to have the flexibility to bring along larger items.

Sport, meet Prestige

Driving the GV70 checks off another important box.

You have two choices in powerplants with the GV70, a 300-horsepower, 2.5-liter, turbo 4-cylinder and on our tester, a twin-turbo, 3.5-liter, V6 putting out an impressive 375 horsepower, and a plentiful 391 lb.-ft of torque at just 1,300 rpm.

Teamed up with a standard 8-speed automatic and all-wheel-drive, our GV70 jumped off the line, with a lovely snarly as it runs through the rpm range. 0-60 mph in right around 5 seconds is plenty quick, and the combined 21 EPA mpg is quite reasonable for that much power and performance.

More than just a straight-line powerhouse, the GV70 is a strong handler, too. Sport Mode buttons things down and the steering has a nice heft, and great precision. The GV70 sits a bit lower than other SUVs, and that hunkering down lets it tackle twisty roads and entry ramps and will put a smile on your face doing so.

Not willing to rest on their laurels, the GV70 gets some chassis improvements for 2026, with the introduction of Highway Body Motion Control which controls front and rear dampening forces when accelerating or decelerating, while the existing Road Preview feature uses forward-facing cameras to read the road surface and control the vehicle’s Electronically Controlled suspension to optimize comfort and minimize impact. Pretty cool.

We found the ride to be a nice blend of sport and luxury. Firm enough to keep you informed of what’s going on, but quiet and supple enough that long treks on the freeway are easy-peasy.

Parent company Hyundai/Kia loves to ladle on the safety gear, so Genesis is no slouch either, with standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Lane Keeping and Following Assist, Blind Spot Collision Avoidance-Assist and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Avoidance Assist, Parking Collision Avoidance Assist.

Those in back will appreciate cool stuff like Advanced Rear Occupant Assist and Alert and Safe Exit Assist. You feel well protected.

Pricing reflects the premium luxury position. The GV70 line up starts with the 2.5T AWD at $48,985. With 300 hp, that all-new dash and a beautiful interior, it’s impressive value for a luxury SUV.

Our tester was the full-enchilada, 3.5 T Sport Prestige AWD, and started at $70,095. Options were limited to the Ceres Blue paint ($650) and an NFC Key Card ($30). Add in $1,450 for Destination, and we rang the bell at $72,225.

Competitors we’d look at would include the BMW X3 M50 xDrive at $72,825. The BMW leans more heavily towards sport but overall, an excellent vehicle – we will note that not everyone is entranced with the new X3’s styling. The hot ticket for the enthusiast would be the Porsche Macan S at $73,170. With that Porsche pedigree, the performance is outstanding, but honestly it doesn’t hold a candle to the GV70’s Bentley-ish interior. It all depends on your priorities.

Handsome, with a super-lux interior, enhanced tech, a great drive and the kind of upscale treatment you expect in a premium brand, the 2026 Genesis GV70 is an exceptional blend of luxury and performance!