Paying attention to the things that matter. . . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

While this is probably not the first thing that anyone who is going to be in the market for a compact luxury SUV like the 2026 Genesis GV70 3.5T AWD Sport Prestige will think about, it strikes me as being a salient point about what the designers and engineers behind this model did and didn’t do.

The vehicle features a 27-inch OLED screen. It stretches across the front of the driver and so has the cluster information necessary for vehicle control. But it also stretches into the area of the center of the instrument panel and so contains navigation, apps and audio control capabilities (AM/FM/HD Radio/Sirus XM (as long as you’re not in Alaska or Hawaii); as there is a Bang & Olufsen audio system you’re probably going to be listening to music, not news because the sound is really good).

The point is: this is as technical a setup as most any going out there.

Now this is a car that offers fingerprint recognition for operation.

It has the Genesis Digital Key 2 system, which means that you can use your phone or smartwatch to unlock/lock and start the GV70.

But rather than messing around with things that really don’t need fixing, it offers wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

If they thought they could do better they probably would have tried to replace them.

Instead they concentrated on making the drive experience a spirited and pleasant one.

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As the name of the vehicle indicates, it has a 3.5-liter, 24-valve, DOHC, twin-turbo V6.

The engine produces 375 hp @ 5,800 rpm and 391 lb-ft of torque at 1,300 to 4,500 rpm.

It runs on premium fuel.

It is mated to an eight-speed automatic.

The transmission has paddle shifters.

This GV70 has all-wheel drive. That’s just as germane to the hard acceleration that may happen on occasion as it is to the slippery conditions that may be encountered.

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And then there’s the ride.

There are multilink suspensions front (MacPherson) and rear.

But there are a couple of other things that make a difference.

While you probably think not at all about the bushings in a suspension system—which are typically made with rubber or polyurethane and work to do such things as isolate vibrations and reduce noise—Genesis chassis engineers think a lot about them.

So for the GV70 they use “hydro bushings.” While the rubber and polyurethane types depend on elasticity of the materials to do their jobs, the Genesis hydro bushings use fluid that flows through an orifice, instead.

The difference? Genesis claims rear-seat passengers experience about 40% fewer vibrations.

Then there’s something more sophisticated.

There is a “preview” function of the electronically controlled suspension. It uses information from both the front camera and the navigation map.

Consequentially, if there’s rough road ahead, the system is ready. Adjustments are made as required. So the ride is smooth.

That’s clever.

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Inside the seats are Nappa leather.

The front seats offer a four-way power lumbar.

There is an extension bolster that provides additional leg support.

The driver seat has an “Ergo Motion” function (a.k.a., massage).

The front seats are heated and cooled.

The rear seats are heated.

The steering wheel is leather-wrapped. And heated.

The instrument panel has “leatherette” (a.k.a., synthetic leather) wrapping.

The headliner is “microsuede” (a.k.a., synthetic suede that looks every bit like the real thing and is actually better from the standpoint of keeping it clean).

There is an abundance of carbon fiber trim. It is the real thing, not the result of wrapping or hydrodipping, as some OEMs do (a.k.a., synthetic carbon fiber that looks good only at a glance).

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While the vehicle is technologically advanced, the execution is such that it doesn’t call attention to itself.

The model driven here is the top-of-the-line. It has a starting MSRP of $70,095 and it is so well equipped that adding things isn’t particularly likely.