With news that a refresh is coming for 2026, I wanted to revisit the 2025 Genesis GV70 3.5T Sport Plus one last time. I really liked it when I first drove it in 2021, using words like “flawless, effortless,” and “generally nice” to describe it. Plus, Imran said really nice things about it in his review, so can you blame me for being more than a little curious about how it’s held up after four years on the market?
The GV70 leans towards the sporty end of the segment, taking aim primarily at the BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC, and to a lesser extent the four-cylinder Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Porsche Macan. Everyone tries to blend sportiness and luxury, but the GV70 is among the few that gets it right by focusing on strong powertrains, good design, and an emphasis on style, not fashion. There’s a difference, sweetie. Look it up.
What’s under the hood?
Since launch, the GV70 could be had with two gas powertrains. Entry-level GV70s come with a turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine, putting out 300 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. Those are stout numbers for a turbo-four; while I haven’t personally driven a four-cylinder GV70, I really liked that engine in the G80, coming across as surprisingly smooth, refined, and punchy down low. Impressive stuff for “just” a base engine. For those thinking they might want more power, Genesis also offers a 3.5L twin-turbo V6, good for 375 hp and 391 lb-ft of torque. It’s well-matched to the GV70, building power forcefully and with a delicious exhaust note all throughout the rev range. It’s a tasty engine, building power forcefully and with a delicious exhaust note all throughout the rev range. And for those keen on plugging in and using carpool lanes solo, Genesis also does an electric GV70.
All gas-powered GV70s come with an eight-speed automatic transmission, regardless of the engine. It’s not as damn-near-telepathic as the ZF eight-speed autos out there, but it does the job well, delivering snappy shifts when you want them and fading into the background when you don’t. All-wheel-drive is standard across the lineup, too, with V6 models gaining an electronic limited-slip differential out back. Its driving manners have aged well; the GV70 still makes absolutely everything effortless, ride quality still feels sublime, and the cabin is still well-hushed from the outside world. Taking it all in again, it all felt like such a stark contrast to one particular competitor: the newer, more expensive 2025 Mercedes-AMG GLC 43. Then it dawned on me. Have I been looking at Genesis all wrong?
How does the ‘old’ GV70 compare to newer competition?
I’ll admit, I may have pigeonholed myself. Most establishment-fighting upstarts typically go for BMW’s lunch by default, so that’s perhaps the lens I’d been viewing the GV70 from. It makes great use of all the right ingredients, but it doesn’t quite have that magical sharpness you’d find even in mundane Bimmers. Then it dawned on me: what if Mercedes-Benz focused on evolving its old-world design philosophy for the modern era, instead of getting distracted by screens and shiny black trim? I imagine that would be Genesis; behind the wheel of the G80 Sport, I got the sense it’s kind of, sort of, maybe in a way a modern-day W140. It turns heads without being too in-your-face, every surface and stitch inside looks and feels terrific, and the tech is actually well-integrated and serves to enhance the interior environment, rather than being the centrepiece.
The GV70 is the same idea: it’s a better-executed GLC 43. Right off the bat, one of Mercedes’ more polarizing moves was swapping the gem of a twin-turbo V6 for a mild-hybrid turbo-four. I found the new GLC 43’s raucous, almost hot hatch-ish personality endearing, but I’m probably in the minority; clever as the new four-banger is, I recognize Benz gave up a boatload of refinement in the process. On the flip side, the GV70 still gives you the good stuff, having two extra cylinders and all, rides way better, and the eight-speed auto is far better behaved than Mercedes’ nine-speed. Being an AMG product, the GLC 43 lets you tweak a number of aspects to its powertrain and displays very detailed telemetry, but all that almost feels like a distraction from what it lost.
Interior style and comfort
And what is lost is found in the GV70. There’s a sense of solidity and cohesiveness in an old Benz that you don’t really get in their new stuff, but you get it in the GV70. The leather is buttery smooth, the stitching is tight tight tight, and the interior space simply looks good without sacrificing basic ergonomics. It doesn’t buy into fashionable trends like big screens and needlessly fussy haptic-feedback controls to stand out.
Instead using colour, contrast, and flowing lines to create a cohesive space that’ll still look and feel good years down the road. You wouldn’t think our tester’s blue-on-blue colourway would pair well with the red seatbelts and piping, but the Superman combo works, and the carbon fibre-esque accents are an interesting take on an otherwise played-out theme. The ambient lighting and tech—a 14.5-inch widescreen display for infotainment, plus a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster with a nifty 3D view—are tastefully integrated, and Genesis still mercifully cares about good ergonomics and physical switchgear. Well, mostly good—Genesis’ infotainment knob and dial shifter arrangement still tripped me up.
Final thoughts
Four years is a long time in the automotive space—doubly so if you’re competing in a segment as cutthroat as compact luxury crossovers. Much of the playing field is notably fresher, but the 2025 Genesis GV70 3.5T Sport Plus stands the test of time by emphasizing the right stuff. It still turns heads, still feels punchy and refined, and emphasizes style instead of what’s in-vogue. When Yves St. Laurent once said, “fashion fades, style is eternal,” he wasn’t kidding.
