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northNow that the battery electric vehicle (BEV) is an established feature of the passenger car and light commercial vehicle landscape, the question arises for car designers around the world: what do we do with the grille?
That is obviously not the most important dilemma facing the big car companies, which are faced with hesitant governments, uncertainty about future regulation and, still, some consumer resistance.
But for creatives who have to focus on making something look good, the grille is a problem. And that's where we come across the Genesis Electrified GV70.
Best described as a stylish Hyundai, with Genesis being its premium in-house brand, the rarely seen GV70 is a fairly new entrant into the luxury compact SUV sector and arrived first with a choice of smooth, powerful petrol engines, as you'd expect (though there are no hybrid offerings).
Pretty distinctively styled, with a pronounced crease along the flanks and an almost coupe-like line to the shortened rear window, it was given the usual Genesis front-end treatment, with a winged logo as a badge and a grille that made it look a bit like a baby Bentley Bentayga.
For the Genesis GV70 Electric (with a capital E), they've replaced the conventional element with something that looks inspired by a quilted vest and has no real holes in it. In fact, the overall style is very reminiscent of the luxurious quilted leather seats inside the car (also heated, ventilated and electric, of course).
Presumably the solid grille is marginally better for aerodynamics (I'm not sure about that) and marks the car as the “green” choice, but the telltale vertical green stripe on the license plate may also achieve that differentiation.
The opportunity is there, however, for the truly avant-garde designer to do something far more radical and take us into a world where, legally mandated lighting aside, an electric car can look far more stylish or exciting – or both – than an internal combustion engine equivalent.
After all, we've come a long way since the grille was an integral part of the radiator and engine cooling system.
THE SPECIFICATION
Genesis Electrified GV70
Price:£77,820 (as tested, range will start at £64,300)
Propulsion:Double electric motor, powered by a 74 kWh battery
Power (HP):383
Maximum speed (mph):146
0-60 (seconds):4.2
Economy (Wh/mile): 235-477
Range (miles): around the year 215
CO2 emissions: 0
The GV70’s interior is both impressive and disappointing. It impresses in that it is extremely comfortable, packed with quality materials, beautifully finished and very practical – it features (pending any review) two modestly sized touchscreens, plus a conventional display for the dials and the head-up display, which includes a host of appropriate buttons and dials.
The immediate surroundings can also be controlled via a rotary dial on the centre console, small buttons on the steering wheel and voice commands – who needs a giant Tesla-style touchscreen when you want to listen to Shostakovich on Radio 3?
Despite its slightly delicate demeanor, the GV70, when set to Sport mode, shifts like a supercar and gives every indication of being capable of light off-road duty: Two extricable motors providing all-wheel drive and settings for snow, sand and mud are waiting for you.
I did notice that the doors are deep to make navigating through the water easier, though the car's relatively low stance means you almost hit the bottom of the door against even a normal curb (and probably would if fully loaded). It does need some fine-tuning.
The only disappointment is the lack of a sense of occasion. Its little brother, the GV60, has a much better sense of style, for example a much more striking glass dial for the gears.
An owner of a Mercedes-Benz EQC, for example, or a BYD Seal (albeit a sedan) would find the GV70 a bit of a disappointment, and someone seeing this genuinely sporty machine next to a Ford Mustang Mach-e would conclude that it must be a lot more pedestrian, which would be unfair.
The electrified GV70's most powerful rival is actually the non-electrified GV70, which is significantly cheaper and offers most of what the greener variant does, though it lacks the impressive acceleration and near-silent operation.
But there's no doubt the electric GV70 can hold its own: It has a big enough battery, decent range, and as far as I can tell, it's the only battery-electric vehicle on the market brave enough to come to market with a faux padded grille.
