2022 Genesis GV70: Nominee

Last year, the mid-size GV80 SUV represented South Korean luxury brand Genesis among nominees for our top award. This year, Genesis added the compact GV70 to its roster, and now the GV70 is very much a contender for our Best of the Year award for 2022.

For starters, the GV70 oozes style inside and out. Be prepared for jealous looks from drivers of various German compact luxury SUVs and enjoy the airplane-wing-inspired, Atomic Age interior covered in high-quality materials.

Some of those jealous looks may be fleeting thanks to the power available in the optional twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6. With 375 hp and 391 pounds-feet of torque, the GV70 with the V-6 rivals mid-level “sporty” SUVs like the Audi SQ5, BMW X3 M40i and Mercedes-AMG GLC43. (A 300-hp, turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder with 311 pounds-feet of torque is the GV70’s standard power plant.) The 3.5-liter makes the GV70 genuinely fun to drive, which may not be surprising when you learn it shares a platform with the previous Best Of-winning G70 sports sedan. The GV70 3.5T brings a smile to your face as it devours corners and straightaways. Perhaps even more impressive — and in spite of wheels that can be as large as 21 inches in diameter — the GV70 is civilized and composed in its softer driving modes.

We’ve said before that Genesis was nipping at the German marques’ heels, but the GV70 is taking full bites. A sporty SUV that can still be comfortable and luxurious, it certainly deserves a chance at our highest honor.