Compact SUVs are a great entry into the luxury car market. They tend to be affordable by luxury car standards and offer usable passenger and cargo space for a small family. But they add all the technology and comfort of a luxury car and are often more agile than well-equipped offerings from more mainstream manufacturers.
If you’re shopping for a compact luxury SUV this year, you won’t find a better buy than the 2023 Genesis GV70.
We Test Them All
There are a lot of new car awards. But our annual Best Buy Awards are different.
Most publications give a trophy to the new car that impresses them the most. They tend to evaluate cars as pieces of engineering rather than as purchases real people make. They give awards to cars with impressive performance numbers.
We award cars that are good decisions for the buyer.
Our editors spend each year driving more than 300 new cars. They look for cars that feel great to drive, are comfortable, offer intuitive entertainment and information systems, and have an extensive suite of modern safety technologies. They study reliability data and run the numbers on buying and owning each car, factoring in depreciation, resale value, insurance, maintenance, financing, fuel, fees, and taxes.
Finally, they bring the best contenders in for head-to-head tests.
Among compact luxury crossovers, the GV70 stood out. It takes home the Compact Luxury SUV Best Buy Award a second time.
Supple Seats, Strong Value
Genesis has long made its pitch on value, offering long lists of features that rival the best from Lexus and BMW for lower price tags. That’s still true for the GV70, with its $42,900 starting price.
But it’s also more fun to drive than you might expect at that price. Engine choices include a 2.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder powerplant making 300 horsepower or a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 making 375. An available electronically controlled adaptive suspension keeps it level in hard corners. Genesis even added a launch control — something rare in this class.
Luxury touches like a massaging driver’s seat and a 3D digital gauge cluster feel a class up from entry-level luxury.
And it all comes presented in the financial bubble wrap of a 10-year powertrain warranty. This is the rare luxury vehicle where most buyers will pay off the loan before the warranty expires.
It’s not easy to win a category filled with excellent vehicles like the Audi Q5 and Mercedes-Benz GLC. But the GV70’s combination of opulence and value is unbeatable this year.
