Genesis GV60 Magma 2026

Genesis has been edging the public with its GV60 Magma concept for over two years now, so it’s both a relief and a joy to discover that the production version of this high-performance EV is both on sale and on target.

The aim was to deliver a more mature, more refined expression of the game-changing Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and Ioniq 6 N EVs – Satan in a suit, if you like – so the Genesis GV60 Magma enters the fray with an expectation of being a kick-arse driver’s car, if providing greater emphasis on everyday luxury and comfort without watering down inherited N dynamic greatness.

Digest the GV60 Magma’s on-paper data quite carefully and things begin to make sense.

Straight off the bat, it’s a $130,000 proposition (before on-road costs) in an environment where the award-winning Ioniq 5 N and 6 N are both just under $115K – each offering virtually the same electric powertrain (with 478kW in Boost mode), same 84kWh battery and very similar 0-100km/h acceleration claims (3.2sec for 6 N, 3.4sec for Magma and 5 N).

Yet the Magma packs a higher level of equipment – in particular, superb heated/cooled fully electric front buckets with ‘Chamude’ suede-like upholstery and tartan-pattern orange stitching and seatbelts (or no-cost silvery Ash White stitching and belts if you must), as well as a stunning 17-speaker Bang & Olufsen stereo.

And it offers the premium Genesis experience when it comes to servicing given that, a) it’s included for five years, and b) someone drops a service loaner to you, whisks your Magma away, and then returns it when it’s done!

None of these hot EVs are maestros when it comes to electric range, however the sleeker Ioniq 6 N wins out (with 487km WLTP) due to its 0.274 drag coefficient and trimmer 2201kg kerb weight whereas the blockier 5 N (0.313Cd) achieves 448km, and the chunky Genesis (with a 0.31Cd and carrying 40-70kg of extra mass over the Ns) clocks a modest 425km.

At least all three 800-volt EVs are good for a rapid 10-80 percent DC charging time of a brisk 18 minutes.

Hardware-wise, the Magma rides on a 100mm-shorter wheelbase than Ioniq 5 N and 50mm shorter than Ioniq 6 N, though it’s near-impossible to tell the difference.

Essential componentry is shared, however all the tuning was done by a completely different team – including bushes, steering and such – so when it’s all put together, the Genesis feels quite different in the way it drives.

Firstly, there’s the Magma’s ride, which for a high-performance EV wearing forged 21-inch alloys and 275/30R21 Pirelli P Zero tyres, is bloody excellent. In fact, it’s great for any EV, given that many of them ride with all the subtlety of a slap in the face.

It isn’t like that in all drive modes, given that there are so many (Range, Comfort and Sport, or GT, Sprint and My Mode via pushing the steering wheel’s orange ‘Magma’ dial), but in regular driving, Comfort mode is Taycan-esque in its ride quality, while GT is impressively firm (and poised) but cushioned on fast, flowing country roads.

Helping elevate this important aspect of the GV60 Magma’s driving experience is what Genesis calls ‘Stroke-sensing Electronic Control Suspension’ (ie. adaptive dampers) with ‘end of travel’ control systems and four-corner ride height sensors that monitor body-motion control under large-stroke conditions.

It very effectively prevents the Magma’s suspension from punching its bump stops.

There are also hydraulic G-bushings and dual-layer subframe-member bushings to improve ride and handling while reducing noise and vibration. In combination with active noise control, sound-insulating laminated glass, and thicker-density floor and door insulation, the GV60 Magma is remarkably quiet and refined for a fast car on such fat rubber.

At the other end of the spectrum from Comfort and GT modes is Sport, Sprint and My Mode. Accessed via a twist of the wheel’s orange Magma dial, Sport is your best option for fast on-road driving, delivering plenty of drive split to the rear end (which features an e-LSD), a superbly planted stance on the road and tight body control.

But you’ll need to go all the way to Sprint mode to get the full N-rivalling effect, because only then does its steering have the necessary heft around straight ahead to deliver some level of desired connection.

That said, even Sport steering can start to make your forearms ache on long stretches of challenging road, and Sprint suspension is decisively firm, and can be quite jiggly over Aussie bumps.

Choose My Mode, however, and you can have the e-LSD in Sport (or Sport+) combined with ESC Sport, as well as Sport or Sport+ steering, and Comfort damping, which, on bumpy Aussie roads, really provides a great combo.

But what the Magma ultimately lacks is enough on-centre steering connection – it’s a bit too aloof and fluffy there in hard driving, meaning you drive the car on its chassis, while Sport+ steering can be a bit too heavy on uneven surfaces.

Braking-wise, the Magma gets 400mm ventilated discs up front with monobloc calipers and 360mm ventilated discs at the rear, combined with both Comfort and Sport modes.

Genesis says Sport mode increases braking power by 15 percent at high speeds, but it’s our preferred mode at all times – delivering the strongest, most confidence-inspiring pedal feel.

And finally to the powertrain, which is a dual electric motor set-up with 175kW/370Nm at the front and 303kW/420Nm at the rear, for regular system outputs of 448kW/740Nm.

An additional 30kW and 50Nm in Boost mode, for 478kW/790Nm peaks, enhances power and torque for approximately 15 seconds.

Result? The GV60 Magma achieves its 3.4sec-to-100km/h performance via Launch Control trickery with a searing 0-200km/h time of 10.9sec, combined with a 264km/h top speed.

But as with Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 N and 6 N, it’s the Virtual Gear Shift (VGS) behaviour that seals the high-performance deal here. Supported by three-setting volume control and an external rear speaker, the ‘powertrain’ amplifies a lusty, race-car-like boosted V6 wail that is addictively great.

It even the jolts on upshifts, the 9000rpm redline and the nine-four ‘cut-out’ all infuse this EV with surprising character.

It’s to the point where you want to hear it all the time, even in regular driving. While the GV60 omits Hyundais’ handy N1 and N2 tabs on the steering wheel, you can access VGS via a (user-assignable) shortcut button on the wheel after each start-up.

The cushier Genesis also retains Drift Mode and High-Performance Battery Control, emphasising that this car is very much still about lairy track driving should you be willing, though using all this prodigious performance does take a considerable toll on the Magma’s energy efficiency.

Our fast road stage that included the brilliant Cotter Road to the west of Canberra saw a 33.8kWh/100km average, which translates to 237km of real-world range.

On a cruise-controlled drive along the undulating expressway from Canberra to Sydney, we saw a 23.0kWh/100km average for 348km of real-world range, and when fully juicing the Magma to 100 percent after this, it showed a maximum range of 375km.

Yet that’s somehow not the point here. What matters is that the Genesis GV60 Magma infuses almost all of what is so good about the Ioniq 5 N and 6 N into a genuinely refined, comfortable, quiet and luxurious high-performance EV that also happens to be keen on going completely feral when the conditions allow.

Sure, it’s on-centre steering feel could (and should) be better, and you can sense its 2270kg kerb weight at times, but it remains a wonderful achievement at defying physics.

And then there’s its four-seat comfort, its decently spacious boot and general ease of operation. In this regard, it seems the most liveable of the three hi-po Korean EVs, and in many ways, also the best.