2027 Genesis GV60 Magma Review

The Genesis GV60 Magma is the car we have been waiting to drive because it takes a formula we already know works — the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N’s electric performance madness — and wraps it in a much more luxurious Genesis body.

That sounds simple. It is not. Genesis has not just put nicer leather over the same hardware and called it a day. The Magma gets its own suspension calibration, steering tune, body, cabin treatment and performance software, and the result feels meaningfully different.

It is also $130,000 before on-road costs, which immediately makes this a harder conversation. That is only $15,000 more than an Ioniq 5 N at list price, but the real-world buying equation is messier than that.

So the question is not whether the GV60 Magma is fast. It is violently fast. The question is whether Genesis has built a proper luxury performance EV, or just a very expensive novelty with orange stitching and fake gear shifts.

The GV60 Magma is not cheap, but it is not silly against the most obvious luxury EV benchmarks either. The problem is that Genesis uses fixed pricing in Australia, while the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N it is so closely related to has a lower $115,000 list price and can look much cheaper once market realities enter the chat.

Matte paint costs an extra $4000. It suits the car beautifully, but at this money we would still be grumbling while ticking the box.

2027 Genesis GV60 Pricing

• Against Porsche, the Genesis is more powerful and quicker than a base Macan Electric, which starts at $129,800 before on-roads. A Macan 4 is $137,600, while the Macan 4S jumps to $149,300, so the Magma sits in a dangerous but interesting part of the premium EV market.
• Genesis GV60 Magma AWD $130,000 plus on-road costs

The regular GV60 has always been the oddball Genesis. It is rounded, chunky and a bit awkward from some angles, but the Magma treatment does a lot of heavy lifting.

The front end gets Genesis’ latest split headlight design, a more aggressive bumper, canard-style aero pieces and the new three-hole Magma intake signature. There is still a lot of visual mass here, but now it looks deliberate rather than confused.

The stance helps. The Magma rides lower, measures 4635mm long and 1940mm wide, and sits on 21-inch forged alloy wheels wrapped in 275mm Pirelli P Zero tyres. Those wheels are very open and not exactly efficiency-first, but they look properly serious over the huge brakes.

Down the side, the coupe-like roofline and flush handles are familiar GV60, but the Magma has more attitude. It is also 100mm shorter in wheelbase than an Ioniq 5 N, and that has an effect on both the visual proportions and the way it moves on the road.

The rear is the best bit. The winglet-style spoiler breaks up the bulbous tail beautifully, the black badging works, and the full-width high-mount brake light adds drama. We still do not love the low-mounted rear indicators, because they can be hard for following traffic to see, but as a design statement this is easily the coolest GV60 yet.

This is where the Genesis starts justifying itself. The GV60 Magma’s cabin feels dramatically more expensive than an Ioniq 5 N’s, and not in a token soft-touch-plastic way. It is quieter, richer, better trimmed and much more special to sit in.

The Magma-exclusive steering wheel feels excellent, even if the rim is a little thick. There are proper drive-mode controls, configurable buttons and dedicated Magma functions, so you are not constantly digging through menus just to make the car behave like the version you paid for.

The 27-inch OLED integrated display is the centrepiece. It is sharp, quick and deeply configurable, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto finally part of the package. The driver display can show Magma-specific layouts, navigation, boost information and performance data without feeling like a cheap arcade overlay.

Genesis has also kept enough physical control to stop the tech from becoming annoying. The separate climate panel is a win, the rotary controller means you do not need to jab the screen for everything, and the crystal-style sphere gear selector still feels like a gimmick we should hate but do not.

The seats are excellent. They are Magma-specific buckets with power adjustment, heating, ventilation and extendable cushion support, and they manage to hold you properly without becoming punishing. We would like lumbar adjustment and massage at this money, and the lack of a sunroof makes the black cabin feel very dark, but the overall ambience is seriously premium.

The 17-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system is a highlight, helped by acoustic laminated glass, active road-noise cancelling and extra sealing. When you turn the fake performance theatre off, this is a genuinely quiet luxury EV.

The back seat continues the premium material story, but it is not as convincing as the front. The dark trim, heavy privacy glass and lack of a sunroof make it feel gloomy, even though the actual space is better than the ambience suggests.

At 5’11”, we had plenty of leg room behind our own driving position. Head room is also good, helped by that solid roof, but toe room under the front seats is tighter and the seat base does not quite deliver the lounge-like support you might expect from the luxury badge.

The outboard rear seats are heated, there are manual rear sunshades, B-pillar air vents and USB-C charging. The fold-down centre armrest is soft and has cupholders, and the suede-like Chamude trim feels genuinely lovely.

Visibility is the weak point. The front bucket seats are big, the glasshouse is dark, and the rear bench can feel a bit closed in. It is comfortable enough for adults, but it does not have the open, airy family-car feel some buyers might expect from an SUV-shaped EV.

The GV60 Magma is practical enough, but it is not the packaging champion of the E-GMP performance family. Its shorter, coupe-shaped body costs it usable luggage space compared with the Ioniq 5 N.

Boot capacity is about 400 litres, which is workable for a couple of larger suitcases but not generous for a small-to-medium SUV at this price. Fold the rear seats and you get about 1400 litres, which is useful, though there are no release pulls in the boot, so you need to walk around and drop the seats manually.

Underfloor storage is limited, which is no surprise given the battery and large rear motor sitting beneath the car. There is also no front boot on the Magma, unlike the rear-drive GV60.

Vehicle-to-load capability is fitted and rated at 3.3kW, with exterior and interior support. We just wish there were a regular household-style socket in the boot, because powering camping gear, tools or an electric barbecue from the load area makes more sense than reaching into the rear-seat zone.

The GV60 Magma runs an 84kWh lithium-ion battery and an 800-volt-capable electrical architecture. The official WLTP range is 425km, and claimed combined efficiency is 21.5kWh/100km.

On our drive, with cold conditions and plenty of spirited use, we saw 26.2kWh/100km. That is not shocking for a high-performance EV being driven properly, but it is not efficient either. If you actually enjoy the Magma the way it wants to be enjoyed, something closer to 350km of real-world range feels more realistic.

AC charging is handled by a 10.5kW onboard charger, with a 10-100 per cent charge taking about seven hours and 20 minutes on an 11kW wallbox. DC charging is strong, with a 10-80 per cent charge possible in about 18 minutes on a suitable ultra-fast charger.

Genesis talks about compatibility with 350kW chargers, but the real peak is around the mid-200kW mark. That is still fast. It just would be cleaner if the industry stopped using charger compatibility as a substitute for actual peak charge rate.

Compared with the Porsche Macan Electric GTS, which uses a 100kWh battery and can charge at up to 270kW, the Genesis gives away battery size but counters with a quicker 10-80 per cent claim. The catch is range: Porsche quotes very high NEDC-based figures for the Macan 4S and Turbo, while the Genesis’ 425km WLTP number is more modest from the outset.

The GV60 Magma uses dual permanent-magnet synchronous motors and all-wheel drive. Standard outputs are 448kW and 740Nm, but hit Boost Mode and that jumps to 478kW and 790Nm for around 15 seconds.

That is a serious number in any car, let alone one this quiet and polished. Genesis claims 0-100km/h in 3.4 seconds with launch control, and on our timing gear we recorded 3.46 seconds. It feels every bit that quick.

The front motor produces up to 175kW in boost, while the rear motor can deliver up to 303kW. You also get an electronically controlled mechanical rear limited-slip differential, launch control, Drift Mode, High-Performance Battery Control and dedicated Sprint, GT and MY modes.

The Virtual Gear Shift system is still the party trick. Like in the Ioniq 5 N, it manipulates motor output, torque delivery and regenerative braking to mimic gearshifts, while pumping in synthetic engine sound. It should be ridiculous. It is ridiculous. It also makes the car much more engaging than a silent, single-speed EV missile.

Without the virtual shifting, the GV60 Magma is brutally fast but slightly detached. With it switched on, you get timing, rhythm and something to play with. That matters more than the spec-sheet crowd wants to admit.

The biggest surprise is that the GV60 Magma does not drive like an Ioniq 5 N with a nicer interior. It is related, obviously, but the character is different. This is smoother, quieter and less frantic.

Genesis has changed the suspension tune, bushings and steering calibration, and the result is a car that feels more grand tourer than track rat. The Ioniq 5 N is more connected and more aggressive; the GV60 Magma is more composed and more adult.

In Comfort mode, with the sound and virtual shifting switched off, it becomes a properly sedate luxury EV. The steering is still a touch heavy, and the ride can feel firm-edged at low speed on those 21s, but it settles nicely once speeds rise.

The adaptive suspension does a good job of taking the sting out without making the car floaty. Hydro G-bushings up front, dual-layer rear crossmember bushings and active noise suppression all help make the Magma feel expensive in a way the Hyundai never quite does.

Switch into GT or Sprint, though, and the calm disappears quickly. The car lunges hard, the virtual shifts add involvement, and the rear-biased power delivery gives it enough adjustability to feel alive. It is not as raw as the Hyundai, but that is the point.

For a performance EV, the GV60 Magma has serious hardware. It gets 400mm front and 360mm rear discs, monoblock front calipers, high-performance ABS tuning and selectable brake feel. Genesis claims it can stop from 100km/h in 33.8 metres.

The tyres are proper Pirelli P Zeros, not economy rubber pretending to be sporty, and the e-LSD gives the rear axle a real role in the way the car rotates. Drift Mode is there as well, though we would call that more of a controlled environment feature than something for a public road.

The shorter wheelbase compared with the Ioniq 5 N gives the Magma a different feel on turn-in. It is agile and properly fast point to point, but the extra refinement filters out some of the feedback that makes the Hyundai so addictive.

That is not a failure. It is a different brief. Most owners are not going to track their $130K luxury EV every weekend, and for those buyers the Genesis is probably the smarter daily performance car.

Still, if your priority is maximum silliness and circuit-day edge, the Ioniq 5 N remains the sharper tool. The GV60 Magma is the one you would rather drive home in after the road gets boring.

Ownership is one of Genesis’ stronger arguments, particularly against the European premium establishment. The GV60 Magma is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty for private buyers.

Scheduled servicing is complimentary for the first five years or 75,000km, with intervals set at 12 months or 15,000km. That removes a lot of the usual luxury-car servicing anxiety from the early ownership period.

Roadside assistance is included for five years and can extend to 10 years if you keep servicing with Genesis. Genesis also includes its Genesis To You service for private owners for five years, which covers concierge support and courtesy vehicle arrangements.

That all helps soften the $130,000 purchase price. It does not erase the depreciation risk that can come with expensive performance EVs, but as an ownership package it is far more reassuring than many rivals.

GV60 Magma AWD

• 84kWh battery
• Dual-motor all-wheel drive
• 448kW and 740Nm outputs
• 478kW and 790Nm with Boost Mode
• Electronic rear limited-slip differential
• Stroke Sensing Electronic Control Suspension
• 400mm front and 360mm rear brakes
• 21-inch forged alloy wheels
• Pirelli P Zero tyres
• Launch Control
• Drift Mode
• Virtual Gear Shift
• High-Performance Battery Control
• Sprint, GT, MY, Range, Comfort and Sport drive modes
• Magma-exclusive exterior styling
• Tailgate-mounted winglet-style spoiler
• Micro Lens Array LED headlights
• Flush power door handles
• Power tailgate with hands-free opening
• 27-inch OLED integrated infotainment and instrument display
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Satellite navigation with augmented reality and live traffic
• Head-up display
• 17-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio
• Genesis Connected Services
• Over-the-air update capability
• Digital Key 2.0
• Fingerprint authentication
• Magma-exclusive bucket front seats
• Power-adjustable front seats
• Heated and ventilated front seats
• Heated rear outboard seats
• Heated steering wheel
• Suede and leather-appointed interior trim
• Suede headlining and pillar trim
• Dual-zone climate control
• Heat pump
• Acoustic laminated glass
• Active road-noise cancelling
• Digital centre mirror
• Surround-view camera with 3D view
• Remote Smart Parking Assist
• Exterior and interior V2L capability
• 10 airbags
• Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist 2
• Blind-Spot Collision Avoidance-Assist
• Blind-Spot View Monitor
• Lane Keeping Assist and Lane Following Assist
• Navigation-based Smart Cruise Control
• Highway Driving Assist 2
• Rear cross-traffic collision avoidance
• Safe exit assist
• Parking collision-avoidance assist in reverse
• Five-year, unlimited-kilometre private-use warranty
• Five years or 75,000km complimentary scheduled servicing

The GV60 Magma’s safety story is about equipment depth. It comes standard with 10 airbags, including a front centre side airbag and rear side airbags, which is the sort of passive safety coverage we like to see in a premium family-capable EV.

Active safety kit includes Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist 2, blind-spot collision avoidance for rear and side threats, Blind-Spot View Monitor, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance, safe exit assist, driver attention warning and intelligent speed limit assist.

You also get lane keeping assist, lane following assist, navigation-based smart cruise control, Highway Driving Assist 2 with lane-change assistance, surround-view camera with 3D view, parking collision-avoidance assist in reverse, and front, side and rear parking sensors.

On the road, the assistance suite is broadly competent. Highway Driving Assist 2 centres the car well and can help with lane changes, though it is still an assistance system rather than a hands-off solution. We also found the in-cabin driver monitor could be a little overzealous.

The key win is that Genesis has not made you climb through a long options list for the good gear. On the Magma, the safety and assistance package is simply part of the car.

The Genesis GV60 Magma is a better luxury car than the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, and nobody should be surprised by that. The cabin is on another level, the refinement is vastly better, the technology feels richer and the whole thing is easier to live with every day.

It is also less wild. The Ioniq 5 N still feels more like the one built by people who wanted to spend weekends annoying tyres, while the Genesis feels like the one built for people who want to be comfortable on Monday morning.

At $130,000 before on-road costs, that distinction matters. If you are comparing list prices only, the Genesis makes a compelling case over the $115,000 Ioniq 5 N because the extra money buys a proper premium experience. If you are shopping the real market and looking at discounted or near-new Ioniq 5 Ns, the maths gets much harder.

Against Porsche, the GV60 Magma is quicker and better equipped than you might expect at this price, but badge pull is real. A base Macan Electric starts just under the Genesis, and plenty of buyers will value that crest even if the Genesis has the more explosive drivetrain.

Would we recommend it? Yes, but not blindly. If you want the sharpest electric performance toy, buy the Hyundai. If you want an absurdly quick, beautifully finished luxury EV that can still make you laugh on a back road, the Genesis GV60 Magma is genuinely special — just be ready to pay full freight for it.