Hyundai Inster vs Genesis GV60

What's the difference?

The target market for the Inster isn't huge, and Hyundai knows it won't be a runaway best-seller for the brand. But those in the market for a bite-sized EV will find the Inster feels bigger, and drives better, than they might expect.

It’s still a tall order. There’s no getting around the fact this is a lot of money to part with for a weird looking electric car from a brand so new to the luxury space.

While I wasn’t convinced going in, the way this car unites some of the best attributes of its Ioniq 5 and EV6 relations, while bringing with it such a unique look and feel, has swayed me.

I understand this car a lot better now, and this is maybe the biggest catch; you need to spend some time with this car to decide if it’s for you, because I don’t think it will be for everyone. That said, if you like what you’ve seen or read here, give it a try, you might be surprised by what you find.

The words small but perfectly formed appear here, with Hyundai’s insistence on not having a traditional range-wide design identity allowing them the freedom to create something unique and pretty funky here — though I do see some shades of Suzuki Ignis in the side profile.

It does look fun though, right? With the selfie ring-light-style headlights, Tetris-style rear lights, those swollen guards and the funky alloys.

And you can dial up further with the Cross variant, which gets a tougher, more squared-off look front and back - even if you’re more chance of meeting a bunyip than an Inster on your favourite off-road track.

Inside, the cuteness continues, though some of the scratchy cabin materials definitely point to the entry-level nature of the Inster.

Still, the seat materials, both the cloth and the leather, are lovely and thoughtfully coloured, and the twin screen setup is nice, too. I love the inclusion of a host of physical buttons that control the climate, stereo and the nav.

All of these features are impressive, but you have to be on board with the way this car has been styled. It’s a tad confronting, with its curvy, bulbous look, and an unfamiliar version of the Genesis face.

It’s not as traditionally appealing as the rest of the brand’s range, and I think it’s a bit risky. Then again, this car has to do something dramatic to slot in alongside the outrageously styled Hyundai Ioniq 5, and sporty Kia EV6 with which it shares its underpinnings.

My take: I’m not sure I love it, but there are bits I like. The ‘deconstruction’ 21-inch alloys look incredible and fill this car’s wheel arches, the Genesis signature light fittings pair nicely with the chrome highlight stripe running down the roofline, and the integrated spoiler accentuates the rear hatch.

What gets the concept car cred is those digital wing mirrors. In my time with the car they attracted the most attention from onlookers, and cement the futuristic Genesis brand theme.

An interesting factor of this car’s design is how small it looks. From the outside it looks a fraction of the size of the Ioniq 5 or EV6, and inside it feels the most like a hatch, despite the dimensions being close between the three siblings.

It may have a tight, low-slung feel, but thanks to its platform, the interior remains expansive. The light theme in our test car helps it feel airy and spacious, although my advice is to go with the darker of the three interior colour themes as it will probably age better.

Either way, the flat floor, low dash, and plentiful window space makes for an open-feeling area.

The floating centre console piece is closest in design and execution to the one in the EV6, but with its own kind of showmanship. It’s finished in a metal casing, with the highlight being the crystal gear selector.

With the car on, it exudes an ambient light and is surrounded by silver, but with it off, it flips over to become a luminescent crystal ball. 

One part of me says this is completely ridiculous and over-the-top, but then so are many of the interior elements going into rival vehicles (like the Mercedes ‘hyperscreen’, for example, or BMW’s similar use of crystals for key control items, or the Lexus RZ’s holographic diamond pattern projected into its door frame) which are just as attention-grabbing for the sake of it.

There’s a lot to like, and I think importantly for buyers it’s a unique take.

Genesis has imprinted a lot of its identity in this car’s cabin, which only serves to set it apart from its rival luxury players. It won’t be for everyone, and maybe that’s okay.

The Inster stretches 3825mm long, 1610mm wide and 1575mm tall, but it rides on a 2580mm wheelbase – the later being bigger than the Hyundai Venue, and almost as big as the Kona.

It has allowed Hyundai to stretch the legroom options in the backseat, which actually gives you more space than the two bigger SUVs mentioned above, helped massively by the fact the Inster's rear pew is on rails, allowing you to slide it right back, and that it reclines a fair way, too.

I'm 175cm and I found I had more than enough leg and headroom, and with the backseat in full La-Z-Boy mode, I could sit back and relax, even on a longer journey.

It's a good thing it's four seats only, though. While the Inster feels longer than it is, it doesn't feel any wider, and even in the front seat you can feel like you're in economy class when you have a passenger on board, with both of you rubbing elbows on the central armrest.

Clever storage abounds though, with hidey-holes, handbag hooks and more dotted throughout the cabin. Opt for the roof box – and wear the efficiency penalty – and you can pop another 75kg worth of gear on the roof.

Also cool is the fact the backseats fold completely flat in the entry-level Inster, upping the storage possibilities. And in the top-spec Cross, the front seats fold down, too, allowing for fairly long items to be stowed. Though why you would need the driver's seat to fold flat is a bit of a mystery, unless you're looking to turn your Inster into an immovable storage container.

Apparently in Korea you can option a mattress that slides over all four seats, but I can't see that taking off here.

The official storage numbers are 280L and 1059L, and the small boot is helped along a little by underfloor storage where you can pop your charging stuff.

As already mentioned, the front seat is a spacious, open environment, with plenty of practicality offered for occupants.

The floating centre console offers two centre cupholders and a shallow armrest box, and while it doesn’t shift back and forth like the unit in the Ioniq 5, it does have a netted storage compartment underneath.

There are plenty of additional storage areas, including a small bay under the USB-C outlets on the floor, a set of two sunglass holders (one under the climate unit and a second in the roof), large pockets with integrated bottle holders in the doors and an interesting slide-out drawer in place of a glove box.

The back seat feels just as spacious, with plenty of width and a flat floor making it a reasonable proposition for seating three adults across. Headroom is its least appealing dimension, with the roof dipping slightly to allow for the sliding sunroof cover.

Amenities are also plentiful, with adjustable vents in the pillars, a bottle holder in the door card, or a cupholder in the armrest, a further two cupholders in the padded drop-down centre piece, hard shell map pockets on the backs of the front seats, USB-C outlets on the back of the centre console, and a huge netted storage area underneath.

Perhaps the most welcome addition, though, is the full-size household-style power outlet under the rear bench, which lets you use the rear space as a mobile office or a comfortable, air-conditioned place to read while charging.

The boot measures in at 432 litres. It’s on-par for the mid-size SUV segment, but like its Ioniq 5 and EV6 relations, the floor is quite high leading to a wide but height-limited area. To fit the three-piece CarsGuide luggage set, for example, I had to remove the roller cover.

Underneath, there’s a small area for the storage of charging paraphernalia and the tyre repair kit. A tiny frunk also exists, best for the storage of similar items.

For this review we’ve grabbed a top-spec GV60 AWD Performance, and the range has just received an update with some eyebrow-raising new features, which should pair with its dedicated 800-volt electric platform and wacky styling to set it apart from the luxury crowd.

How much are we looking at here? There are just two GV60 variants - a standard all-wheel drive, which costs from $107,100, before on-roads, or this car, the Performance version, which costs from $114,700.

Both grades get the same 77.4kWh battery pack, but only one gets a boosted set of electric motors.

Rivals of a similar size, price-point, and range include the BMW iX3 ($104,900), the just-launched Lexus RZ ($123,000) and the Mercedes-Benz EQC ($128,000).

This immediately makes the GV60 look like good value. Unlike its rivals listed there, it has an 800-volt architecture (allowing record fast charging times), and some unique additions.

Standard stuff at this price is as expected for a luxury vehicle and then some. The GV60 gets 21-inch alloy wheels, full LED headlights, tail-lights, and ambient interior lighting, quilted Nappa leather interior trim with suede roof lining, heated and ventilated front seats with heated rear seats and a heated steering wheel.

There are dual 12.3-inch screens for the digital dash and multimedia suite, plus wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, a head-up display, dual zone climate control, a fixed panoramic sunroof, flush door handles, and even fully digital rear vision mirrors.

Updates for the 2023 model year include a connected services suite, allowing phone app connectivity, emergency assistance, live traffic and weather, EV charging station search functions, voice commands, and a fingerprint scanner for unlocking and starting the car.

Elsewhere, this updated version also gets two additional airbags for enhanced safety, new brake caliper covers, a fine particulate filter for the climate control, and by far the strangest addition, a ‘virtual gear shift’ which makes the electric motors behave as though they have a traditional transmission.

The Hyundai Inster Standard Range kicks off power proceedings, with a single front-mounted electric motor producing 71kW and 147Nm.

Next is the Extended Range, which shares its outputs with the Inster Cross. Here, the front-mounted motor’s outputs have been ticked up slightly, now producing 84kW and 147Nm.

Those aren’t big numbers, but then neither does either Inster feel particularly slow or underpowered. 

The two GV60 grades share the same 77.4kWh battery pack. The standard all-wheel drive version offers a combined 234kW/605Nm, while the Performance AWD as tested puts out a massive 360kW/700Nm at its peak, using a temporary ‘Boost’ mode.

Suffice it to say this is more than enough power. It’s more powerful than (at a similar price) the BMW iX3, Lexus RZ and Merc EQC and you’ll need to spend significantly more to get into something which can best it from the traditional luxury space.

Perhaps also consider the Tesla Model Y Performance ($91,400) if going absurdly fast in a straight line is what you’re all about.

Standard Range cars get a 42kWh lithium-ion battery, producing a driving range of 327km. The Extended Range and the Cross get a bigger 49kWh battery, increasing the range to 360kms. Now, that roof box. It does look cool, but you’re going to really need to carry stuff to choose that option, given it increases energy consumption by 25 per cent, reducing the Cross’s range to just 293km.

When it comes to charging, the Inster is set up for 120kW DC fast charging, or 10.5kW AC charging - provided you have that much power available at home, as most wall boxes are more like 7.1kW.

Driving range for the Performance all-wheel drive is 466km, slightly less than the standard AWD version which can travel 470km between charges.

Again, it’s slightly better than you might expect from its most direct rivals, so an easy win there for Genesis. A 450km+ range is generally enough to be free from ‘range anxiety’ on almost all trips.

One of the reasons the GV60 is able to achieve a better range than its rivals with a similar battery capacity is efficiency. Like other Hyundai Group products, the GV60 is impressive.

Despite its huge power outputs, the official combined cycle energy consumption, according to the more accurate WLTP standard, is 19.1kWh/100km.

And in my time with the SUV, I managed an even better overall number of 18.9kWh/100km over several hundred kilometres of what I would consider ‘mixed’ driving conditions.

Charging is an even better story, with the 800-volt architecture underpinning this car allowing one of the fastest charging times on the market of just 18 minutes (10 - 80 per cent) on a compatible 350kW charger, provided you can find one.

On the far more common 50kW DC units you can expect a 73 minute 10 - 80 percent charge, while on the slower AC standard, the max rate is 11kW, indicating a charge time of around seven hours.

Honestly, the impact electrification has had on vehicles in this class is staggering.

It wasn't so long ago that these micro cars were fitted with underwhelming petrol engines, four- or five-speed gearboxes and all the noise-deadening technology of a tin of beans.

As a result, they were cute, but painful. It always felt like you had to wring their neck to get the most out of them, and when you did, they were loud, buzzy and annoying.

But the Inster is none of those things. While not ludicrously powerful, the electric propulsion offered, and the nature of the way it's produced, feels ample in the little Hyundai, with the acceleration smooth, silent and easy,

It's also just generally quiet. Hyundai says it has double-sealed the doors, used thicker glass and fitted full underbody coverings to reduce the NVH - or noise, vibration, harshness - levels, and all of that, combined with the peace and quiet of an electric motor, have created a mostly blissful cabin experience.

The ride and handling hasn't been through the full Hyundai Australia ride and handling calibration of old. Instead, it's undergone the brand's more modern approach, which is to take the best componentry from what's available overseas and then build the Aussie-spec cars from there.

Either way, it all works pretty well here. Only really big bumps clang into the cabin, with the Inster otherwise riding well over all of the road surfaces we encountered.

The point, I guess, is that it's a drive experience stuffed full of happy surprises. The ride, the acceleration and the refinement are all well up on what you might expect from a city car.

As someone who has spent significant time with both the Ioniq 5 and EV6, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Genesis take on this formula. I’m happy to say, though, I was pleasantly surprised.

Yes, the GV60 is stupendously fast in a straight line, faster than any car needs to be, but it’s the subtleties which have been built into its ride and handling that make it shine.

While the Ioniq 5 is playful and comfortable, but soft enough it’s sometimes boaty, and the EV6 is hard and determined, but at times a tad harsh and heavy, the GV60 does a remarkable job of uniting the best attributes from its siblings.

The ride is hard enough to grant excellent control and a nice feel for the road, whilst still being forgiving over harder bumps and frequent corrugations. I was particularly surprised to feel its soft edge given its giant 21-inch wheels and slinky performance tyres.

An amount of give in the corners and a traction control system which allows a little slip lets you throw the weight of this car around a bit, mimicking the playful feel of the Ioniq 5. Something which you can enhance if you want by toying with the many soundscapes the GV60 offers.

One of the more surprising things which struck me about driving this EV is how relatively compact it feels. It doesn’t feel as though it has the heft of the EV6 nor the expansive feel of the Ioniq 5. Credit to the brand for making a car with the same chassis and hardware having such a distinct feel.

There’s also the bizarre 'virtual gear shift' feature which has been added for this year’s GV60 update. It makes the electric motors behave as though they’re being channelled through a torque converter transmission.

In the ‘automatic’ mode, the car provides revvy feedback and the feel of shifts between gears, while in the manual mode, the speed will be limited and the gear feedback provided by regen when you lift off, until you shift up.

Bizarre. Can I imagine using this in the day-to-day? Not really, it’s a bit annoying after a while. A gimmick, perhaps, to show your friends.

The same goes for the weird digital wing mirrors, although credit to Genesis, I became used to them quickly. I can’t say the same for the comparatively frustrating digital rear-vision mirrors fitted to Audi’s e-tron.

Unfortunately, they're standard in the GV60. I'd prefer they were optional and live without them.

Yes, it’s tech for tech’s sake. In fact, a lot of things in this car seem to lean this way, but underneath it all there’s a solid electric car, one which manages to unite some of the best features of the Ioniq 5 and EV6 while adding the unique look and feel of the Genesis marque.

The GV60 comes packed with safety equipment regardless of which variant you pick, and for the 2023 model year, the brand has even added a second set of side airbags for rear occupants, bringing the total count to 10.

Active safety features include the full array of auto emergency braking (works to freeway speed and detects vulnerable road users), lane keep assist with lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert (as well as a blind-spot camera in the digital dash), adaptive cruise control with stop and go, safe exit assist and driver attention alert.

With the always-online suite it also includes an emergency call feature in the event of an accident.

The GV60 was awarded a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating to the 2022 standards.

The Inster delivers super long service intervals, requiring a trip to the service centre every two years or 30,000kms, but each service is priced at $655. A Toyota Yaris Cross, for perspective, will see you visit the service centre twice as often, but each visit will only cost you $255, or $510 every two years.

The Hyundai warranty is five years/unlimited kilometres, while the high-voltage battery is covered for eight years.

Are you ready for a jumble of numbers? Genesis offers a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, eight years/160,000km for the battery, and 10 years of roadside assistance.

The eyebrow-raising stuff here though is the five years of free servicing, combined with the choice of either a five-year Chargefox subscription or complimentary installation of a home charger.

Yep, theoretically, the GV60 can be free to run for the first five years. Like Lexus, Genesis also offers a complementary loan car at service time.

I don’t think any brand can beat it right now from an ownership perspective.