2026 Genesis GV60 Magma | PH Review

We've been Magma'd - fancy joining us?

If it worked for Hyundai, why not Genesis? That is the thinking behind the launch of Genesis’s new performance brand, Magma, which, much like sister company Hyundai’s N division, is intended to inject a little (or a lot of) heat into the mix. The GV60 Magma is another 650hp-producing, dual-motor electric missile that features the simulated engine and gearbox of the Ioniq 5 and 6 N. But with no performance heritage to lean on - and as a taller, heavier and less slippery offering - it does present as the least convincing one of the lot...

It really can’t afford to be, because while Genesis is a growing player in its key market (the US), it’s still a small fish when measured against the German alternatives. And in markets like the UK, where sales have barely tipped over the 5k mark since it launched here in 2021, Genesis is barely a blip on the radar. The firm's executives would have us believe that volume isn’t the name of the Genesis game, but the roll-out of more UK retailers in 2026 suggests that meaningful growth is at least part of the plan.

In fact, the reason the UK launch for the GV60 Magma occurred in Scotland was so that Genesis could show the motoring press its Edinburgh experience studio, where it displays cars alongside product experts (like an Apple store), without any attempt to make actual sales (unlike an Apple store). So far it has just three of these sites in the UK - the other two are in London - and while they won’t directly contribute to Genesis’s order books as these are more like galleries than dealerships, having a bright orange GV60 front and centre is obviously good for attracting attention.

Accordingly, it looks mean in the metal. With those 21-inch alloys wrapped in Pirelli P-zero rubber, and a noticeable amount of negative camber, the Magma has a purposeful squat. Its tracks are 50mm wider apart than the standard model’s, and it gets the extended wheel arches to prove it. There are more openings on the nose for added cooling, front canards to fight lift at speed and at the back, there is one of the most devilish rear wings yet fitted to an EV. When you catch a glimpse of it in the mirrors, it looks like the car has horns.

Just one specification of Magma is offered, although you can, if you want, choose from eight subtler paint shades than the launch Magma Orange. Do that and - thanks in part to the fact there are no actual Magma badges on the body - this hot GV60 might just about make a case for itself as a Q car. Even with that wing on its rear end, few people would expect something like this to be capable of 164mph and a 3.4-second 0-62 time, let alone have torque to rival an SF90 Stradale.

It’s not massively shouty inside, where the only options you have are the colour of stitching. It can either be orange or white, to contrast against the default black synthetic leather and suede cabin. But the lack of options is no bad thing as the cabin looks good, with a 27-inch-wide (but likeably slim) double screen setup that sits on the dash, a part-analogue and part-digital climate control module that’s easy to use, and - rejoice - a fully round steering wheel. It all feels well-made and easy to live with, and appropriately more premium than the Hyundais. It’s spacious in the back, too.

Hyundai 5 and 6 N owners will find the startup procedure familiar because the Magma begins much like any other electric car. There’s no fake rev counter on the driver’s display and the steering wheel paddles adjust regen, not ratios. The Magma does get its own synthesised EV hum though, which can sound a bit droney at certain speeds, although mercifully you can turn it off, leaving you to appreciate the insulating, refined nature of the Genesis. Even with its 275-section Pirellis, road noise in the GV60 is low, and wind noise is equally as subdued.

Adding to this quality feel are Genesis’s continuously adapting dampers, which do an admirable job of smoothing out the Moon-like craters of Edinburgh’s suburbs. It’s a cleverer system than you get in the similarly adaptive 6 N, because it features Genesis’s ‘end of travel’ tech, which reduces jolts and thumps over bad surfaces by instantaneously tensing the strut before you reach the bump stops. Helping the system is a camera specific to the GV60 that informs the dampers of what’s coming, so the system can pre-empt, rather than react to, road imperfections.

Press the favourite button on the wheel, which can be customised to turn the virtual engine and eight-speed DCT ‘on’, and the GV60’s front speakers suddenly project a gravelly, almost V6-like note. It sweetens as the simulated revs rise into something more GT3 flat-six-like, and - perhaps not coincidentally - the digital tachometer displays a redline at 9,000rpm. If you floor it in neutral, the rev counter bounces off the redline to the soundtrack of a hard limiter. It’s pointless, but also hilariously brilliant.

This is a rapid machine, of course. Technically, it’s two-tenths slower to 62mph than the slipperier 6 N, but it’s identical to the 5 and its off-the-line thrust is savagely strong. The simulated torque map feels slightly different to the Hyundais, with a potentially weaker mid-range and bigger push at the simulated top. As in the Ns, if you short shift out of the torque band, the software simulates an engine bogging down. But best of all, if you find yourself on a greasy Scottish B road, you can use the gears to cut power even if your foot is pressed hard into the carpet.

This is what makes the simulated stuff so much fun, as it goes beyond just having fake gears. There’s a driveability factor that benefits progress on the road - especially if you want your 650hp EV to be involving without you having to deploy warp speed. At the other end, simulated engine braking feels strong and totally real, even if you rush down the gears. Suffice it to say, the Magma doesn’t just entertain with its synthesised engine tones. It feels believable (or halfway credible anyway) as a combustion-powered performance car.

Half a dozen laps at Scotland’s fantastic Knockhill circuit confirm that this isn’t a one-trick pony. Body control is strong, the balance is neutral until you provoke it into oversteer, and while there’s no actual steering feel, the car reacts keenly to all of your inputs. Sure, if you stamp clumsily on the anchors, the GV60’s taller centre of gravity means it’ll wag its tail more than the Ns. But drive within the limits and the Magma is just as fun. Which is high praise.

There is a catch, mind. With a claimed 264-mile range, this Genesis is 14 miles short of the 5 N and 28 short of the 6 N - and neither model is particularly famous for eking out big distances between chargers. It's also by far the priciest car of the trio at £75,915, and you do have to ask yourself who would pick the GV60 over the others. Likely the answer is someone who appreciates the small but noticeable improvements to interior material quality and ride comfort. Although if that’s your priority, the Porsche Macan 4S Electric is dangerously close.

But you know what? The Macan doesn’t get Porsche’s E-Shift system yet, and while its deftness as a do-it-all electric crossover is not in question, it’s less of a hotrod. If you're really after something battery-powered that floats your interactive boat - and you enjoy the prospect of being slightly contrary - the Magma could well be for you...

Specification | Genesis GV60 Magma

Engine: Twin permanent-magnet synchronous electric motors
Transmission: Single-speed, all-wheel drive with simulated eight-speed DCT
Power (hp): 650 (with overboost)
Torque (lb ft): 583 (with overboost)
0-62mph: 3.4 secs
Top speed: 164mph
Weight: 2,240kg
Battery: 800V lithium-ion, 84kWh capacity
Efficiency/range: 2.9miles/kWh, 264 miles
Max DC charging: 350kW; 10-80% charge in 18mins
Price: £75,915

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Twinair

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