We’ve grown accustomed to fabulous concept cars getting watered down to meet production, legal, and budgetary restraints. Perhaps that’s why the 2027 Genesis GV90 is such a pleasant surprise, taking very closely after the Neolun concept from a couple years back despite being almost entirely production-ready. Genesis’ first full-size SUV, sitting above the GV80 in its lineup, one-ups the competition with available, pillarless coach doors and an all-electric powertrain, plus an undeniably graceful exterior design.
Wide-Open Spaces
2027 Genesis GV90 NeolunGenesis
Concepts like the Neolun often feature a B-pillar-less design and front and rear coach doors that swing open wide and give auto show attendees a better look at the cabin. When we saw Genesis pull that trick in 2024, we presumed the design touch would end up on the cutting room floor – at least till we saw production-ready camo cars driven around in the wild. And indeed, the Genesis GV90 will feature coach doors that open independently of one another, at least in the flagship trim level that borrows the concept’s name.
The 2027 GV90 Neolun, as the top-dog SUV will be called, has what the automaker calls an Arch Gate, the world’s first hidden B-pillar and independently closing doors. The system sounds rather complex, with rear doors that slide back a few inches before swinging out so as to neither impede nor rely on opening the front doors. When both are open, the aperture is huge, allowing occupants to either climb aboard or step out with the kind of grace never before seen in a luxury SUV – red carpet arrivals are about to become a lot more dramatic.
2027 Genesis GV90 Neolun InteriorGenesis
Thanks to the 127.8-inch wheelbase – nearly as long as a Rolls-Royce Cullinan – there’s a whole lot of passenger room inside. So much so, in fact, that when parked, the GV90 Neolun’s front seats can motor around to face the rear for an uncommon level of interaction between occupants. The available Neolun Executive Suite four-seat passenger configuration adds additional luxury features that should catch the eyes of a few sybaritic customers, including a genuine wood floor with radiant heating, a rear bulkhead to separate the passenger cabin from the cargo area, a refrigerator, and a Smart Vision Roof with six distinct, dimmable zones in the panoramic glass.
The regular GV90 won’t be a slouch when it comes to luxury, either. Authentic materials like a crystal sphere vehicle controller (à la GV60), genuine wood or stonework trim, and warm cashmere fabric give the cabin some ambience and a modern, sophisticated feel. Room for up to seven passengers in the mainline trim will allow Genesis to capture shoppers from the BMW X7, Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, and Rivian R1S.
Elegance And Grace On The Outside
2027 Genesis GV90 Neolun First EditionGenesis
As with the interior, the GV90’s sheetmetal borrows liberally from the Neolun concept car, meaning clean and attractive lines that immediately look as though they belong in a Genesis dealership. Up front is an impossibly narrow pair of LED headlight strips, which bridge in the middle to echo the brand’s shield-motif front grilles. Down low, the signature G-matrix mesh design appears on the bumper to provide selective cooling to the electric powertrain.
The LEDs wrap around to the side, visually interrupted by the front wheel arch before resuming their new role as marker lights on the fender. Taillights do the same, spanning the width of the rear fascia and rear bumper corners on the same exact plane as their headlight counterparts. The bodyside surfaces are clean simple, adorned with chrome strips on the rocker panels just beneath a light-collecting swell in the door sheet metal. The Neolun trim sets itself apart from the base GV90 with a crisp hip line that starts on the doors and crests over the rear wheel arches.
2027 Genesis GV90 Neolun First EditionGenesis
The long wheelbase, short overhangs, and massive standard wheels – 22 inches on the GV90 and 24 inches on the Neolun, with an attractive impeller design on the latter – give the big Genesis some real presence. We think that brand devotees and newcomers alike will find the GV90 very appealing in terms of design.
Fully Electric Performance
Current luxury sensibilities may not feel the same about the engineering under that pretty skin, unfortunately. Genesis will only offer the GV90 as a full EV, but the technical specifications sound very advanced, at least. The SUV rides on a brand-specific Electric Mobility Prime (eMP) platform, powered by a massive 123.5-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery that runs on an 800-volt electrical system. Genesis didn’t announce complete specs, but the automaker did say that on a 350-kilowatt DC fast charger, the GV90 would recharge from 10 to 80 percent in only 22 minutes.
It may need to hit that charger more often than expected, too. The GV90 is only capable of about 310 miles of range according to internal Genesis testing, which would’ve been rather impressive a few years ago. But these days, the Lucid Gravity can hit the 400-mile mark with ease despite having about the same battery capacity, while the massive (and massively inefficient) Cadillac Escalade IQ can eclipse 450 miles thanks to its huge, 233-kWh unit.
At least the Genesis GV90 has some power hitting the pavement, with a combined 657 horsepower and 590 pound-feet coming from its front and rear electric motors. That’s roughly in line with the Gravity Touring and a fair amount less than the Caddy, though we suspect the GV90 will be closer in weight and performance to its Lucid rival than the big American ‘Slade. The Genesis will also get a sophisticated limited-slip differential on both motors, precisely measuring power in corners and slick conditions to improve handling, response, and grip.
Also standard is a multi-chamber air suspension and adaptive dampers on all four corners, providing a good balance of comfort and response as well as a variable ride height. And like many EVs, the GV90 will receive rear-wheel steering with up to 5 degrees of angle, reducing the turning circle at low speeds and improving stability on the highway.
Safety And Technology In Spades
2027 Genesis GV90 Neolun First Edition InteriorGenesis
In order to provide the body rigidity needed for a robust safety cell, the GV90 Neolun features thicker steel for the A- and C-pillars and the floor and roof, helping compensate for the movable B-pillar. The robust side-impact beams in both front and rear doors help distribute impact loads across the body reinforcements, which should eliminate any safety concerns over the Arch Gate design. If that isn’t enough, the GV90 comes standard with 12 airbags, including two-stage front airbags that deploy according to the occupants’ posture and seat cushion airbags up front to prevent submarining under the seatbelts.
The front two rows get their own side-impact airbags, while the curtain airbags provide protection to all passengers. Finally, a world-first roof airbag deploys in rollover collisions to protect passengers from contact with the panoramic glass and prevent passenger ejection. Finally, an in-cabin monitoring system identifies occupant size and type for optimal airbag performance, and it can alert passengers to improper seatbelt use or seating posture.
2027 Genesis GV90 InteriorGenesis
Advanced technology isn’t limited to the safety systems, either. Although the GV90 doesn’t have a driver-facing instrument cluster (regrettably), there’s still abundant info space courtesy of a standard 25-inch head-up display that includes navigation prompts, speed monitoring, and other functions. There’s also a huge 23.6-inch touchscreen mounted to the center of the dashboard that integrates infotainment and gauge displays into one unit. We still wish there were at least a rudimentary gauge cluster on the left dash, though.
When parked, that center screen rises about an inch out of the dashboard for an even larger display, good for consuming media while charging or relaxing in a rest stop. That’s the perfect situation to sample the 25-speaker Bang & Olufsen 3D audio system, which features tunable acoustics to match everything from the Boston Symphony Hall to Wembley Stadium. Ambient lighting casts a gentle glow on interior surfaces as well. It sounds like everything in the cabin is tailored for passenger relaxation.
A Quick Market Launch
2027 Genesis GV90 NeolunGenesis
We were surprised to learn that Genesis plans for the GV90 to be in dealers by early 2027. Pricing hasn’t been announced, and we’re sure that more specifications will come as that launch date nears. But overall, the big SUV looks poised to put the luxury world on notice. We’re a little concerned about the EV-only approach – premium buyers aren’t as interested in electric cars as they once were – but otherwise, the stylish and comfortable-looking GV90 could be a valet stunner in very short order.
Source: Genesis
