OAKLAND COUNTY, Michigan — The delicious 2024 Genesis GV70 Sport Prestige has tailpipes the size of bazookas, jewel-like dials, seats that hug you in Sport mode, split headlights and a spine-tingling welcome chime from the TV series "Westworld."

But with winter temperatures below freezing and half a foot of snow on the roads, all that really concerned me was whether it had all-wheel drive and a bottomless reservoir of windshield washer fluid.

Viking Ocean ships are posh, but they had better have hot water in the shower.

Michigan’s brutal winters are a test of any vehicle, and the GV70 largely passed with flying colors. Make that salt color. At the end of my week-long journey with the Genesis compact SUV, its Mauna Red exterior (think Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii) looked more like Lotsa Salt color (think Morton Salt in your cabinet).

My $68,870 Sport Prestige model came equipped with SPORT PLUS mode that automatically turns off traction control if you want to explore the limits of, say, M-32’s twisties on a glorious summer day up north. But in Michigan winter, I went to the opposite end of the Drive Mode spectrum — SNOW mode — as I slid onto a sloppy Maple Road on Friday night in the teeth of a frigid Michigan storm.

Neither rain nor sleet nor snow would keep Mrs. Payne and me from our weekend movie.

The Genesis’s AWD system churned away beautifully in the snow — SNOW mode picking a higher gear so as not to access all of the 3.5-liter, twin-turbo V-6’s prodigious 391-pound feet of torque. Despite low-profile 21-inch wheels, the Michelin all-season tires did their job and I grew in confidence as I urged the dogsled through the gloom.

Entering snowy Telegraph Road, I goosed the throttle to test the ute’s balance, and the rear end slewed sideways like a pup on ice before the front paws gripped and pulled the sled forward. Nicely done, GV70.

“Cut that out!”

My wife was not amused with my antics, and I dutifully returned to my job as chauffeur. Automatic windshield wipers also knew their job and began wiping away the endless flakes.

Next morning, I awoke for an early Padel game (if you don’t know it, you have to try it) with friends. I set sail for Sterling Heights by way of I-696 and, thankfully, the salt trucks had done their night’s work. Boy, had they ever. The highways were clear, but I was met with nonstop salt splash on my windshield from traffic in front of me. I repeatedly pulled the wiper stalk toward me to wash away the grit. Genesis obliged by squirting fluid from both base windshield nozzles and jets in the wiper arms.

Pull. Wash. Pull. Wash. Pull. Wash.

So frequently did I use the wiper fluids that I checked the reservoir at my destination should I need to add more. The easy-to-spot blue filler was right where it should be — at the right corner of the engine bay. It was a reminder that most folks don’t pull their hood latch to ogle the engine underneath (guilty), but to fill the wiper/anti-freeze/oil fluids or jump-start the battery. Both were located with easy access.

Some things are harder to find.

It’s trendy these days to locate windshield wipers below the hood cowl to eliminate visual clutter. I get it – vehicles aren’t the bricks of yesteryear, but beautifully-drawn sculptures with scalloped stampings.

But when you wake up to four inches of snow on top of your windshield, hidden wipers are a pain in the ice. I cleaned the windshield of snow, then carefully chipped away at the ice that had encased the wipers (carefully, because I once broke the joint between wiper and blade on a competitor SUV. Argh), eventually freeing them up.

Happily, Genesis has a solution which they share in a YouTube video: turn off the engine, hold the wiper stalk to MIST, and the wipers emerge from hiding and stop on the windshield. Pull them off the glass. I’ll remember that for the next ice storm.

Slip into the interior of GV70 (front or rear, it’s comfortable for six-footers) and you’re met with an attractive bezeled dash that reminded me of the Dodge Charger (a mainstream model, yes, but with one of the most distinctive interiors in the biz). It’s a neo-classical look that melds old-school instrument dials with state-of-the-art digital displays.

What is not state of the art on my 2024 tester is wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The industry has moved fast toward wireless tech, and GV70 trailed even mainstream models like the Honda Civic and Dodge Hornet in offering wireless smartphone connections before upgrading for the 2025 model year. An important note for electronics-minded shoppers.

Genesis creates ergonomic confusion by making both its remote infotainment controller and its gear selector rotary dials. Like wipers, it’s an aesthetic choice that isn’t optimal from a use perspective. Neighbors on the console, they led to occasional confusion as I awkwardly shifted into NEUTRAL when tuning the radio — or changing radio stations when I meant to go in REVERSE.

Happily, the dash-mounted infotainment display can also be operated as a touchscreen. I flipped through pages like a BMW or Mercedes. And — should I have needed it — GV70 will parallel park like its electric brother, GV60, that I’ve tested.

Unlike GV60, the gas-fired GV70 comes standard with no range anxiety. While a Michigan snowstorm sucked 40% of range from fellow Korean Kia EV9 SUV (necessitating multiple charging stops on a trip north), I rarely glanced at GV70’s fuel meter despite the bone-chilling temps.

When the needle hit a quarter tank, I simply ducked into the nearest gas station and filled ‘er up. Indeed, Genesis doesn’t publicize GV70’s 418-mile range because it’s not a concern — whereas the GV60’s 235 miles is important to know up front.

When the streets cleared, I took the opportunity to pedal the GV70 hard, and it did a nice imitation of its fleet G70 sedan brother. Walking away for the last time, I was left with two thoughts: 1) With $70K in pocket, customers will likely choose a BMW X3 M40i, but 2) this is no dressed-up snowflake, but a proper, snow-eating ute.

2024 Genesis GV70

Vehicle type: Front-engine, all-wheel-drive five-passenger SUV

Price: $47,050, including $1,450 destination fee ($68,870 3.5T AWD Sport Prestige as tested)

Power plant: 2.7-liter turbo 4 cylinder; 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6

Power: 300 horsepower, 311 pound-feet of torque (turbo-4); 375 horsepower, 391 pound-feet of torque (V-6)

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.9 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed: 150 mph

Weight: 4,584 pounds (as tested)

Fuel economy: EPA est. 22 mpg city/28 highway/24 combined (turbo-4); 19 mpg city/25 highway/21 combined (V-6)

Report card

Highs: Balanced handling snow or shine, gorgeous interior

Lows: Ergonomic hiccups — console twin-rotary dials

Overall: 4 stars

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