The Surprise Chain

Despite the largest price swings and biggest supply-chain disruptions in automotive history, some amazing vehicles hit the market.

By Isaac Bouchard

2022 GENESIS GV70

SPORT PRESTIGE

EPA RATINGS: 19/25/21

0-60MPH: 4.9 SEC

PRICE AS TESTED: $64,045

Genesis keeps winning recognition for the most trouble-free and pleasing new cars you can buy. Now the GV70 crossover completes the lineup.

One of the most impressive vehicles tested over the last year, its styling really grabs people and stands out in a very crowded field—no small task. Its stunning interior is covered in stitched, soft-touch material, and the colors on offer are audacious and beautiful. The numerous oval and round shapes create compelling unity. The use of trim other than faux wood is commendable, and the huge screens impress with their high resolution and lovely graphics.

But they, like the control-wheel interface and the software behind them, is not up to the user-friendliness standards of a BMW. The GV70 usually—but not always—resets its interior temp to 72 degrees, and the overactive driver aids do more to annoy than to ease progress. And it’s easy to confuse the dished controller for the center screen with the identically shaped shifter.

Yet these are minor issues compared to all the ways the GV70 cossets and rewards. The seating is richly comfortable for all occupants, the steering wheel begs to be caressed and the cargo area is finished to a much higher standard than most all the competition.

The GV70 in Sport Prestige trim, with the stout 3.5-liter, twin turbo V6, is very impressive on the road. The ride quality is absolutely superb, hinting that the Genesis is more a luxury crossover than a sporting one. It handles decently. Its 375hp engine is strong; 60mph arrives in under 5 seconds and the 8-speed auto shifts adroitly.

There is a cohesiveness to it that usually eludes newcomers, too. With vehicles this good—and good value, as a comparable German is $10,000 more—it will be no surprise to see Genesis steal tens of thousands of sales from established players.

2022 HYUNDAI SANTA CRUZ

LIMITED AWD

EPA RATINGS: 19/27/22

0-60MPH: 6.0SEC

PRICE AS TESTED: $40,945

Hyundai’s mission with the Santa Cruz isn’t to dent the market share of the Toyota Tacoma. They don’t even call it a pickup, though it sure tries to act like one. Its composite bed is wide enough for a 4ft sheet of plywood, and you can haul dirt bikes with the tailgate down. Like the Honda Ridgeline, there is a slick underfloor compartment with drain plugs for iced beverages and perishables. There are cleats, lights and even a built-in accordion-style tonneau cover.

Sadly, the latter doesn’t seal out dust, so runs down dirt roads mean your gear still gents gunky. Its overall payload, at 1,411 pounds, rivals the new Ford Maverick’s, but remember that this includes passengers; only 661 pounds are supposed to go into the bed. The Santa Cruz will tow 5,000 pounds, which is more than the Ford. You’d want the optional turbocharged engine to do that, since the base motor is breathless at our altitude.

Going with the turbo gets you a twin clutch gearbox that nets a 0-60 dash of 6 seconds, making it much fleeter of foot than the Tacoma and most others in the class. Its real-world fuel economy seems no better than bigger pickups, but it drives like a good crossover on the road, with precise steering, a comfortable ride, great handling (for a truck) and commendable quiet.

The attractive Santa Cruz also has the nicest interior in the class. However, like many new vehicles, it over-relies on haptic-feedback for things like the HVAC controls. Its front seats accommodate comfortably, but the second row doesn’t. The Santa Cruz has 8.6 inches of ground clearance, but it skips and skates over typical washboard Colorado dirt roads.

2021 MERCEDES S580

EPA RATINGS: 17/25/20

0-60MPH: 3.9 SEC

PRICE AS TESTED: $140,130

Each generation of S-Class typically resets the standard for true luxury cars, while also unveiling technology that will eventually go mainstream. The latest, dubbed W223, continues that tradition, while also having the distinction of being the last powered by internal combustion.

It is a lovely thing to behold, with a svelteness that highlights the advantages of the classic “three box” sedan shape with a modern simplicity of form and detail. Open the large doors, though, and a bold, stunning interior awaits. Sweeps of inlaid wood connect the huge OLED screens; bold vent designs complement intricate metal speaker grills; and the quilted seats are pillowy soft. Ultra suede headrests coddle noggins, and dynamic air bladders and massage programs pamper backsides.

No photo can capture how intriguingly attractive the 3-D instruments look, especially at night. The huge head-up display previews the virtual overlays all cars might have in a decade. Following floating arrowheads around corners to navigate busy city streets makes the idea of using Apple or Android integration seem silly—yet phone inputs integrate seamlessly as well.

As far as how it drives, this Mercedes has, simply put, the best ride quality this reviewer has ever experienced, in any car, at any price. Underbody cameras and sensors read the road ahead, priming the dampers and air springs for what’s to come. It also can play the full-size sports sedan if needed, with accurate steering and deftly controlled body motions.

Features like computer controlled four-wheel steering mean it can execute U-turns in places that beggar belief yet stabilize the Mercedes during cornering at triple-digit velocities. The 516lb-ft of twist from the twin-turbo V8 propel it to 60mph in under four seconds—faster than Ferraris of not that long ago—yet still turn 30 mpg on the highway. For those who want to celebrate the prestige motor car at the apogee of its gasoline glory, the S580 is the answer.

2022 INFINITI QX60

EPA RATINGS: 20/25/22

0-60MPH: 7.3 SEC

PRICE AS TESTED: $63,945

Infiniti’s best-seller has undergone a thorough reengineering. The handsome body is all new and looks contemporary, what with its floating roof and chiseled forms. Its interior features soft-touch materials dominating the first row, dual 12.3-inch screens and very comfortable seats in all three rows.

Pleasing surprises include the new shifter, which is logical in use and moves with a rewarding and precise feel—an anomaly these days. The middle row has a brilliant one-button tilt/ slide (even with child seats in place) that allows easy access to the roomy third, which has its own ceiling-mounted air vents and USBs. The QX60 is very quiet inside, with little road or wind noise making itself known. Much of the tech is really well done, including ProPilot adaptive cruise and lane assist, one of the better systems yet tested.

Annoyances include front parking sensors that scream at you about how close you are to objects in front when you are backing up and an auto stop/start system that is so lethargic people will honk when you are trying to get underway once the lights turn green.

Once started, the QX60 accelerates more pleasingly than before, thanks to a real transmission, rather than its predecessor’s unreliable CVT. There’s no fuel economy penalty and it is much more satisfying. The engine carries over is 295 horses but lacks torque compared to the turbocharged competition.

The platform is also from the older model, which means some types of bumps thump their way through. Yet the QX60’s ride is generally quiet and composed. The steering precision and handling connote luxury, not the athleticism of its rival, the Acura MDX. The Infiniti is a very solid entrance in a class it helped create; it beats the opposition from most of the domestics, has more room than the Lexus RX350L and undercuts the Europeans by tens of thousands.

Automotive Editor Isaac Bouchard owns Denver-based Bespoke Autos ([email protected]; 303-475-1462). Read more of his automotive writing, reviews and recommendations on coloradoavidgolfer.com and bespokeautos.com.

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This article can also be found in the 2022 Spring Issue of Colorado AvidGolfer.

Colorado AvidGolfer is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it, publishing eight issues annually and proudly delivering daily content via coloradoavidgolfer.com.

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