"I've got a magic car that can drive itself", I told my neighbour's disbelieving four and six-year-old sons.

And as the unoccupied Genesis GV70 started its engine and then moved slowly down the street and reversed back again they stared open mouthed.

It's a neat trick, and one which several adults who saw it during my time with this stunning new SUV from the newest car maker to launch in the UK were equally impressed by.

And while you might wonder when you would ever use this feature imagine coming back to your car in a car park to find someone had parked so close that you couldn't open the door to get in.

With the Genesis GV70 you simply start it and back it out of the parking space using the car's key fob. Problem solved. And it's a feature that's equally useful if your garage is so narrow the car will just about fit in but not allow you to open your door.

But the GV70's autonomous driving is just one of the many aspects that make this car stand out from the crowd.

It's one of a whole new stable of cars from Genesis aiming to take sales off the three German premier brands, not to mention Volvo and Jaguar Land Rover.

The GV70 is big. Big on quality, big on style and big on refinement.

In many ways it reflects some of this country's most luxurious cars, with a grille that reminds you of a Bentley and a winged badge on the bonnet which shouts Aston Martin.

But the GV70 doesn't need to rely on reflected glory. It's a car which has all the attributes to make its own impact.

A high roof line, muscular haunches, impressive alloys and twin exhausts that look like cannons protruding from the rear give this car plenty of street cred.

Move inside and it's even more impressive, although the car driven here also benefited from numerous optional packs available from Genesis, one of which added a very upmarket interior with eye-catching quilted red leather seats and a red leather dashboard.

The striking interior colour matched the Mauna Red colour of the bodywork, a £750 extra.

But that's one of the nice aspects of Genesis, you can up-spec your car as much as you want - if you can afford it.

In the case of this car it pushed the overall price up from £43,350 to £54,540.

But that extra cash meant onboard features were second to none, making it a supremely cosseting car to drive.

Imagine on a long winter journey being able to enjoy the comforts of a heated seat which massages your back and buttocks, a heated steering wheel and a head-up display so you never need to take your eyes off the road to check your speed or sat nav directions.

Despite the GV70's beefy 304bhp, 2.5-litre petrol engine it's a four rather than six cylinder unit although it's so refined you would never know from inside the cabin.

It's mated to a seamless eight-speed automatic gearbox with a rotary control, although there are paddles behind the steering wheel for manual gear changes should the mood take you.

And depending on that mood on any given day you can select from one of four driving modes; eco, comfort, sport and sport+

Opt for eco and as you come off the accelerator the car goes into coasting mode to save you fuel. Opt for Sport and Sport+ and it knows you mean business so as well as altering the gear change points and firming up the steering it also tightens up the side bolsters on the seat to hold you more firmly in place.

And in Sport and Sport+ the GV70 really does move, hitting 62 miles per hour in a very rapid 6.1 seconds and gripping the road like it's glued to it with barely any body roll

If the weather takes a turn for the worst you simply push the terrain button and lock in snow, mud or sand and let the four-wheel-drive system take the strain.

In a bold move in the UK Genesis models are sold on line, but the good news for buyers is that the on-line deal not only includes a comprehensive five-year warranty and roadside assistance package but also five-year mapping and software updates, all servicing, and an equivalent level courtesy car.