THE TIME HAS COME
Prestige, performance and a pocket full of change: that’s what Hyundai presents in the Genesis G70. Pitched as a rival to the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the Genesis G70 3.3T tested here serves up stacks of kit, the promise of luxury ownership and a powerful sixcylinder engine for about $20,000 less than German rivals. In top-end Ultimate Sport trim at $79,950 plus on-roads, it gets heated and cooled seats with 16-way memory settings, heated steering wheel, 19-inch wheels, adaptive suspension and much more. The value is outstanding and the options list is mercifully short — even metallic paint and coloured leather are free. Servicing for five years/50,000km is free. Genesis says “time is the ultimate luxury”, so it has a delivered-to-you test drive, online ordering and complimentary pick-up and courtesy car when maintenance is due. Seats are trimmed in quilted and perforated leather but some materials aren’t on par with the best. The 15-speaker audio and inductive charging are impressive. The head-up display and compact digital driver readout are joined by a central eight-inch infotainment screen with satnav and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. You’ll find something similar in the budget Hyundai i30 and much slicker displays in Euro rivals. The G70 has a five-star ANCAP safety rating underpinned by a strong body structure and seven airbags. Driver assistance includes active cruise control with stop and go, blind spot monitor, driver attention assistance and lane keeping assistance. The 360 degree camera in high-grade models helps when parking. The G70 packs plenty but can’t match the integrated assistance suites of Tesla’, Volvo or BMW, which do more to ease driving duties in traffic jams. High-grade models share the punchy 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 (272kW/510Nm) with the Kia Stinger. It propels the car from rest to 100km/h in just 4.7 seconds. You won’t get that kind of wallop from a German sedan for much less than $100,000. Hyundai’s eight-speed auto has a good spread of ratios and is adequate for everyday driving, though it’s not as crisp or intuitive as Europe’s best and we experienced the odd dorky downshift when slowing for a red light. Beyond that, the G70 is great to drive. Locally tuned suspension maintains its composure at pace and the car’s BMW-style rear-wheel drive layout delivers impressive balance. Strong grip from premium Michelin tyres helps the car hang on in the bends and Brembo brakes stop the car with little effort. BMW returned to its brilliant best with the latest 3 Series. You can’t get six-cylinder power yet (and it will cost a lot more) but the four-cylinder 330i, a driver’s delight, is all the car most need. Want Euro performance? The V6 C43 sends 287kW/520Nm to all four wheels, though you’ll have to find extra dough. Infiniti’s decision to leave Australia means the little-known but fully loaded Q50 luxury sedan is a dead-set bargain.
David McCowen