SIMPLY BETTER
THE COMPLETENESS OF THE 2019 GENESIS G70 CHASSIS PACKAGE IS BREATHTAKING.
This hasn’t happened since 1990. Actually, it was January 11, 1989, and the upsetting of the apple cart I am talking about happened in Detroit. The North American International Auto Show to be exact. Cobo Hall, way in the back if I remember rightly.
Auto buffs of a certain age will know immediately I am referring to Lexus LS400 and how much it upset the founding fathers of the modern luxury set. The point, in case you’re missing it, was that this was the first time the Japanese made a car better than the Germans. Not good for the money. Not cheaper, more reliable or more fuel efficient. Just plain better.
And the G70, rekindling the original spirit of the Lexus, is also better. Again, not better for the money (yes, it still has something of a price advantage). Not more reliable (which it probably will be) or more fuel-efficient (oops, we may have slipped backwards a bit there). Simply better.
While it was the LS400’s engine that was the card that trumped the Germans, in the G70’s case, it’s the chassis. Simply put, the new G70 is the kind of ultimate driving machine BMW used to put out with casual regularity. Indeed, the completeness of the Genesis chassis package is breathtaking, racking up superlatives in virtually every area of comportment.
Credit for that must go to Albert Biermann, the former vice-president of BMW’s M division, whom the Hyundai/Kia empire kidnapped a few years ago. According to Genesis manager of product strategy, Patrick Danielson, Biermann “had a hand in every single aspect of the chassis development.”
That means the steering, despite being electrically boosted, is as communicative as BMWs of yore. The chassis, shared with Kia’s similarly excellent Stinger, is super stiff, the perfect platform on which to build a performance sedan. And the suspension is that magical combination of soft enough for bumps and tight enough for apexes. Indeed, the top-of-the-line G70 3.3T Dynamic with its custom vehicle setting configuration set to Sport for steering and chassis electronics, but set for Comfort-designated suspension compliance — a setup specifically recommended by Danielson — is the best combination of roadholding and suspension compliance to be had in the entrylevel luxury sedan segment today.
Even on the track, the allwheel-drive 3.3 L acquits itself quite well. Genesis does offer what it claims is a more track-friendly car, the 2.0T Sport, complete with rearwheel drive and a six-speed manual transmission. It may be a little tighter and a little sharper round the sharpest hairpin turns, but truth be told, I preferred the 3.3-L version of the Sport in almost every regard. So, opt for the lesser motor if you must have a manual transmission, but otherwise the higher-spec car is the optimum choice.
That’s simply because, while the by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four is competitive — its 252 horses are equal to the class-leading Audi S4 — the twice turbocharged V6 is a real stonker. More robust than anything remotely competitive — the 400-hp Infiniti Q50 Red Sport being the sole exception — the 3.3 L’s 365 ponies are backed up by a stout 376 pound-feet of torque, which is available as low as 1,370 rpm. Yes, throttle response is instantaneous. Mated to the quick-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission, it makes for an impressive powertrain.
Said automatic is also, however, the source of one of the G70’s most glaring faults, one so obvious that one has to wonder how it slipped by quality control. Slip into Sport mode, then floor the throttle and the transmission will, as it is supposed to, skip down a gear or two. And, once you let off, it holds that lower gear, again, as it is supposed to. Things then get a little untidy because it is supposed to, after three or four seconds of constant throttle, figure out that you’re no longer calling for Full Banzai mode and, without prompting, shift up again. What it actually does is keep holding the lower gear as if you’ve switched to manual mode.
This is obviously a software glitch, and I suspect that after a 15-minute chip reflash it will be right as rain.
As for more proletarian concerns — such as interior decor and exterior design — know that the G70 is very much a triumph of substance over style. The actual layout of the G70’s cabin breaks no new ground. Indeed, it might even be — with touch-screen controls and redundant buttonry — a little busy. But the materials and execution are exquisite. BMW wishes its 3 Series had leather so soft. Mercedes will be envious of the G70’s extensive quilted stitching, on seats, dash and doors. If the design of the cabin is conservative, Genesis Canada’s choice of colours for its Nappa leather is not. In addition to the standard tan and black, there’s a host of purples and greens that truly stand out. There’s a level of superior quality to the Genesis cabin that used to be the sole purview of Audi.
The price is competitive: the base model starts at $42,000 and the 3.3T Sport rings in at $57,000, including PDI and five years of maintenance, mind you. The powertrains are willing, but the fact it has a chassis that outperforms the very best the Germans have to offer is the real reason you’ll want a Genesis. Be a brand slave all you want, but never believe your German touring sedan handles or rides better.