Budget luxury in Genesis hard to beat
WELL, WELL, WELL » we now understand why the Genesis G-70 was the 2019 North American Car of the Year.
South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group, the parent company of Genesis, delivers the luxury compact to the market to compete with its sister, the Kia Stinger. But there’s ample evidence why the G-70 is so deserving of the award.
Take speed, for one. How does zero to 60 in 4.5 seconds sound? Achieved by a 365 horsepower engine with 376 lb.-ft. of torque — yes, a torque monster for sure — in its Stinger-sharing 3.3L twin-turbo GDI V6 engine. It’s paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission with Shiftronic that is smoother than any transmission we have tested to date.
So you’re thinking this must be expensive and out of your price range, right? Wrong! The G-70 comes in around the high $30s to low $40s depending on options.
The Genesis G-70, in comparison with German competitors the BMW 330i and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, is actually on near-equal footing. The C-Class is road friendly and comfortable, but is short of style and overall usability. The 330i has a great appearance yet lacks in the motor/torque category and is significantly overpriced compared to the Genesis. So bang for the buck, it’s the G-70, and by far!
Sharing a chassis with the Kia Stinger and about 3 inches shorter, the G-70 goes all aluminum in the interior, eliminating the German-like luxury wood accents, making it a more sleek and demanding interior which screams everything sporty.
Some additional features and safety options that prove why we agree with the G-70’s accolades:
•A sweet, dual mode allwheel-drive system, working in sync with Dynamic Torque Vectoring Control — to date, the best AWD system we’ve experienced. Optional Brembo brakes package, a fantastic braking system and an integrated 8-inch touchscreen inclusive of navigation, a 15-speaker Lexicon premium audio system that is state of the art and let’s not forget about heads-up display, clear and concise with brightness options.
•New to the 2020 Genesis G-70 are a handful of features including, an electronic trunk hatch, wireless charging pad, surround view monitoring, forward collision avoidance assist with pedestrian detection and smart cruise control with stop and go adaptability. Also, we enjoyed the limited cabin noise on the G-70; it was impressively quiet inside.
•Standard on the G-70 are SiriusXM, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, three USB ports, and the Genesis Connected service app that allows you to remotely unlock/lock, start and track your vehicle from afar.
Genesis did its homework on all areas of consumer wants, but more importantly, their needs. We look forward to the Genesis SUV hitting the market soon — maybe Genesis could be receiving back-to-back awards. Genesis G-70
MSRP: $35,450
As tested: $44,460
MPG: 17 city, 26 highway, 18.2 as tested