DONE THE BOLT
SHOOTER SEEN MAKING A BRAKE FOR IT
IS IT POSSIBLE to form a real bond with a car if you find it a bit of visual munter? Or, conversely, are you more likely to be tolerant of a car’s shortfalls if you’re taken by its exterior design? I was pondering this in the final days of the loan period with the G70 Shooting Brake, right around the time yet another punter strolled up to say how much they liked the look of it and have a chat.
I can’t say I love every visual detail about the SB – the extra swage line over the rear guards seems a bit of an unnecessary flourish – but overall it’s been one of those cars I always take a long look at after I’ve parked it and start to walk away, mainly to drink in the stance, proportions and elements that give it a clear point of differentiation from the few other wagons in the premium segment.
And maybe also just to memorise the exact spot I left it, because, well, mid-50s age stuff.
So sure, maybe it’s possible the visual appeal has softened a few core elements that I know could be better. The G70 is an imperfect example of the wagon breed, but for me its flaws were more in context with where it should be better against its competitor set, rather than things that bugged me on the daily.
The packaging is the obvious one; a wagon of this size should have more room in the second row and a bigger boot, no question. For my needs this wasn’t an issue, but if you have fast-growing teenagers, the back seat could quickly become a squeezy frustration. Likewise the boot, I’d imagine, if you’re a parent of young kids and need space for two prams, or whatever it is that young kids get around in now.
For me, the main areas worth targeting would be more soundproofing to quell the bump/ thump of the 19-inch Michelins and cut tyre noise on coarse-chip. I’d also have much preferred an active exhaust flap to allow a more fruity note rather than the synthesised soundtrack the car serves up. Oh, and the damper tune could use a bit of finessing to improve body control.
For all the SB’s luxo focus on tech and safety, there’s an old-school approach to the powertrain that actually appealed to me. There’s no mild hybridisation, for example, nor even a stop-start system, which seems an anomaly in this age where manufactures grab any method they can to cut the fuel rating and CO2 output by a smidge. But let’s face it, stop-start systems tend to be just another thing to turn off each time.
Having said that, for a 2.0-litre
turbo of comparatively modest outputs, the fuel consumption during our loan period was nothing special. Even when driven with a light foot in suburbia I couldn’t get below 10.8L/100km, with most tanks averaging a little over this. On a few longer, steady motorway runs it dropped to low-sevens; so more palatable, but still about half a litre per 100km more than we’ve achieved in similar driving with rivals.
In terms of user experience, I reckon the G70 is hard to fault, despite the fact it’s not bristling with the latest wall-to-wall screens or fluff like self-parking or massage seats.
You want an HVAC function, you twist a knob or push a button; your eyes barely flick away from the road.
The lane-keep assist can be disabled with one press of a button on the steering wheel. There’s just one interior ambient lighting choice – a cool white that looks elegant at night. Not once did I feel irked by overchoice; at no point did I think, “Why the hell is that buried under four sub-menus?”
Speaking of multimedia, the response and intuitiveness of the touchscreen was always appreciated, with the only mild bummer being the lack of wireless CarPlay. But having a cable hanging out of the front USB port only mildy tweaked my inner Marie Kondo, and besides, I mainly synced my phone via Bluetooth for music streaming.
The driver assistance systems are one obvious area with room for improvement. The G70’s radar cruise is fine at keeping a prescribed distance from traffic ahead on motorways, but it’s too slow to reaccelerate once a car in front has moved over. You’re cruising at 110km/h, come up behind someone doing 10 or 15km/h under this who are taking ages to pass the car in the middle lane. Eventually they do move aside, but the G70 gingerly accelerates back up to 110km/h like a nervous nanna, inviting the car following you to then jam themselves up your clacker. I just didn’t have the patience for it, so found myself only using the cruise when there was hardly any other traffic to contend with.
But the broader inescapable fact is that despite the Shooting Brake’s relative newness, it’s based on the
G70 sedan which debuted globally in 2017. This means it finds itself caught in the shifting tide as Genesis moves to electrification, starting with the excellent GV60 SUV. Sure, the debut EV for the brand opens at around $25K more than the SB, but the sophistication of its interior, the depth of powertrain engineering and its recharging capability leave you in no doubt where the money goes.
Which leaves the Shooting
Brake as a niche option for anyone unable or unwilling to embrace electrification, not enamoured with an SUV like the fine GV70, yet ready to break away from the premium Germans. A narrow niche, for sure, but an attractive one we’re glad we had the chance to explore.