AND LO, A NEW GENESIS
PARKED up in the new Genesis G70, I was frequently approached by fascinated bystanders demanding to know what it was and how much it cost. That’s because the new saloon from the premium arm of Korea’s Hyundai Group looks fantastic. Smart, sophisticated and a touch flashy. It’s packed with kit.
There’s definitely a nod to BMW, MercedesBenz and Bentley. Just look at the big grille. But it’s a tempting package that offers value for money. It’s comfortable inside, the satnav is good and the digital dashboard nicely blends proper buttons and dials.
This was the first diesel car I’d driven in some time and it was mightily pleasing. While clocking up a good few hundred miles, I had to keep checking the barely shifting fuel dial to make sure the gauge wasn’t stuck.
At one stage of not particularly eco-driving, I was hitting over 55mpg, though with more engaged driving was hovering around 45 mpg. Are we missing a trick here? Seems there’s still life in the old diesel dog yet.
Price is an interesting topic, too, as G70 prices start from a tempting £33,850 for the petrol 2-litre T version in Premium Line, rising to £39,300 for Luxury Line and £40,480 for Sport Line.
The equivalent Euro6D 2.2-litre diesel starts from £35,860, rising to £38,510 for the Luxury Line — which I was driving — and £40,030 for the Sport Line. My car was also loaded with an additional £8,000 of extras including £1,130 for the eye-catching Bond Silver paint; £960 for the sunroof; £3,250 for a high-tech Innovation pack; £1,850 for the luxury Comfort Seat pack; £790 for the Lexicon Audi system. This took the final price to £46,490.
My G70 had a good lick of speed going from rest to 62 mph in 7.2seconds up to a top speed of 143mph. And there are clever safety twists. My favourite is a rear-view live image on the dashboard so you see what’s behind, left or right when you indicate.
Genesis has a whole series of new cars coming into the market and it’s exciting because the company is certainly offering a business-class service at premium economy prices.