Luxury sedan is well-engineered, satisfying to drive, and excellent value
New performance sedan By Mark Richardson Does North America really need another performance sedan, especially when car sales are declining against the popularity of SUVs? Hyundai Group’s newest brand, Genesis, thinks it does, and introduced its compact G70 sedan this month in Canada to prove it. ▲
Luxury sedans still in demand The sales of mainstream cars are slipping so much that Ford has announced it’s ending North American production of most of its sedans, but Genesis says luxury sedans are still selling well, and they’re predicted to sell well for some while yet. ▲
Capable everyday driver So with the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, BMW 3 Series and Lexus IS firmly in its sights, the all-new Genesis G70 took to the track at Mont-Tremblant to show off its abilities. More to the point, it also took to the bumpy and winter-damaged backroads to demonstrate its capability as an everyday driver. ▲
All-inclusive pricing The least expensive G70 costs $42,000, and that price includes freight and delivery, and five years of scheduled maintenance – everything except the taxes. There’s no haggling with the Genesis business model of company-owned agents who sell the car, similar to the Tesla business model. ▲
Premium features and presentation The basic G70 is well equipped at the price with soft leather seating that’s heated in the front (like the steering wheel), an 8-inch central touchscreen that offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and various driver’s assistance features that include active cruise control and blind-spot warning. ▲
Turbocharged 4-cylinder The base engine is a 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder that creates 252 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. It’s not an exciting engine on the track, but it’s plenty for the road. It comes standard with an 8-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. ▲
Track performance for the street There’s another version of the G70 with the same engine but mated to a 6-speed manual transmission and rear-wheel drive. It’s intended as a fun-to-drive track car, and has an MSRP of $45,500. It’s better equipped than the base model, with Brembo brakes, a mechanical limited-slip differential, upscale 15-speaker sound system and head-up display, as well as a performance appearance package. ▲
Twin-turbocharged V-6 More features are available on the $47,000 2.0T Elite and $52,000 2.0T Prestige, but for that higher price, you can also buy a G70 with the 3.3-litre twin-turbocharged V-6 engine, called the 3.3T Dynamic. It’s a fair bit more powerful, at 365 hp and 376 lbs.-ft. of torque. There’s also a 3.3T Sport that tops out at $57,500, which adds the go-faster appearances of the smaller Sport, as well as an active damping suspension. Both 3.3s include the Brembo brakes and variable gear ratio steering. ▲
Exciting performance matches looks Does the G70 live up to the promise of its looks? Does it ever! On the track, the 3.3T proved swift and capable, helped by a stiff chassis and crisp steering. ▲
Automatic flicks through gears The automatic transmission flicks through the gears with paddles mounted on the steering wheel, and holds the gear until you choose to change it – none of this defaulting to Drive that many other cars are programmed to do. ▲
Rear driver with manual transmission The 2.0T was less exciting, as you’d expect, though the 2.0T Sport was plenty of fun at slower speeds, rowing through the gears and pushing through from the rear wheels. Genesis claims a zero-to-100 km/h acceleration for the 3.3T of 4.8 seconds but makes no claim for the 2.0T, which is probably about six seconds flat. ▲
Tuned on the Nürburgring Genesis is serious about doing performance properly. The G70 was tuned on the Nürburgring; the head of engineering is Albert Biermann, formerly from BMW’s M Performance division, while the head of Genesis and the head of Genesis Design are both formerly from Lamborghini. ▲
Well-working high-end features Most owners will be looking for practicality off the track and they’ll appreciate the many features available for comfort and convenience. In the past, Hyundai and Kia would load up their higher-end models with features that didn’t always work so well, but this time, for its unashamedly premium model, everything works just as it should. ▲
Sister car to Kia Stinger The vehicle that went unmentioned at this launch is the Kia Stinger, made by Hyundai’s sister company, which shares a platform with the G70 as well as the 3.3-litre V-6 and much of the technology. The Stinger starts at about $46,000 including freight and delivery, but it comes with the larger engine as standard. It’s probably better value for sheer performance dollars. ▲
Terrific value against competitors The G70 is terrific value, however, when it’s compared feature-to-feature against the German and Japanese competition, and even the Cadillac ATS. It looks good, too. Genesis is treading carefully into North America with its new vehicles and can’t afford to make a mistake, but there should be no concerns for the G70 – it’s well-engineered, satisfying to drive, and excellent value for money. ▲
Keyword: QUICK LOOK: 2019 Genesis G70