The same company that brought you the Hyundai Accent and the Kona brings the luxury-oriented and sporty Genesis G70. Started in 2015, Hyundai wanted to create a spinoff in order to change its dwindling brand image. Beyond hiring German designers from already established brands in the luxury space, the brand had to change its MO entirely in order not to be seen as the bottom scrapers of the automotive industry.
Distaste for Korean-based vehicles was rampant throughout the early 21st century. The cars were cheaply made, filled with plastic bits and pieces, and quite frankly unreliable. But all of that slowly faded away with the introduction of the Genesis luxury brand.
And it is the entry-level G70 luxury sports car that can give you a fulfilling German competition experience for less money. The G70 design is a bold bonus to help stand out in a room packed with familiar luxury faces.
Updated April 2023: The Genesis G70 has marked its territory in the entry-level luxury sedan segment dominated by the Germans. Apart from doing it in a record five years, the G70 also manages to dominate with impressive performance and surprising luxury. The redesign of 2022 has only made the G70, an underdog, a lot cooler. We have updated this article with the latest on the performance, design, and price of the 2023 Genesis G70.
Genesis G70 Is A Luxurious Korean Competing Against Germans
In times of a reeling brand, it takes a hail mary to fix it all. And the Genesis G70 is that Hail Mary that Hyundai pulled out like a rabbit from its magic hat. The Hyundai Group needed a bang, something to bring relevance to their name again. The Genesis brand nameplate does that. A luxury division of one of the last Asian holdouts to enter the space. Honda with Acura, Toyota with Lexus, and so on and so forth. However, Hyundai needed a winner.
In order to compete with the likes of the BMW 3-Series, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and the Audi A4, Hyundai needed more than a suped-up version of the Sonata. Instead, they went for something better, the best of every world. The G70 shares most of its parts with a hodgepodge of Hyundai and Kia vehicles. Don't let that discourage you, though. Think of the G70 as the 'best hits' of the Korean market, giving the consumer everything the country has to offer. And in 2023, it has evolved into a much cooler sedan, all in a short period of five years.
The 365-HP Genesis G70 Is A Fast Car With Impressive Luxury
Hoisting a 3.3-Liter Turbo V6 shared with the Kia Stinger, the 2023 G70 pumps out 365 hp and 376 lb-ft of torque. It's got athletic ability coursing through its oil pipes from the get-go. Coming in RWD instead of the industry standard AWD or FWD, it represents a tilt towards the sporty side, siding instead with more performance-oriented consumers in lieu of business-class travelers.
The G70, when equipped with the V6 and AWD layout, can rocket itself from 0-60 in an agile 4.8 seconds, a number we here at HotCars found impressive for the company it's in. The base 252-HP turbocharged 2.0-Liter four-cylinder isn't bad either. As the connected driving dynamics make up for the deficiency in power. But we would still stick to the Stinger-shared V6 because it will put a grin on your face!
The G70 isn't exactly a slouch either when it comes to luxury. While the vehicle sits substantially lower than its European rivals, the vehicle seems to somehow prioritize both aspects of a car. The suspension feels like a boat, not the herky-jerky kind you took on a lake when you first got a boating license, but instead like a high-class yacht, gliding over bumps and bruises in the road. The active shocks fill in all the holes in the asphalt, making the Genesis seem like sitting first class on an airplane... on the road... and on the ground.
On the interior, the Genesis had us fooled for a cabin four times its price. You wouldn't have ever guessed the car shares an engine with a sports sedan. Luxury pieces adorn the insides of the G70, with Nappa leather, massaging seats, and stylish trim not to the likes of faux carbon fiber or a pair of bucket seats but with ample legroom and a driver-positioned layout.
As for the 2023 G70 in-article technology features, it packs a sleek 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment screen. This is akin to the ones found in Mazda cars. The G70 is loaded with connectivity features, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
2023 Genesis G70 Costs Less Than A BMW 3-Series
With a starting MSRP of $44,900 for the 3.3-Liter G70, this luxurious Hyundai severely undercuts other competition in its class. Fighting the C-Class' $44,850 for the base trim and the BMW 3-Series' $43,800 price point for its lower trims, the G70 represents a cheaper cost at its highest level over the Germans' attempts. The base Genesis G70 makes it even tougher for the competition as it starts with an MSRP of just $39,400.
It's also cool to note that the G70 did come with a manual transmission for its lesser 2.0 L model until 2021, so if you find a used one, jump on it, as they are rare and unique. The Genesis G70 is quite easily one of our favorite vehicles to be a dual-threat in the car space. Its combination of athletic ability paired with usability makes it a car with prowess that rivals even the top sports cars. In a world of dwindling awesome driver's cars, including the Kia Stinger, the Genesis G70 is an affordable ray of hope.