Genesis has appeared to prove themselves as a worthy disruptor in the Automotive space. What started as one Hyundai sedan has become a whole lineup that is here to shake up the luxury market. The Genesis G70 is no exception to this. The smallest car in the Genesis lineup is meant to compete in the small luxury sedan market with the likes of the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C Class. This segment is also synonymous with performance. The M and AMG divisions of Genesis’ German rivals take their compact sedans to the next level with performance.
Genesis does not have a high performance sub brand, but that does not stop them from still giving some of the best performance around. The G70 gives you all the performance you could ever want, but does it with much more subtlety than you usually see from other brands. Though higher performance variants may be in the cards later on, the Genesis G70 we have now is more than adequate. Genesis has found the formula of what a performance car really needs to be and people have noted it.
For its immense performance capability, the Genesis G70 is really flying under the radar. Here’s why you should take note of it.
Power Comes Standard With The Genesis G70
Some small luxury sedans are simply meant to be status symbols and in badge only. Not only can you find a more luxurious interior in some Toyotas, but they also lack any kind of power unless you pay through the nose for one of the high-end performance variants. Genesis decided to democratize power with the G70. Two powertrains are provided for the sedan, and you can’t go wrong with either. The base turbocharged four-cylinder gives you 252 horsepower while the 3.3-liter turbo V6 gives you 365 horsepower. Both engines are potent enough to give you the added punch at a reasonable price.
Both BMW and Mercedes’ comparable offerings have base engines of 255 horsepower but both start at more than the G70. The Genesis starts at around $39,000 while the Germans come in at upwards of $43,000. Upgrading to the larger V6 in the G70 only raises the base price to a little over $44,000 to give you an additional 113 horsepower. To get a comparable amount of power in the 3 Series, you would be stepping up to the M340i, but that inflates its price tag to around $57,000. Genesis gives you not only a good amount of luxury but also great performance at a price that undercuts many of its competitors.
Sportiness Found Inside And Out With The Genesis G70
The G70 gives you a strong sense of classy luxury both inside and out. This is in the styling and what performance you are actually getting. This has been amplified in the latest iteration of the G70 as it has adopted more of the Genesis corporate design language. When the G70 first came out, it was a handsome car, but it certainly had an excess of chrome and silver accents on its exterior. This gives you more of a luxury feel without much sportiness. But with the G70 reflecting the signature Genesis look, you get an added level of performance visual flair.
This includes Genesis’ smoothed out pentagonal grille and the blacked out honeycomb insert. This is accompanied by lower vents with a similar honeycomb mesh insert. The split headlights and taillights give the sedan a sleeker look as well. But what some may miss with the G70 is how the sporty looks are not just skin deep. To pair with its powerful engines, Genesis tacks on plenty of other performance upgrades. The added performance upgrades run the gamut of Brembo brakes and a special sport tuned suspension. On the six-cylinder G70, there is a “Sport+” mode that gives the driver the most performance that the G70 has to offer. It benefits from a more rigid chassis and a variable exhaust valve system that gives this Genesis a more sinister grumble. To give the G70’s performance more refinement is an eight-speed transmission and available all-wheel drive. Through both the styling and mechanical components, the G70 gives you the complete package of what an emotive experience is in a truly performance-oriented luxury sedan.
Genesis hasn’t been doing this for long. Their whole lineup is only about five years old at most. In that space of time, the amount of ground in the automotive industry they have covered is astounding. The G70 is living proof of this. It gives you so much of what the best competition has to offer plus more. Genesis may not be a household name currently, but they are surely on their way to total domination of the luxury market. It just turns out that the G70 is their hidden ace up their sleeve to help them get there.