The Genesis G70 is a compact executive saloon that’s a surprisingly worthy alternative to the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4.
The upstart South Korean car maker launched its first models in the UK last summer and is aiming to carve out a slice of the luxury car and SUV sector.
The G70 is the smallest of its cars. The smart saloon certainly passes the eyeball test. From any angle it’s a good looking and well-proportioned car, with a low-slung and elegant shape.
They’re still a rarity in the UK and when I drove my test car around Dundee heads turned as people tried to work out what exactly it was.
The rear-wheel drive saloon (Genesis also offer an estate version called the Shooting Brake) comes with the choice of two 2.0 litre petrol engines or a 2.0 litre diesel. The petrol units have either 195 or 242bhp, while the diesel puts out 187bhp.
Prices start at £31,650, which undercuts the cost of an Audi A4 or BMW 3 Series. Not only is it cheaper to buy than its German counterparts, the G70 is better equipped as well.
Well equipped
Even entry level models come with a 10.25in touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, electric seats, blind spot monitoring, LED headlights, front and rear parking sensors and a rear parking camera.
I spent a week with the more powerful of the petrol models in mid-spec Luxury trim. This version of the car sets you back just over £40,000. My test car came loaded up with an Innovation Pack, Comfort Seat Pack, Nappa leather seats, an electric sunroof and an upgraded sound system, which nudged the price up to £50,000.
It really is an impressive piece of kit. The most important metric for an executive saloon is refinement and it scores well here. The suspension is firm but smooth and sound insulation is very good.
On a jaunt up the A90 towards Aberdeen with the rain hammering down the G70 cruised easily at 70mph and I could chat to my passenger without having to raise my voice at all.
Nor is it a slouch when it comes to the twisty stuff. A low centre of gravity, accurate steering and plenty of power from the 242bhp engine make it a lot of fun to hustle round a few bends.
Plush interior
Much effort has gone into designing the interior. Plush leather seats, high quality, user friendly switchgear and a classy ambience make it an easy car to tackle long drives in.
Of course, it’s not perfect. While driver and passenger have plenty of room, space in the back is average at best, and the boot isn’t all that big.
The engines are drawn from parent company Hyundai and aren’t as refined as the superb units used by some rivals, in particular BMW. At around 30mpg and 212g/km, fuel economy and emissions are nothing to write home about either.
Genesis has recently released an electric version of the GV70 – which is fantastic – and expects to electrify its entire range over the next few years.
Given that the petrol and diesel engines are the one of the few chinks in the G70’s armour, an electric powertrain should make it very impressive indeed.
Hyundai always scores very highly in reliability surveys so you can expect Genesis models to offer trouble free motoring.
Meanwhile, Genesis includes maintenance and inspection costs for five years or 50,000 miles in the price of the car. What’s more, the company will collect your car for servicing and leave you with a courtesy car.
That’s a level of customer service not seen anywhere else in the car industry.
The executive and luxury end of the car market has a lot of badge snobbery and isn’t easy for a newcomer to break into. Only time will tell if Genesis can carve out a place for itself. I’ll be rooting for them though.
Facts
Price: £40,700
0-62mph: 6.9 seconds
Top speed: 146mph
Economy: 30.2mpg
CO2 emissions: 212g/km
