The Review Garage

by Jason Fogelson

The 2020 Genesis G70 has a lot going for it. Great looks, lusty performance, sharp handling and superb build quality. It’s no wonder that G70 accounted for over half of the Genesis brand sales in 2019. G70 captured accolades from multiple automotive press organizations in its debut year, and carries on with minor updates for 2020.

G70 also has plenty going against it. While it has to be considered a relative sales success, it sits in a showroom with two languishing luxury sedans, G80 and G90, each awaiting updates. And worse, it sits in a showroom devoid of SUVs or crossover vehicles, with no hybrids, plug-in hybrids or EVs to draw traffic.

It’s challenging to review G70 without thinking about the big picture.

Korean manufacturing giant Hyundai broke off Genesis as a standalone luxury automotive brand in 2015, and despite good reviews for its limited product line, Genesis has lurked in the shadows of the luxury marketplace. Perhaps I’m looking back with rose-tinted glasses when I remember the launch of Lexus as the luxury arm for Toyota, or the rise of Acura as Honda’s luxury brand, or the emergence of Infiniti from Nissan; but I remember a more visible splash, and not such a subtle ripple.

Based on purely anecdotal evidence from driving the G70 around the Detroit area for a week, among people who noticed the car, none were familiar with the Genesis brand. I had to explain it to them every time. Of course, Genesis will be happy to read that people frequently approached me to admire the G70 and to compliment me on its good looks – Detroiters are always happy to offer their (unsolicited) opinions in a parking lot.

And I agreed with them. The G70 is a really attractive sports sedan; a low, sleek four-door with a great stance, an assertive face, and crisp details. The Genesis logo sits proudly on the hood and trunk, a crest flanked by wings, reminiscent of Bentley’s logo (a happy accident, surely). Fit and finish are first rate all around.

Inside, crisply tailored luxury abounds. This is not the overstuffed luxury of early Lexus; this is the modern, elegant luxury of Audi. The supple leatherette (real leather is optional) on the seats is a particular highlight, but the dashboard and center console are also commendable for simple, uncluttered design. The driver’s cockpit is nicely arranged, and the alloy pedals are a great touch.

My test car was a G70 RWD 2.0T Sport M/T, equipped with a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine with a six-speed manual transmission and rear-wheel drive. I’m one of those guys who can’t take a sport sedan seriously if it doesn’t have three pedals, though I recognize that I’m part of a dying breed. Still, I appreciate Genesis considering the “sport” part of “sport sedan” and making this option available. Now, if they’d just tweak the transmission a little bit – perhaps with a short-throw shifter – to make it a little better, I’d be in love. Still, running the 2.0T through its paces was fun, and never grew old during my week with the G70. A bigger engine, a turbocharged 3.3-liter V6 is available; so is all-wheel drive. If you choose the V6 or AWD, you can’t have a manual transmission, which is a bummer. EPA fuel economy estimates for the G70 RWD 2.0T Sport M/T are 18 mpg city/28 mpg highway/22 mpg combined.

If you’re considering a G70, you’re probably weighing it against some stiff competition. The BMW 3 Series is the gold standard in the class, followed closely by the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Audi A4, Lexus IS, Infiniti Q60, Volvo S60, and Cadillac CT5.

Like Hyundai, Genesis bundles a ton of desirable standard features in with its cars, making the value proposition a very good one. The 2020 Genesis G70 RWD 2.0T Sport M/T that I tested came with an as-tested price of $39,495, including just about every luxury feature I would want in a sport sedan. The base car starts at $35,450; and the full zoot, 3.3T AWD A/T comes in at $46,650.

So, if you test the competition and you like the G70 and its pricing, you’ll have to decide whether the badge on the hood is one that you’ll be proud driving behind.

Disclaimer: The manufacturer provided the vehicle used to conduct this test drive and review.

Photos (c) Genesis