Genesis G70

Hyundai Motor Company's Genesis is proud to present to you their final addition to the luxury brand's sedan lineup which began with 2015's EQ900 and 2016's G80. This is the G70 and by the looks of it, this is Korea's answer to the German establishments such as the BMW 3er, Mercedes C-Klasse, and the Audi A4, not to mention other competitors from across the globe such as the Lexus IS, the Infiniti Q50, or even the Cadillac ATS. So, what is it then, this Genesis G70?

2018 Genesis G70

That is a tricky one because the G70 is made to cater against other executive midsize saloons in its class despite the fact that it was heavily based on the Kia Stinger. Needless to say, there is a clear difference between the G70 and the Stinger because while the Kia Stinger is about getting things loud all day and all night, the G70 is rather like sipping a cup of Korean red ginseng after work. In short, it's much more of a civilized professional unlike the Stinger it was based into.

2018 Genesis G70

A closer look on the exterior design shows that Genesis really means business and all that Genesis design DNA is catered to their smallest offering yet. These headlamps look vaguely similar to the Alfa Romeo Giulia, which is also one of its chief rivals, while the side view is reminiscent of today's Hyundai Grandeur and the odd-looking rear view has some Accent-styled headlamps. I kinda admit that while the G70 is a good-looking saloon, the rear view just kinda spoils it like a hot female swimmer with her buttocks too big for a pictorial.

2018 Genesis G70 interior

The same story goes for the interior and while its pleasantly luxurious, the dashboard is rather questionable for a luxury saloon. Squint your eyes harder and you can see the dashboard can be a close resemblance of a the ones you saw on today's Mazdas while the steering wheel looks very average for a luxury car. Although the front view of the G70's not somewhat rewarding to look at, it's surprisingly high-tech because it comes with the heads-up display, server-based voice recognition service using Kakao AI platform, smartphone connectivity with Apple CarPlay and MirrorLink support, wireless charging system, and 8-way intelligent driver seat, among many others. On the back, despite being 3er sized, it's surprisingly comfortable and can leave occupants on an "out on a limo" feeling every time they get out from the G70. Like most Genesis saloons, the G70 comes with the latest Quantum Logic surround technology and 15 Lexicon speakers optimally positioned for the ultimate acoustic performance.

2018 Genesis G70

Because the Genesis G70 uses the same architecture as the Kia Stinger, it offers the same choice of three engines available from the Stinger as well. ranging from the 2.2L CRDi-VGT engine with 202PS of power output, 2.0L Turbo GDi engine with 255PS of power output, and the powerful 3.3L Turbo V6 engine producing 370PS of power and 52kgf-m of torque, all mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox with Shift By Wire. All models can be either rear-wheel drive or come with the HTRAC all-wheel drive. 

In Sport variants, the G70 takes advantage of its sport-tuned suspension like you'd expect from the Kia Stinger as well as other features such as launch control, rack-mounted motor-driven power steering, dynamic torque vectoring system, and mechanical limited slip differential. As a result, the handling is expectation-shattering in every single way for a Korean luxury car but when compared to the Kia Stinger, the G70 is just plain subtle and too polite whereas the Stinger can be as bold and as brave as a village idiot.

The G70 is the first to introduce the new Genesis Active Safety Control, which features a wide variety of world-class safety tech such as Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA), Highway Driving Assist (HDA), Blind spot Collision Warning (BCW) and Driver Awareness Warning (DAW). Other than that, the G70 comes with the Around View Monitor which keeps this car and the driver aware at all sides of the world, no matter where it may be.

The G70 starts at 37,500,000 Korean won for the 2.0T, 40,800,000 Won for the 2.2D, and 44,900,000 Won for the 3.3T, which is slightly expensive than the Kia Stinger. So, what can I say? While the G70 upsets the public in terms of pricing, the styling, and the subtlety that is not what you expect for a luxury car, it's surprisingly comfortable, technological, and handicapable on the road. It can be a decent contender against the German "establishments" but unlike the Kia Stinger, the G70 is too honest for its own good and I'll let you decide on what to do about the G70 for the time being.

Available colors: Marble White, Platinum Silver, Racing Grey, Carbon Metal, Titanium Black, Royal Blue, Graceful Grey, Blazing Red, Umber Brown, and Lapis Blue.

Photo: Hyundai Motor Company