2021 Genesis G70 3.3T Sport review: New rival to the BMW 3 Series impresses

A standout new luxury car gives buyers the option for lots of goodies and top notch quality but without the badge premium of the Germans.

Genesis G70 2021

The Genesis G70 asks a question that cuts to the core for luxury buyers. If a luxury car is all about perception, this is not the car for you. If you’re more interested in superior features, quality materials and vehicle dynamics, you should give Hyundai’s luxury spin-off a chance.

Heavily updated for 2021, the G70 now has Genesis’ signature split head and tail-lamps, along with a five-point grille and polished mesh elements.

Genesis is Hyundai’s luxury spin-off brand.

Pitched as a rival to BMW’s 3 Series and the Mercedes C-Class, the Genesis has far more standard features than entry-level European alternatives.

Priced from $63,000 plus on-road costs, it comes with heated and cooled leather seats, a sunroof, wireless phone charging, metallic paint and a 10.25-inch touchscreen with digital radio, smartphone mirroring and satnav.

A new central airbag between the driver and passenger makes it safer than the previous model. Though its driver aids aren’t as finessed as some rivals, the Genesis has an exit warning system preventing passengers opening doors into the path of traffic, and will apply the brakes automatically if the rear cross-traffic feature sees something you missed when reversing.

Prices start at $63,000 plus on-road costs.

A $4000 sport package adds Brembo brakes, a limited-slip differential and darkened aesthetic elements inside and out. Spending a further $10,000 on the luxury pack lands fabulous quilted Nappa leather seats with 16-way driver memory adjustment, a suede headlining, heated steering wheel, 15-speaker stereo, 12.3-inch 3D digital dashboard, matrix LED headlights, a powered bootlid, head-up display and more.

The interior is plush with lots of high quality materials.

As before, the Genesis continues with the same pair of engines found in Kia’s Stinger sedan, driving the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Entry-level models have a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo motor using 9.0L/100km to make 179kW and 353Nm.

Customers with $76,000 to spend get a more powerful – and popular – 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 engine requiring 10.2L/100km to make 274kW and 510Nm figures.

Those aren’t particularly impressive numbers – class-leading alternatives use much less fuel to make more power in lighter bodies.

The Genesis is highlighted by a high attention to detail and top notch build quality.

But Genesis’ value-packed approach delivers a punchy six-cylinder G70 for less than the cost of a four-cylinder BMW, or a turbo 2.0-litre version for the price of an undernourished three-cylinder model from the German brand.

You also get a five-year warranty with five years of free servicing that the Europeans can’t match and Genesis promises to look after customers with superior after-sales care to more established brands.

It’s hard to test-drive the full ownership experience.

But we can say the Genesis is a generously appointed and impressively finished luxury sedan. Test examples with Sports and Luxury packs finished with rich red leather, or quilted black upholstery trimmed with red stitching, looked and felt appropriately plush.

Part of the prestige sedan appeal lies in a rear-wheel-drive layout offered by BMW, Lexus or Mercedes.

The G70 is one of the better driving luxury mid-size sedans.

As such, the G70 delivers a more sophisticated drive than cheaper sedans or SUVs, with steering uncorrupted by the need to drive the front wheels. Fixed suspension on four-cylinder versions strikes an appropriately sporty balance between comfort and poise, recognising buyers of this sort of car are looking for something interesting to drive.

The Brembo brakes are beautifully modulated and the grip from high-performance Michelin tyres is impressive in wet and dry conditions. More powerful V6 models benefit from multi-mode suspension tailored for Australian roads. Customisable driver settings allow you to tailor the car to various road conditions, and a new sports plus setting combines snappy gear changes with taut suspension and loosened traction control.

The punchy V6 can go from zero to 100km/h in 4.7 seconds.

Petrolheads will be drawn to the punchy V6. Its 4.7 second dash to 100km/h easily shades the smaller engine’s 6.1 second sprint.

But the four-cylinder version is about 100 kilos lighter, riding on the same 19-inch wheels and Michelin tyres as its more powerful brother. It’s better in the bends, but the V6’s multi-mode suspension delivers superior comfort and performance.

Both are fun to drive, delivering a feel-good factor to offset the relative anonymity of the Genesis badge.

VERDICT 3.5/5

Value-packed, impressively appointed and polished on the road, the Genesis G70 makes a strong case.

2021 GENESIS G70 3.3T SPORT VITALS

Price: From $76,000 plus on-road costs

Engine: 3.3-litre V6 twin-turbo, 274kW/510Nm

Warranty/servicing: 5-year/unlimited km, free for 5 years

Safety: Not rated, 10 airbags, auto emergency braking, lane-keep assist, active cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert

Thirst: 10.2L/100km

Cargo: 330 litres

Spare: Space saver

Originally published as 2021 Genesis G70 3.3T Sport review: New rival to the BMW 3 Series impresses