Genesis started off as a model with the now vast Hyundai range. It was an E segment sedan, which took a direct aim at such well-regarded cars as the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes E Class and other class entrants such as the Cadillac CTS, Lexus ES350 and the Infiniti M37/Q70. It stunned everyone with just how good it was, and when you factored in the fact that the car was priced at several thousand dollars less than those rivals, it was no surprise to watch sales increase steadily. This was just the beginning of Hyundai’s desire to cover even more of the market and to try to capture some of the lucrative premium sectors, so the decision to create a separate brand, using the Genesis name was perhaps not a surprise. Once you have a brand, you probably need more than one car, which is where the G70 comes in. The original Genesis car had been branded the G80 during the life of its second generation, and remained a 5 Series rival, so the G70 was the car to take aim at the 3 Series and its established rivals. The G70 was under development for several years and had been previewed by the Genesis New York Concept and shown at the 2016 New York International Auto Show, which I remember seeing and finding rather appealing. There were changes from the concept to the production car, of course, but the lineage is very clear. The G70 was drafted by German auto designer Peter Schreyer, who is also responsible for designing the related Kia Stinger. The production car was first seen in September 2017, at a global launch event in Seoul. Sales in the local market started soon thereafter, and the car was then launched in Middle Eastern markets in 2018 and the US market got the car for the 2019 model year. It was awarded the prestigious North American Car of the Year title in 2019.

The G70 shares its platform with the also well-received Kia Stinger. That means it comes as standard with rear wheel drive, with all wheel drive a cost option. There is only one body style, a four door sedan, and the choice of a couple of engines, so a far more restricted range than you get from BMW, Mercedes and Audi. In most respects, though the G70 follows the form of those cars pretty closely, being positioned very much as a sports-luxury sedan. Unlike those cars where the standard spec is not that generous, Genesis include far more features without needing to resort of the options list and the Genesis inherits all the other ownership benefits of long and generous warranty terms as well as good reputation for reliability. A mid-cycle update appeared at the end of 2020, though you need to be pretty familiar with the initial car to spot the changes to the lights and bumpers, as is often the way these days. The new looks was intended to bring the G70 mode closely into line visually with the larger G80 and G90 models.  There have been a number of changes to the standard spec with more technology features being added over the years, but essentially, the G70 of today is pretty similar to the car that we first saw a few years ago. Sales have been respectable in the US, but far from stellar, so, like the other Genesis models, you don’t see that often on the roads.

When I was in the US in November 2021, I noticed a large number of brand new 2022 model year facelifted G70s in the fleet at the Pheonix Sky Harbor location, but failed to secure one. It was on my list to try to get one in my Spring 2022 trip. I arrived in Phoenix late in the evening to find a real car famine, and the chance of getting anything of interest looked very remote, but then when the next batch of cars was brought up fresh from preparation, I spotted that a G70 was among them. I more or less ran over to it, as it was being parked up in the President’s Circle area before anyone else could grab it.

The test car had the 2.0 litre turbo four cylinder engine, the smaller of the two options in a G70. It puts out a healthy 252 bhp. This is a good engine, proving to be very smooth, extremely refined and also very willing. So there was always more than enough performance available, with strong mid-range acceleration on offer. The engine remains quite muted, so it is actually delivering more than you might realise, as a glance at the speedo will confirm. The manual transmission option in the G70 was dropped for the 2022 model year, so all models now come with an 8 speed automatic gearbox. It is also rather good, with very seamless changes between ratios. There are paddles if you want to make the gearchanges yourself. There is a separate button for Park, but thankfully, unlike some cars nowadays, the gear selection was intuitive. I covered 183 miles in my day with the G70 and it needed 6.09 gallons to refill it which works out at 30.05 mpg US or 35.9 mpg Imperial, a good result for a car of this size and performance.

It’s not just a good engine that makes the G70 a very pleasant car to drive, but the other dynamics as well. The steering is well judged, proving light when manoeuvering but adding weight as you increase the speed and put the lock on, so there is a good sensation as to where the steered wheels are heading. The G70 handles tidily, with plenty of grip and very little in eth way of body roll. It also rides well, sitting on 235/45 R18 tyres. Genesis have judged well the balance between comfortable yet firm enough for the car to handle well. The brakes gave no cause for concern, with ample stopping power from not much pedal pressure. Visibility is about as good as you get these days, but thankfully there are some modern technology aids to help including all round parking sensors, a rear view camera and the useful blind spot warning system. There is a full complement of other safety aids, and I found the Lane Keep Assist as annoying as ever, with the system beeping relentlessly, sometimes with false readings.

The interior of the G70 is very nicely finished, exuding the air of quality and luxury that befits the Genesis’ positioning in the market. There is lots of leather on the dash and the door casings, set off by some neat stitching and bright metal inlays. I thought it all very nice to look at and to touch, finding the leather-wrapped steering wheel particularly nice to hold. The dash layout itself is pretty conventional. There is a single instrument cluster comprised of two large round dials for the speedometer and rev counter with smaller fuel level and water temperature gauges inset between them where you also find the trip computer displays. There are two chunky stalks which include the lights as well as indicators and wipers and the steering wheel boss has audio repeaters and cruise control buttons. The 10.25 “ infotainment colour touch screen sits on the dash top where its prominent mounting makes it easy to see at a glance. Functions include aa six speaker audio system including XM Satellite radio, navigation, Apple Car Play and Android Auto, as you would expect in a luxury car. There is a row of buttons under the screen which made it easy to use. Lower in the dash are three rotaries for the dual zone climate control.

Seat upholstery is a synthetic leather, which felt to be of decent quality and was hard to tell from stuff that had come from a real cow. There is electric seat adjustment and a wide range of driving positions can be accommodate. You can sit very low. If you want, and indeed I found this was one of those rare cars where the lowest seat setting was actually too low to suit me. Headroom is not overly generous, but with the seat set well down, should not be a problem. There are height adjustable seat belts and the column telescopes in/out as well as up/down. The front seats had heating elements in them.

The rather swoopy styling means that that you do have to watch your head when getting into the back, though once installed, I found that headroom was actually OK, with enough clearance between the top of my head and the roof-lining. The G70 is not hugely generous in terms of rear legroom, especially if the front seats are set well back. Width wise, there is enough space for three, but the central console does come well back and there is quite a sizeable central tunnel. There is a drop-down central armrest with cup holders in the upper surface and odds and ends can go in the door pockets or the nets on the back of the front seats.

The boot is not that big. It is long but it is also relatively shallow. There is a space saver tyre under the boot floor. The rear seat backrests drop down to create a much longer load platform. Inside the cabin there is a modestly sized glovebox, door pockets on all four doors, a deep central cubby and an area in front of the gearlever for the various odds and ends that accumulate in a car.

The 2022 Genesis G70 comes in two trims: 2.0T and 3.3T. The powertrain is the main thing separating these trims: The 3.3T comes with a much stronger engine. It also offers a few features the 2.0T trim does not, but you probably won’t miss them too much if you decide the bigger engine isn’t worth the extra money. Hertz clearly decided to stick with the 2.0T cars.  The G70 sports an MSRP of $37,525. It comes with a 252 bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, an eight-speed automatic transmission, and rear-wheel drive. Standard features include synthetic leather upholstery, heated and power-adjustable front seats, a rear-seat reminder, dual-zone automatic climate control, a 10.25-inch touch screen, navigation, a six-speaker stereo, satellite radio, HD Radio, USB ports, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. Standard driver assistance features include a rearview camera, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, lane keep assist, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, intersection assist, pedestrian detection, vehicle exit warning, adaptive cruise control, and driver drowsiness monitoring. The 2.0T Prestige package ($4,000) adds leather upholstery, a sunroof, front and rear parking sensors, wireless device charging, and a 15-speaker Lexicon audio system. You can add all-wheel drive and a heated steering wheel for $2,100. The Genesis G70 3.3T starts at $42,100. It comes with a 365 bhp twin-turbocharged 3.3-litre V6. In addition to the 2.0T’s features, the 3.3T comes standard with leather upholstery and a sport-tuned suspension. You can add AWD and a heated steering wheel for $2,100. The 3.3T Sport Advanced package ($4,300) adds a sunroof, ventilated front seats, front and rear parking sensors, wireless device charging, and a 15-speaker Lexicon audio system. The 3.3T Sport Prestige package ($8,300 in RWD models; $8,200 in AWD models) adds Brembo brakes, a limited-slip differential, Nappa leather upholstery, a heated steering wheel, a head-up display, and a surround-view parking camera system. There’s also a 3.3T Launch Edition, which starts at $52,500. Other than some unique styling elements, it’s the same as the standard 3.3T. AWD is a $2,000 upgrade in the Launch Edition.

I really liked this Genesis. I think it looks good, it is beautifully finished inside, rivalling Audi and Volvo for a feeling of quality materials and tasteful design, and it drives really well. The only possible downside is that this car is not as spacious inside as some of its rivals, a problem that also afflicts the Jaguar XE and to a lesser extent the Alfa Giulia. It would be fine for four people unless they are all really tall, and provided that do not have mountains of luggage, but then, that’s what SUVs are for! This is a very competitive class, and the G70 is not short of rivals. In Europe it is dominated by the German trio, and breaking into that even with an outstanding product is almost mission impossible, as Alfa and Jaguar have found in recent years. In the US, things are not quite so tightly defined, so the Genesis should stand more of a chance, but it is going to take time, as other competitors have found. Given the rate of progression of Korean models, it would not seem unlikely that the Genesis could over time be the car that leads the class not just in terms of its qualities but also in market acceptance. It’s not there yet, though I am sure that one reason for putting a lot of these into the rental fleets is to give a wider range of people the chance to try one. If you get the chance, you should do so. I think you will enjoy it, just like I did.