Living with the 2021 Genesis G70

• Introduction: Step Brother
• Month Two: Force-fed Fury
• Month Three: Rapid Response
• Month Four: Booty Shaker
• Month Five: Farewell - Honesty Box

Introduction: Step Brother

Newman gets behind the wheel of the classy sibling

Brothers from different mothers. This is the most accurate description of the relationship between the Kia Stinger GT and Genesis G70. The former has obviously just departed the MOTOR garage so it seemed only fair to compare and contrast its recently facelifted sibling by having it stay for a few months.

It takes only a cursory glance at the technical data to see the close relationship between the two cars. Both use the same 3342cc twin-turbo V6 producing 274kW at 6000rpm and 510Nm from 1300-4500rpm, tied to an eight-speed automatic with exactly the same ratios (gearbox and diff) and a limited-slip diff. The similarities continue with the chassis, with the wheel sizes (19 x 8.0-inch front; 19 x 8.5-inch rear), tyres sizes (225/40 front; 255/35 rear) and tyre type (Michelin Pilot Sport 4) all identical.

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However, the two begin to diverge dimensionally. The Genesis is 145mm shorter in length and 20mm narrower with a 70mm shorter wheelbase, its slightly smaller size presumably responsible for its 28-74kg weight advantage, depending on the specification.

This particular car is the range-topping 3.3T Sport with the optional Luxury Package so we’ll assume it’s towards the heavier side of the ledger, but a trip to the weighbridge could be in order to confirm. Either way, that shrunken wheelbase does result in rear seats that are on the tight side, with marginal leg room and nowhere really to put your feet.

At this point you might be thinking “yeh, yeh, if these cars are so similar, why are you bothering?” Well, whereas the Stinger GT was $63,760RRP/$66,690 driveaway, this flagship G70 asks for $85,876RRP, the Luxury Package accounting for $10,000 of that.

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The extra spend includes the Forward Attention Warning safety system, 12.3-inch 3D instrument cluster, head-up display (HUD), 16-way adjustable driver’s seat, heated steering wheel and rear seats, power-operated boot, 15-speaker Lexicon audio system, intelligent front lighting system, acoustic laminated windscreen and front windows, Nappa leather interior, driver’s memory seating, suede headlining and electronic wheel adjustment.

That’s a fair whack of kit, though it’s interesting that quite a bit of it (HUD, heated wheel and wheel adjustment) is standard in the Stinger. The standard equipment list is incredibly lengthy, so let’s just concentrate on what’s new for the 2021 facelift.

An active variable exhaust extracts an extra 2kW, there’s a new Sport+ mode, the airbag count is now 10, there are heated and ventilated front seats, a 10.25-inch central infotainment touchscreen, panoramic sunroof and a whole bunch of active safety gizmos like blind-spot collision avoidance, junction turning assist, safe exit warning, multi-collision braking, lane following assist, rear cross traffic alert and surround view monitor.

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In terms of after sales, Genesis is attempting to cover every base, with five years complimentary scheduled servicing (though it’s only valid for 50,000km), as well as a five years/unlimited kilometre warranty, ‘Genesis-To-You’ courtesy vehicle concierge service if you live within 70km of a Genesis dealer and 24/7 roadside assistance.

We’ll get to how the G70 drives in future updates but for now I’ll cover arguably the most important aspect of the car, its interior. It’s really swish. Genesis hasn’t so much benchmarked BMW and Mercedes and Lexus as Bentley. That might sound ridiculous but there is clear evidence of British inspiration.

Aside from the badge, which must be one per cent away from having Bentley’s lawyers on the phone, there’s leather-covered everything, diamond-quilted patterns on the seats and doors, and externally there’s even that little vent behind the front wheels. Is the Genesis like a Bentley? No, but by taking inspiration from it the resultant interior feels special for the money.

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There are a few bits shared with the Stinger, notably the infotainment screen, dash top and centre row of buttons, and its regular vents don’t look as fancy as Kia’s circular ones, but it’s definitely a more special cabin. Of note are the new 3D dials, too, which I absolutely love. Others might be more ambivalent, and of the three styles the funky, Tron-like pale blue/green one is permanently active. So it’s a good start for the dark green Genesis, but can it continue to impress when it hits the road? Find out next month. – SN

Things we love:

1. Grunty engine
2. Plush interior
3. Head-turner

Things we rue:

1. Getting expensive
2. No AWD for Oz
3. Brand awareness

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Month Two: Force-Fed Fury

Can the twin-turbo Genesis replace an Aussie icon?

Years ago I almost bought a brand-new Mk6 VW Golf GTI. But I didn’t. The thought of sinking $50k on-road (with options) scared me and I opted out of the deal. How does that have anything to do with a Genesis G70 3.3T Sport I hear you ask? Well, it’s what I purchased instead that has road test editor, Scott Newman, flinging me the keys to ‘his’ long termer.

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Essentially, saying no to the GTI had me saying yes to a used FG Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo MKI months later. You see where I’m going now, with the rear-drive, twin-turbo V6 Korean being a pseudo replacement for my Aussie icon. Or so the story goes.

But how true is that narrative? Some time behind the wheel of the daringly styled G70 uncovered a lot.

The 4.0-litre Barra’s lazy nature (8.8:1 compression ratio) pairs well with the Garrett GT3576 turbocharger, offering up 270kW/533Nm – or 586Nm for 10 seconds with overboost. In practice nothing really happens below 2500rpm. Despite it being an impressive application of forced induction, it’s a trip down turbo lag memory lane.

Yet, when it’s on song, the experience is a heady mix of torque and relentless in-gear pace. And it sounds good while doing it, too. The ZF six-speed auto pairs well with the powertrain, so don’t do what I did and opt for the rather agricultural Tremec TR-6060 six-speed manual.

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Those engine figures match up well with the G70’s 3.3-litre bent six, which cranks out 274kW/510Nm – especially given both weigh around the 1750kg mark. Yet the G70 feels a lot more immediate, with peak torque on the board from 1100-4500rpm.

The quoted 0-100km/h time of 4.7sec seems plausible by the bum test. The best MOTOR achieved from a six-pot was 4.89sec with a 325kW XR6 Turbo Sprint. The G70’s eight-speed auto is slick, but also best left to its own devices in a sporty mode over using the paddles. Sadly, Sport and Sport Plus don’t uncork the tuneful acoustics that the Blue Oval does.

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The big difference between the two is size. Those wanting to take swipes at the Falcon would call it a taxi, and at nearly five metres long, it’s easy to see why.

It dwarfs the 4685mm Genesis despite them both having a wheelbase within 3mm of each other. The Korean feels a shed-load nimbler. Truth is, my XR6 Turbo wouldn’t keep pace with the Genesis on a twisty road.

However, it isn’t all sunshine and roses. While I’ll leave the full dynamic assessment to Scotty, it’s safe to say the G70’s front axle is more talkative and skilled than the sometimes-disobedient rear.

Dial in Sport mode and the electronic nannies clamp down on the fun as hard as a Covid lockdown. Yet, Sport Plus lets things run a little too freely, with the breakaway point often coming as a surprise rather than progressively. While decent, it could use more rubber than the 255-section Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres at the rear.

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The funny thing is, the Genesis makes more sense when you’re not pushing it. And just like my XR6 Turbo, which I’d originally bought with plans to modify it, the pleasure comes in its long-distance cruising ability.

I can’t help but think the G70 3.3T Sport should be viewed as a luxury car with sporting ability over a performance car with a luxe persona. Overall refinement (despite a rattle coming from the sunroof) and compliant ride in Comfort mode are what have impressed me most.

So, it’s crunch time. Would I buy a G70 3.3T Sport? The short answer is no. And that’s mainly because of the elephant in the room, the Kia Stinger GT. Not only is its size more in line with the Falcon, so is its ethos.

Affordable performance is its USP and while the Genesis adds ample glitz, glam and polish, it also bumps up the price. If you’re after a force-fed, six-cylinder replacement to a boosted Aussie icon, my hard-earned would be with the Kia.

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The range-topping G70 feels as if it’s reaching for a demographic that desires up-market smoothness over overt performance. Would I recommend it as a luxury mid-size sedan with enough grunt to outpace the similarly priced German four-pot establishment? And that’s a yes. Back over to you, Mr Newman. Oh, and sorry, I got it a little dirty. – TG

Things we love:

1. Gutsy V6
2. Straight-line pace
3. Comfy cruiser

Things we rue:

1. Stinger is cheaper
2. Unpredictable rear
3. Soundtrack

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Month Three: Rapid Response

G70 takes to the strip and causes a few furrowed brows

The Genesis brand is built on the pillars of luxury and performance, but what exactly does this mean, and does the G70 hold up its end of the bargain? Luxury is a tough concept to define. The dictionary itself states luxury is “a state of great comfort or elegance, especially when involving great expense”.

Too often, manufacturers equate luxury with gadgetry, as if stuffing an interior with high-resolution screens and the latest technology conveys an atmosphere of beatific calm. No one I know goes to JB Hi-Fi to chill and relax. This is something Rolls-Royce understands very well, in particular the previous-generation Phantom. Its interior was notable as much for what it lacked – noise, complexity and sources of distraction, notably – as much for what it had.

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Obviously, the Genesis doesn’t even approach these dizzying heights, but then nor does it involve great expense, being cheaper than a Phantom by about a factor of 12. It does subscribe to a similar philosophy, though. The G70 has its fair share of toys – I’ve already extolled the 3D dials and the fancy Lexicon stereo isn’t too shabby either – but there’s something about the driving experience that is instantly relaxing, and that’s without activating the Sounds of Nature program that instantly transports you to driving amidst deep rainforest or along a deserted beach or through a crowded cafe…

Anyway, the G70 does a good job of creating that state of great comfort – you always seem to just sink a little lower into those diamond-quilted Nappa leather seats – but there are a couple of flies in the fancy ointment. The first of which is the same infotainment system as ‘lesser’ Kia models, specifically the Stinger I just vacated, but unless you’ve literally hopped out of an equivalent Kia product you’re unlikely to notice.

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Of more concern is what probably seems like nothing, a minor annoyance at most, but it constantly gives me the irrits. It’s the fuel filler release or, rather, the fact that it’s button-operated. Is this because, as a privileged motoring journalist, I’m constantly driving other cars, the majority of which have the newer, more convenient press-release fuel filler cap? Possibly, but the fact that I’m still constantly getting out of the G70, futilely pressing its filler cap before sighing and returning to press the button suggests otherwise. To be honest it annoyed me in the Stinger, too, but it seems even more incongruent with the Genesis’ more upmarket standing.

Performance, thankfully, is easier to quantify. The seat of the pants says that the G70’s 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 is plenty potent, but a recent run in fairly good conditions at Heathcote provided the opportunity to put some data behind the hypothesis. And if you want to watch it in action rather than read about it, then hit up the MOTOR YouTube channel. But I digress.

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The G70 has a launch control system but initially I try it the old fashioned way by selecting Sport, turning off the traction control, loading up the brakes slightly and letting it fly. The end result isn’t too shabby: 0-100km/h in 5.2sec and a 13.3sec quarter mile at 175-odd clicks. Weirdly, disabling ESC and activating launch control makes things worse, a lengthy pause from standstill resulting in 0-100km/h in 5.4sec and a 13.5sec quarter.

Even more weirdly, the launch control system seems to dust itself off and sort itself out, as further experimentation – following a scientific process known as “trying it a couple more times” – sees the G70 scooting sharply off the line with strong traction, though it loves to squirm its way down the strip through third and even fourth gear. Nevertheless, the results are impressive, recording 0-100km/h in 4.83sec and a 13.05sec quarter mile – oh-so-close to a 12! – at 176.79km/h.

On a more subjective level, the G70 feels fast. Its rear-end squirminess is part of it, but also the way the ample mid-range torque hits and hits hard. It seems to sound better than its Kia counterpart, too, with a bit more musicality to it, though it’s still no Ferrari V12. Next month we’ll introduce some corners into the equation and see if the G70’s more compact dimensions pay dividends in the bends. - SN

Things we love:

• Classy cabin
• It's quick
• Design restraint

Things we rue:

• Fuel filler button
• Odd launch control
• Kia infotainment

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Month Four: Booty Shaker

'Genny' from the block heads beyond the inner city

Thanks to a combination of lockdowns, travel restrictions and a fairly hectic work schedule, the G70’s use has primarily been limited to urban or daily duties, bar last month’s. This has been instructive in its own way, but finally a chance presented itself to stretch the Genesis’ legs on a proper drive with some decent corners.

A few chances, in fact, and in the last month I’ve driven the ‘Genny’ on track in the wet and the dry as well as on a couple of good roads that proved a stern test of its chassis. To recap, the G70 isn’t just a Stinger with a different badge, but is 145mm shorter in length, 20mm narrower and has a 70mm shorter wheelbase, as well as weighing slightly less. That suggests it should be the more agile of the two, but theory is one thing, practice is quite another.

Let’s deal with the track stuff quickly, before moving on to the more relevant road assessment. To be clear, the Genesis G70 is not in any way a track car, nor is it intended to be.

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Nevertheless, while filming at Bryant Park hillclimb it seemed rude not to poke the G70 slightly and see what it was like at its limit. In the wet, frankly, it was a bit alarming, but partly due to my own ignorance.

I thought, incorrectly, that the only way to deactivate the ESP system was to select Sport mode rather than the Genesis-specific Sport+ mode, which backs off the traction-control system automatically to a level that’s very nicely judged on the road but still a bit restrictive in an open environment.

Trouble is, in Sport mode the gearbox will still change up automatically and does so a fair way from redline, usually just north of 5500rpm. No great drama in and of itself, but on a wet surface the 510Nm of torque from the 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 easily spins up the rear wheels in second gear, at which point the transmission grabs third and the wheel speed skyrockets in concert with your heart rate. This, combined with a front end that wasn’t hugely keen on biting into the surface, made for a fairly unsatisfying experience.

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Returning on another day, this time with bright sunshine and the knowledge that selecting Sport+ both allows the ESP to be deactivated and also prevents auto upshifts, led to much more enjoyment. It’s too soft to be truly agile in such an environment and the diff could be a little tighter, but the chassis is both balanced and adjustable – around the low speed confines of Bryant Park, at least – and the engine has more than enough grunt to shorten the straights and lay black lines on the exit of corners.

On the road the situation isn’t quite as clear. The G70 is essentially overpowered, the chassis incapable of deploying the engine’s entire arsenal – this isn’t necessarily a negative. Even if the tyres are hooked up the rear end squirms under full throttle and therefore if the grip is lessened slightly – a patch of dirt, a section of bumps – correction can be required. As a result, the Genesis is always quite involving and lively.

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Even though the dampers firm up substantially in Sport+ mode it still exhibits quite a bit of roll and body movement and it’s often the rear that gives up first. It must be said that these assessments are while driving the car in a manner few, if any, G70 owners will, and dial back the effort a little and you can cover ground at an extremely rapid rate.

The steering provides just enough communication to keep you informed and a more judicious use of the throttle (or perhaps go a gear higher than normal) gives the rear tyres a fighting chance. It would be very interesting to sample an overseas-spec all-wheel drive G70, though it might be horses for courses as what it gains in tractive ability it may lose in character?

To be honest, a BMW 330i – the G70’s obvious price rival – is more finely honed and might even be quicker point-to-point, despite its 84kW/110Nm power disadvantage, simply due to its superb balance and the fact you can wring its neck with confidence. What it can’t compete with, though, is the Genesis’ ability to exit a corner with relentless slingshot acceleration – its roll-on acceleration really is mightily impressive. Next month we’ll wrap up our time with the G70 with the good, the bad and the ugly. - SN

Things we love:

• Luxe cabin
• It's quick!
• Lively rear-end

Things we rue:

• Traction issues
• Mode-play
• Early up-shifting

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Month Five: Farewell - Honesty Box

Scotty details the good, the bad and the ugly

Time’s up. The Genesis G70 3.3T Sports Luxury has returned to its maker, offering an opportunity to reflect on five months of ‘ownership’. We packed a lot into our time together, from lockdown shopping runs to – once restrictions lifted – cross country blasts with a couple of outings at Heathcote and Bryant Park thrown in for good measure.

In an attempt to summarise the G70 experience I’m going to do my best Clint Eastwood impersonation and play The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. To continue with the movie references, topping the good list is just the vibe of the thing (if you don’t recognise this you’re unAustralian).

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No matter what I’d been driving, sinking into the comfy diamond-quilted seats of the Genesis always promoted a feeling of relaxation. In many ways, that’s job done for a car with luxury pretensions. The design, the material quality and some of the technology all combine to make the G70’s interior a very pleasant place to be. It might not be to everyone’s tastes, but nor am I alone in my views. The photography and video team frequently borrowed the boosted Genesis, even when other options were available, and complaints were few.

While we’re talking positives, the 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 has ample grunt. I’d be lying if I said I noticed the extra 2kW the now-standard active exhaust extracts, but the G70’s best figures of 0-100km/h in 4.83sec and a 13.05sec quarter mile at 176.79km/h – achieved with the surprisingly effective launch control – show it’s no slouch.

The pairing of the torque curve and a chassis designed for comfort rather than speed makes the G70 a great way to travel long distances in the traditional Aussie style. I’ve long thought that the Kia Stinger and its upmarket Genesis twin should be on the shopping lists of anyone wanting to replace their Ford G6E or Holden Calais, so to put the concept to the test I threw the keys to MOTOR’s XR6 Turbo-owning Trent Giunco. He more or less agreed.

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Now let’s switch to the bad. The G70’s biggest shortcoming, especially compared to its Kia sibling, is the lack of space in the rear. Chopping 70mm out of the wheelbase really compromises rear legroom and while a couple of pre-teens are likely to be fine, anyone approaching adulthood will struggle to get comfortable.

Theoretically, this shorter footprint should result in more agile handling, but it’s not really the case. The Genesis handles well, up to a point, where it suddenly becomes lively, the rear end struggling to contain the available grunt. With familiarity it can be driven on just the right side of this limit and is enjoyable to do so, the tail slithering around on corner exit, but the transition from grip to slip can be extremely sudden, especially in the wet.

This brings me to the gearbox. After some experimentation I discovered the G70 does have a proper manual mode, but only when the Sport+ drive setting is selected. You can still select gears manually in other drive modes, but the gearbox will override your selections if it feels it prudent to do so. This is annoying and a bit sketchy if you have traction control off, as when the wheels spin it grabs the next gear and sends wheel speed skyrocketing.

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As for the ugly, there are three points. The first is that, in common with a lot of Hyundai products, the lane keep assist is poorly calibrated. On numerous occasions – most frequently on Melbourne’s Beach Road – it would make aggressive steering inputs for no reason, resulting in it pre-emptively being turned off for every drive.

The infotainment screen would also occasionally go blank – something that also happened with the same system in the Stinger – forcing a hard restart of the car for it to display again. Of most annoyance, though, was the fact that every phone call made from the G70 required the person to call me back due to their voice echoing badly. A colleague mentioned it might have had something to do with the microphone settings, though these were just in the default settings.

But I don’t want to end on a sour note, as all in all the G70 is an enjoyable car, albeit a niche one. I still think that if you want to replace your luxo Aussie – and the kids have moved on – then it’s definitely worth a look, as Genesis really nails that easy-going comfy performance character. As I mentioned, it’s the vibe of the thing. - SN

Things we love:

• Luxe, comfy cabin
• It's quick!
• Crushes kays

Things we rue:

• Rear legroom
• Unpredictable rear
• Gearbox calibration

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