2020 Genesis G70 Prestige: The Outsider

Genesis sold 1,119 units of the G70 compact luxury sedan in Canada last year, well below the totals of the BMW 3 Series (5,908), Mercedes-Benz C-Class (4,582) and Audi A4 (3,917). Even Acura, Infiniti and Lexus posted higher numbers than the Korean brand in this market segment.

While the G70 remains an outsider, it’s a car you should get to know better, despite the lack of prestige.

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The Sophomore Year

Genesis slightly revised the lineup for 2020, giving the G70 Prestige model the same twin-turbocharged 3.3-litre V6 engine (365 horsepower, 376 pound-feet of torque) that motivates the G70 Sport AWD, not to mention the Kia Stinger GT. That’s great news for customers, who no longer have to settle for the turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder.

Unfortunately, both the limited-slip rear differential and adaptive suspension—standard on the G70 Sport V6—are not included here.

Another disappointment comes from many of the controls and buttons in the G70 Prestige, which are shared with certain Hyundai and Kia products. Same thing for the infotainment system, actually. As they say, the devil is in the details, and these low-end touches have no business inside a luxury car like the G70.

Limited Space

Some elements of the interior layout, like the beautiful leather seats, are definitely on par with the segment. On the other hand, the dashboard looks far less sophisticated and cutting-edge than what the Germans offer.

Rear-seat legroom is pretty limited. In fact, it becomes almost nonexistent when the front seats are occupied by long-legged individuals. And you know what else? The trunk has a tight opening and can only hold 297 litres of cargo.

Simply put, the Genesis G70 is by no means a family car. It’s more than comfortable for two, but additional passengers will be praying the drive is a short one.

On the Road

Even though the G70 Prestige doesn’t get the adaptive suspension, the super-stiff chassis makes for great handling and a solid, confident ride. The car also displays tremendous balance with perfect front-to-rear weight distribution. We just wish for a bit more feedback from the steering.

The G70 is quiet on the road the standard heated/ventilated buckets make life even sweeter. We had little trouble achieving 10 L/100 km on the highway, but our combined score of 12.5 L/100 km at the end of the week was somewhat of a letdown.

Genesis offers G70 customers a five-year limited vehicle warranty along with five years of complimentary maintenance and a valet service for picking up and delivering your car to your home or at work.

Verdict

While the brand launched as recently as 2016, it wasted no time building a strong reputation for reliability. In J.D. Power’s latest Vehicle Dependability Study, which assesses three-year-old vehicles, Genesis ranks first out of 32 car brands—impressive. Combine that with the G70’s many desirable attributes and you get a sensible purchase.  

Will sales increase in the future? Hard to say. For most luxury car buyers, prestige and brand image are all they care about. As far as we’re concerned, the high-value G70 deserves more attention.