2024 Genesis G70 AWD 2.5T Sport Prestige

A while ago I drove the Genesis G90, a massive luxury sedan. The G70 is pretty much a smaller version of the G90 - a little brother of sorts, sans the over-the-top luxuries afforded in the G90. The G70, in other words, is a vehicle within the price range of way more folks than the G90, but still with a lot of the appeal found in it’s bigger and bolder sibling.

Exterior

Lots of folk take notice when I pull up in the Genesis G70. Some wonder what I’m driving - Genesis is still a somewhat rare brand to see in the first place, and the G70 sticks out a bit in and of itself. Comments regarding the exterior range from just a plain “wow” to “it looks like a BMW”, both of which are positive. As a matter of fact, I never did get a negative comment in regards to the Genesis G70’s looks.

In my opinion, I think the headlights are set too far apart from each other. It doesn’t necessarily look bad, but it just gives the G70 a strange nose. And speaking of noses, the giant grille up front definitely has a spicy look to it, giving the front of the G70 quite the aggressive nudge.

All in all, the G70 stands out - anyone who is at least mildly interested in cars will take note when you pull up. Sleek lines extend across the entire vehicle, extending the aggressive front into a silky smooth body ending into a short rear end. In fact, seen from the side, the hood of the G70 is massive in comparison the the tail end. The trunk seems more like an extension to the downward sloping roof and rear window, than a separate part of the vehicle. The massive hood does the opposite, really giving it the look and fell of a sports sedan with space for a massive engine.

Interior

The luxurious and sporty exterior translates well into the interior of the Genesis G70. The leather seats with cross-pattern stitching grabs your attention immediately. The attention to detail follows shortly thereafter, reminding you that this luxury brand doesn’t mess around.

Seats are comfortable throughout - comfortable and snug at the same time - heated and cooled. The seats are electronically controlled, albeit in my opinion they don’t go low enough. I’m 6 foot tall, and when I’m at the lowest setting I am still sitting somewhat high in relation to the ceiling. That’s not usually a problem, but in the case of the G70 - with it’s low roofline - the rearview mirror sits low. So, the low mirror in combination with my high head creates this vast blind spot to the right of the front of the car - right about where people crossing the street in front of me are coming from. Not optimal, but I guess I quickly got used to ducking forward to check intersections before cursing through.

The infotainment system is easy to navigate, and as with all Genesis (what’s the plural of “Genesis”? … Genesi?) there’s a multitude of features that can be accessed through the main screen.

I know Hyundai (same group/company as Genesis and Kia) has a really slick blind spot monitoring system where they employ exterior cameras and display a live view of your blind spot in the dashboard - replacing the speedometer or tachometer depending on what side of the vehicle you’re looking at. Interestingly, the speedometer in our Genesis G70 is analog whereas the right side dial is digital and can show a bunch of different things. But, the cool blind spot monitor system isn’t here, unfortunately.

The Lexicon stereo system is definitely great. Is it spectacular (for the price tag)? Almost, but I would really like to hear - and feel - that really deep bass. No, I’m not looking for that lowrider vibrating buzz noise - on the contrary, I’m looking for that controlled low boom that get you in your soul. With that said, however the Lexicon system in the G70 is definitely a nice stereo system.

We still have the one major drawback - present in all the Kia/Hyundai/Genesis vehicles I have driven lately - we still have to use a USB cable to hook up our cell phone to Apple CarPlay and/or Android Auto. In my opinion this is such a huge snafu on the part of the tech folks and/or interior design managers in charge. To make it even more inexplicable, you’re able to charge your cellphone wirelessly - a feature I never need since I have to have my phone hooked up all the time anyway.

The backseat is actually really deep - with a lot of support for your legs. However, I am hitting the ceiling with the top of my head. As mentioned I’m 6 foot tall, so I’m not overly tall. With that said, I’ll emphasize that the actual seats are impressively comfortable.

Interestingly, Genesis - on most, if not all, of their vehicles - allow the front passenger seat to be adjusted with buttons reachable by anybody in the car. I’m assuming that this feature is to help others (the driver) help the front seat passenger with their seat adjustment. What often happens however, is that the kids in the back seat move scoot their mom back and forth. Entertaining for all, except mom.

The trunk of the Genesis G70 has a surprising amount of space - it too is actually really deep. Also, kudos to the engineers who made the backseats foldable - it’s super convenient that you can kinda turn this sedan into something like a hatchback. The trunk will extend all the way to the front seats, giving you lots of space - awesome!

Tech & Safety Features

The Genesis G70 comes with a slew of safety and convenience technology. Warning systems that will try their best to keep you out of trouble abound, but the most notable features, in my opinion, is the Highway Driving Assist (HDA). HDA is like an adaptive cruise control on steroids - pretty much autonomous driving, albeit only on the freeway/highway - doing the driving for you. It’ll even change lanes if you just flick on your blinker.

Other than that, you of course also have the adaptive cruise control (Smart Cruise Control, in the words of Genesis) and Lane Keeping Assist. There’s blind spot helpers, driver attention warning systems, and so forth - all doing their best to keep all the vehicle’s occupants safe.

Driving Characteristics

The Genesis G70 is really a pleasant car to drive… But, let’s start with the one downer: the turbo lag. This car has an impressive 300 horsepower coming through the 8-speed automatic transmission from the 2.5 liter 4-cylinder turbo engine under the hood. Very few of those 300 horses seem to be awake from the get-to. When pulling out from a standstill - with the accelerator mashed to the floor - the car will start rolling smoothly forward with no indication of the power being awakened within. Then, right about when you start questioning if this vehicle has any real power, the turbo will have started to get spooled up and more and more of the 300 horses will spring to life. One the herd starts to wake up, they all seem to get up and go at the same time, giving you that turbo(-lag) jolt as they all kick in. At its peak you’ll definitely be feeling all 300 horses, it’s just unfortunate that so many of them are late to the party.

One option, to minimize turbo-lag, is to keep the car in sport mode all the time. This way it at least continually downshifts and keeps the revs up a little bit, - so you have that turbo somewhat available… Not the best for your gas milage, but whatever.

The Brembo breaking system is awesome and the suspension is tight - even tighter in sport mode which further strengthens that mode’s appeal. Cornering is a thrill, getting on and off freeways is lots of fun. This is a really sporty drive.

Summary

For the buyer seeking a luxurious sedan with sporty handling the Genesis G70 might do the trick. The turbo-lag is unfortunate, but one will get used to it rather quickly. The fact that you’ll have to plug in your phone will also become second nature - albeit your friends with cars half the price might wonder why that simple feature is lacking in your luxury sedan. You’ll travel in style and in comfort, and when you’re up for a but more adventures handling you can slap the G70 into Sport Mode and pretend you’re on a track as you whip through roundabouts.