Genesis G70 Spied, Opts for a Non-Sporty Profile
A camouflaged Genesis G70 spotted testing in Germany provides a peek at the baby of Hyundai’s new luxury marque.
Photos published by AutoGuide show a compact four-door with traditional luxury sedan proportions, rather than something radical. As the third offering from the automaker’s planned six-vehicle lineup, the Korean G70 has its sights set on a trifecta of Germans — the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4.
The G70 sports a rear-wheel-drive stance, with a sloping roofline and generous overhangs. We can’t get a good look at the grille, but expect a wide opening modeled after its larger G80 and G90 stablemates.
The Genesis brand is a work in progress, and there’s no official word on a release date or drivetrain for their smallest model. During last month’s G90 test drive, Canadian Genesis brand head Michael Ricciuto wouldn’t even ballpark a G70 release date, but we expect to see it sometime in 2017.
Genesis promises a variety of new powertrains during a model rollout that ends in 2021. Given its competition, it’s likely the G70 will see a turbocharged four-cylinder base engine. The 3.8-liter V6 from the G80 is available for use in uplevel versions, though the 365 horsepower twin-turbocharged 3.3-liter from the upcoming G90 would be more competitive.
Uplevel G70s will surely make use the automaker’s HTRAC all-wheel-drive system to battle its strong and established competition.
More by Steph Willems
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I say bring it on. This segment definitely needs new blood. The S60 is ancient, and unless Chinese money means that Volvo can move beyond their 10 year or so model cycles, it'll be an absolutely dinosaur by the time it's finally replaced around 2021. The TLX is an Accord with a luxury package, the Lexus IS is ugly with a Camry grade interior and too little power, and the Q50 Red Sport 400 Double X Super Power Mega Black Edition 9000 is a half baked mess that can't figure out what kind of car it wants to be. The Germans are really the only game in town, so I hope Hyundai hits a home run.
Hopefully, this "sport sedan" will have a suspension that does not feel like it was tuned by an 8-year-old like other Hyundais.
They're planning to do a me-too car in a competitive field. That's going nowhere fast, especially with a low prestige name behind it.
I'm hoping this will be a good car, but not too good, allowing the purchase of a 3 yr old reliable rwd sedan for pennies on the dollar.