The Genesis luxury brand is a young upstart, but is part of the well-respected Hyundai group with all the backing that implies. The brand itself began in 2015 and the G70 entered the market as its first small luxury car in 2018. Since then, the G70 has undergone a few changes, but this year marks its first major overhaul.
The 2022 G70 features a changed look, including a new grille, new rear lighting, and a lot of changes to the dashboard and infotainment. And although the G70 no longer has a manual transmission option (which didn’t sell well), it’s still the sporty and fun to drive sedan it was from the get-go.
Swerve Autos Score: 92/100
Styling 10/10
There’s no way around the fact that the G70 is beautiful. No matter what angle or who the viewer is, the consensus will be “that’s a good lookin’ car.” Designed on the classic saloon style luxury motif, the 2022 G70 sports a diamond-shaped mesh grille that’s surrounded by the barest hint of chrome trim. The hood stops before reaching the grille, avoiding a clamshell, while the lower intakes are separated to maximize front fascia design. Divided headlamps help mark the car apart from others.
The profile and bodywork of the 2022 Genesis G70 makes good use of classic forms. A simple straight line runs along from the front fender to the rear marking the beltline shelf and is deeply inset beneath to create a straight, flat look to the door panels despite their slight, light-catching curve. A brake vent behind the front wheel well, a noticeable bulge at the rear haunch, and forward-pushing lines across the hood and rear deck create a hint of rear-driven movement.
Interior 9/10
The interior of the 2022 Genesis G70 is stylish and makes use of a lot of quality materials. The offsets and trim are just enough to bring the bling but not so much as to be gaudy or overdone. For the driver, the instrumentation is clear and glare-free and controls are easily found and intuitive.
Seating in the 2022 G70 is comfortable and the front seats have plenty of legroom and headroom. The rear seats, however, are a little cramped thanks to the small size of the car and the sloping roofline above. We also note that the trunk in the G70 is smaller than average at only 10.5 cubic feet. The rear seats fold down, though not flat, to allow more stuff to be put into the G70 and the trunk lid is hands-free on all G70 models.
The rear seats feature LATCH at the outboard positions and an overhead tether for the middle spot.
Performance 10/10
The 2022 Genesis G70 checks all of the boxes for daily driving and sporty driving at once. Its base engine is a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that produces 252 horsepower to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic. All-wheel drive is optional and this engine’s output is punchy and fast, giving the G70 a good feel around town and confidence at highway speeds.
The upgrade engine is a 3.3-liter turbocharged V6 that also runs the rear wheels through a tuned eight-speed automatic. This engine provides a lot more umph in all driving situations and a nice exhaust tune. All-wheel drive is also optional with this powertrain.
Whether taking the 2.0T or the 3.3T model, the 2022 G70 feels confident on the road, corners nicely, and has intuitive steering. It’s one of the sportier sedans in the segment, with either engine, and is engaging and enjoyable to drive.
Practicality 7/10
The G70 has a good level of daily use practicality, but loses a few points thanks to its somewhat cramped back seats and sub-par cargo space in the trunk.
Comfort 9/10
The G70 is an extremely comfortable sedan, so long as you’re sitting up front. The back seats are cramped if passengers are close to or over six feet in height, but otherwise also quite comfortable to be in. The drive is surprisingly quiet and smooth.
Tech 9/10
The 2022 Gensis G70 has a lot of technology included. A 10.25-inch touchscreen with navigation, HD radio, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, and satellite radio are all standard. Upgrade options include a wireless charger and 15-speaker Lexicon audio system.
The infotainment interface is fast, easy to understand, and useful. We like the way it quickly responds and how simple the menu systems are to make finding things quick. The physical controls for tuning, volume, and quick sub-menu finding are also well done and useful.
Driver assistance systems such as a rearview camera, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping assistance, a unique intersection assist, and a useful vehicle exit warning system are all standard. The intersection assist system adds forward emergency braking when an approaching vehicle may strike the car even when the G70 is at an angle, such as when turning into an intersection. The exit warning system uses the vehicle’s radar to detect approaching vehicles from behind when parked and disables the door latch (can be overridden by pulling the latch a second time) so the door cannot be opened into oncoming traffic.
Available for the G70 are a head-up display, surround-view cameras, and added front and rear parking sensors.
Connected Services 8/10
The Genesis app, available for free, has several features beyond door locking and unlocking. It can track the vehicle, give alerts when the vehicle leaves a defined zone, and automatically adjust climate when remote starting. More than one driver can be programmed into the app to allow for customization for each person using the car. Including a valet mode for temporary drivers.
Active Safety 10/10
The G70 includes a host of active safety systems such as forward collision warning with automatic braking, pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, intersection assist, vehicle exit warning, and adaptive cruise control with lane-keeping assistance. All of these work fluidly and simply and have easy-to-find overrides and adjustments if customization is needed.
Value 10/10
There are a lot of luxury sedans out there and all of them are competitive. The 2022 Genesis G70, however, has a best-in-class warranty and excellent price for what’s delivered. That’s an unusually good combination in the luxury market.
Editors Influence 10/10
The 2022 Genesis G70 is one of the best new cars I’ve driven in years. It’s elegant, sporty, engaging, and priced exactly right. Even its downsides, like the smaller trunk and cramped rear seat headroom, aren’t deal breakers for this sedan. It’s great to see a new luxury brand setting benchmarks for the class.
