2024 Genesis G70 Shooting Brake review

Genesis G70 Cons

Genesis is still a niche player in Australia, but the G70 mid-sizer is about as niche as it gets.

Korea's rival to the BMW 3 Series is one of the smallest sellers in the luxury brand's lineup in Australia, with only 81 units registered last year. By comparison, its Bavarian counterpart managed 3147 sales.

The 2024 Genesis G70 range has seen further simplification to the line-up, offering just two highly specified variants which offer different body styles and engines – and the entry price has risen significantly.

Still, props to Genesis Motors for not killing the wagon in Australia, which is the model we have on test here.

Now known as the 2024 Genesis G70 2.0T Shooting Brake Sport Line Luxury, the wagon now breaks the $80,000 barrier before on-roads but is still well south of the BMW 330i's starting price.

It's as sexy and eye-catching as ever – I got plenty of looks and questions during my time with it – but does it still make sense after this mild facelift?

Well, time to find out…

The G70 2.0T Shooting Brake has seen a $4200 price increase for 2024, which has somewhat been offset by increased specification – it's now $81,000 before on-road costs.

2024 Genesis G70 pricing:

Prices exclude on-road costs

To see how the G70 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool.

Other than the new touch panel for the climate controls – which works fine and looks a bit more new-age – the G70's interior is more or less the same.

There's also a new steering wheel design with a stitched hub, and some of the switchgear finishes have been revised. What does that all mean? It's a bit cleaner and more refined – there's also new 'flat' Genesis emblems inside and out.

Our test car was optioned with lovely Fog Grey Nappa leather interior, which contrasts nicely with the darker sections of the interior. The smooth hide and diamond pattern for the seats and doors look and feel suitably upmarket, and is a finish you'll have to pay more for in some rivals.

The driver's seat offers 16 ways of electrical adjustment, including four ways of lumbar, two of side bolstering, and two of cushion length adjustment. Front passengers get 12 ways of adjustment, lacking the cushion extender and the air-filled bolsters of the driver's pew. The electric steering column is also a nice touch, too.

Both front seats are very comfortable, thanks to the wide range of electric adjustment and plentiful bolstering and padding. I spent long stints behind the wheel and felt nicely supported.

While a little dated in look and feel, build quality is solid. The previous G70 Shooting Brake I reviewed had some creaking panels and loose A-pillar trim, but there's no such stuff here.

Ahead of the driver is a colour head-up display which can be programmed to the driver memory presets. It spans 8.0 inches and projects a suite of information into the driver's line of sight.

The 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster hasn't received any obvious changes, and the 3D effect is a tad gimmicky. It's otherwise a clean and attractive display panel with multiple themes and menus, though it can't project a full map display like German competitors.

Meanwhile the 10.25-inch central touchscreen now features Genesis Connected services which means there's now an intelligent voice assistant with natural voice recognition, as well as connected routing for the live traffic system.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto remains wired, annoyingly, though the G70 is now compatible with over-the-air (OTA) software updates and remote functions. The 15-speaker Lexicon by Harman premium audio system is a thumper too.

Overall, the tech and infotainment package is good without being standout. It's almost a bit previous-gen Lexus in that there's an old-school focus on tactility and function rather than digitisation – for some, that's a big tick.

While this is a 'wagon' and that may lead you to think this is perfect for a family, the rear seat of the G70 is in the 'room for improvement' column.

Behind taller drivers (like 6'1 me) there's very limited knee- and legroom for those of average height, and the sloping roofline doesn't help headroom. Kids will be fine – it's like European sports sedans of last decade.

There are rear air vents but no separate climate controls, as well as a pair of USB-C charging ports and net-type map pockets behind both front seats.

You also get bottle holders in the doors, a fold-down armrest in the centre seat with additional cupholders, as well as the requisite ISOFIX and top tether points.

The G70 Shooting Brake offers 465 litres of cargo capacity (VDA) with the rear seats in play. Genesis doesn't quote a figure with the rear seats folded, though it's a handy 335L more than the G70 Sedan.

All models feature a temporary space saver spare wheel under the cargo floor.

Unlike some overseas markets, the G70 Shooting Brake retains the 2.0T as its base engine rather than the larger and more powerful 2.5T offered in markets like South Korea.

The oily bits of the G70 Shooting Brake are carried over, missing out on the revised adaptive suspension of the G70 3.3T Sedan as well as the beefier 2.5T engine offered in left-hand drive markets.

Still, the G70 Shooting Brake remains a lovely thing to drive, courtesy of its capable rear-drive underpinnings shared with the now-defunct Kia Stinger.

From the low and hunkered-down on-road feel – irrespective of speed or surface – to the fluid and communicative steering, as well as the grippy tyres and taut chassis, it feels sporty without coming undone on bumpy country roads or pimpled inner-city streets.

It's light and quick on its feet, and shows off solid foundations that can handle much more power, such as the added muscle that comes from the available twin-turbo V6 in the higher-spec sedan.

Genesis's 0-100 claim of 6.4 seconds feels on the money once you flick it into its Sport or Sport+ modes, the latter switching on the ESC Sport setting to allow a little more play.

We did quite a bit of driving with the G70, from a week's worth of daily commuting, as well as an extended tour of Victoria's west as part of Drive Against Depression's Summer Drive Day.

In normal driving the G70 2.0T Shooting Brake proves to be a comfortable commuter with enough of a sporting bent if that's your thing, balancing the communication of various road imperfections without crashing or thudding too much. The cabin is also a quiet and comfortable place to sit – cooled seats in summer are bliss.

On the freeway it's comfortable and refined, with effortless torque to hit 100 and a really stable feel at speed that lends confidence in all conditions. The new G70 picks up Highway Driving Assist 2.0 which is effectively a semi-autonomous highway assistant that takes the load off longer tours on the open road.

My decision to take the Shooting Brake on a drive day was a last-minute one, and it surprised me with its dynamic qualities. The four-cylinder turbo isn't quite an aural symphony but it's got plenty of go thanks to all 353Nm of torque being on tap from just 1450rpm.

I only really noticed it running out of steam right at the top end as the speed climbed, or on steeper ascents. Mind you, I was following friends driving more focused metal like a Toyota Supra, GR Yaris, and Renault Megane RS.

The G70 demonstrated impressive cornering ability; with sharp turn-in, limited body roll and communicative steering when things get twisty. Like the pre-update version, it's a very nice thing to steer up a B-road.

Despite being rear-wheel drive it rarely feels like it's going to get out of shape if you step on it too early thanks to the limited-slip rear differential and of course the sticky Michelin Pilot Sport tyres. If anything you can have more fun in this than the V6 because you won't be frightened of it overpowering you.

You can dial up a synthesised engine note if you think the buzzy four-cylinder engine is a bit light on the vocals, though I'd avoid cranking it up to full noise because it sounds a bit contrived.

As for driver assistance, the aforementioned HDA 2.0 does a great job of taking the load off longer stints, though occasionally I found it a touch conservative if you approach a leading car that's travelling slower than you.

In Melbourne, where people are willing to cut you off with less than half a car-length warning, a conservative adaptive cruise control can be a frustrating companion. It's otherwise quite intuitive.

Beyond that, there's Kia's handy Blind Spot View Monitor cameras in addition to blind-spot and rear cross-traffic assist, as well as surround-view cameras with 3D mode, front and rear parking sensors, and safe exit assist – all of which work rather well in real-world use.

What doesn't is that stupid Intelligent Speed Limit Assist which has been carried over from other Hyundai Motor Group products, incessantly binging and bonging at you each time your indicated speed goes over the signed limit by a couple of km/h – it did seem to be a little less intrusive than something like a Kia Seltos, however.

The G70 comes pretty decked out from the 'base' level, unlike European competitors.

G70 2.0T Shooting Brake Sport Line Luxury highlights:

G70 3.3T Sedan Sport Luxury adds:

The Genesis G70 wears a five-star ANCAP safety rating based on 2018 testing, though the Shooting Brake is unrated.

It received an adult occupant protection score of 81 per cent, a child occupant protection score of 86 per cent, a vulnerable road user protection score of 69 per cent, and a safety assist score of 81 per cent.

Standard safety equipment includes:

All Genesis G70 models come with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty (for privately operated vehicles) and five years or 50,000km of complimentary scheduled servicing – maintenance is required every 12 months or 10,000km.

Genesis also includes 10-year, unlimited-kilometre 24/7 roadside assistance, and a five-year/unlimited-kilometre offer of Genesis To You.

The latter includes courtesy vehicles and a concierge service, whereby owners within 70km driving distance of a Genesis Studio can have someone come to pick up their Genesis for servicing and leave them with a courtesy vehicle.

The Genesis G70 is that sort of old-school premium experience you might be missing from the now departed Lexus IS, but with recent price rises it's losing its value appeal compared to established German nameplates.

Design and features are a standout, and even at $80,000 it's almost $20,000 more affordable than the equivalent BMW 330i Touring with similar performance, though the Bimmer still requires options to match the Korean's spec list.

The sharp driving experience and overall comfort and refinement make it good for an all-rounder, and it certainly cuts a line in traffic. You'll have people constantly asking you what it is, too.

But, the G70 2.0T Shooting Brake is now priced in the same ballpark as Audi's A4 Avant 45 TFSI quattro ($85,700), which while advancing in age is smartly designed, has more modern-feeling tech, and is a more practical wagon. It's also quicker to 100km/h thanks to its quattro all-wheel drive system, and is more efficient.

Sure there's exclusivity that comes with the Genesis, and no doubt it'll turn heads as it for me, but for many luxury buyers badge cachet is at times as important as objective capability – the Germans win in this criteria comfortably.

It's also feeling quite dated inside the cabin, and the pre-update was already feeling that way. It's a shame Genesis hasn't shoehorned the fantastic interior from the GV70 SUV – it could be a winner with that kind of update.

MORE: Buy a Genesis G70 MORE: Everything Genesis G70

Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au