2024 Genesis G70 RWD 3.3T Sport Prestige – Review by David Colman +VIDEO

Minute attention to detail is the name of the game at Genesis

David Colman

Photos and Story by David Colman
Special Correspondent to THE AUTO CHANNEL

If you option the latest Genesis G70 just right, you will be driving the sports sedan of your dreams for a price that defies logic. Genesis is the luxury division of Hyundai, just as Audi is to VW and Lexus is to Toyota. Although Genesis dealerships stand apart from Hyundai stores, both provide the same industry-topping 10-year warranty on drivetrain parts and labor. For 2024, Genesis offers three levels of G70. The bottom rung of the ladder features the new 2.5T which costs $47,250. It replaces the outgoing base model's 252hp 2.0-liter turbo four with a new 300hp 2.5-liter turbo four. Climbing one step higher brings you to the 3.3T Sport Advanced model which makes 365hp courtesy of a 3.3-liter turbo V6. This one retails for $51,200.

But the one I just tested is the one you'll want to take home. It's designated with a rather long-winded title which breaks down this way: G70 RWD (rear wheel drive); 3.3T (3300cc, 365hp twin-turbocharged V6); SPORT PRESTIGE (Optional $4,400 Package). Although the Sport Prestige Package offers a number of high zoot comfort tweaks like Nappa leather seats and microfiber suede headliner, you'll want this option for its hard-core performance upgrades (electronically controlled suspension, limited slip differential, high-performance Michelin Pilot Sport 255/35R19 tires). By adding these improvements, you've built a G70 capable of blowing off way more expensive BMW and Audi sedans. Be sure to add another $1,500 for matte "Bond Silver" SMT paint (new-for 2024) and your killer sport sedan rolls out the door for just $57,100. It's a conveyance eminently worthy of Bond, James Bond.

I'd only put a dozen miles on the G70 when I reached Highway 101 and decided to belt the throttle hard. Since the freeway was clear of traffic I kept my foot in it a bit longer than usual because I was mesmerized by how fast this 4,000-pound rocket ship inhaled pavement. Before we even reached the end of a quarter mile, my wife and I exchanged disbelieving looks. Posted numbers confirmed our amazement. The G70 is good for a stunning 0-60mph run of 4.5 seconds, with a standing start quarter mile time of 13.1 seconds. The 0-100mph sprint requires a jaw-dropping 11.4 seconds, and top speed plays out at 150-160mph. To reproduce these times, all you have to do is leave the G70 in Drive tromp the alloy throttle, and let it shift its own way through all 8 forward gears. Of course, you can control the explosive thrust manually by using the fitted shift paddles, but why bother when the Genesis will perform the work quicker and better than you can?

An important feature of the Sport Prestige Package is electronically controlled suspension. First, we spent more than an hour trundling around town with the dial set to "COMFORT." It's a good everyday choice, and you'll discover that each time you restart the G70, it automatically reverts to Comfort no matter what the chosen mode had been when you last shut down the ignition. There's also an "ECO" setting, plus a pair of checker flag settings: "SPORT" and "SPORT+." When you twist the mode dial to Sport, you instantly feel the steering effort stiffen as well as the engine rpm increase even though you haven't adjusted your throttle setting. Simultaneously, the variable exhaust valve system (part of the car's basic specification) amplifies the exhaust note issued by the twin chromed exhaust pipes. If you twist the mode dial one more notch into Sport+, the gearbox dishes out hard slapping upshifts, the tailpipe drone becomes louder, and the steering wheel provides race track levels of resistance and feedback.

Because the complexity and weight of all-wheel-drive is blissfully absent from the RWD G70, the car feels exceptionally lively on back roads. Its Michelin Pilot Sport radials carry a sticky treadwear rating of TW320. Genesis has added red Brembo disc brakes to all G70s for 2024, but we found the brake pedal to be a bit spongy. Bear in mind, however, that our test sedan showed only 720 miles when it arrived, so the Brembos might need further seasoning. Steering feedback in Sport mode is excellent, which precluded the need to resort to Sport+ mode. Even when you've got the Comfort setting selected, the McPherson strut front, and multi-link rear suspension reacts with damping precision and excellent jounce control.

While the high-performance assets of this sedan are abundant, we should not overlook the G70's beautiful interior. Quilted white Nappa leather seats are a feast for the eye as well as the butt. These fine looking buckets proved fully supportive during enthusiastic driving. Excellent outward vision keeps you safe, while clear analog instruments keep you well informed with a pair of classic fixed dials for speed and rpm. Front seats are newly heated for 2024, along with the entire rim of the steering wheel. Rear seats offer minimal legroom, but share in the luxury with an elegant drop-down center armrest fitted with jewel-like rings surrounding the cupholders. Such minute attention to detail is the name of the game at Genesis.

2024 GENESIS G70 RWD 3.3T SPORT PRESTIGE

ENGINE: 3.3 liter V6, DOHC, 24 valve, twin turbocharged and intercooled
HORSEPOWER: 365hp
TORQUE: 376lb.-ft.
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 18MPG City/27MPG Highway
PRICE AS TESTED: $57,100

HYPES: Rocket Quick, Show Car Gorgeous

GRIPES: Truncated Back Seat

STAR RATING: 10 Stars out of 10

©2024 David E Colman