Photo: Genesis
After Audi discontinued the manual transmission in the U.S. for the A4, where do shoppers go for a three-pedal setup in a compact executive sedan? The BMW 3 Series is one option, but Genesis took a different approach with the G70.
A sports sedan through and through, the G70 was crowned 2019 Car of the Year by Motortrend for all the right reasons. The motoring publication highlights “that’s pretty unthinkable,” but on the other hand, Genesis succeeded in building “a legitimate BMW 3 Series competitor.”
The G70 might not be perfect, but when viewed through six key criteria, Motortrend can’t argue about the Car of the Year accolade given to the compact executive sedan. On the other hand, who are the people responsible for the smallest model in the Genesis lineup?
First of all, BMW dynamics engineers Albert Biermann and Fayez Rahman worked their magic on the chassis from the Kia Stinger. Luc Donkerwolke and SangYup Lee were snatched from Bentley for design, and Bozhena Lalova from Mercedes-Benz for colors and trim options.
Bugatti Chiron designer Sasha Selipanov is also part of this dream team, coordinated by Manfred Fitzgerald from Lamborghini. Following his 12-year career at the Raging Bull of Sant’Agata Bolognese, Fitzgerald was appointed senior vice-president of Genesis.
In addition to the men who made the G70 as good as it can be, there’s also the matter of pricing. The 2.0T RWD comes in at $34,900, churning out 252 horsepower on full song. This price matches the 320i Sedan, but the plethora of standard equipment favors the Genesis.
Adding insult to injury, the 2.0-liter TwinPower Turbo in the BMW plays second fiddle to the 2.0-liter T-GDI in the Genesis. Customers who can do without the six-speed manual can opt for the 3.3-liter twin-turbo V6 and all-wheel drive, an alluring combo for canyon-carving enthusiasts.
In the words of Motortrend editor-in-chief Ed Loh, "BMW, Audi, Lexus, Acura, and Infiniti have a real problem on their hands."
The G70 might not be perfect, but when viewed through six key criteria, Motortrend can’t argue about the Car of the Year accolade given to the compact executive sedan. On the other hand, who are the people responsible for the smallest model in the Genesis lineup?
First of all, BMW dynamics engineers Albert Biermann and Fayez Rahman worked their magic on the chassis from the Kia Stinger. Luc Donkerwolke and SangYup Lee were snatched from Bentley for design, and Bozhena Lalova from Mercedes-Benz for colors and trim options.
Bugatti Chiron designer Sasha Selipanov is also part of this dream team, coordinated by Manfred Fitzgerald from Lamborghini. Following his 12-year career at the Raging Bull of Sant’Agata Bolognese, Fitzgerald was appointed senior vice-president of Genesis.
In addition to the men who made the G70 as good as it can be, there’s also the matter of pricing. The 2.0T RWD comes in at $34,900, churning out 252 horsepower on full song. This price matches the 320i Sedan, but the plethora of standard equipment favors the Genesis.
Adding insult to injury, the 2.0-liter TwinPower Turbo in the BMW plays second fiddle to the 2.0-liter T-GDI in the Genesis. Customers who can do without the six-speed manual can opt for the 3.3-liter twin-turbo V6 and all-wheel drive, an alluring combo for canyon-carving enthusiasts.
In the words of Motortrend editor-in-chief Ed Loh, "BMW, Audi, Lexus, Acura, and Infiniti have a real problem on their hands."
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