Four-Pot Genesis G70 Races BMW 330i, Winner Then Challenges Audi A4

Very different boxes, though. The Hyundai-owned Genesis marque uses a Hyundai Transys-developed automatic in the G70; the Bavarian automaker uses the ZF 8HP in rear-biased applications since 2008; and the Volkswagen Group-controlled Audi division employs a dual-clutch transmission dubbed S tronic by Audi or DSG by the folks at VW.

The A4 stands out by means of the MLB Evo platform, which is kind of strange because the A4 features a longitudinal engine, yet comes with front-wheel drive by default in most European markets. Over in the United States, quattro all-wheel drive is standard. That said, what hides under the hood?

2.0 TFSI four-cylinder turbo is the answer in the A4's case, meaning 261 horsepower and 273 pound-feet (370 Nm) of torque at full chatter. A bit underwhelming for a car that weighs close to 1.7 tons, but hey, that's how base premium sedans like to roll nowadays. The slightly heavier 330i makes 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet (400 Nm) from its B48 engine. Also 2.0 liters and four cylinders, the B48 is a far cry from the B58 that's been proven to make a little bit more power than advertised.

As for the final entry, the 2024 Genesis G70 ships with a 2.5-liter turbo as the standard engine. Given its larger displacement, you shouldn't be surprised that Hyundai's Smartstream FR G2.5T is punchier than both the A4's EA888 and 3er's B48. In this application, it produces 300 horsepower and a stout 311 pound-feet (422 Nm) at merely 1,650 rpm.

Sam CarLegion and crew first raced the G70 and 330i at Dunville Autodrome in Canada, with the Genesis dominating both rolling start races. From a dig, on the other hand, the Bimmer is quicker to 60 miles per hour (5.6 instead of 5.7 seconds) and faster in the quarter (14.0 versus 14.3 seconds).

This, in turn, pits the 330i against the A4 for a new series of races. Once again, Sam CarLegion started with two rolling start races: one from 37 miles per hour (60 kilometers per hour) and the other from 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour). On both occasions, the Audi proved to be the car to have.

The four-cylinder A4, which is designated 45 TFSI quattro in the United States and the Canadian market alike, schooled the Bimmer in both drag races, clocking bests of 4.9 and 13.7 seconds. The 330i xDrive couldn't improve on the previous 5.6 and 14.0 seconds, thus putting it in second place overall as far as quarter-mile ETs are concerned.

Looking at the bigger picture, BMW can't be bothered by the results in this video. BMW of North America delivered 33,997 units in the United States market last year, up 11.8 percent from the 30,400 sold in 2022. The rival automaker from Ingolstadt, meanwhile, couldn't do better than 13,550 or 11 percent worse than the 15,239 delivered in 2022.