The often-overlooked Genesis G70 is a very interesting alternative to the BMW 3 Series. Facelifted for the 2022 model year, the South Korean sports sedan also features a twin-turbo V6 option and HTRAC all-wheel drive for more performance and capability in a straight line and in the corners as well.
Sam CarLegion has demonstrated the G70 against many competitors already, but the big one remained unchallenged until today. Against a technically similar Kia Stinger GT with the same AWD system, twin-turbo V6 engine, and tranny, the smaller and more luxurious car struggles a bit.
Save for a few cosmetic upgrades, the Stinger is completely stock while the G70 is as stock as it gets. At the Toronto Motorsports Park in Canada, the Kia launches better off the line and pulls away immediately. The second quarter-mile drag race is pretty much a repeat of the first although the G70 claws better. Be that as it may, the Stinger wins this race by a hair’s breadth.
With traction control turned off, sport mode activated, and launch control engaged, the G70 still can’t hold a candle to the Kia. That’s very surprising, to say the least, and the Genesis doesn’t prevail from a 50-kph (31-mph) roll either. The automatic transmission’s kickdown reacts a little better in this scenario, but it's not good enough to take down the value-oriented Stinger.
Recently updated with Kia’s new corporate logo, the mid-size liftback sedan carries a starting price of $36,090 excluding destination charge for the 2.5-liter turbo four-cylinder engine and rear-wheel drive. Included in this price, highlight features come in the guise of 18-inch alloys, LED headlights, leather seats with heating for the front seats, a 10.25-inch touchscreen, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and a wireless phone charger.
GT1 is the name of the most affordable V6 option, which is rated at 368 horsepower. Over at Genesis, the G70 starts at $37,525 while the 3.3T AWD with 365 horsepower on tap will set you back $44,200 before options.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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