2022 Genesis G70 Review

Being a relatively new luxury brand like Genesis has its advantages and its drawbacks. One drawback is simply breaking in against the established brands. Buyers can be hesitant to try something new; once you buy a BMW, Mercedes-Benz or Audi, you might not want to stray. But a new brand doesn't have a design heritage to follow and nothing is written in stone. With its new generation of vehicles, and specifically the G70, Genesis is making full use of its advantages to minimize its drawbacks.

For 2022, the G70, which is the brand's smallest and sportiest luxury sedan, gets a rather comprehensive restyling to follow in the footsteps of its striking brandmates, the G80 and G90 sedans and the GV80 SUV. And changes aren't just limited to the exterior. The G70's interior gets a welcome refresh to include a new 10.25-inch infotainment screen and more premium materials. And if you're into limited editions, there's a G70 Launch Edition with available red leather seats and two choices of matte paint. Already a solid luxury sport sedan, the 2022 G70 could be just the thing if you're bored with the traditional luxury brands.

I've driven the G70 with the V6 in both rear- and all-wheel-drive configurations and can definitively say that you're in for a lot of fun however many wheels you want driving your G70. The V6 is a powerhouse, producing prodigious torque without having to work very hard. It makes driving around town and merging onto highways an absolute breeze. And if you like to carry a little more speed, the V6 is happy to oblige. It's got gobs of power at high rpm, and when you select the new Sport+ drive mode, the transmission will let the engine run all the way to redline before shifting and downshifts smartly into lower gears under braking.

The G70 is a playful sport sedan. When equipped with the V6 engine, it's actually pretty easy to make it powerslide its tail out when you're going around a turn. This is true even if you get it with all-wheel drive — the system's torque vectoring and available limited-slip differential ensure lively handling in all conditions. Oh, and there's even a drift mode for the more adventurous.

However, I still think the G70's chassis could use a bit more refinement. Driving on rougher roads produces occasional flutters and shimmies through the car and, believe it or not, I'd prefer the G70 to be a little more controlled and less willing to powerslide out of every corner. Thankfully, the G70 does communicate its intentions clearly, so you know when you're going to have to be on your toes. Above all else, it's engaging, and I like that.

The G70's ride quality is generally smooth, and thanks to the electronically adjustable suspension dampers, it can be comfortable for daily driving and then more taut and controlled for more enthusiastic driving. The front seats are comfortable and supportive. The top-trim G70 I drove sported heating and ventilated seats, and the rest of the climate controls were easy to use and relatively quiet, even when exterior temperatures exceeded 100 degrees.

As you'd expect from a luxury sedan, the G70's interior is well isolated from the outside world. But when you stomp your foot down, the V6 engine comes through without being grating, and the newly available variable exhaust system adds a little extra growl. 

In both appearance and feel, the G70 exudes quality and attention to detail. It feels every bit as well built as its rivals. A new, partially digital instrument cluster greets the driver while the equally new 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen looks right at home in the modern interior. More of the dash is now covered with simulated leather upholstery. In the higher trim levels, perforated leather seats with contrasting stitching add to the G70's premium look and feel. The rest of the controls are straightforward. It's refreshing to see a luxury brand not intent on redesigning every control just to be different.

In regards to space, the front seat passengers will enjoy ample room and adjustability from the seats. Passengers more than 6 feet tall will find themselves a bit short on rear legroom, however. The rear seats do offer above-average support but are best suited for smaller passengers. 

The most obvious change to the G70's in-car tech is the new central 10.25-inch touchscreen. It's a big improvement over the previous unit, which looked too downmarket and tacked on. The new unit features an attractive widescreen format and good usability thanks to crisp-looking graphics and a simple menu structure. It's also better integrated into the dashboard and looks much less tacked on than the one in last year's G70.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration is standard, as is navigation. Genesis has also included new features such as more natural voice recognition; the ability to use the surround-view camera system to provide a snapshot of the area surrounding your parked G70 while you're away; and over-the-air updates to give you the latest infotainment software without having to go to the dealer. There's even an available digital key in both a NFC (near-field communication) card and an Android-based app, the latter being shareable across multiple phones. This feature ensures you're much less likely to ever be locked out of your vehicle or even need the physical key at all.

On the advanced driver aids front, the G70's new features include a highway driving assist, which uses lane centering and adaptive cruise control to take the edge off longer highway drives, collision avoidance for rear cross-traffic and blind spots, and navigation-based cruise control capable of automatically slowing your car down for upcoming curves.