A few days ago the Genesis brand landed in Europe, which for those who follow the American market will not be new. It is in fact the luxury brand of the Hyundai-Kia Group, which, after having achieved excellent results overseas, officially arrives in Europe. And the first product made specifically for the Old Continent market is Genesis G70 Shooting Brake. It is a sporty, sleek and luxurious station wagon, which goes to challenge the most fearsome Germans of Audi, Mercedes and BMW in their territory. Let's find out everything that this sinuous wagon hides.
What is Genesis? Hyundai's premium brand now arriving in Europe
To understand what Genesis G70 Shooting Brake is and which segment it belongs to we have to analyze the Genesis phenomenon closely. For many European motorists, this brand may say absolutely nothing. What is that? Where is he from? In short words, Genesis is the luxury arm of Hyundai, with a relationship very similar to that between Toyota and Lexus, between Nissan and Infiniti and so on. The thing that makes Genesis a different House though is that it was not born from scratch like Genesis, but from a family of Hyundai models. To understand everything, we must start from 2008, the debut year of the premiere Hyundai Genesis.
This sedan similar in size to a BMW 5 Series was the second most luxurious Hyundai on the market, second only to the excellent Equus born in 2009, rival of the Mercedes S-Class and the BMW 7 Series. Both sport a lot of comfort, rear-wheel drive and very powerful engines, V6 or even V8 on the Equus, and both were offered a really interesting prices. With the same set-up, Genesis and Equus cost between 10 and 20 thousand dollars less than their European rivals.
And the dollar figure is not accidental: Hyundai Genesis was in fact only sold in Asia, the Middle East and North American markets. In Europe, for now the only Genesis we have been able to have is the Genesis Coupé, misunderstood but excellent coupé also sold in Italy between 2011 and 2014, with little luck from a commercial point of view but leaving a great memory of itself among the passionate. And in fact all the Genesis in a short time won many customers. Merit of the aforementioned quality-price ratio, impeccable build quality, good build level and no less important for a great driveability, also thanks to the rear-wheel drive platform.
So much was the success of the first Genesis that in November 2015 Hyundai made it a separate brand, aloof from Hyundai and with its distinct personality. Thus the first Genesis models were born in 2016: the G80, segment E sedan heir to the first Hyundai Genesis, the G90, the flagship of the F segment, heir to the Equus, and in 2017 the G70, the smaller Genesis, a relative of the Kia Stinger and rival of the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes C-Class. In 2020, the first two Genesis SUVs were also born, the middle GV70 and the great GV80.
Genesis G70 Shooting Brake, openly European but with 100% Genesis style
On paper, such a luxury brand with an unprecedented name that is going to undermine a market segment dominated by the usual Germans could seem like a real gamble. In fact, Genesis has convinced since the launch, and a lot. In the United States alone, Genesis sold over 2016 cars in its first three years of life between 2018 and 200.000, with constantly growing numbers. So why not try the assault on a new and fierce market like the European one? And in fact, a few days ago the news of the Genesis debut on the European market, to try to beat rivals in their territory. The plans speak of the arrival of the G70, G80 and the GV70 and GV80 SUVs. However, they are very American models, large SUVs and luxury hatchbacks. We needed a specific model for the European market, and here it is: Genesis G70 Shooting Brake.
The mechanical, technical and aesthetic basis is that of the G70 compact sedan, from which he takes all the stylistic features typical of Genesis models. And of course you will wonder what they are, since it is in fact the first European Genesis model. Good, the Genesis are characterized by a very aggressive, personal and original style, especially on the front. Genesis G70 is indeed dominated by a huge shield grille called the Crest Grille, which resumes almost completely in the form lo winged shield of the company logo. In addition to the huge grille, which certainly characterizes the front more, we find one pair of headlights split on two levels, a very long bonnet furrowed by important ribs and in general asporty, original and different from the usual German aesthetics.
sideways, up to the B-pillar G70 Shooting Brake is identical to the G70 sedan: the length is in fact the same of 4,69 meters, a couple of centimeters shorter than a BMW 3 Series, 1,85 m wide and with a wheelbase of 284 cm, as much as the German, English and Italian rivals. The long hood and forward front wheels immediately make it clear that this is a rear-wheel drive car, and right behind we find the biggest difference with American products.
The sporty, streamlined and dynamic wagon tail
Genesis G70 is in fact a Shooting Brake: if you don't know what this term means, a few weeks ago we made an in-depth study on what Shooting Brake means and the characteristics of this type of car. In short, modern shooting brake cars are station wagon with a much more sporty, dynamic and sporty line than the family classics, without sacrificing space and practicality. And in fact, even Genesis G70 is a full blown Shooting Brake.
The tail sports a sloping rear window, sleek and dynamic lines and a high but at the same time elegant and sporty rear. In the tail then we find a very enveloping dark rear window and gods split LED headlights that recall the front ones. The Genesis writing is then written in large letters on the back, to emphasize its new brand. Below we find real exhaust pipes, and a rather classic but sporty bumper. In general, the tail of the Genesis G70 Shooting Brake is elegant and sporty, but looking at it reminds me a lot of a very different car in conception, genre and segment, or the Subaru Impreza WRX Compact Wagon, the small Japanese family car based on the Impreza WRX sedan with all-wheel drive and 218 HP engine. What do you think about it?
Inside lines of the G70 sedan but with 40% more space
Jumping from the weird analogies I can find in every car inside the Genesis G70 Shooting Brake, the setting is what American Genesis customers are used to. The passenger compartment therefore has a simplicity and classic lines that surprise at first, considering the whimsical external. The bridge, in this case with a striking red part, it is very classic and has several physical buttons for climate, infotainment system and other functions.
The steering wheel is also very classic, and even the gear lever is not replaced by small joysticks, buttons or whimsical levers. Genesis G70 Shooting Brake focuses on a reassuring, elegant and comfortable interior, with the right technological component. In fact, there is a sistema di infotelematica con sistema operativo Hyundai, the same one we saw on Kona a few days ago. The system is easy, intuitive and very fast, but perhaps a dedicated system could be expected from a rival of BMW, Alfa Romeo and Jaguar. The very large digital instrument panel is beautiful, and the entire interior is facing the driver, to make him feel at the center of the action.
Genesis G70 Shooting Brake incorporates the entire dashboard of the G70 sedan in the cockpit, as well as yours excellent materials and build quality. Where the Europeanized version beats the starting sedan is in the availability of space. Although there has not yet been talk of numbers, Genesis stated that this Shooting Brake offers 40% more luggage space. And this is great news, as the G300's 70 liters are very few. If what Genesis reports is true, the G70 Shooting Brake is expected to have over 420 liters of interior space, sufficient for young families.
The mechanics of Genesis G70 Shooting Brake: 2.0 petrol with 252 HP, and soon (perhaps) also V6 and turbodiesel
We close by talking about the mechanical part of Genesis G70 Shooting Brake, which may surprise many people. In fact, if you expect solid and tested mechanics from a Hyundai product, with Genesis the watchwords are refined solutions and rear-wheel drive chassis. The platform on which G70 is based is in fact the one we have already known in Europe about Kia Stinger. A very interesting platform, capable of guaranteeing a good comfort and excellent driveability.
The suspensions are also very refined, not so much in front where there is a classic McPherson system as for the rear, where there is a refined 5-lever Multlink. The drive is rear-prevalent, although for now the Shooting Brake for Europe has only been announced with all-wheel drive. In addition to four-wheel drive, Genesis G70 Shooting Brake will arrive in Europe initially with only one engine. It is the 2.0 Theta 4-cylinder turbo petrol also known on the European i30N and Kona N, which it sports here 252 hp and 353 Nm of torque. The 2.0 is then coupled to a 8-speed automatic transmission with torque converter, made in-house by Hyundai. Performance has not yet been announced, but the US version employs less than 6 seconds to go from 0 to 100 km / h, like a true sports wagon.
While this engine is the only one announced for the moment, it shouldn't be alone for long. In fact, in the rest of the world, the G70 is offered with the 3.3 V6 turbo of 370 HP seen on Stinger, but in Asia and Russia also with the classic 2.2 CRDi turbodiesel from 200 CV. We will probably therefore also see these engines on Genesis G70 Shooting Brake very soon.
When will Genesis G70 Shooting Brake arrive on the market? And where? And at what price?
This Korean sports wagon is a real novelty in the world of premium cars. With an original and self-confident aesthetic, refined interiors and refined mechanics, it aims to convince those who would have chosen BMW, Audi or Alfa Romeo. And when will it be possible to meet her live? At the moment, Genesis will begin selling its first 5 models (G70, G80, GV70, GV80 and G70 Shooting Brake question) in 3 countries: Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Arrival on these three markets should be expected for the second half of this year, while in 2022 the brand will arrive in the rest of Europe.
And the price? We have no official information on this yet. The sedan version of the Genesis G70 in America, however, starts at just over 38 dollars, or about 31.000 euros. A price of $ 4.500 less than an equivalent BMW 3 Series 330i. And in Europe? The price of Genesis G70 Shooting Brake should start from around 40/42 thousand euros, a few thousand euros less than its direct rivals. This new brand is young, modern but with neat interiors and a good dose of driving pleasure. We will keep an eye on the Genesis brand: it could turn out to be a surprise in the coming months. And you? What do you think? Do you like this Genesis G70 Shooting Brake? Let us know in the comments!
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