Yahoo Autos Genesis G70 Shooting Brake 2024 long-term test
Why we ran it: To see if this old-school compact executive estate had new-world charms
Month 1 - Month 2 - Month 3 - Specs
Final report: This car doesn’t make much sense on the face of it. But did we love it anyway?
I don't know how easy it is to recommend the Genesis G70 Shooting Brake, a car that's sufficiently old-fashioned in ethos that it would be an expensive choice to own yet so rewarding in its execution that it's tempting to guide people towards it anyway.
To recap: Genesis is the posh arm of Hyundai like Lexus is to Toyota or Infiniti is to Nissan - the latter no longer in Europe after discovering how hard it is to convince people to buy into a new prestige brand.
That's Genesis's first challenge, then. Add in launching during a pandemic with a 2.0-litre petrol estate that returns 31mpg when everybody is buying SUVs and when EVs are hugely incentivised as company cars and you get an idea of why it isn't common to stumble across a G70 Shooting Brake today.
It's a shame because I've enjoyed the time I've spent with this car. It's easy and practical to rub along with, sensibly and logically laid out inside and rewardingly characterful to drive in a way that taller cars generally aren't.
It came in 2.0-litre Sport form, then costing £41,995 before options (of which there were many fitted) - although back then you could have it with a 2.2-litre diesel instead.
As with the BMW 3 Series which is the G70's most obvious rival, this once would have been unmistakable company car territory for executives whose car list would have included compact saloons and wagons.
The G70 petrol's corresponding 217g/km of COz emissions, which puts it into the 37% benefit-in-kind tax bracket, is why it's a much harder sell than it once would have been.
Still, this is a pleasant engine, driving through an eight-speed automatic gearbox and a limited-slip differential to the rear wheels. You can decide how brappily augmented its sound is by the car's speakers through a comprehensive and attractively designed infotainment system that happily isn't lumbered with operating too many driving functions.
Such is the array of physical switchgear that it's possible to go through a journey without using the touchscreen at all - once, that is, you have spent a minute or two the first time you drive it setting the driver assistance settings to the levels you want. Otherwise, the number of bings and bongs can drive you to distraction.
The Innovation Pack as fitted here adds no more functions to the touchscreen (yay) but does give you a head-up display, blindspot monitoring, all-round parking cameras and 3D-look instruments. It's quite cool, but at £3250 then or £2670 now, I think I'd live without it.
It's harder to call the Comfort Seats or the stereo upgrade without trying the alternatives. All G70 wheels are now 19in and fitted with racy Michelin Pilot Sport rubber, but 18s were standard when our car arrived. Every alternative is now dark-coloured, though, which I think is a shame.
The ride is agreeable and the handling benefits from the G70 being low-slung. It has slick steering, a pleasant balance and limited body roll. It's reasonably firm on the 19in wheels, but I like the amount of control that it has.
I did pick up a puncture, which was in no way the G70's fault, and even if there had been a smaller wheel size with more sidewall, I suspect I still would have done.
That was one of few expenses: the car used no oil or coolant and nothing went wrong. And while service intervals are short, at just 6500 miles, for the first five years there's no cost to those either.
Included in the list price is a Care Plan that comprises a five-year warranty, five years of servicing (with Genesis picking up the car and returning it later) and a courtesy car. So it's about as hassle-free as it gets: make a phone call or send an email, engage in a little to and fro to sort dates and wait for it to happen.
There are also free over-the-air software updates, although I doubt there will be too many of those.
In terms of fuel economy, what's reasonable to expect? I saw a fairly routine 31mpg - not much under, not much over. In a leggy diesel, you might expect to squeeze considerably better MPG out of a tank if you've done, say, a lot of leisurely motorway running, but with this petrol car it didn't seem to make much difference, even over a very long run to Scotland and back.
We've got used to talking about much better economy than this, but if we've turned buyers off diesels but they can't drive electric, this is where we are.
If you're in this fairly conservative sphere, then, the 3 Series Touring, Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate and Audi A4 Avant all still loom fairly large. It would be a niche choice to pick the G70 in that company, but I would entirely understand it.
Second Opinion
I had a blat in Prior’s faux-Flying Spur and came away with the distinct notion that, lacklustre economy aside, it’s a pretty tight match for its German rivals in terms of dynamism, finish and raw kerb appeal. I thought I might even name it my favourite swish exec – but then I drove an M340i
Felix Page
Love it:
Key fob The buttons are big and the locker has little knobbles, so once you’re familiar, you needn’t look at it.
Steering shortcut You just need one long button press on the steering wheel to disable or enable this ‘aid’, which is a bonus.
All those buttons The list extends to one to dim or brighten the dials – a vanishingly rare but really welcome perk.
Radio readout The frequency is displayed like old-school Nixie tubes. It’s almost worth listening to AM for that look.
Loathe it:
Black wheels I like the design but not the colour. It makes it hard to see their shape and they show up dirt readily.
Final mileage: 9014
Life with a Genesis G70 Shooting Brake: Month 3
Four-cylinder petrol estate gets a deserved break from the rigours of everyday life - 24 January
A trip to drive a Kia EV9 near Inverness just a week or so before Christmas gave me a chance to stretch the legs of my Genesis G70 Shooting Brake, which was otherwise being relegated to daily duties.
Not that there was anything wrong with the way it was handling those: the shops, the gym, the commute, the weekly trips to intercept Steve Cropley to record our podcast.
There's a lot to be said for a car that fits so seamlessly into your morning routine that, like turning on a tap, opening a sock drawer or locking the front door, you barely notice the event: get in, push a couple of buttons, twiddle the wheel and pedals a bit and get out at the other end. But a car deserves better.
I had to be at Inverness by 9.30am to start a day's driving in the EV9, so I'd broken up the outbound journey overnight and driven most of it in the dark on the quickest (ergo least interesting) route.
But knowing that I could make an early start on the way back, I wanted to take in some of my favourite roads through the Cairngorms. If you tell a sat-nav system you want to go from Inverness to Perth via Braemar, you get directed the right way, up and over the old military road and past the Lecht and Glenshee ski centres.
The ski lifts weren't running, but it had snowed a bit, and while Scotland's wonderfully named gritters there's an online tracker, and Penelope Gritstop isn't far away as I write) had been out and about, they can't cover minor roads.
The G70 runs Michelin Pilot Sport rubber, which isn't exactly frozen-road friendly; it has rear-wheel drive; and I'd seen -7c on the instrument panel. So I vowed that if at any point progress looked iffy, I'd just turn around and head back to cleared main roads.
However, beyond the cloud and fog, it was gloriously sunny and black asphalt responds to that, so it never got worse than a tiny bit slushy underwheel, even at the road's highest points.
I wouldn't have fancied it on my motorbike and I didn't wander off the road into snowy car parks or lay-bys, but it's just such a nice drive that I'm glad I made the time.
I stopped in Braemar for an early lunch and then, once past Perth, let a Google Maps and Waze combo suggest the quickest route home. I've heard recreational flying described as an expensive way to go for a cup of tea.
Recreational driving like this could be similarly dismissed as a long diversion for a cheese toastie.
But hey, it's a hobby. With stops, it was a 520-mile, 12-hour day, with the only lowlight being a short section of motorway held to a 20mph speed limit with the matrix boards saying "oncoming vehicle". (Thankfully it turned out incident-free.) Some matrix messages are ignored, but that seemed to get people's attention.
While I was away, news came through that Genesis UK's corporate structure was being melded into Hyundai's (not that customers should notice any difference). With a launch hampered and delayed by Covid and selling niche ICE cars (like this one) before moving on to EVs, Genesis UK hasn't had the easiest start to life.
And while I like the G70 Shooting Brake a great deal and would have happily climbed into it and done the return journey all over again the next morning, a glance at a trip computer reading 30.2mpg isn't terribly helpful.
As a result, I suspect there's a relatively small group of drivers for whom the G70 is the 'right' car: those who don't want diesel or electric or an SUV or a BMW 3 Series. If they do try the G/, though, I think they will like it.
Jack Harrison
Love it
Keep on rolling
Sad that I am, I like seeing a sat-nav display that tells me the next instruction is another 233 miles down the road.
Loathe it
The moustache
I like the look of the G70, so it’s a pity that forward-facing safety tech necessitates a weird-looking block in the centre of the grille.
Mileage: 8714
