Like all Genesis vehicles, the G70 is sold for a set price that includes all delivery and destination fees as well as an unparalleled suite of ownership benefits including Genesis at Home concierge service, complimentary scheduled maintenance, Genesis Connected Services, map updates, and more, all for five years or 100,000 km.

3.3T Sport AWD: $57.5k
BMW 340i xdrive: $56.8k

Genesis recently showed off its smallest sedan yet, the G70. Slotting in under the full-size G90 and midsize G80, Genesis’ newest car is aimed squarely at the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. But if you’re waiting for Genesis to go even smaller and take on the Audi A3 and Mercedes-Benz CLA, you’ll probably be disappointed.

The G80 Sport takes a very different path from its older brother by focusing on performance over plushness. The result is what often feels like a strange mix of sports car and comfortable cruiser. Packing a 3.3-liter twin-turbo V-6, the G80 produces a very healthy 365 hp routed to the rear wheels. It’s powerful enough that I didn’t imagine myself wanting the G80 with the 420-hp V-8 engine, and even the base 3.8-liter V-6 with 311 hp might prove more than enough. But despite the plentiful power of our tester, the weight and steering feel suggest ambitions other than raw performance.

Numbers we gleaned from the track gave us a more solid idea of the sedan’s performance compared to key competitors. It hit 60 mph from a standstill in 5.2 seconds, which is 0.2 second quicker than the G90 AWD we tested with the same engine. And it’s significantly quicker than its predecessor, the Hyundai Genesis 3.8 AWD, which hit 60 mph in 6.4 seconds. The G80 Sport also ranks ahead of the 2017 Lexus GS 350 F Sport RWD, which took 5.9 seconds to launch to 60 mph. That model, however, only produces 311 hp.

Other sedans are quicker than the G80 Sport. The 2017 Mercedes-AMG E43 4Matic made the mark in 4.6 seconds, and the 2016 Audi A6 3.0T Quattro managed the deed in just 4.7 seconds, all while making just 333 hp.

In the figure eight, the Genesis G80 clocked a time of 27.5 seconds at an average 0.66 g. Other competitors performed better, including the GS F Sport, which hit the mark in 25.5 seconds at an average 0.74 g. The Mercedes managed the run in 25.1 seconds at an average of 0.77 g, and the Audi completed it in 25.3 seconds at 0.79 g.

In the figure eight, the Genesis G80 clocked a time of 27.5 seconds at an average 0.66 g.

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Still, it managed a commendable 0.92 g of lateral acceleration and a 25.8-second figure-eight time.

The Germans can only wish they had as balanced a chassis as this new sport sedan

This hasn’t happened since 1990. Actually, officially, it was January 11th, 1989, and the upsetting of apple cart I am talking about happened in Detroit. The North American International Auto Show to be exact. Cobo Hall, way in the back if I remember rightly.

Auto buffs of a certain age will know immediately I am referring to Lexus’ apple cart-upsetting LS400 and how much it upset the founding fathers of the modern luxury set. Although we weren’t sure until we actually tested the big V8 project the following September, we had an inkling that Toyota’s “Circle-F” project was going to be a thorn in the sides of BMW and Mercedes-Benz. (I was going to make metaphor with something referring to “pole” and “up” so as to truly capture the discomforting contortions the LS was putting the Germans through, but the editor insisted I make this a PG-rated road test.) The point, in case your missing it, was that this was the first time the Japanese made a car better than the Germans. Not good for the money. Not cheaper, more reliable or more fuel efficient. Just plain better. Asian automakers have been chasing that same excellence ever since.
I won’t try to convince you that Genesis’ new G70, the car I am about to rave about, is going to have as much of an impact as the original LS400. For one thing, the Teutonic trio (now that Audi has been added to the rostrum) are not in the state of disrepair they were in the last decade of the 20th century. For another, our expectations of Asian automakers is vastly different. We expect them to be good. We expect them to be technologically au courante. Indeed, we expect them to be competitive.

But the G70, rekindling the original spirit of the Lexus, is better. Again, not better for the money (and, yes, it still has something of a price advantage). Not more reliable (which it probably will be) or more fuel efficient (oops, we may have slipped backwards a bit there). Simply better.

One thing that does differ from that Lexus of old is that, while it was the LS400’s engine that was the card that trumped the Germans, in the G70’s case, it’s the chassis. Simply put, the new G70 is the kind of ultimate driving machine BMW used to put out with casual regularity but, for some reason decided mainstream consumers didn’t want any more. Indeed, the completeness of the Genesis chassis package is breathtaking, racking up superlatives in virtually every area of comportment.

Credit for that must go to Albert Biermann, the former VP of BMW’s M division that the Hyunda/Kia empire kidnapped a few years ago and, who, according to Genesis’ manager of product strategy, Patrick Danielson, “had a hand in every single aspect of the chassis’ development.” That means the steering, despite being electrically boosted, is as communicative as BMWs of yore. The chassis, shared with Kia’s similarly excellent Stinger, is super stiff, the perfect platform on which to build performance sedan. And the suspension is that magical combination of soft enough for bumps and tight enough for apexes that BMW used to have sole proprietorship of. Indeed, to be very specific about my commendation of Genesis, the top-of-the-line G70 3.3T Dynamic with its Custom vehicle setting configuration set to Sport for steering and chassis electronics, but set for Comfort-designated suspension compliance — a set-up specifically recommended by Danielson — is the best combination of road-holding and suspension compliance to be had in the entry-level luxury sedan segment today.

Even on the track, the all-wheel-driven 3.3L acquits itself quite well. Oh there’s a little “push,” but nowhere near as much as you’d expect from a car that is, after all, not meant for such roundy-round shenanigans. Genesis does offer what they claim is a more track friendly car, the 2.0T Sport, complete with rear-wheel-drive and a six-speed manual transmission. It may be a little tighter and a little sharper round the sharpest hairpins, but truth be told, I preferred the 3.3L version of the Sport in almost every regard. So, opt for the lesser motor if you must have a manual trannie, but otherwise the higher-spec car is the optimum choice.

That’s simply because, while the by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four is competitive — its 252 horses are equal to the class-leading Audi S4 — the twice turbocharged V6 is a real stonker. More robust than anything remotely competitive — the 400-hp Infiniti Q50 Red Sport being the sole exception — the 3.3L’s 365 ponies are backed up by a stout 376 pound-feet of torque, which is available as low as 1,370 rpm. Yes, throttle response is instantaneous. Mated to the quick-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission, it makes for an impressive powertrain.

Said automatic is also, however, the source of one of the G70’s most glaring faults, one so obvious that one has to wonder how it slipped by quality control. Slip into Sport mode, then floor the throttle and the transmission will, as it is supposed to, skip down a gear or two. And, once you let off, it holds that lower gear — again, as it supposed to. Things then get a little untidy because it is supposed to, after three or four seconds, of constant throttle, figure out that you’re no longer calling for Full Banzai mode and it’s supposed to, without prompting, shift up again. That is what is supposed to.

What it actually does is keep on holding the lower gear ad infinitum as if you’ve switched to manual mode. Just cause I’m contrary, I kept it screaming in second for about 15 seconds and the ECU — because this is obviously a software glitch — never figured out that we were done playing silly buggers. I do, however, suspect the problem will be nothing but a 15-minute chip reflash and, Bob’s-your-uncle, the trannie will be right as rain.

As for more proletarian concerns — such as interior décor and exterior design — know that the G70 is very much a triumph of substance over style. The actual layout of the G70’s cabin breaks no new ground. Indeed, it might even be — with touchscreen controls and redundant buttonry — a little busy. But the materials and execution are exquisite. BMW wishes its 3 Series had leather so soft. Mercedes will be envious of the G70’s extensive — seats, dash and doors — quilted stitching. And, if the actual design of the cabin is conservative, Genesis Canada’s choice of colours for its Nappa leather is not; besides the standard tan and black, there’s a host of purples and greens that truly stand out. There’s a level of superior quality to this Genesis’s cabin that used to be the sole purview of Audi.

As for equipment, the G70, even in base form, has all the gear: wireless charging for cellphone, an impressive array of automatic driver aids (lane departure warning, driver attention warning, etc.) — and, in every model save the base “Advanced” model, at least 15 speakers with which to boom your bass. The one exception to this rule is that, for some reason, navigation is an option — yes, at $42,000! — and not standard until you move up to the $47,000 Elite model.

As for the exterior, it is quite comely. The only issue and truly my only complaint with the G70 (the transmission thing, a I said, is almost assuredly to be cured before the first car is delivered), is that the styling is a bit derivative. Yes, as I said, it’s easy on the eyes. But the front grill reminds of Lexus’s aggressive spindle, the front wheel arches look vaguely Infiniti-ish and the entire side profile is kinda, sorta 3 Series. This car, indeed, this brand, is deserved of its own, completely unique design statement, one that matches what the engineers have wrought with the chassis.

And, as I have lauded, it will be the chassis that is the G70’s calling card. Oh, the price is competitive — the base model starts at $42,000 and the all-singing, all-dancing 3.3T Sport rings in at $57,000, all including PDI and five years maintenance, mind you — and the powertrains willing, but the fact it sports a chassis that outperforms the very best the Germans have to offer is the real reason you’ll want a Genesis. Be a brand slave all you want, but never believe that you German touring sedan handles or rides better.

The Hyundai N lineup is growing at an impressive rate as the company has already introduced the i30 N and Veloster N. The brand’s third model, the i30 N Fastback, will debut in October and a new report is suggesting it could be joined by two additional models.

Speaking with Automotive News, Hyundai’s head of high performance development said a fourth N model is already in the company’s long-term plan. He added a fifth model could also be green-lighted shortly.

Albert Biermann was coy on specifics, but said the N team could have an opportunity to present a car to management within the next two or three months. He went on to say, “Depending on what is the current mood and situation, we might get a spontaneous ‘OK, go for it.’”

While most models aren’t given the go ahead without careful research and planning, it wouldn’t be the first time it has happened at Hyundai’s N division. As Automotive News notes, the i30 N Fastback wasn’t planned but Biermann moved forward with the car after seeing a mockup of the standard model.

There’s no word on what the mysterious car is, but Biermann said there will be an electric performance vehicle “sooner or later.” In particular, he mentioned a theoretical Ioniq N with an electric powertrain that features a “bigger motor and inverter” for more power. Throw in some chassis upgrades and Biermann contends the idea isn’t “fully crazy.”

Despite suggesting that electrified N models are possible after 2021, Biermann seemed to rule out the possibility of a car with a fuel cell powertrain.

That wasn’t the only idea he shot down as the engineer seemed to rule out a Genesis G70 N. The company looked into the possibility of developing the model before Genesis became a standalone brand, but it appears that is now out of the question. That’s unfortunate as it would be interesting to see Genesis tackle the BMW M3.