The 2022 Genesis G70 3.3T RWD blew me away! It tooootally exceeded my expectations. But let’s back it up for a sec…
The Japanese car brands have not necessarily gotten lazy per say; they make good cars. But let’s be real here, they’ve gotten comfortable & and pretty predictable. They’ve kind of turned into the brands that they once had in their crosshairs when they were younger. For example – we all know exactly what the new Lexus IS is gonna feel like before we ever drive it, and guess what… it’s exactly that… no real surprises. So how do you fork over 50+ grand for no surprises, unless you’re just turning in a lease & picking up a new one. But where’s the passion in that??
Genesis seems to be trying harder, and it’s evident when you drive the G70 3.3T RWD.
The Genesis G70 3.3T (turbo) RWD makes 365hp… and I’d honestly put it up against the top-tier Lexus IS500 with the 5.0 V8 and 472hp. The Genesis is that good! Maybe not quite as striking visually. But the G70 3.3T is the more engaging car to drive.
A lot of times, with all these faux ‘sports sedans’ on the market, Sport Mode is just an overall ‘gimmick’ feature. It ends up giving you half of what you want, making the suspension & steering feel good, but conversely holding the RPMs out way too long where it doesn’t make sense, and thus making these cars feel more frantic & stressful than sporty.
But – Genesis absolutely nailed their Sport+ mode!
It might be the best ‘sport mode’ I’ve driven in a sports sedan. It’s really close to perfection. I went straight to Sport+ every time I started the car, and I didn’t feel like the car was abusing itself or pointlessly killing MPGs. The steering & suspension feel precise & dead-on. The exhaust gets less muffled out & raises an eyebrow. The responsiveness of the engine/trans in Sport+ is as sharp as a razor… without being jagged & frantic. The throttle response is killer. The G70 gets out of the hole & accelerates really impressively. Boost kicks in early, and it’s an exciting amount of power. In traffic, the transmission in Sport+ stays passive & intelligent enough to not annoy the piss out of you. But the second you get into half-throttle or more, the trans is right there at the ready – super sharp & crisp. Shift points are totally dialed in. And the 3.3T RWD comes with LSD!
The interior of the Genesis G70 has impressive attention to detail…
And definite VIP vibes. Red diamond stitching runs throughout the front & rear seats AND door panels, along with red seatbelts. The interior is soft to the touch… yet supportive & performance-minded. The G70’s got a sunroof that’s big enough to matter, and radio stations that illuminate inside old edison lights on the main screen – c’mon! Cool features, like side-view cameras on the mirrors that display inside the tach when you hit the turn signals, keep the G70 driver-focused & engaging… rather than passive and/or distracting.
Bottom Line: Genesis is on to something!
I don’t want to oversell this lol, but the G70 3.3T RWD honestly greatly exceeded my expectations, and I want to get that point across clearly. There is an energy in this car that is bigger than specs & numbers. In the 80s, Japanese car manufacturers were showing the world what they could do. Now it seems to be Korea with something to prove. The Genesis G70 3.3T RWD hits on those intangibles that just make a car come together & ‘click’ for an awesome driving experience. It’s 100% worth the test drive.
