AutoTrader SCORE
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STYLING7.0/10
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Safety9.0/10
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PRACTICALITY6.5/10
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USER-FRIENDLINESS8.0/10
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FEATURES7.0/10
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POWER8.0/10
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COMFORT7.0/10
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DRIVING FEEL9.0/10
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FUEL ECONOMY6.0/10
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VALUE8.0/10
Genesis blew just about everyone away when it first entered the market as a stand-alone brand back in 2016.
Critics were wildly impressed with this underdog brand that suddenly emerged as a legitimate challenger to established makes like Mercedes-Benz and BMW. The G70 in particular was a big deal for the brand, because it absolutely needed to compete with the C-Class and 3 Series in order to find success. Seven years later the 2025 Genesis G70 is still going strong, but this underdog darling might be starting to lose its bite.
Power: 8/10
Let’s start with the good news. The 2025 Genesis G70 has a fabulous powertrain in its top performance-oriented trim. Its twin-turbocharged 3.3L V6 delivers 365 hp and 376 lb-ft of torque, which is plenty — and pretty similar to what a BMW M340i delivers with its inline six-cylinder. Like the BMW, the G70 gets an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard all-wheel drive (AWD).
This version of the G70 has all the ingredients to make it a proper sport sedan: Brembo brakes, an adaptive suspension, variable exhaust, a mechanical limited-slip differential, and more. The G70’s AWD system is rear-biased for a sportier feel, and it can theoretically send as much as 90 per cent of the available torque to the rear axle, meaning if you activate the drift mode you can do donuts or fling this sedan sideways if you feel tempted, though some owners report that it’s spotty in operation and the safety systems kick in too soon. Even without a desire to go sideways, however, the G70 is rewarding to drive.
The G70 has an excellent powertrain, but its competitors have stepped up by augmenting their engines with mild-hybrid setups, allowing for smoother operation and an extra burst of instant, electrically-aided acceleration. While a V6 is tried and true, they simply can’t offer the smoothness of a straight-six combined with a mild-hybrid setup.
Driving Feel: 9/10
The G70 3.3T Sport’s fantastic driving dynamics are a definite highlight. It has plenty of power on tap and a quick-acting transmission that will happily drop a gear or two when a strong burst of acceleration is called for. It even sounds pretty good when the active exhaust is opened up in sport mode.
Overall, it feels athletic, balanced, and changes directions with confidence and ease. The steering is heavy, direct, and responsive, and combined with a suspension that balances both cruising comfort and corner carving well, the drive experience is well-executed. It feels like a proper sport sedan and offers the engagement and performance that are hallmarks of the segment.
Styling: 7/10
Style is completely subjective, but I prefer the look of the pre-facelift G70 because it has aged so gracefully. The previous look was designed before Genesis decided on its current design language, which uses a stacked twin-line motif for its lighting. When applied to the G70, the headlights are a style downgrade, but the sedan still has great proportions.
The interior is where the G70 really starts to fall apart for me, with looks and quality that have both fallen behind its competitors. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the cabin, but competitors are elevating their interior designs so much that the G70 is simply starting to look dated by comparison. It features some cheap plastics in high-contact areas that you would never find in a Mercedes or BMW, and some of the details don’t feel as special as they should.
Practicality: 6.5/10
Daily livability is another area where the G70 falls short. The trunk measures just 297 L, the least amongst its competitive set, and the cabin doesn’t have enough cubbies for small items like wallets, keys, phones, and handbags. The door pockets are too small to hold a water bottle, and I experienced a few instances of the proximity door locks malfunctioning when trying to get into the car. The experience isn’t as seamless as it needs to be at this level where Genesis is competing.
Comfort: 7/10
The front seats are supportive and comfortable with a lot of adjustability, but passengers in the back don’t have a lot of room. The rear seats are cramped even for short people, with both head- and legroom at a premium. Although the rear seats are heated in all but the cheapest trim, there’s just not enough room if you regularly transport passengers.
User-Friendliness: 8/10
With this latest G70 that was updated just last year, Genesis has taken a small step backwards as far as functionality goes, sacrificing usability for style. I appreciate the row of physical shortcut buttons for the infotainment system, which makes it easy to find what you’re looking for while driving, but the panel underneath for climate controls is now a touch-capacitive panel, which can be a bit distracting.
Still, all the functions are clearly labelled and always visible, so it’s much more usable than some other systems out there, but it still requires a driver to take their eyes off the road for a split-second too long to make a selection. Luckily, the touchscreen is easy to navigate, the menus are all logical, and the layout makes it easy to find what you’re looking for without any frustration.
Features: 7/10
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard but still require a wired connection, which these days feels far behind for a luxury brand.The head-up display does not show navigation or other information from the smartphone mirroring, and I wish it was better integrated to avoid flipping between screens on the main touchscreen. A wireless charger is standard.
Some highlights in this top trim include ventilated front seats, a sunroof, and a 3D digital instrument display, which can be turned off because it’s not very useful. The basics are covered, but there’s really nothing outstanding or innovative to get excited about.
Safety: 9/10
All G70s come well-equipped with safety and driver assistance features including parking proximity sensors, blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, lane following and keeping assist, forward collision avoidance with junction assist that will warn you if there’s incoming traffic or pedestrians you can’t see while making a left turn, safe exit warning (to avoid dooring a cyclist or oncoming vehicle), driver attention warning, automatic high-beam control, rear occupant alert, and more.
A full adaptive cruise control system is also standard, and it features steering assistance and stop-and-go capability. More expensive trims add a surround-view monitor for easier parking and blind-spot cameras that show a live feed of either side of the vehicle in the instrument display when the corresponding signal is activated.
Fuel Economy: 6/10
The Genesis G70 3.3T Sport’s fuel economy is rated at 14.3 L/100 km in the city, 10.7 on the highway, and 12.7 combined. Premium fuel is recommended. After more than 800 km of testing with a lot of highway driving, the indicated average was 11.9 L/100 km. At first blush, that seems OK for an AWD sport sedan with a V6, but it’s significantly less efficient than the BMW M340i’s combined 9.1 L/100 km rating.
Value: 8/10
One major reason the G70 was so impressive when it first debuted was that it offered almost everything a BMW 3 Series could at the time while undercutting its price by thousands of dollars. The G70 is still more affordable than a comparable BMW, and the cost savings make it easier to forgive some of its shortcomings, but in a segment where brand prestige and feature-for-feature comparisons matter, the savings don’t weigh as much as they used to because the G70 has fallen enough behind.
The topline 2025 Genesis G70 3.3T Sport is $65,500, which includes destination. The only option added to this tester was the $500 Vanta Grey paint. The BMW M340i starts at $71,500 including destination. A $7,000-plus savings means the G70 still offers significant value, but I’d love to see Genesis maintain a price advantage without sacrificing so much in the process.
The Verdict
I was one of those critics who adored the G70 when it first got here in 2018. It even won many awards for being so impressive back then, but it lost in this year’s AutoTrader Awards to the BMW 3 Series as the best vehicle in its segment. Seven years down the road, the 2025 Genesis G70 still drives incredibly well and has a lot going for it, but the brand has to step up its interior and innovation game to reclaim its spot as everyone’s favourite underdog.
| Engine Displacement | 3.3L |
|---|---|
| Engine Cylinders | Twin-turbo V6 |
| Peak Horsepower | 365 hp @ 6,000 rpm |
| Peak Torque | 376 lb-ft @ 1,300-4,500 rpm |
| Fuel Economy | 14.3 / 10.7 / 12.7 L/100 km cty/hwy/cmb |
| Cargo Space | 297L |
| Model Tested | 2025 Genesis G70 3.3T Sport AWD |
| Base Price | $65,500 |
| A/C Tax | $100 |
| Destination Fee | Included |
| Price as Tested | $66,100 |
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Optional Equipment
$500 — Vanta Grey paint, $500
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