Simpler, pricier Genesis G70 range for 2024

GENESIS has reworked the offering for its G70 mid-sized sedan, giving the slow-selling 3 Series and C-Class rival an external and internal refresh, reduced the number of available variants to just two, and boosted the price of entry to $81,000 before on-road costs.

It is a stark difference to the G70’s pricing strategy up until now. Pre-update, the G70 range opened at $63,000 before on-road costs for the G70 2.0T, rising to $74,324 for the 3.3T Sport and topping off at $76,727 for the 2.0T Shooting Brake, which gave the G70 a pricing advantage on German rivals from BMW and Mercedes-Benz while also staying competitive against the more affordable Audi A4.

But for 2024, Genesis’ strategy in the medium premium passenger segment more closely resembles that of Benz and BMW in terms of pricing.

The brand has shuffled pricing of many of its models this year, lifting prices on the GV60, GV70 and GV80 by thousands, but the $18,000 leap in the price of entry for the G70 is well above what those models endured. 

Range rationalisation has also been severe. Genesis will continue to offer the G70 both as a sedan and the Shooting Brake wagon, though bodystyle is now tied to engine and price.

The entry point $81,000 + ORC G70 2.0T Sport Line Luxury is exclusively powered by a 179kW/353Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol powertrain and offered only as a Shooting Brake, while the $88,000 G70 3.3T Sport Luxury is only available as a sedan with power from a 274kW/510Nm 3.3-litre twin-turbo petrol V6. 

Both variants are RWD-only, with an eight-speed automatic, limited-slip differential, 19-inch alloys and Brembo brakes.

The V6-powered G70 Sport Luxury sedan also gains electronically-controlled adaptive dampers, which gain a new calibration for both hardware and software for the 2024 model year, while the 2.0-litre base model receives passive dampers as standard.

For 2024, the only factory option available is matte paint, which is only available on the 3.3T Sport Luxury sedan for an extra $2000.

Externally, body plastics and sheetmetal are the same as those introduced with the G70’s previous facelift that landed back in 2021, though the 19-inch alloys for both models are of a new design, the Genesis badging has been revised, and three new matte-finish and two new gloss paints have been added to the colour palette.

Inside, the only major change is the addition of a 6.0-inch LCD touchscreen for the climate control, reducing button-count on the G70’s dash. An updated Genesis badge on the steering wheel, frameless rearview mirror and a new Fog Grey leather upholstery option rounds out the rest of the cosmetic enhancements.

Tech-wise, Genesis has added its connected services suite to the G70, which comes with a complimentary five-year subscription and allows smartphone control for climate control, window position, remote locking, geofencing, calendar integration, maintenance status and navigation destination upload.

Live traffic data for the navigation system, an SOS emergency call function, voice controls, and weather info also form part of the Genesis Connected Services suite.  Over-the-air updates are also now possible, with the G70’s electronics able to be updated remotely without requiring a visit to the dealership.

Driver aids also get a boost from the integration of Intelligent Speed Limit Assist, which recognises speed signs and utilises navigation data to tell drivers if speed limits have changed. It can also help adjust the set cruise control speed when speed limits change.

The 2024 Genesis G70 is sold with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty for private-use vehicles, with complimentary scheduled servicing for five years/75,000km and free roadside assistance for 10 years/unlimited kilometres.