2024 Genesis G70 COTY Review: The Long, Slow Goodbye?

Genesis has run headlong into the proverbial rock-and-a hard-place scenario when it comes to its G70 compact sedan. What to do about the former MotorTrend Car of the Year winner? Like so many sedans in general, it’s becoming an endangered species. Then add uncertainty about what should power it in the future, and it’s a formula for the G70 not being long for this world—at least not in its present form.

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Putting aside its future, the Genesis G70 is still a highly competitive, luxury-trimmed, sport-oriented sedan in a rapidly shrinking market segment. For the 2024 model year, it gets a base engine it probably should have received a couple of years ago, Hyundai Group’s ubiquitous 2.5-liter turbo I-4, which in the G70 spools up a healthy 300 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque to propel a rear-drive model we tested to a quick 5.7-second 0–60 time. The engine’s mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, you can get the car in rear- or all-wheel drive, and there’s a new set of Brembo brakes all around. (The G70’s 3.3-liter twin-turbo-powered, higher-spec model largely carries over but with all the 2.5-liter car’s updates.)

Some judges felt the turbo-four-equipped cars we evaluated were coarse-throated in their sonic symphony, but most thought the powerplant is well matched to the car. “The new engine is gutsy and has a lot of torque,” associate editor Billy Rehbock said. “I was never wanting for acceleration.” Judges also reported the G70 sedan’s character changed considerably between the RWD and AWD variants.

“The rear-drive car is lighter, both on the nose and in general, and you feel very aware this torquey little four-pot hits boost rather hard,” features editor Christian Seabaugh said. “The all-wheel-drive version, on the other hand, feels much heavier, and without the worry of overwhelming the rear tires, you can drive it less conservatively than the rear-drive model.”

Despite the good vibes about the new powertrain and the car’s baseline dynamic character, which we’ve consistently lauded since it was launched, judges were mostly just whelmed by everything else. Its overall value proposition remains reasonably high, but it’s missing several luxuries the competition now has as standard or available features, many of which could have been addressed had Genesis added its latest infotainment setup to the G70.

“Where are dual 12.3-inch displays atop the dashboard?” deputy editor Alexander Stoklosa asked. “Where's the rest of the current Genesis tech?” It’s much the same from an exterior standpoint, where the G70 falls behind its stablemates in its design advancement.

Simply put, this is a modest, incremental update, not a wholesale redesign, but our judges expected a bit more, especially in the cabin, given that most Genesis models are equipped with the brand’s new screen setup and technology suite. It raises the question: Is the G70 not being more extensively reworked a sign it’s on the way out? Our crystal ball says, “Likely yes.”

As for the cars we evaluated, esteemed guest judge Chris Theodore summed up our thoughts best: “The G70 is still a fine near-luxury sport sedan and an excellent value, but there just isn’t enough new here to pass it through as a COTY finalist."

This review was conducted as part of our 2025 Car of the Year (COTY) testing, where each vehicle is evaluated on our six key criteria: efficiency, design, safety, engineering excellence, value, and performance of intended function. Eligible vehicles must be all-new or significantly revised.

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