2024 Genesis G70 2.5T RWD First Test Review: Palate-Cleansing Luxury Sedan

These days there are very few cars we’d describe as light on their feet. Such is the reality in a world dominated by clumsy crossovers and EVs that are quick and capable but often heavy and soulless. Looking to escape all that? Then consider the 2024 Genesis G70 your savior. Light, fun, and playful, the G70 is a refreshing reminder of how cars should handle.

And hey, it has more power, too. As part of a refresh for this year, the G70 received a new 2.5-liter turbocharged I-4 churning out 300 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque. That’s 48 horsepower and 51 lb-ft more than the 2.0-liter unit it replaced. An eight-speed automatic carries over and routes power to the rear wheels or an optional all-wheel-drive system.

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Fixing What Was Wrong

Its newfound power remedies one of the nitpicks we had about the base engine—it was much too slow compared to its sport sedan competition. Now, the 2024 G70 RWD 2.5T Sport Prestige returned a 0–60-mph time of 5.7 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 14.1 seconds at 100.7 mph. Those are improvements of 0.5 and 0.6 second compared to the outgoing 2.0-liter. That said, the G70 still does lag some competitors we tested recently. A RWD 2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia Competizione, for example, needed 5.2 seconds to run to 60 and 13.7 to cover the quarter mile. Meanwhile, a Cadillac CT4-V RWD was 0.2 second quicker to 60 than the Genesis; it did, however, lose its advantage by the quarter-mile mark, arriving 0.1 second slower.

Genesis also made an effort to improve the G70’s stopping ability by making Brembo brakes standard across the lineup for 2024. That resulted in a 60–0-mph stopping distance of an adequate 121 feet. A previous four-cylinder G70 did the deed in 106 ft, and it did so with standard brakes, but it was shod with sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires, compared to the all-season Michelin Primacy Tour A/S rubbers fitted on our latest test car.

On the upside, the tame all-season tires and the G70’s light curb weight (3,745 pounds) made for an entertaining combo on our figure-eight course and on twisty roads. The G70 enters corners with a pinch of oversteer and remains predictable and controlled through the curves. And although it doesn’t quite have the Giulia’s subjectve handling magic, the G70’s 26.0-second figure-eight time is 0.2 second quicker than the Alfa’s. The Caddy was much quicker at 25.4 seconds but had the advantage of sticky summer tires.

While the G70 was mostly a hoot to flog around the figure eight, the experience was slightly soured by its transmission. Slow to upshift and even slower to downshift, the G70’s gearbox was surprisingly unresponsive even in its sportiest setting. Thankfully these shortcomings only come to the fore in extremely spirited driving.

Driven like a luxury sedan, the G70’s powertrain doles out more than enough grunt in linear fashion. Overall, the ride is smooth and quiet, but high-frequency undulations cause the G70 to seesaw a bit, likely due to its relatively short wheelbase. Other nitpicks to consider? The list is short, but the lack of wireless Apple CarPlay and tight rear legroom are at the top.

The 2024 G70 2.5T is priced just a tad under $43,000, while our top-spec Sport Prestige model came in at $47,600. (If you’d like AWD, add another $2,100.) We’d consider that a bargain considering the G70’s excellent craftsmanship and long list of creature comforts, including ventilated front seats, wireless phone charging, and advanced cruise control. Its price becomes even more attractive when you consider that the more powerful G70 3.3T requires a decent chunk of additional change; opting for the G70 2.5T leaves you with enough change to max out your Roth IRA. A heavy wallet and a car that’s light on its feet? Sounds like a fun time to us.

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