Genesis G70 Shooting Brake priced from £35,250
Hyundai’s new premium brand is moving in on European stalwarts with its very stylish new estate
Following its debut at the 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed, Genesis has announced that its sleek G70 Shooting Brake will cost from £35,250 in the UK. The compact executive model rivals European giants like the BMW 3-series, Audi A4 and Mercedes C-class, with the estate bodystyle aimed directly at European customers – a direct statement of intent of how seriously Genesis is about cracking the Euro market.
The new G70 itself is a substantial update of a saloon that’s been on sale in other markets since 2017, sharing its rear-wheel drive chassis and many of its engine options with the Kia Stinger GT. This includes a flagship twin-turbocharged 3.3-litre V6 variant with 360bhp, a performance derivative designed to rival mid-power Germans like the BMW M340i and Mercedes-AMG C43.
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Genesis hasn’t just thrown a big engine in the G70 and just let it be either, with a sophisticated powertrain package that incorporates adaptive dampers, an electronically controlled limited slip differential and a chunky set of Brembo brakes.
Genesis also completed development cycles right here in Europe, utilising its German base to co-develop the G70 under the same engineering leadership that brought us the Hyundai i30 N. We have every reason to believe this estate version will offer the same when it arrives.
This variant will top a wider range made up from a turbocharged four-cylinder petrol and four-cylinder turbo diesel. Some markets also offer an all-wheel drive option, but it’s unknown what combinations of power and drivetrain options Genesis will offer when both the saloon and the shooting brake are launched in European markets later this summer.
The G70 joins the larger G80 saloon and GV80 SUV, plus a smaller GV70 SUV and a forthcoming bespoke EV in the next 12 months, forging its way headfirst into the notoriously difficult European market which has already proved too much for Nissan’s Infiniti brand, and has taken Lexus decades to form a foothold in.
But while Genesis will have a big focus on SUVs and all-electric models in future, there are still a few promising high performance highlights that should certainly bring a bit more colour to the market, not least this sleek G70 Shooting Brake.