If you’ve never heard of the automotive brand “Genesis”, you‘re probably not alone. Although it may be a relatively new name to the UK automotive market, you may be more familiar with their parent company Hyundai Motor Group, who boast over half a century of motor manufacturing expertise under their belt.
Launched in 2015, Genesis Motors is Hyundai’s foray into the premium luxury car market, and with Genesis, they promise unrivalled style, peak comfort and refined performance.
Having already made great strides in North America, being named “the most dependable automotive brand” in 2020, and “the most technologically innovative” in 2021 by consumer insights company J.D. Power — Genesis are now looking to take the European market by storm, continuing their onslaught and bringing the fight against some of the most well known premium luxury automotive brands, to their home turf.
After racing from the starting blocks with the premiere of the G70 Shooting Brake at the Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier this summer, lesser-known Genesis is well and truly keeping pace against seasoned heavyweights of the premium-luxury car market, and demonstrate they can continue to deliver pound-for-pound without skipping a beat.
Genesis G70 Athletic Elegance
Based on the G70 sedan released last year, the G70 Shooting Brake maintains its staunch and elegant sporty exterior; a design philosophy Genesis calls “Athletic Elegance” – an elegant blend of energetic athleticism with a serving of high-performance luxury.
While maintaining its overall dimensions, the Shooting Brake benefits from a couple of key features for added practicality. Increased boot space to 465 litres, 40% more volume than the sedan, and split-folding rear seats making it more versatile for everyday family use and touring. A formula destined to be a winner in the United Kingdom and wider Europe alike.
For this version of the G70, Genesis has gone with the name “Shooting Brake”, a familiar name which has been used by premium luxury automotive manufacturers since the early 1900’s, and has also previously been adopted by Sunbeam, Aston Martin, Porsche and most notably Mercedes-Benz.
Bearing a sportier and more sophisticated appeal to it than “estate” or “station-wagon”, Shooting Brake denotes a car body style originating from horse drawn wagons which were used for transporting shooting parties, their equipment and game in the late 1890’s.
Genesis G70 Luxury Interior
The seductive driver-focused interior of the G70 Shooting Brake is very much akin to what I would imagine it’s like piloting a fighter jet from the comfort of a chaise longue, relaxing yet satisfyingly thrilling. Or maybe that’s just my vivid imagination spurred on by my end-of-week glass of Beaujolais.
The comfortable quilted leather seats are complimented by a 10.25” touchscreen which controls the onboard infotainment, wireless smartphone charging and a built-in dash cam are among the optional extra features.
Although scoring well in the aesthetics and ‘feel of materials’ department, the cockpit design feels a bit dated and not quite modern chic when compared to its rivals. And at a starting price of £35,250, the G70 Shooting Brake has a lot of convincing to do and some stiff competition with its more well-known rivals, the BMW 3 Series Touring, Audi A4 Avant and Mercedes-Benz C Class which all offer more luggage space and added comfort for rear seat passengers. The BMW and Audi also come in a smidgen cheaper On The Road (OTR) with a starting price of £35,085 and £34,480 respectively.
When factoring this in, it can be argued that the competitive pricing of the newcomer may be a tad bit ambitious when set against the aforementioned rivals who already have a significant stake in the market. However, Genesis counter this by taking advantage of a well timed gap in the market – offering a level of personal customer care above and beyond a level provided by any other ‘luxury’ car manufacturer. A trick which has been overlooked by its more illustrious competitors.
The Genesis Personal Touch
As a reward for early commitment to an up-and-coming name, you will currently receive 5 years of bespoke customer service. Genesis will also deliver your new G70 Shooting Brake to your doorstep thanks to a bespoke Personal Assistant who will continue to cater to your needs by collecting your Shooting Brake whenever it requires a service or any other issue that might arise for which you would require a courtesy car.
Alongside this personal touch, Genesis also provide a 5-year unlimited mileage guarantee for anyone who wants to sprint ahead of the pack in order to flaunt the market’s latest luxury racer.