I saw an interesting statistic the other day---about how, even with depressed sales this year due to the pandemic, the old-school muscle cars from Dodge are still selling in remarkable numbers. The Challenger, a refreshed and only slightly updated 2008 car, is beating not only the Chevrolet Camaro but the Ford Mustang in sales.
But nostalgia ain't what it used to be. Want to see a modern muscle car? You're looking at it.
The 3.3-liter twin-turbo V6 in the 2020 Genesis G70 3.3T Sport makes 365 horsepower and 376 pounds per foot of torque. Mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters and rev-matching, it also features launch control.
It will hit 60 miles per hour from a standing start in 4.5 seconds. Let me put that in perspective for you. Yes, the 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody can do that in 3.6 seconds. But it needs a 707-horsepower 6.2-liter Hemi V8, a gallon of gas every 12 miles in the city and every 21 on the highway and $69,645 of your money (before options). The Genesis? Besides the aforementioned twin-turbo V6, it requires a gallon of gas every 17 miles in the city, every 26 on the highway and $44,650 (before options) from your bank account.
The G70 3.3T Sport is also packing Brembo brakes, dive mode select, a sport-tuned suspension, limited-slip differential, 19-inch alloy wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport summer tires and a dual-muffler exhaust.
All that adds up to not just speed, but precision from this Korean mid-sizer, which benchmarked the BMW 5 Series in development.
As noted above, the base price for the 2020 Genesis G70 3.3T Sport is $44,650. The window sticker is at the end of this review so you can see for yourself, but among the highlights of the standard equipment at that price are LED headlights, taillights and DRLs, a wide sunroof, leather seating surfaces, dual automatic temperature control, smart cruise control with stop & go, a 15-speaker Lexicon audio system with Quantum Logic surround sound and navigation.
Our tester also had some extra-cost options, including $1,450 for the Elite Package (low-beam assist, rain-sensing wipers, parking distance warning, heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats and a wireless charging pad), $2,850 for the Prestige Package (heads-up display, surround-view monitor, Nappa leather seating surfaces with luxury quilting, heated rear seats, a power-trunk and microfiber suede headliner) and $1,300 for the Sport Package (electronically controlled suspension, 19-inch sport alloy wheels with summer tires, copper headlight bezel accents, dark tint taillight covers, dark chrome grille and window trim and black Nappa leather seating surfaces with sport quilting).
With $995 inland freight and handling, the as-tested price of the 2020 Genesis G70 3.3T Sport is $51,245. There are a lot less wonderful cars that cost more. And some slightly quicker cars that cost a lot more. Genesis (the sport/luxury) division of Hyundai is just getting started. The G70 is an early indicator of just how serious they are about making their mark.
