2022 Genesis G70 Preview: Our Favorite Sport Sedan Gets Better

The GV70 might be getting the lion’s share of the attention— read about it here—but it isn’t the only fresh product at Genesis this year. After debuting a couple years ago to critical acclaim—including our Car of the Year award—the G70 sport sedan is getting a substantial facelift.

The new look comes with detail changes to the G70’s interior, changes which the Korean brand says are in response to customer feedback. Both it and the GV70 share a platform, and will be the joint entry points for many into the brand. This refresh brings the four-door into line with the rest of the family, and keeps it in fighting form against the rest of the sport sedan establishment. We spent a morning with the 2022 G70 to see what’s changed.

The quad-light nose of the G70 is a large departure from what came before. In person, it works surprisingly well. The Genesis design team hasn’t simply bisected the old lights either, nor has it grafted the G80’s schnozz on wholesale. There’s a lot of curvature in the 2022 G70’s nose now, which somehow manages to make it look more and less aggressive than the old design, depending on the angle.

A smaller vent aft of the front wheels is the major change to the flanks, and it’s functional now, too. Around back Genesis has bisected the old taillights, to bring it in line with the rest of the family. As Genesis Canada’s Richard Trevisan tells it, this was a conscious move to keep a connection between the current model and the new one. Genesis doesn’t want current G70 owners to feel left out.

Genesis has kept the existing G70 engine lineup with only minor tweaks. The 2.0-liter turbo-four remains the base engine, producing a wholly class-competitive 252 hp. Maximum torque is 260 lb-ft. The only change for the four-pot is the cancellation of the six-speed manual. Purists may moan, but it was a tiny fraction of G70 sales. In Canada, this also means saying goodbye to any rear-drive G70 options: AWD is now standard.

The muscular 3.3-liter turbocharged V6 remains the top engine in the G70 lineup. Like the related 2022 Kia Stinger, the G70 gets a small 3-hp bump thanks to a new active exhaust system, bringing the total to 368 hp. Torque remains unchanged at 376 lb-ft, available from a practically off idle all the way to 4,500 rpm.

Curiously, unlike the Stinger, the G70 isn’t switching over to the more powerful 2.5-liter as its base engine. Genesis says this is because the 2022 G70 is only a facelift instead of a wholly new generation—but then, so is the Stinger.

In Canada, the Sport trim is now exclusive to the V6. An electronically-controlled suspension is standard here, as well as a mechanical limited-slip differential and larger Brembo brakes. All of this kit also applies to the 3.3T Launch Edition, which features unique wheels, and a red interior.

Genesis hasn’t announced pricing for the refreshed 2022 G70 yet. Currently, the 2021 G70 line starts at $37,045 ($43,000 CAD) including destination, and tops out at $49,245 ($58,000) for a 3.3T AWD. This being a refresh, we expect only modest increases across the board. The revamped sport sedan touches down this spring.

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