Genesis G70 Shooting Brake 2022 Review

Aspirations of the Genesis brand to exist in the same cosmos as Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and other premium marques are plain to see. The 2022 Genesis G70 Shooting Brake is nicely crafted and pleasingly styled without pretentious excesses.

As to whether it’s a bona fide ‘Shooting Brake’ is a matter of interpretation. The first examples of the genre originated in the UK during the early 1900s as multi-seaters and, later, as extended versions of existing sports cars.

The term has been adopted by various car-makers over the years, often as a sporty-sounding synonym for station wagon.

The sticker price on the G70 Shooting Brake of $78,191 plus on-road costs is a big step up from the sedan, which opens at $63,000 plus ORCs with the same powertrain.

The Shooting Brake is differentiated by various things that are part of the Luxury and Sport Line packages available for the G70 sedan.

The Luxury items are standard equipment and the Sport bits are a no-cost option on the wagon. Both are extra-cost on the G70 sedan.

Thanks to the Sport Line pack, the G70 Shooting Brake has standard Nappa leather trim and other upgrades including suede for the headliner and front pillars, plus decorative ‘sports’ pedals.

It further upholds the promise of a sporty demeanour with the standard inclusion of a Brembo braking package, a limited-slip differential, deep grey ‘sport’ wheels and grille, and dark-chrome exterior highlights.

Enhancement packs aside, the G70 Shooting Brake has plenty going on in terms of standard equipment.

There’s powered, heated and cooled front seats, a 12.3-inch tablet-style 3D dash display, full Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality, a wireless phone charging pad in the centre console, and, not least of all, an amplifier-boosted 15-speaker sound system (the sedan gets nine speakers).

There’s also a decent-size glass sunroof, a full complement of self-dimming electro-chromatic interior and exterior rear-view mirrors, and an auto-opening rear hatch.

The 2022 Genesis G70 Shooting Brake, like its sedan sibling, is well covered for safety equipment.

There are 10 airbags, including in the front centre and rear sides, plus all the now-familiar primary and secondary safety aids including high- and low-speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB), junction turning collision avoidance and blind spot collision avoidance assist.

There’s also fast-emerging technology such as a forward attention warning system which keeps an infrared eye on where the driver is looking and alerts you if it’s not satisfied, LED Matrix headlights that selectively avoid dazzling oncoming drivers, multi-collision braking that keeps functioning after an initial impact and safe exit warning to help prevent exiting rear seat passengers from stepping out if a vehicle is approaching from behind.

There’s also an LED reverse light guide that signals pedestrians at night if the G70 is likely to reverse across their intended path.

The 2022 Genesis G70 Shooting Brake mechanically represents the entry-level sedan in offering a 179kW/353Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that drives the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The G70 sedan’s 274kW/510Nm 3.3-litre V6 isn’t available on the wagon, and there are no surprises that the respective output for both the four- and six-cylinder engine are either close or identical to those of the related Kia Stinger.

What with the surfeit of four-cylinder turbo engines across the premium mid-size passenger car segment, it’s to be expected that the G70 Shooting Brake’s 2.0-litre powerplant doesn’t sound or feel out of place.

The note is muted but comfortably gruff and a ready supply of low-end torque makes for solid responses to the accelerator pedal.

With 353Nm on hand from just 1400rpm, the single-turbo four-cylinder has good low-speed throttle response but does start to fade at higher rpm.

It might not be quite as quick off the mark as its German competition, but the G70 Shooting Brake punches above its slightly tubby 1699kg kerb weight by reaching 100km/h from standstill in a reasonably swift 6.4 seconds (the 41kg-lighter sedan makes it in 6.1sec).

A contributor is the eight-speed auto gearbox which is quick-shifting and well-mannered, with manual control available via steering wheel paddles.

Compared to what is offered by Audi, BMW and Volkswagen, the 2022 Genesis G70 Shooting Brake hardly qualifies as a station wagon.

Similar to various coupe-based Shooting Brakes such as the 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB 4, the rare 1992 Aston Martin Virage and the 2016 Toyota 86 concept, the Genesis G70 is heavily style-focused.

Markedly lower, a bit wider and with a tapered, spoilered rear compared to BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Volkswagen Passat wagons, it’s more a fastback. No, not more. It actually really is a fastback.

Consistent with its low-slung, performance-car style, the G70 Shooting Brake is pretty adroit on the road.

With the staggered front and rear wheel/tyre combination and flat cornering stance, it responds well to the quite-quick but tending-to-light steering (it goes from lock to lock in just 2.4 turns) while delivering a tighter 11-metre turning circle than Audi, BMW or Volkswagen rivals.

A set of Brembo brakes takes adequate care of hauling the G70 Shooting Brake down from speed.

The cabin is a bit tight. If the driver is reasonably tall there’s no way an equally-tall rear seat passenger will be comfortable unless some sort of unhappy compromise is reached.

All’s well up front though, with two nicely contoured, heated and cooled leather-clad seats and two-position memory settings on the driver’s side, as well as a power-adjusted steering wheel.

The dash layout is essentially conventional so the chances of driver confusion when coming to grips with the operational demands are low.

Our review car sadly lacked the normally included Luxury Pack with its 10.25-inch colour 3D LCD screen, but at least there was the bird’s eye view camera that helps avoid scraping the wide-track wheels that greedily fill most of what’s available under the wheel-arches.

Access to the 465-litre boot via the power tailgate and the 40/20/40-split rear seat backrest is generous enough, but the area lacks depth and height – the latter a result of the low roofline.

It’s more suited to a romantic weekend away than carrying a load of kids at holiday time.

Like its Hyundai virtual siblings, the G70 Shooting Brake has a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty but comes with extras such as full-term roadside assist, free servicing for the first five years and a concierge service that arranges car pick-up and delivery – providing the owner lives within 70km of the servicing facility.

A courtesy vehicle is made available for the duration the service.

Although it sounds like the lingo of an English toff, the Shooting Brake version of the 2022 Genesis G70 is anything but British.

With its flowing style nicely set off by its bespoke rear-end, a cosy and well-fitted-out cabin and the added versatility of its hatchback configuration, the Genesis G70 Shooting Brake is an appealing adjunct to the respected G70 sedan range.

It might not be as terminally fast as the energetic V6-powered G70 sedan, but it’s slightly edgy yet balanced on-road composure ensures there’s always plenty of entertainment for the driver.

Still, the yawning price gap between sedan and Shooting Brake might just be a step too far for those who like the looks but are suitably convinced of the rewards already available in either four-cylinder or V6 versions of the G70 sedan.

How much does the 2022 Genesis G70 Shooting Brake cost?
Price: $78,191 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 179kW/353Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 9.1L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 211g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2018)