SHOOTING FOR THE STARS(some text hidden)

By Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Review word count: 50

If you'd like a premium badged mid-sized sports estate that's just that little bit different, Genesis would like you to consider this G70 Shooting Brake. It's beautifully built, surprisingly sporty, good to look at and very nice to ride in. And there's a class leading customer service promise. Interested yet?

Background word count: 137

To succeed, Korean maker Genesis has to create premium products that are just that little bit different. Well this is different - a bit anyway; the G70 Shooting Brake. 'Shooting Brake' is a term the industry occasionally uses for a sportily styled estate, usually mid-sized like this one. There's only one other similarly badged car on the market, the Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake, which will probably be seen as this Korean car's most obvious competitor. This more versatile G70 body style is a newer design than the G70 saloon and, unlike that sedan, this estate variant has been engineered exclusively for the European market, the only place where it will be sold. That's allowed the Genesis brand's German-based engineers to create a ride and handling balance much better suited to the preferences of our continent. Sounds promising.

Driving Experience word count: 206

Other Genesis models for Europe aren't much changed from those that must plough the billiard-smooth highways of the Middle East or the Americas, but this one has suspension and steering bespoke-designed for European roads. You'll have to pay more if you want all the tools developed at the Nurburgring to make it perform like a proper fast German-brand premium sports estate; stuff like a limited slip differential, uprated Brembo brakes, a sports exhaust and sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres. But if you can stretch to a variant with all these things, you'll find it a surprisingly enjoyable steer. The engine range at present is quite restricted and, surprisingly, ignores all of the hybrid powertrain tech that Genesis had access to through the Hyundai Motor Group. An EV version may be along shortly but to start with, there are just two very conventional four cylinder units; a 2.2-litre diesel with 197bhp. And a 2.0-litre petrol variant with either 194bhp or 241bhp. The latter delivers a sub-6.5 seconds 0-62 mph sprint time. All must use the usual Genesis 8-speed auto gearbox. The whole confection is based on the underpinnings of the Kia Stinger, but unfortunately, our market doesn't get that car's potent 3.3-litre V6 turbo petrol unit.