2022 Genesis G70 3.3T First Drive | If it's not broken, just restyle it

The 2022 Genesis G70 may look quite a bit different on the outside, but don’t let that fool you. Underneath, very little has changed, and thatÂ’s just fine by us. Our week with the overhauled sport sedan reassured us that the G70 is still one of the most enjoyable small luxury cars in the segment, and it looks even better to boot. 

The G70 wasnÂ’t ugly to begin with, but the styling updates are nonetheless welcome. The redesign tweaks some of the G70Â’s more generic and low-rent elements and grafting on the split headlights, taillights and pentagonal grille of its siblings. The delicate mesh in the grille looks crisp and expensive. The side vents on the fenders are small and placed low, appearing more integrated with the fender, rather than tacked-on. All these upgrades make the car clearly a Genesis, not just some off-brand luxury car. It even looks lower and wider, which suits the sporting nature of the car.

The cabin gets a smattering of updates too. All G70s now come standard with a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It's still centered where it was before, but it's a wider (and thus lower) screen. It also has much thinner bezels which makes it sit more naturally within the flow of the dash. Powering it is the latest infotainment operating system used almost universally by Hyundai and Kia, only reskinned with slightly different, Genesis-specific icons and fonts. Its humbler roots show through when using the radio, where the channel numbers are displayed on nixie tubes. DonÂ’t let the shared applications discourage you, though; this is a very good system that reacts quickly to inputs and has easy-to-read buttons and lettering. In fact, the placement of the screen means you can steady your hand on part of the dashboard. The dedicated shortcut buttons lower on the center stack are welcome, too.

The one other interior update is the addition of a screen for half of the instrument panel. It shows a virtual tachometer dial, as well as other bits of information. It doesn't add much to the driving experience, except to maybe make it seem more high-tech than it is. It's neither good nor bad, and we'll leave it at that.

The rest of the interior is pretty much untouched, and that's not a bad thing, though some of the more thoroughly and beautifully redesigned Genesis models have us wishing the company went a little further with the G70. Still, the dash design is attractive, particularly with the black and tan contrasting upholstery and plastics of our test car. It's also very user-friendly. The knobs, dials and buttons for climate control, volume and tuning are a breeze to use, and except for the dials feeling a little loose, they are a model for the industry. We also liked the textured aluminum trim on the center console and doors. Overall, the quality feels a step behind Audi and Mercedes, but pretty close to BMW.

The G70Â’s seats are among its strengths. They have a huge range of adjustment, so whether you want to put your head in the ceiling or your butt on the pavement, youÂ’re in good shape, making it easy to find a comfortable position. Knee room is cut down a bit thanks to the wide transmission tunnel and center console, but thatÂ’s our only real gripe. Things are a bit tighter in the back, where both leg room and head room are wanting. It's really only good for the odd short trip for adults; children would probably be all right for longer.

Mechanically, the G70 is essentially unchanged, and this is a very good thing. This is one of the best-handling cars in the segment. The steering actually tells you a reasonable bit about the road, and it's quick and direct. Head into the corners, and it reacts fast and feels light. The suspension, which was not adaptive in our car, is a good middle road of not too soft, not too firm, and it's very composed. Even in bumpy corners, it never feels loose or upset. You can drive with loads of confidence. It's worth noting, though, that the 3.3-liter V6 model feels a bit nose-heavy, so it wants to push at first, but add throttle, and it balances out quickly.

Although the V6 hurts the handling slightly, it makes up for it with sheer brute force. This twin-turbo engine makes 365 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque (you guessed it, unchanged from last year), but it feels quite underrated. And when the turbos start making boost, the power hits like a sledgehammer, and it has a follow-through right to redline. It's a smooth unit, too with a nice growl when you drive it hard. The new Sport package (which we didn’t get to sample) adds a variable exhaust system, tweaked all-wheel-drive programming and a rear-biased “drift mode.” The exhaust opens up an additional 3 horsepower no matter which engine you choose.

The V6 G70’s sole transmission is still the solid eight-speed automatic. Again, it's not quite as quick and smooth as what you'll find in the German competition, but it doesn't get in the way; it's just a shame that you can't lock it into manual mode — at least not without the Sport package. The V6 isn't particularly frugal, either. With all-wheel drive, like our test car, it's rated for 17 mpg city and 25 highway. But if you're gentle on the open road, you can beat that number. Yours truly saw as high as 28 mpg on a highway trip back from Chicago.

While the 2022 Genesis G70 may not trump the European competition in every category, it remains an excellent value. The turbocharged four-cylinder model starts at $38,570, which beats the Audi A4 by about $1,500 and the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class by about $4,000. The gap is even better when you compare the $43,145 base price of the V6 Genesis with similarly powerful German counterparts. The Audi S4 is nearly $8,000 more, and the BMW M340i and Mercedes-AMG C 43 are each more than $10,000 more.

The 2022 Genesis G70 didnÂ’t change much, but then again, it really didnÂ’t need to. It's still excellent to drive and looks better than ever. Add in some truly bargain prices, and it's a small luxury sports sedan that you can't afford to leave off your shopping list.

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By Joel Stocksdale