Genesis G70 Shooting Brake 2.0T Luxury Line 2022 UK first drive

After years of build-up, the Genesis brand finally became a reality in the UK at the end of last year. The 127 cars that found homes at the tail end of 2021 will already be turning the heads of passers-by wondering just what car is wearing that badge that looks a bit like Aston Martin’s when you squint and, when hearing the name, wondering when Phil Collins started making cars (has that one worn off yet?).

The G70 Shooting Brake, which we first tested on European shores last month, is already with us in the UK, and it’s the car that shows us the most so far as to what Genesis will be about here. While the saloon and SUVs we’ve seen will be global models, the G70 Shooting Brake has been designed and engineered purely for our corner of the world.

Which makes it all rather puzzling why Genesis has chosen to launch with the car conventional petrol and diesel combustion engines without any hybrid assistance, let alone a fully electric version.

Given the timing of Genesis’s launch going hand in hand with the massive uptake in electric cars, and the success exhibited by other new electric-only entrants such as Polestar, the decision is somewhat baffling. Indeed, the engine range reminds me a bit of when Infiniti launched in Europe with just petrol V6s right in the middle of the diesel boom… 

Those turbocharged four-cylinder engines are a 2.0-litre petrol with 194bhp or 241bhp, and a 2.2-litre diesel with 197bhp. It’s the 241bhp ranger-topper we test here, which, like all Genesis models, is natively rear-wheel drive and uses an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Our test car is equipped with Luxury Line trim, one of two differently flavoured range-toppers (the other being Sport Line) that sit above the base Premium Line.

Luxury is a word you’d use to describe the look and feel of the cabin on first impressions, the mood enhanced greatly by the optional nappa leather seats (an extra £2470). It’s a comfortable cabin of real character, well in keeping with Genesis’s position as an alternative to other premium brands. It is certainly that: something in its own style, rather than just a clone of the German Big Three.

Such is the impression you get from the G70 Shooting Brake from the outside, too. The front grille and some of the details are a little derivative, but its proportions and profile bring something new to the class. My colleague Matt Saunders noted on his test of the car in Portugal that it could easily make for a Saab, Alfa Romeo or Jaguar in another life, and I’d agree.