Before I tell you about the 2025 Genesis G70 3.3T Sport, let me first tell you about my friend Matt. He is a young professional, married without kids, and is a big car guy. His personal fleet currently includes a stunning Lotus Emira, a Mazda RX-7 and MX-5 RF, a Mercedes-Benz C 55 AMG, a Porsche Cayenne GTS, and a sixth-generation Volkswagen Golf R. These are just the cool cars in his fleet. Do not get me started on the cars of his past.

Despite all this, Matt spends an exorbitant amount of time searching classifieds for his next idea. He seems to browse for hours on end, because he often texts me his finds deep into the night, usually accompanied by a slew of ration as to why it could be a good idea. Right now, the flavour of the month is replacing one of his aging daily drivers; Matt says they’re over 200,000 kilometres and the constant worry about needing repairs haunts him. If you ask me, I think he is shopping for the sake of shopping; he has not bought a car in, like, four months.

Anyway, Matt is convinced there is a real use-case here, so I played along. He says he does not necessarily need performance in his next daily, but it cannot be a slouch as he hates when he cannot leave everyone in his dust once his lane opens up. This car also needs to drive well, because his current fleet is about as engaging as they get. And while he’s a member of the DINK society — dual-income, no kids — Matt also wants some practicality. He says he’s sometimes sick of stuffing his gear into his two-seaters. Talk about champagne problems.

Last but not least, this vehicle needs all-wheel-drive, for when he wants to have a bit of fun in the snow. As he went on about how an Acura RDX, a Mazda CX-5 Turbo, or an Alfa Romeo 4C — yeah, don’t ask — could be a good fit, it dawned on me: why not a Genesis G70?

First of all, Matt prefers subtle elegance in his daily driver. I think the Genesis G70 gives him that. Nothing about the G70’s design screams ‘hey, look at me!’ and there is no flashy badge up front for others to question how much he made last year. Its cohesive design incorporates a classic long-hood-and-short-rear-deck, chiselled lines, and a squat stance into an athletic-looking package. Our Sport-model features 19-inch wheels that complements the G70’s design pretty well, and most importantly, allows just enough space for the standard Brembo brakes to peek out from behind.

Moving inside, the G70 charms with its practical and user-friendly design. The cockpit is angled ever-so-slightly towards the driver — not unlike Matt’s RX-7 — and there are plenty of physical shortcut buttons for quick adjustments on the fly. I like that the new-for-2024 touch-type climate control display unit is responsive and easy to use, and the physical temperature control knobs are quite useful. The real party piece is the upgraded 12.3-inch 3D digital instrument cluster; the idea of gauges showing up on a holographic image may sound tacky in theory, but in practice, it was well-executed and resembles analog gauges better than a standard digital cluster.

Though the G70 is tight inside for a sedan, it would actually be an upgrade over most of Matt’s fleet. There is good room up front, and the Nappa leather seats offer above-average support. I like that the adjustable bolsters can accommodate a wide range of drivers, and it can be set to automatically tighten up when sport mode is engaged — a neat feature for Matt, who tends to take corners hard during his daily commute. As for the rear seats, while they are a bit cramped for regular-sized adults, they are far from penalty boxes. In Matt’s case, it is great for supplementary storage.

Genesis has made a name for itself with feature-rich cabins, and the G70 is no exception. It comes loaded with heads-up display, heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, a 15-speaker Lexicon surround sound system, and a powered trunk that can open hands-free. All G70s come standard with Genesis’ full suite of active safety features and driver assists, such as Lane Following and Keeping Assist, Safe Exit Warning, Forward Collision Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian Detection and Junction Turning, and Blind-Spot and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist systems.

And now, the one thing sitting atop of Matt’s long list of requirements — performance. The 3.3-litre twin-turbocharged V6 churns out 365 horsepower, and a maximum of 376 pound-feet of torque readily available from as early as 1,300 rpm. If you do the math, this is about 90 per cent of the horsepower and 120 per cent of the torque of Matt’s fastest car.

Of course, the G70 weighs a lot more than the Lotus Emira and their performance cannot be compared, but in short spurts, the G70 3.3T can surprise many with its quickness off the line.

The eight-speed automatic transmission is relatively smooth in directing power to all four wheels, and gets progressively more responsive as you push it more aggressively. You can actually feel the weight transfer in corners, and its limits are communicated well through the steering wheel. I think even though the G70 is not as sharp as most of Matt’s cars, its sporty nature will still put a smile on his face, as it did to mine, and I am a tough critic.

In terms of fuel economy, the Genesis G70 3.3T is rated at 14.3 L/100 kilometres in the city, 10.7 on the highway, and 12.7 combined. I observed an average of 13.5 L/100km for my city-heavy commute, which is a bit thirstier than most others in the class. But fuel efficiency has never been a deterrent for Matt, and I am not worried about the G70’s requirement for premium fuel, either.

So, after all this, I met up with Matt and showed him the G70 3.3T Sport. He liked all the things it had to offer, and his eyes gleamed when it cost $66,000 as-tested. He saw the value in not only the vehicle itself, but also all the extras that make him feel special. Genesis’ test-drive program brings him a car to try. Then there is the complimentary scheduled maintenance program, and the Genesis-At-Home valet service. Matt can have his car picked up for service and dropped off where he wants, as long as it is within 50 kilometres of a Genesis dealer. In the meantime, he would be left with a courtesy car to use.

Unsurprisingly, for the next two days after I showed Matt the 2025 Genesis G70 3.3T Sport, he texted me multiple times showing me leasing details, along with multiple listings for used G70s. He told me he already found his favourite dealer, and made an appointment to check out one particular 2022 model. And a few days after that, I received another text: ‘Gonna bite the bullet, I’m picking it up on Monday.’ Then he goes on about his new life struggle — picking which car to be replaced, as well as the cost of wrapping the entire car in paint protection film. Champagne problems, indeed.