Genesis G70 vs Lexus RX350

What's the difference?

The updated Genesis G70 3.3T Sport Luxury is beautiful to look at and drive. It features premium features, trims and great power but the cabin is tight on space. Which makes it a little awkward to use, so this will suit a small family best or families where this may not be the primary mover. That said, I love the after-care program and it suited my small family of three, so it gets an 8.0/10 from us. 

The RX is a big SUV that doesn't always look, or drive, like one, and – in 500h guise especially – can put a smile on a driver's face, too.

Gone are the cabin quirks and the polarising design elements (well, mostly...), and in their place you'll find a solid, premium-feeling family offering without much in the way of drawbacks.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

The G70 sedan is absolutely gorgeous to look at and the our test vehicle's 'Kawah Blue' paintwork makes the crisp pleating across the body stand out.

The G70 has a muscular stance, much like its BMW rival, but the rear is softer in its shaping.

The front looks sophisticated with the wide-set LED lights and black air-intake vents. The sporty 19-inch alloy wheels and red calipers behind them hint at what the powerful V6 engine can do.

The interior looks high-end with our test vehicle’s white quilted Nappa leather upholstery and a soft-touch black headliner. The dashboard looks solid and robust but the slick looking 10.25-inch touchscreen multimedia system and digital climate control panel elevate the overall design. 

The only thing I didn’t like about the design was the ambient lighting. It’s limited to two panels on the roof and is a little distracting when you drive at night. I think if it was scattered more throughout the cabin, it would be less intrusive.

Honestly, the Lexus RX looks far more powerful, and cohesive, in the metal than it does in some photos, and in the right colour (we're fond on the deep black or the copper-rose hues), it looks downright fetching.

That Predator-shaped front-end is massive, but the way the Spindle grille kind of bleeds in the body work at the nose of the vehicle is a neat trick, and the whole design ethos gives the RX a sportier, more modern, and more intimidating, energy from almost every angle.

Perhaps the most clever element though is the wave-like design piece that links the rear window with the boot, somehow managing to shrink almost-five-metre SUV (visually, at least), and leaving the RX looking more sporty than hulking.

The door handles are cool, too. They’re fixed, and you just touch them to open the door, with a similar system used once inside to get out again.

Inside, Lexus has gone for a clean, modern-feeling space, and, thankfully, there isn't a Remote Touch trackpad in sight. Instead, you can choose between two screen sizes – 9.8- or 14.0-inch – which kind of dominate the dash, while the air-con controls are digital and interactive, too.

It must be said, though, some interior treatments feel far more special than others, and while Lexus in Australia isn't spilling on specifics for our market just yet, the top-spec models will almost certainly feel more plush than the cheaper ones.

The practicality is hurt a little by the space available for passengers. The front row benefits the most when it comes to head- and legroom but if you’re ferrying passengers in the back seat, you’ll have to scoot your seat forward to accommodate them.

Especially if they’re tall because my knees brush the back of the driver’s seat when it’s in my driving position and I’m only 168cm tall!

The individual storage options throughout the car are okay for the class with the front enjoying a small middle console and glove box, two cupholders and two small drink bottle holders in each door.

The rear gets map pockets, two cupholders in a fold down armrest and two very small storage bins in the doors.

The other amenities are great in both rows and a high-level of comfort will be found for adults with the heat and ventilation functions on the front seats and the heat function on the rear outboard seats.

However, the width of the rear seat and the tall transmission tunnel means the middle seat should be strictly reserved for a kid. Think of the G70 as more of a four-seater if you have adults to carry.

The boot has a 330-litre capacity and it’s not too hard to reach to the very back if items roll that way. The back seat has a 60/40 split and there is a temporary spare tyre underneath the floor. 

In terms of technology, you get a USB-A and USB-C port up front, as well as, a 12-volt socket and wireless charging pad to choose from. Rear passengers get two USB-C ports and the boot features another 12-volt outlet.

The 10.25-inch multimedia system looks great and is easy to use with a responsive touchscreen. It also has built-in satellite navigation, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and the system now features over-the-air updates and Genesis Connected Services functionality.

The digital climate panel is responsive and very simple to operate, which is handy when on the go. The 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster is semi-customisable and it’s handy that the 8.0-inch coloured head-up display pulls through satellite navigation directions and traffic sign information. 

The entire RX range now rides on Lexus' GA-K platform, which is lighter (-40kg), more rigid, and offers a lower centre of gravity (-15mm) than the model it replaces.

The RX is wider (+25mm to 1920mm), lower (-10mm to 1695mm), but no longer (still 4890mm) than the outgoing model. But Lexus has lengthened the wheelbase (+60mm to 2850mm) to earn some extra backseat space for rear riders.

And it must be said, there is lots of room for backseat riders. Sitting behind my own 175cm driving position I had more than enough knee room, and enough head room, and a general feeling of airy spaciousness.

Elsewhere you get the usual practicality perks, with two cupholders up front, two more in the pull-down seat divider that splits the rear seat, and there are two ISOFIX attachment points in the back seat, too.

Charging is handled by a four USB ports, and depending on the trim/spec balance Lexus in Australia shoots for, you should at least find vents with temp controls for backseat riders, too.

Lexus is yet to confirm the luggage space specs for the new RX, but given it’s only being offered with five seats, and that there’s been no change to the vehicle’s length, you can expect a fair bit of room for bags in its auto-opening boot.

This is an arbitrary seven out of 10, here. Because we don't yet know how many trim levels the new RX will launch in, how much each will cost, or what you'll get for your investment.

What we do know is that the RX will launch with three powertrain options: an all-new turbocharged hybrid, a second, more conventional hybrid, and a turbo-petrol engine. There’s a plug-in hybrid version available overseas, but we ain’t getting it. Or at least, not yet.

In terms of specific trims and equipment levels, you’ll need to wait until closer to the RX’s launch in early 2023 for the full skinny. But you can expect a choice between a 9.8-inch or 14.0-inch central touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an eLatch door system with fixed handles that unlatch at the push of button inside and out, as well as more high-tech safety kit (thanks to Lexus Safety System 3.0) than you can shake a radar at.

The G70 3.3T Sport Luxury sedan has a 3.3-litre V6 turbo-petrol engine with a maximum power output of 274kW and 510Nm of torque. The G70 sedan is a rear-wheel drive and features an eight-speed auto transmission.  

The V6 engine responds eagerly, being able to do a 0-100km/h sprint time in just 4.7-seconds. Suffice it to say it’s fun to drive.

Let’s start with what we’re not getting at launch. Internationally, there's a new plug-in hybrid variant that pairs a 227kW hybrid system with a 18.1kWh lithium-ion battery for an EV driving range of more than 65kms, but fight though Lexus in Australia did, it couldn't secure the model for our market at launch. It wants it though, and badly. So watch this space. 

Instead we get three options, including the RX 350h, which pairs a 2.5-litre petrol engine with Lexus' existing hybrid system to produce a total 180kW and 316Nm. It's paired with a constantly variable transmission and will be offered in two- or all-wheel drive.

There’s also a turbocharged 2.4-litre petrol engine on offer in the RX 350, good for 205kW and 430Nm, and paired with an eight speed automatic and AWD.

But the powertrain I really, really like lives in the RX 500h F Performance, and pairs a 2.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor up front, and a second at the rear axle, for a total of 273kW and 551Nm.

The all-new hybrid system has been designed with turbocharged engines in mind, and features a single electric motor at the front, and a bigger rear motor, with the latter able to provide real driving power to the rear tyres - and contribute to a sprint to 100km/h of just 5.9secs.

Lexus calls it an 'eAxle' motor, and it can deliver some 76kW to the rear tyres. It pairs with a 'DIRECT4' all-wheel drive system which the brand says improves "handling, controllability, and feel."

Fitting, then, that it features on the RX 500h F Performance, which also introduces a new go-fast tier for the Lexus brand (though one you can expect to see more frequently in the near future), and which sits between the existing F Sport and the top-tier, full-fat F models.

The brand says things like bigger brakes, performance components and the highest power outputs will be reserved for the F Performance models. And so it is with the RX 500h F Performance, which welcomes six-piston front brakes, adaptive variable suspension, dynamic rear steering and 21-inch wheels.

The compromise for getting all of the power is that she’s a thirsty gal and the official combined cycle fuel consumption figure is 10.4L/100km and my real-world usage came to 10.6L/100km.

However, that’s after mostly doing open-roading – expect the fuel usage to be higher in an urban setting.

Based on the combined cycle and the 60L fuel tank, expect a driving range of around 577km on average. Which means you’ll be filling up more on a longer journey than more efficient sedans.

Let’s start with the pure-petrol RX 350, which will sip a claimed 8.8 litres per hundred kilometres on the combined cycle, and will demand premium petrol. The RX 350h is more fuel efficient, demanding 6.4 to 6.7 litres per hundred kilometres on the combined cycle.

But the most impressive is the RX 500h, which Lexus says will need 8.2 to 8.5 litres per hundred kilometres — making it more efficient than the petrol-powered RX 350, despite producing an extra 68 kilowatts of power and 121 newton metres of torque.

The G70 sedan is a lovely car to drive with graceful handling and a good well of power to dip into.

That oomph is there when you need it and it’s as easy to drive in the city as it is on the open-road.

The responsive steering makes the G70 sedan feel nimble and well-balanced in turns, even when you accelerate out of a hair-pin corner.

The suspension is on the firm side and that can lead to a few grunts when you hit bigger bumps but the ride is not unpleasant, even for back-seaters. 

The cabin is generally quiet but you can get road/wind noise at higher speeds. It’s not enough to intrude on chatting but you don’t forget it’s there, either.

The G70 sedan is easy to park because it has an outstanding 11m turning circle. The 360-degree camera system is clear and the front and rear parking sensors make light work of a tight car park.

Right, let’s cut to the chase here. I like the way the all-new RX family drives, pretty much across the board. If that’s all the information you want or need, feel free to check out here and move on to the next sub-heading.

Still here? Ok, then let’s go a little deeper.

None of the powertrains on offer feel under-powered in the RX range, which is a good start, but they all do their jobs a little differently. 

The RX 350 is probably the most familiar, with a traditional automatic and that well-known petrol-powered punch. It’s not the most powerful engine on offer here, but it’s more than enough to get the RX up and moving — but, for mine, it can feel a little thrashy (or like it’s straining a little too hard), when you really start to push it, but such is the price you pay for a four-cylinder engine pushing a large SUV.

Next up is the RX 350h, which Lexus reckons will be the best-selling model in Australia. Lexus and Toyota have been doing hybrid powertrains for some time now, and the system fitted to the new RX is predictably solid-feeling, though it too has its drawbacks – namely that the constantly variable transmission can drone on and on under constant acceleration, and even the commendably insulated cabin can’t block it out completely.

So if this is a Goldilocks’ scenario, then the just right has to be the RX 500h, which blends its powerful powertrain with a traditional-feeling automatic to deliver plenty of performance and a tight, engaging drive experience that makes it feel as though the big SUV is somehow shrinking around you from behind the wheel, courtesy of the best performance kit (brakes, adaptive suspension, etc).

But to be honest, no matter the RX, the thing that really stands out here is its on-road dynamics. The car doesn’t really wobble about, there’s not much in the way of body roll, and it feels tight and confidence inspiring, no matter the model - but especially the rear-wheel-steering equipped 500h.

The RX also does a commendable job of locking the outside world outside of the cabin. Where you want it to be a calm and sedate family hauler, it can be that. But it can also put a smile on your face on the right road, too.

And that, I think, is something to be celebrated. And also not something we’ve come to associate with Lexus over the years. But that’s now beginning to change. Long live F Sport Performance, then.

The Lexus RX welcomes the brand's Lexus Safety System 3.0 setup, which means more high-tech kit than you can shake a radar at.

What appears where on the Australian lineup remains to be seen, but internationally the RX will offer things like Advanced Park, remote parking from your smart phone, Safe Exit Assist that will actually prevent you opening the doors should the cameras detect pedestrians or cyclists, and Pre-Crash Safety, which scans intersections for bikes, people or cars, and activate alarms and the brakes should it sense a collision.

That, and things like Front Cross-Traffic Alert, active cruise, Lane Departure Warning and Lane Tracing Assist, road-sign recognition and Lane Change Assist, should see Lexus shooting for a five-star ANCAP safety rating.

The Genesis after-purchase program is hard to beat and such a treat because you get five years or up to 50,000km complimentary servicing with the G70. How good is that? 

The G70 also comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty and the servicing intervals are every at 12-months or 10,000km, whichever occurs first. The interval could be annoying if you travel a lot but any annoyance will be softened by the fact that the services are free.

The Lexus family is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is about bang-on in the premium-vehicle space. 

While servicing details are yet to be confirmed, the previous RX required a trip to the service centre every 12 months or 15,000kms, and it will fall under the brand’s capped-price servicing program, and the Lexus Encore program, which offers all sorts of perks to owners.