2020 Kia Stinger vs Genesis G70

What's the difference?

Is the Kia Stinger a flash in the pan? The truth is it hasn’t set the automotive world on fire since its reveal in January 2017. Pre-launch hype suggested it would, but it’s yet to live up to it… at least on the sales chart.

As we all know, large sedans are going out of fashion as the SUV phenomenon grows ever stronger. But the thing the Stinger has over the rest of the mainstream pack is it’s rear-wheel drive.

But is that traditional drive set-up still desirable in 2020? Especially when you only have four cylinders and one turbo to play with? We've parked the twin-turbo V6 version, and put the Stinger’s GT-Line variant to the test to find out.

Just as Toyota, Nissan, and Honda (and nearly Mazda) did in the ‘80s and ‘90s, Hyundai created a luxury nameplate in the late noughties, knowing its mainstream brand wasn’t elastic enough to stretch up to the top shelf luxury level, occupied by well established players.

Initially paired with the Hyundai badge, Genesis launched globally as a stand-alone sub-brand in 2016, and the G70 compact sedan we’re looking at here, launched locally in mid-2019.

It sits next to the limo-length G80 in the current Australian line-up. A full-size GV80 SUV is coming soon, followed by the mega-primo G90 sedan, with a series of GT models likely to follow that.

So, how does the entry-point to South Korea’s first genuine tilt at the luxury market measure up?  Read on to find out.