Renault Megane E-Tech vs Genesis G70

What's the difference?

The design for the Renault Megane E-Tech is top-notch and the eco-conscious footprint is even better. It’s an easy and comfortable car to be in but the price is a smidge too high in my opinion when you consider there’s currently only one choice for us Aussies and it’s a mid-spec variant at that. It also misses out on some items its rivals have but is a solid EV to consider for urban dwellers.

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 E-Tech’s plump body panelling gives me some cute marshmallow vibes from certain angles but there are enough features to keep it looking slick, like the fun LED headlights, massive 20-inch alloys and optional two-tone paintwork.

I’m also a fan of the door handles on the E-Tech as they add some nice focal points, because the front has auto-flush handles that pop out on approach and the back door handles are positioned on the C-pillar.

If you're eco-conscious the E-Tech ticks the box because Renault has designed it to be 90 per cent recyclable.

The body is made of aluminium and can be reformed and shaped into new products at the end of its life. The interior materials are made from recycled fabrics and trims; even the lithium-ion battery is free from any rare earth minerals.

Head inside the cabin and the grey knit trims and upholstery on the seats, doors and dashboard creates a cabin space that feels warm and inviting. It's a similar feel to the Polestar 2 - simple but refined.

Although, with my kid around I have higher anxiety about dirtying them!

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.

The E-Tech’s cabin is fairly roomy up front with plenty of head- and legroom. The front seats are super comfortable with powered lumbar support and I wouldn’t mind them not being powered if the price point was a bit lower. 

The rear seat is comfortable enough once you get seated but the top of the door apertures are low, and I have to duck my head to get in and out.

Your head also brushes against the roof lining in the back which isn't terribly comfortable, especially considering there is no fold-down armrest to lean on.

The front row benefits the most with individual storage and you get a lot of options to choose from but the centre console is one of the most practical I’ve seen for the class. Lots of pockets and nooks that feature adjustable 'walls'.

You get a single permanent cupholder but with the removable walls, accommodation for a second cup or bottle, can be catered for.

Underneath the multimedia screen you get a dedicated phone shelf, which I love using.

In the rear, you get two map pockets and shallow bin storage in each door.

The charging options are good with two USB-C ports in each row as well as a 12-volt outlet and a wireless charging pad up front but you miss out on V2L (Vehicle to Load) functionality in this model.

The 9.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system looks great headlining the dash and is easy to access and use. The system rebooted once on me while driving but other than that everything is responsive.

You get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and the CarPlay is easy to get started.

The steering wheel has numerous stalks, controls, regen paddle shifters and even the gearshifter on the column, too. It takes a beat to get used to it but I like how driver orientated it is.

The boot offers great storage at 440L but it’s a deep well, which might be annoying if you’re unloading heavier gear. There is underfloor storage for the cables, too, and like I said, you miss out on a powered tailgate.

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 G70 3.3T Sport Luxury sedan on test here is priced at $88,000, before on-road costs, which is $7000 more expensive than the 2.0T Shooting Brake version. That positions it right in the middle of its nearest competitors and you get some fab features included. 

The premium items include electric front seats with heat and ventilation functions, heated rear outboard seats, Nappa leather upholstery and other leather trims, a sunroof, a heated leather-wrapped steering wheel and a premium 17-speaker Lexicon by Harman sound system.

The update sees the G70 now have an intelligent speed limit assist feature, the 'Genesis Connected Services' app and over the air updates to its software.

Other standard features include keyless entry, keyless start, remote start from the key fob, a powered tailgate, 19-inch alloy wheels, a temporary spare wheel, dual-zone climate control and extendable sun visors.

The Techno EV60 has a single electric motor. It produces a power output of 160kW and 300Nm of torque, and Renault says it will sprint from 0-100km/h in 7.4-seconds.

That's perfectly adequate for keeping up with traffic or getting  around town. You only notice a sluggishness with power when you have a full load of gear. Flipping it to 'Sport' mode make it feel peppier, if you ever need it.

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.

The official energy consumption figure is 15.6kWh/100km and I averaged 13.9kWh after a fair mix between urban and open-road driving.

That’s outstanding consumption but the official driving range for this E-Tech’s 60kWh lithium-ion battery is up to 454km, which is similar to the Hyundai Kona Electric but I still had an eye on the range during longer trips.

The E-Tech has a Type 2 CCS charging port which means you can benefit from faster DC charging speeds, however, it can only accept a top speed of 7.4kW on AC power.

On a 7.4kW AC charger, you can go from 0-100 per cent in a little over nine hours but on a standard 2.3kW house plug, that jumps up to over 30-hours. 

On a 130kW DC charger expect to go from 15-80 per cent in as little as 30 minutes, which is pretty convenient if you have access to one.

Sadly, the E-Tech doesn’t have vehicle-to-load capability, so you can’t power or charge bigger items.

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.

I have mostly loved driving the E-Tech. It's easy to cruise around in and the power is adequate for open-road driving but it prefers an urban environment.

The power can feel a bit lacklustre when you are carrying lots of people or gear but you mostly feel that when you're on a steep incline and trying to keep up your speed.

The steering is crisp and that makes the E-Tech very responsive to drive. The power is delivered smoothly and it feels well-balanced when you put your foot down.

There is more roll in corners than I was expecting but the car still feels firmly planted. 

The ride comfort is great. The suspension is more firm than soft which means you feel the road but it's not a major bother. There is a bit of wind noise at higher speeds, as if the door isn’t properly sealed by a millimetre but it doesn't annoy me. 

The regenerative braking is controlled by paddles on the steering wheel and you have three levels plus a one-pedal function to choose from.

The single pedal set-up is pretty smooth, even in stop/start traffic, but it’s great to be able to quickly change modes on the go.

The smaller size of the E-Tech makes it an easy car to manoeuvre in a small car park. You get front, rear and side parking sensors which is great because the reversing camera isn’t as clear as it should be for this price level. 

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.

The Genesis G70 has a great suite of safety features and it’s almost a case of what doesn’t it have.

But a real highlight is the blind-spot view monitor which pops a video feed of your blind spot onto your instrument cluster. Very handy to have in a city setting!

The G70 has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing done in 2018, with the update now featuring 10 airbags, which is fantastic for the class.

Other standard safety features include blind-spot monitoring, blind-spot collision avoidance assist, driver attention warning, forward collision warning, lane keeping aid, lane departure alert, rear cross-traffic alert, rear occupant alert, adaptive cruise control with stop and go function and a tyre pressure monitoring system.  

A clear 360-degree camera system as well as front and rear parking sensors also come standard.

The G70 has AEB (operational from 10–180km/h) with pedestrian and cyclist detection.

There are ISOFIX child seat mounts on the rear outboard seats and three top tether anchor points but only two child seats will fit. Front passenger comfort may be compromised for front occupants when a 0-4 rearward facing child seat is installed.

The E-Tech comes with a five-year/100,000km warranty, but it’s usual to see an unlimited km term for the class. The battery is covered by an eight-year or up to 160,000km warranty term.

Service intervals are reasonable at every 12 months or 30,000km and you also get five-years roadside assistance included.

Pricing over the first five years ranges from a low of $230.04 to a high of $519.62, averaging out at pretty competitive $317.72 per service. No capped-price deal is available.

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.