Genesis have revived the family wagon with the stylish G70 Shooting Brake. Based on the G70 sedan the Shooting Brake adds ample luggage space to an already long list of features and offers a strong argument for bucking the SUV trend and choosing the wagon instead.
The G70 Shooting Brake comes standard with the equivalent features of a G70 Sedan with the Luxury Package and can be optioned at no cost with the Sportline Package, which adds a Sport Line interior, 19-inch sport alloy wheels, sport grille and dark chrome exterior highlights. This G70 Shooting Brake I tested had the Sportline Package and was finished in Black Forest Green metallic paint.
Let’s start with the boot as this is the most significant difference between the Shooting Brake and the G70 sedan. I liked the swooping design of the tailgate and the convenience of the rear hatch automatically opening when a person carrying the vehicle’s smart key enters the detection zone (50 to 100cm behind the rear hatch). You can also open/close the tailgate from the button on the boot lid, the key fob and the button in the cabin.
The boot size is good (officially 465 litres), but not as commodious as some other wagons I have reviewed, but if more space is required the rear seats have a 40:20:40 split fold mechanism with a manual release to fold the seats down that is located in the boot. The cargo net is secured using four plastic tie down points and there are two hooks and one 12V outlet in the boot space. You get a temporary use spare tyre under the boot floor and like other Genesis vehicles there is a First Aid kit and a well-stocked Roadside Assistance kit as well.
The Luxury Package on the Shooting Brake means you are surrounded with a Bentley-looking interior with the stitched dash, diamond stitching on the seats and door trims and etched Aluminium surrounds on the door pulls and on the centre console. This is a nice change to the gloss black plastic, which has become almost ubiquitous in cars and is annoying to keep clean thanks to dust and finger marks. Practicality has not been overlooked either with two grippy sided cup holders in the centre console, which have a removeable rubber mat underneath them for easy cleaning, and large drink bottle storage in the front door cubbies.
Both Nappa leather front seats are heated and cooled, with the heated function performing better than the cooling. There is power adjustment in every direction on both front seats including seat height front and rear and 4-way lumbar support plus on the driver’s seat there is front seat extension and side bolster support, with two memorised positions. Notable features include that the driver can adjust the passenger seat using the controls on the side of that seat and the side bolster on the driver’s seat automatically hugs your waist when you select either the Sport and Sport+ driving modes.
The stitched steering wheel is also heated and has power adjustment with plastic wheel mounted gear selectors for the 8-Speed Automatic transmission. It would have been a bit more lux though if the paddle shifters were metal instead. The driver also gets head up display with numerous features displayed.
Tech is abundant in the Shooting Brake with a 12.3-inch full screen driver’s dash, which can be configured to your personal liking, including a 3D option that does take a bit of getting used to. The digital dash can also be linked to the Drive mode you select to enjoy your Shooting Brake with. The 10.25-inch Navigation System is compatible with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and when these are is use the voice control can be used for various commands. To keep your devices charged there is a wireless charge pad at the front of the centre console with one USB port and a 12V outlet plus a second USB port in the felt lined cubby under the arm rest.
Rear seat passengers also get heated seats with the controls located on the arm rest above the smallish drink bottle storage cubbies that do not fit a large drink bottle in them. I found head room to be just adequate, but leg room was tight. For younger passengers there are two IOSFIX/three rear tether child seat restraint points, but only enough room for two car seats in reality.
The centre seat can be folded down as an arm rest and has two rigid cup holders in it. There are two central rear air vents with manual speed control and direction adjustment and under the air vents there is one USB port. The Shooting Brake comes with rear floor mats, but there is no mat over the transmission tunnel so this carpet may become worn over time by children stepping over it.
The G70 Shooting Brake drives nicely and comes with just one engine option, a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder producing 179kW and 353Nm driving the rear wheels and this offers enough power to keep the driver amused. There are five drive modes available to choose from Eco, Comfort, Sport, Sport+ (ESC is turned off in tis mode) and Custom. Under Custom mode you can adjust the Powertrain between Eco, Comfort, Sport, Sport+ and the Steering between Comfort, Sport and Sport+. The official combined fuel economy is 9.1L/100km and for my week I used 10.4L/100km.
The Shooting Brake features an expansive standard suite of Genesis Active Safety Control driver assistance and advanced active safety systems including adaptive cruise control, forward collision-avoidance assist – with junction turning function, rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance assist, blind-spot collision-avoidance assist rear and a 360o surround view reversing camera in addition to a standard front and rear camera with front and rear sensors.
The blind-spot view monitor projects a video in the driver’s dash when you indicate both left and right for added safety. I also liked when I engaged the auto lights or rain sensing wipers that a display comes up on the driver’s dash to show me what option I have selected.
The G70 Shooting Brake has a 5-star ANCAP (2018) safety rating with an Adult Occupant Protection score of 30.9 out of 38 (81%) and a Child Occupant Protection score of 42.6 out of 49 (86%). G70 Shooting Brake features 10 airbags, including two rear side airbags and the pioneering Genesis front centre side airbag.
ANCAP tests of the autonomous emergency braking system showed GOOD results with collisions avoided or mitigated in most test scenarios. ANCAP tests of lane support system functionality showed some GOOD performance, including several of the more critical emergency lane keeping test scenarios, and overall performance was classified as GOOD. The overall ANCAP Safety Assist score for the G70 Shooting Brake is 81%.
The luxury Genesis experience doesn’t end once you have purchased your Shooting Brake, it continues for five years with Complimentary Scheduled Servicing (5 Year / 50,000 km), Complimentary Warranty (5 Year / Unlimited km), Genesis To You (5 Year / Unlimited km), Valet Service (5 Year / Unlimited km), which includes the Genesis Concierge Service that will arrange for the pickup and delivery of your G70 when it is due for scheduled maintenance or warranty services and 24/7 Roadside Assistance (5 Year / Unlimited km).
The G70 Shooting Brake is available now and costs from $79,000 excluding on-road costs. This station wagon offers an arguably more stylish experience than most SUVs with the practical family features you need. For more information you can visit a Genesis studio, build and price your G70 Shooting Brake online or book a test drive.
| Pros | Cons |
| Stylish, practical wagon | Should have metal paddle shifters |
| The Genesis ownership experience | Only has one rear USB port |
| You can buck the SUV trend | Voice control only works when Apple CarPlay/Android Auto is connected via USB |
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.