When the Genesis brand was introduced by Hyundai, its aim was pretty clear: to challenge the dominance of brands like BMW and Mercedes-Benz. That’s one of the reasons why the Hyundai-Kia conglomerate decided to start selling their cars under a new brand as they felt like they needed to somehow distance themselves from their Korean origins. Fast forward to 2018 and they are really making some good cars, like the G70 model which is aiming directly at the 3 Series.
And, as the Kia Stinger showed, the Koreans can give the Germans a run for their money. The video below compares the Stinger and the G70 with the BMW 340i. Unfortunately, they compare it to the old model, which is a bit long in the tooth, at 6 years old. Comparing it to the new M340i would’ve made more sense but since the car isn’t out yet, we’ll have to wait for that exact comparison to happen.
That said, both the Genesis and the Kia trump the BMW in terms of power and torque. The 340i comes with a 3-liter straight six engine making some 320 HP and 332 lb-ft of torque in standard guise. However, this tester comes with the M Performance Power pack which takes those numbers up to 355 HP and 368 lb-ft, closer to what the rivals claim. The G70 comes with a 3.3-liter V6 with 365 HP and 376 lb-ft of torque, numbers which are better than the BMW’s.
The Stinger is the same story basically, as it shares the exact same engine under the sheet metal. It looks different and drives great but can these two challenge the BMW 340i where it dominates? Can they claim better handling and can they deliver better performance? It’s a question the guys from AutoGuide are trying to answer in the video below. One thing’s for sure, the M340i will probably have these two for lunch once it comes out.
This is one of those funnie videos, right?
Haha. We know Hyundai paid for it at least.
Why not? Honda have been posting YouTube videos posing as road tests that are actually adverts. pitching their V6 models vs. BMW 4 cyls. Then they disable comments so they can’t be called out…
wish they would compare the g20 M340I to these two cars after it debuts. they continue to trash the f30 as if its a brand new generation of vehicle and not 7 years old and at the end of its life cycle.
Competitors are always trying to go after BMW, but the pricing is the same. Why would I spend $50k plus on a Hyundai or Kia? If you really want to claim a better price point, it needs to be in the $30k range. My F30 M Sport stickers at $57k loaded. It’s the top non M 3 series, and BMW power ratings are always higher than claimed. At $52k for the Genesis, it’s really not a better bargain.
It’s not a Hyundai it’s a Genesis don’t disrespect the brand plus it’s a luxury car they are not going to low-ball themselves and plus your getting a fully loaded vehicle with the BMW it’s bare bones…
Superior bare bones>bells & whistles.
I was inches away from buying an off lease CPO Audi S7 or 540i Xdrive. I couldn’t swallow the crummy warranty that I would be left with…. 100k in the Kia/Hyundai cars is pretty valuable. I picked up a Stinger GT1 AWD for $6k below sticker in October. $47k after taxes and fees with 0% 60mo. This car is shaking trees! It’s drawn a lot of interest by people around town and it’s more fun in many ways because of it’s ‘underdog’ lineage and objectively better unique looks than the huge mishmash of everyday BMW and audi models. The auto journalists have given it good praise generally and it’s rose up to be a well respected car in short time amongst the auto community. If you can get past the vanity of the badge, there’s little if anything to complain about The G70 is now here and equally great or better than the Stinger depending on your needs for utility.
Objectively better looks? No! Stinger is the mishmash, looks like they took apart an A7 & couldn’t figure out how to put it back together again – Frankenaudi humptydumptyA7!
Point more being, I can’t tell the difference between any BMW or Audi sedan or coupe from the front half at a glance. They all look too much the same within their brand. They look great but there are a bazillion of them on the road and now they’re generic. The Germans have falling victim to their own success and by offering cheaper models. Now anyone with $30k can drive a BMW, Audi or Mercedes. Much of the zeal is gone with these brands and their looks. The only exception is to the very top trims and models…
I can tell the difference, so can millions of owners. Audi didn’t exist for decades until VAG revived the brand in pursuit of BMW $$$. The lesser brand resembling the original is very intentional – why do you think Tesla’s 1st volume Model is 3? Follow the leader, you know nothing of BMW, who have sold motorcycles, Isettas & 4 cyl. sedans to avoid bankruptcy, if you think their current range is “cheaper models”.
And yet BMW would have everyone assume they have always been the eminence of success, Audi too. Everyone has humble begins or skeletons in their closet. They earned the recognition and became sought after and respected luxury brands. I believe they have played it too stafe in their styling ques and nearly their entire lineup looks almost identical from the front and rear. You may be able to tell the difference but I bet most BMW or Audi owners actually can’t. Go ahead and Google BMW 3,4,5 series front bumper and honestly tell me they look any different. Audi A3,4,5,6,7 series all the same too. Real frickin original! So subtle and fancy! 97.2% of people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference without a full walkaround. Maybe if you’re lucky you’ll see an M badge or S badge to at least pickup on a trim level otherwise you’re stuck judging by dimensions. Dont get me started on BMWs naming conventions… The designs look great but It’s just boring and lazy to use it nearly unchanged across all your models. Yawn
Yawn?! You really have no idea what you’re talking abiut. BMW have been around for over a century. Audi are a marketing brand of a co. Hitler created. Grow up.
Without BMW, Stinger wouldn’t exist, so why not buy the benchmark over the knock-off?
Hyundai or Kia don’t break down as often as BMWs do. If they do break down, the repair service is fantastic as services are done at “service factories”, not dealer workshops.
In fact, 30% of Genesis buyers in Korea are former BMW owners fed up with poor reliability and service turnaround of BMW, if they were not catching fire already.
So when Hyundai matched BMW driving performance, there was no reason for BMW owners to put up with BMWs catching fire.
Apart from the recall of 16,000 Korean models over fire hazard.
You’re right! BMW does it better!
1 Million BMWs recalled over fire concerns – https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjBh47NjJrfAhUGKqwKHQfZBkQQzPwBegQIARAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffortune.com%2F2017%2F11%2F03%2Fbmw-recall-fire-risks%2F&psig=AOvVaw0tT2pxm4kH08WkcD77GXyV&ust=1544697461541021&cshid=1544611060715
You mean like Mercedes in 2017? Hyundai now? And every Porsche 918, Ferrari & Lamborghini ever?
Tell me exactly what options come on a $50,000 340i compared to what you get on a $50,00 G70. A comparably equiped (if you can even get all of the options) 340i would be closer to $70,000 than $50,000.
Let’s go Genesis…. Genesis for the win
Why?
Cuz he likes underdogs like me ^^
Doesn’t sell cars.
Right, only reputations made 25 years ago and not maintained do that.
BMW doubled volume this century going into new segments, same way they became America’s largest exporter of vehicles. And yes, major manufacturer Toyota buy engines from them due to failed reputation, good spotting.
They also buy them from Subaru.
Who buys what from Subaru? Who have been having a lot of their own problems…
Toyota buys GT 86 motors from Subaru.
Toyota are smart. Why they’ve led in hybrids for decades & do 5X BMW’s volume annually.
They also do 5X BMW’s annual sales because they are a lot less expensive.
Yes, why BMW have self-identified as premium for decades, they’ve always been pricier than the competition, why Toyota had to create Lexus to move up-market (& why VW couldn’t sell Phaetons).
We’re not talking about BMW and Hyundai as companies. The silly thing about this is that they both have less than 10 years to apply the technology that Tesla has innovated (albeit in a low quality car) in the Model 3 into their lineups. The Model 3 Sport model smokes an M3 in every way. I’d consider buying one if Tesla could actually build a reliable car. Brand loyalty to me is the worst trait a consumer could ever have.
You mean the technology Tesla made public & no one applied? Since BMW have been producing BEV for yrs., why would they use someone else’s tech? And it’s BMW & Hyundai as co.’s that results in the product you’re typing about, century+ old German engineering firm vs. Korean steel manufacturer ship builder who saw cars as potentially lucrative way to move more metal (literally). @ they were right. Hyundai have also gone their own way on BEV, BMW & Hyundai BEV are not Tesla competitors.
Tesla’s EV technology is superior to EVERYONE else’s. Bar none. Nobody else makes an EV that any car enthusiast would ever want.
Any on-line reviews I’ve read from i3 owners are positive. Why does i3S exist if not for drivers? And since Tesla are so obviously superior, why are their patents unwanted? Why did Toyota & Mercedes both dump shares early on & why did Ford invest half a billion $ in a competitor?
I love the look of the Genesis.
I would. The Koreans, like most other rwd. luxury/performance sedans, only exist because of the successful example the 3 Series set decades ago. As the only manufacturer offering rwd., awd., turbo I4, I6, diesel, hybrid & multiple body styles, BMW still set the standard.
Ask the “competition”, who headhunt BMW staff, use them in their p.r., & name their vehicles after the benchmark (Tesla Model 3, Mazda 3, Audi A4). As much as I love BMW I wouldn’t make any other such assumptions or conclusion before the tests are done. Look of Genesis is not bad, but I wish they’d have taken the opportunity to do something truly new. Instead, they follow the leader. Like the rest always have.
Cars only exist because someone 120 years ago thought it would be cool. Does that mean that any since then is a copycat? Doesn’t measure up to the “Standard”?
A century ago electric was 25% of the market, BMW were going under post-war, there is no standard, only change, & BMW have been showing the way for half a century. Cool has nothing to do with it, market must support it, why BMW keep growing since recovery.
Mostly at this point because fan boys would be embarrassed to buy a better car from another brand.
So #1 premium manufacturer because 2 and a half million “fan boys” annually? Guess I’m a failed “fan boy”, I own a 10 yr. old Hyundai. & it is excellent, BMW have nothing to compare it to (though apparently it is a knock-off of an earlier Civic, guess it works for Hyundai).
So are X drive BMWs Quattro knock offs because Audi pioneered all wheel drive performance sedans? I just don’t get your thinking.
Both introduced in the ’80’s. No thinking. History. Actually, Jensen did awd. decades earlier, never went mass market.
If by 80’s you mean 1980 for the first Audi Quattro and 1985 for the all wheel drive 325i then I guess so. 5 years… hmmm, sounds like a copycat to me.
Weren’t both bought from other developers/manufacturers? Audi couldn’t have done anything without VW, they’d ceased existing for years under Mercedes ownership. 5 yrs. can be the development time of any new model, wouldn’t Audi have an edge by virtue of being fwd? Certainly Golf couldn’t have existed without them, VW could have gone under. Also, 2 awd. does not mean they are identical tech. Like Edison & Tesla.
I, too, think the Genesis is a fantastic effort from Korea. I have no problem with the car itself, but rather with the issue of heritage and accomplishments.
For an industrial giant like Hyundai, it must be the easiest thing to copy from the best. However, it’s the guys that pioneer and innovate that deserve the kudos – even if their car is 7 years old.
Sure, the F30 is, by now, over-familiar and old. But it should have been reflected in the review, yet it was hardly mentioned. Not cool.
Hyundai only got here by hiring from Audi & BMW, their previous efforts were not to this standard. The downside to following the leader is the leader has already moved on, sedan sales are falling or being flat out cancelled, BMW now sell more crossovers, with new X models imminent. Hyundai sales have stalled on conservative design & lack of CUVs, didn’t they just announce a pick-up? BMW get criticized for innovation, but they remain in the lead. Hyundai can’t buy that.
What’s wrong with hiring Audi designer and BMW M engineer? If collaboration of Europe and Korea can come up with fantastic products like these as an outcome who gives a damn. I’m all for it.
Which one is the fantastic product?
You’re trolling, no need to reply to a douche^^
Which one is the douche? A 1st generation product in a segment new to the manufacturer cannot be realistically called a fantastic product, except in a sales brochure. Not when going head to head with the benchmark that created the segment & inspired the development of the new model, a fantastic product needs some real world experience, lest the 1st 16,000 vehicles be recalled as fire hazards.
It sounds like you just spent too much money on a new BMW and have your panties in a bunch that you got trolled by a Hyundai..
So they buy Albert Bierman from the M division along with a pile of other notable designers and engineers. Thry work on the car for SEVEN yrs.
The Genesis brand has already existed for some time now and has proven itself a contender in build quality, reliability, performance and definitely cost of ownership. You’re right, they just kinda threw it together…I get it, you’ve driven nothing but BMWs you’re whole life. There’s simply nothing better. BTW your turn signal is on the left side of the steering column, try it sometime.
Last BMW I owned was a ’74 E9. The rest of your observations are equally removed from reality. For instance, I don’t wear panties. In actual fact, I drive an inherited decade old Hyundai, it is excellent. But I can tell the difference between a German original & a Korean knock-off. You, evidently, cannot. Unsurprising. If the product is as great as you say, it would be selling & you wouldn’t have to sink to misrepresentation & rudeness in its defense – reverse badge snobbery, I don’t associate with a brand that associates with you.
Haha, nice try. Now you’re trying to play the victim. What’s interesting is why you’re so adamant the Koreans are incapable of bringing a competitive product to the table. BMW or Audi, or whoever may have ”done it first” but that doesn’t mean a copycat can’t compete or best them at their game. Hyundai/Kia has an uphill battle because of brand snobbery but that didn’t stop Toyota from spinning off Lexus and being very successful doing so. I’ve driven BMWs, Porsches, VWs, Ford’s, Chevy’s, Saabs, you name it. I cross shopped a wide range of vehicles and I chose the Stinger because it is in fact as good as they say. They didn’t compromise and they did it right. They knew it better be good if they were to pick a fight. Good day, Sir
Victim?! You’ve gone from reality detached to delusional. And more falsehoods, I not only never said the Koreans are non-competitive, I said mine is excellent. Lexus has not been spun off, they are still Toyota corporate. Stinger is homely. Good luck to you, sire.
So how could Genesis have built a Sports Sedan without being considered a copycat? How could anyone? They hired highly qualified experienced people and built a car that is by all accounts at least as good as a 340i, S4 and AMG C43 and by many account better than any of them. Please tell me exactly what they could have done to bring a car like this to the market that would not make you call them a copycat?
If “by all accounts” then why did autotrader.ca just place V6 Genesis 2nd to 4 cyl. 330i? Had BMW 3 Series not long ago established this lucrative market segment would Hyundai (& others) even be producing rwd. luxury sport sedans? And where do you think they hired their highly qualified experienced people from? Since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, copycats are to be expected, but why not stick with the original & best benchmark? If Hyundai has done such a great job, why aren’t Genesis selling? Their sales have suffered as the market moves to crossovers, I wish they’d shown some leadership rather than produce another knock-off wannabe. Why do you think ATS is gone & you almost never see small Jag? GM couldn’t make Saab viable & Volvo is Chinese, Jag are Indian. Even Mazda have announced they’re pursuing a rwd. I6. BMW have been doing other co.’s product planning for decades, C Class didn’t exist until BMW introduced 3 Series sedan.
You still didn’t answer my question. Apparently since BMW made the original Sports Sedan, nobody else should or even could make a better one? Got it. It’s good for us that BMW didn’t think that way about the Model T.
I DID NOT say that, I acknowledged the # of copycats while affirming BMW are still the benchmark. I only started following BMW because they were an alternative to Mercedes, obviously many others feel the same way that the market now supports so many alternatives to BMW. I just wish competitors would show more innovation & leadership rather than just following. Ford lost their Model T lead because they didn’t continue to innovate.
So please share what the G70 3.3T all wheel drive does not do as well as a M340xi for the extra $13,000 in MSRP that the BMW would cost? Just curious, because I have yet to read about it. Oh yeah, it’s a copycat. Got it.
I’m sure the Hyundai is a great car, it has to be to survive in today’s market, let alone compete. But it can’t be compared to the BMW because it’s not even available for testing yet. Also, since the M340i is going to have M3 levels of hp., how would that be a fair comparison? $13k discount may be the bargain. Original Lexus sedan listed for $10k less than the S-Class it copied, Toyota was accused of dumping them for a loss, this is old school marketing. I just wish Hyundai had come up with something more original. Their Essentia Concept suggests they can, so why not produce it? Lead.
Ugh… Both hosts are quite awful to listen to, even excluding the fully scripted dialog coupled with bad acting. Bad grammar from both, plus annoying faux-Valley Girl, from her, make for distracting, unappealing time spent viewing. Theirs is one channel I will NOT be subscribing to. 🤮
“the Hyundai-Kia conglomerate decided to start selling their cars under a new brand as they felt like they needed to somehow distance themselves from their Korean origins.”
You got it wrong right out of the gate. Genesis is not meant to hide its Korean origins at all. It’s meant to separate their luxury cars from the mass market ones, like every other major auto group’s luxury brand. In fact, the #1 reason Genesis was created was to give the Korean home market a legitimate home grown luxury brand to fend off German imports into Korea. Until recently the US got cheaper, less well equipped versions of the cars sold in Korea. Hyundai USA had to work for years to get Hyundai to invest in launching the brand in the US, and even then they’ve done it half heartedly.
My point..As much as I love BMWs, give credit to where it’s due lol. And I own both Stinger GT and E46 m3.. just saying ^^