America Should Want This Wagon

“Shooting Brake” is an old coachbuilding term, dating back to the days when the English upper class wore tweed, picked up a 12-gauge Purdy shotgun, and spent the day in a horse-drawn carriage out into the wilderness. To do. Burn with grouse, partridge, or pheasant. In the early 20th century, the internal combustion engine took over the horse’s job, but the boxy, roomy, long-roofed vehicle that carried the hunter and his equipment across the wasteland was still called the Shooting Brake.

The Genesis G70 Shooting Brake has a long roof. But it’s not boxy, and you won’t see it near the gunrooms of stately British homes during gaming season. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad car. on the contrary. The G70 Shooting Brake is probably the most desirable version of his 2019 Car of the Year. But sadly it’s not seen in the US.

America’s distaste for station wagons that don’t look like SUVs means the G70 Shooting Brake was designed from the start for Europe, where low-profile, sporty and versatile long-roof vehicles are still in vogue. . The Shooting Brake’s footprint is identical to his G70 sedan in terms of length, width and wheelbase, as well as its overall height. All the sheet metal forward from the B-pillar is the same as revealed in a masterfully executed refresh of his G70 sedan for model year 2022.

Diverse rear doors and quarter panels, and a sloping roofline with a spoiler that extends above steeply sloping backlights give the G70 Shooting Brake a more dramatic look than a sedan on the road. Part wagon, part coupe, part hatchback, something that looks muscular, especially from his three-quarters angle in the rear.

Inside, the G70 Shooting Brake shares the sedan’s well-finished cabin and luxurious equipment. All the differences are behind the 40/20/40 split folding rear seats. According to Genesis, the Shooting Brake offers 16.4 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats upright and 54.2 cubic feet when folded flat, well above the trunk space offered by the G70 sedan. but these dimensions are not exact due to different measurement methods. of the same degree. But that’s not a significant comparison anyway.

W206 Mercedes C-Class Wagon (also not available to US buyers). It’s 2.6 inches longer overall, with a 1.2-inch longer wheelbase, 17.3 cubic feet of luggage space with the rear seats upright, and 53.3 cubic feet with seats. Fold it flat. However, the numbers for the Genesis Shooting Break are mediocre to deceive. Rear legroom is noticeably less than in the Mercedes.

Our Shooting Brake test vehicle was a rear-wheel drive Luxury Line model with 4-pack 241 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque with an optional 2.0-liter turbocharger. Neither the 3.3-liter V-6 available on the American G70 nor his AWD driveline are available for the shooting brake. Its base engine is a 194-horsepower version of the Turbo 4, optionally available as a 2.2-liter 4-cylinder turbodiesel that puts out 197 horsepower and 325 lb-ft.

In the UK, the shooting brake is set 4.8% higher than the G70 sedan. That equates to a theoretical US base price of about $42,300 for a car with the same powertrain as our test wagon. By way of comparison, of the handful of premium wagons currently available in its class in America, Audi’s A4 Allroad starts at $45,900 and Volvo’s V60 Cross Country retails for $50,095.

However, both wagons are aimed at exactly the same customers as the G70 Shooting Brake. Genesis says the shooting-brake chassis will be tested during nearly 6,500 miles of testing on the difficult Nürburgring Nordschleife, where one lap of his legendary 12.9-mile circuit is said to equate to nearly 200 hard-road miles. has been tweaked to Like the sedan, the Shooting Brake is nowhere near the original performance and ultimate grip levels of the Audi RS4 wagon, but it is a fun and sporty car to drive.

The 241-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivers superb mid-range on fun roads when the 8-speed automatic transmission is used in manual mode and the needle is swung between 3,000 and 5,000 rpm. The dual exhausts offer a muted rumble under hard acceleration, strangely like the sound of an old Subaru WRX Flat 4. And even in sport mode, the oddly soft throttle response makes the shooting brake feel slower than it actually is. It’s only when you look down at the speedometer that you realize how fast this Genesis is covering the ground.

The results of testing at the Nürburgring are evident in steering and braking consistency, chassis agility and agility in twisties. Hardware changes specific to the Shooting Brake include a new rear shock tuned for higher loads on the rear axle. Corner has its own software. At 2.8% more than the Luxury Line test model, order the Sport Line version of the Shooting Brake and you’ll get Nürburgring-inspired features like a sports exhaust, Brembo brakes with enhanced performance pads, a mechanical limited-slip differential and Michelin Pilot. special benefits are offered. Sports 4S tires on 19-inch aluminum wheels.

The shooting break is not the fastest straight line in its class. Genesis claims a 0-60 mph time of about 6.7 seconds. That’s about half a second slower than his 2.0-liter G70 sedan, which is 280 pounds lighter, and about a second slower than his 261 hp, 271 lb-ft Audi. It’s an A4 Allroad, but it’s a perfect fit for Volvo’s 250hp, 258lb-ft V60 Cross Country. But that’s the basic quality of the chassis, and the G70 Shooting Brake easily pulls high average speeds without breaking a sweat, even on the tiny 18-inch wheels that come standard on Luxury Line models and his 225/45 tires. can be maintained at

The Genesis G70 Shooting Brake is yet another impressive step for the fast-moving Korean luxury brand. A good-looking, well-equipped and sporty premium his wagon, which justifies its place among the rivals of the European luxury car elite not only by its competitive price, but also by the way it drives. I’m here.

One weak point of this noble company shooting brake is under the hood. Even in its most powerful tuning, its 2.0-liter Turbo 4 doesn’t have quite the same definition or punch you get from similar powerplants in mainstream Audi, BMW or Mercedes-Benz compact wagons. It’s not a deal breaker. It’s just that the rest of the car deserves better.

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