Genesis G70’s Beauty in the Details

The Genesis G70 sedan lands on Wards 10 Best Interiors list for 2019 for its excellent materials and extreme attention to detail, the kind of attention you don’t always see in vehicles costing $20,000 more.

In keeping with parent Hyundai’s philosophy of giving you more for less, the Genesis G70 is filled with niceties, but priced well below most of its midsize sport-luxury competitors.

To be exact, the G70 rear-wheel-drive Dynamic grade with a 2.0L turbocharged engine we tested was $44,895.

That price is all the more astonishing when you climb in and see Bentley-like textiles, trim and craftsmanship.

Supple-grained, soft ivory leather covers seats and door panels, while a soft black leather-like skin wraps generous portions of the instrument panel and the sides of the center stack.

On the top right side of the center console around the cupholders – normally an area for black, matte hard plastic or glossy plastic trim – is the same smooth black material.

The ivory leather on the door panels is partially quilted, and Genesis flips convention on its side, literally, with horizontal rather than vertical diamond stitching (pictured below).

10BI G70 door embed_0

The upper IP and doors have a traditional, heavier leather graining, but still are soft to the touch and padded.

The sides of the center console are leather-look hard plastic, as they are in most vehicles, but ivory-colored in the G70 instead of black. This eliminates the chance of the dreaded orange-peel effect often seen with black plastic trim.

Beautiful aluminum decorates the doors and speaker grilles, as well as the tops of the front seatbacks, where a u-shaped metal piece sits below the head restraints.

Controls on the center stack, including the large HVAC knobs and the vent wheels, are knurled, making them both attractive and functional. The vent wheels have subtle, delicate metal edging.

More unexpected surprises abound, with a textured metal trim ringing the front cupholders, aluminum-look dots in the bottoms of cupholders and a backseat that is just as nice as the front, a rarity even among luxury vehicles.

For example, the rear cupholders in the pulldown armrest have the same toothy metal trim as front cupholders, and the back of the center console, normally an afterthought for most OEMs, has the same metal-edged vent wheels as the front.

Meanwhile, a unique grooved metal trim is used on the left side of the center console around the shifter, as well as around door handles.

Judge James Amend commends Genesis for making hard plastic buttons, such as those on the center console, look like they’re aluminum.

With all the ivory leather on doors as well as seats, plus the ivory-gray microfiber suede headliner fabric covering all pillars, the car overall has a light and airy feel, punctuated by touches of black piping and stitching.

Given its high-quality materials and attention to detail, plus the sedan’s user-friendly infotainment systems and gobs of standard advanced-driver-assist (ADAS) safety technologies that cost extra in German makes, it’s easy to understand why the G70’s interior is a Wards 10 Best.