MOTORS: Puncture did not alter opinion of new Genesis
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Without wishing to tempt fate, ask yourself when you last had a puncture. It was probably a while ago, if at all, which means that over many thousands of miles you’ve been hauling around a hefty chunk of spare wheel that’s never seen the light of day.
Which is why many manufacturers are supplying emergency wheels or more commonly, no spare at all, with a repair kit which injects fluid into the burst tyre and seal simple leaks.
I never gave much thought to it, until I fell foul of a puncture in the middle of nowhere.
I was in a very splendid G70 executive saloon from Genesis – no, not the rock band with Phil Collins on drums, but the posh bit of Korean brand Hyundai, in a similar set-up as Toyota which has Lexus.
Opening the boot, there was no spare, wheelbrace or jack but an emergency repair kit. Simple, I thought, as I connected the fluid cylinder to the tyre valve...but it made no difference as I discovered the inside tyrewall had been cut from a sharp edge to a pothole and the tear was too big to seal.
A call to the AA brought a local garage to the rescue but because of my location all they could do was take off the wheel and go with me to the nearest tyre depot.
Eventually they got a £180 replacement tyre – it was a special low-profile variety – and thanks to the rescue knight in white van I was back on the road.
My new best friend told me that most of his callouts were for punctures, a reflection of the state of our roads rather than the quality of our tyres which are more advanced than ever.
The episode was unfortunate but it gave me to time to assess the Genesis package...which is impressive.
It's aiming to tempt people away from the German compact executive saloons such as the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class, as well as other offerings such as the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Jaguar XE.
There’s the option of a 2.2-litre diesel engine or a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol, which was in the featured car in Sport Line trim above the other options of Premium Line and Luxury Line.
Power goes to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox which is deliciously smooth and the response from a standing start was effortless.
The Sport Line spec comes with adaptive suspension which meant that regardless of the road surface it soaks up the worst of the bumps, which is probably why I didn’t notice the offending pothole while it was in Comfort mode.
I might have felt it more if I’d been in Sport which firms up the suspension and makes challenging bends much more stable at speed. It also makes the steering more responsive and the driving experience more fun.
The test car came with an Innovation Pack which added more than £3,000 to the price but gives fully digital instruments with a 3D effect, blind spot camera view when you indicate left or right and a head-up display with your speed, sat-nav directions and other information on to the windscreen. The rear view camera is standard and very useful as visibility all round isn’t brilliant.
The £1,850 Comfort Pack came in addition to the standard lumbar adjustment with side bolster, thigh support and electric steering position settings which can be saved on memory buttons.
The interior finish is superb, especially with the £2,470 Nappa leather option in the test car but overall the feeling is of excellent quality not always found in cars even at this substantial price level.
There’s stacks of room inside, especially up front and while the boot is not especially deep it is wide and long and perfectly adequate for most families.
I really enjoyed my time with the car, including a spirited drive south through the Borders to Yorkshire....and it was puncture-free.
VITAL STATS:
CAR: Genesis G70 2.0T auto Sport Line
PRICE: £40,480 (£46,330 as tested)
ENGINE: 1998cc turbocharged petrol
POWER: 241 bhp
TORQUE: 353 Nm
PERFORMANCE: Top speed 149 mph 0-62mph 6.1 secs
ECONOMY: 33 mpg
CO2: 182 g’km
