“Is that Hyundai’s version of a Bentley?” asked my friend, as he stared at the 2022 Genesis G70’s familiar front grille. “Not, but it is Hyundai’s attempt at a luxury sport sedan,” I replied.

That really is the best way to describe the Genesis G70 in a nutshell; it’s a sporty sedan that competes with the likes of the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. However, during my time with the G70, I found that it offers a little more power than it does prestige.

The Genesis G70 is comfortable and well-refined

Don’t get me wrong, the 2022 Genesis G70 3.3T Sport Advanced that I’m driving does offer a lot of elegance. Especially if you think of how far the Hyundai brand has come in the past 10 years, let alone the strides that the Genesis nameplate has done for the brand. Don’t believe me? Sit inside a G70 and you’ll be impressed by its leather seats, soft-touch materials on the dash and door panels, and all of the rich textures that tie it all together. This isn’t the Hyundai Genesis sedan of yesteryear.

Instead, it’s what I like to call “a budget Mercedes.” With a sticker price of $44,200 for the top-trim 3.3T AWD, there’s no doubt that this fancy Hyundai undercuts the fierce German competition by a long shot. And with additional conveniences like a 10.25-inch infotainment system, an available Lexicon premium sound system, and all of the driver-assist features you could want, there’s no question that this Korean luxury car packs a huge value-driven punch.

Power isn’t everything, but the G70 has a lot of it

The 2022 Genesis G70 has the luxurious chops to hang with the big boys when it comes to interior comfort and amenities, but what’s more impressive is its power. Under the hood is a twin-turbocharged 3.3-liter V6 engine that produces 365 hp and 376 lb-ft of torque and is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. The power is routed through the transmission and out to all four wheels, however, a rear-drive setup is standard on this car.

Power and drivetrain configuration aside, the G70 is surprisingly fun to drive. There’s a little bit of lag when burying the gas pedal off the line, but when the turbos spool up, you’ll be introduced to a wave of power. Car and Driver was able to get from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.7 seconds in the rear-drive G70 but somehow, it feels like it could be quicker than that.

When driving around town and on the freeway, the G70 feels composed and quiet like any luxury car should. But bury your right foot into the pedal and you’ll be met with an addictive exhaust note that sounds very muscle car-like in addition to the aforementioned pull of the twin-turbo V6. The EPA estimates that the G70 can get up to 17 mpg in the city and 25 on the highway, but with this amount of power coupled with my lead-foot driving, I wouldn’t be surprised if I achieved closer to 14 mpg at best. However, I did manage to actually achieve around 21 mpg, which is pretty good for such a powerful setup.

The G70 is comfortable and powerful, but it’s not perfect

While the Genesis G70 offers a lot of interior comforts that work well with the power pumping out of its fire-breathing engine, it could use just a little more panache. Yes, I do believe it competes well in its segment, but if Genesis wants to be taken a little more seriously by the public at large, then some of the materials may need updating in the future.

But for now, I’m quite impressed with the way the G70 drives and handles. However, it definitely weighs a little more on the power than it does on the prestige.