MotorTrend’s “Car of the Year” is praised for its stylish design, quality build, and list of high-tech features. Despite all this, the 2019 Hyundai Genesis G70 is plagued by one very strange problem. MotorTrend reviewers found something weird going on in the Genesis G70 when the weather went South.

The Genesis G70 can’t see clearly

The Genesis luxury brand won J.D. Power and Associates’ brand award for “Best Initial Quality” in 2019. With a car of this quality, you would really not expect an odd windshield wiper problem. And yet, drivers have experienced some erratic behavior from the Genesis G70 when they turn the wipers on. 

When the driver would turn on the wipers, the sweep of the driver-side would leave a huge swath of water in the bottom corner of the windshield. The reviewer also described the sound it made as a loud “thwack.” This situation could become dangerous in heavy rain when proper clarity is highly important for safe driving.

MotorTrend gets to the bottom of it

As it turned out, it was just a manufacturing line error on that car, or possibly a series of cars. When MotorTrend Testing Director Kim Reynolds came to check it out, she brought along another Genesis G70 they had on hand. When the two vehicles were lined up next to each other, the problem became clear.

According to Reynolds, the windshield wiper arms were accidentally reversed. This meant that even though the blades were on the right sides and were the correct blades for the vehicle, they were doomed. The blades were simply paired up with the wrong arms and were unable to function properly. There’s probably a metaphor for life in there somewhere, and it certainly solved the erratic windshield wiper behavior. 

The reviewer did some follow-up sleuthing by calling the Genesis G70 PR department. They informed him that their test vehicle was the 6,500th one off the line. He wrote it up to first-year growing pains since 2019 was the debut year for the Genesis G70. However, his opinion was they should have had things straightened out by the time they had created over 6,000 vehicles. 

The 2019 Hyundai Genesis G70 is focused on performance

One of the main appealing thing about the 2019 Genesis G70 is its rocket-like performance. Choose the optional twin-turbo engine, and the G70 snaps to 60 miles per hour in just 4.7 seconds. That puts it in the same performance league as the Mercedes-AMG C43, the Jaguar XE, and the BMW 340i.

The Genesis G70 has athletic styling with a sleek profile. There’s an aggressive grille, dramatic stance, and available sport dual exhaust tips that all scream performance. For an incredibly personalized driving experience, you can even adjust the G70’s exhaust sound, tuning it to the most exciting note for your driving experience.

For the ultimate sonic experience, you can tune the high-tech audio entertainment system to match your exhaust and have the fullest sound experience possible. 

The cockpit is driver-oriented with intuitively placed controls as well as a choice of luxury quilted or sports seats. The 16-way power driver’s seat lets you find the ideal position for your driving adventures. Technologies are fully integrated, including a surround-view monitor, large screen navigation, and an available heads-up display. You’re also connected fully to the outside world with driver-assist features and smartphone capability.

There’s not much to not like about the 2019 Genesis G70, MotorTrend’s “Car of the Year.” The factory line error may not fill you with confidence, but at least it was something minor that was pretty easy to deal with.