When the Genesis brand was introduced by Hyundai, its aim was pretty clear: to challenge the dominance of brands like BMW and Mercedes-Benz. That’s one of the reasons why the Hyundai-Kia conglomerate decided to start selling their cars under a new brand as they felt like they needed to somehow distance themselves from their Korean origins. Fast forward to 2018 and they are really making some good cars, like the G70 model which is aiming directly at the 3 Series.
And, as the Kia Stinger showed, the Koreans can give the Germans a run for their money. The video below compares the Stinger and the G70 with the BMW 340i. Unfortunately, they compare it to the old model, which is a bit long in the tooth, at 6 years old. Comparing it to the new M340i would’ve made more sense but since the car isn’t out yet, we’ll have to wait for that exact comparison to happen.
That said, both the Genesis and the Kia trump the BMW in terms of power and torque. The 340i comes with a 3-liter straight six engine making some 320 HP and 332 lb-ft of torque in standard guise. However, this tester comes with the M Performance Power pack which takes those numbers up to 355 HP and 368 lb-ft, closer to what the rivals claim. The G70 comes with a 3.3-liter V6 with 365 HP and 376 lb-ft of torque, numbers which are better than the BMW’s.
The Stinger is the same story basically, as it shares the exact same engine under the sheet metal. It looks different and drives great but can these two challenge the BMW 340i where it dominates? Can they claim better handling and can they deliver better performance? It’s a question the guys from AutoGuide are trying to answer in the video below. One thing’s for sure, the M340i will probably have these two for lunch once it comes out.
